The problem with regular communication is that we don't communicate regularly

No one disputes the importance of communicating with employees. Consultancies, books, workshops and public speaking careers have been built around educating management on the latest communication techniques.

Effective employee communicating is a key focus for all employee engagement strategies and the foundation of the Social Business Software and Enterprise 2.0 industry. It's obvious, we work in a knowledge-share age and this knowledge can only be shared through communication.

Here’s an explosive insight: by the time you are finished crafting your message, shooting your webcast video, proofing, editing, re-writing, adjusting colour, quality reviewing and gaining compliance the moment has....... passed.

How can you possibly communicate regularly with your employees when so much time and effort is required for every communication? What is the solution?

Your employees are actually far more likely to read your messages (and enjoy them) if they are short, sharp and relevant (i.e. talk about a win when it happens, not a few months after the fact).

Short messages are far easier to compose, require far less consideration and will achieve an exponentially greater result. We know that Twitter and Facebook have shaped the short message reality however these businesses have thrived because short messages are interesting. They cut through clutter and really work.

With all this in mind, there is no good reason why you couldn't start communicating regularly today. Well, you may need to contact someone about Social Business Software applications first.

These tips will help get you started:

1. Your messages should be communicated minimum once a week however test them over a 6 week period to find the right balance

1. For a web video try limit the message to around 60 seconds and written messages can range from a couple of sentences to a maximum of 3 paragraphs. If you have more to say then ask a colleague to help you cut it down or span your ideas over a few different messages

1. Offer your employees a way to provide feedback on your messages, either by rating them or commenting. It's a business communication so your employees will consider their comments carefully before posting a comment (social business software applications will help with this)