AMA with Lyft: 6 questions on internal comms

We’re taking stock of the internal communication strategies that will help teams survive — and thrive — in our new Hybrid 2.0 work culture.

• Experts at Lyft and UPS got us rolling with how they're optimizing employee comms — and most of their ideas address one issue: Staffs are overwhelmed with information and struggling to see what’s important.

• Their advice tackled that issue from every angle, from five tips to enhance internal communications any organization — big or small — to the powerful role managers play in making messages unmissable.

Yes, but: We wanted to go even deeper. Lyft Senior Director of Internal Communications Denise Bertuccelli did a rapid-fire — and fully async — "Ask me anything" on internal comms.

👇 6 quick questions on Lyft's internal comms:

1) Slack. Email. Intranet. Text. Social Media. How do you deal with being overwhelmed by the number of communication channels?

• “We design each to serve a different purpose. This allows us to have clear filters about what goes where” and “to use different formats — video; short hand vs. long-hand written updates — so folks have the opportunity to digest information in a way that suits their needs.

• “It’s also important to maximize readership by meeting people where they are… If every Friday employees check the intranet for payroll, make sure you have your updates live on that site that day.”

2) Do you think an intranet is a good way to communicate with employees, or is email more effective?

• “This can vary. Consider things like: If there is a habit with a tool, capitalize on having eyes that are going to it. If one tool is better at targeting specific messaging by audience, go there to not inundate folks with information irrelevant to them. People don’t want to spend a lot of time reading, so use the tool that allows for brevity.”

3) Are people using SMS with employees?

• “We only use SMS in case of emergencies (i.e. checking in on a team member’s safety after a Hurricane).”

4) Who are the most effective people to develop and deliver information and key messages?

• “We ask our most senior leaders to cascade a lot of information. This requires bringing folks along the way so they have the context, the thoughtful pre-informs, the talking points when topics are difficult to convey, and a 1:1 comms business partner for every org.”

5) How do you motivate front line staff to attend live video events when their jobs require all of their time?

• “At Lyft, it is optional for front line teams to watch videos given the constraints of time. The one replay we see high engagement from our field teams on is our company all hands. We make sure this audience is represented and celebrated in each segment. People are more apt to want to see it if they see themselves represented.”

6) Have you ever turned over your channels — the intranet or Slack — to employees for things like a byline series?

• “At a minimum every month we feature stories from employees as part of our Employee Resource Group communication strategy with messages aligned to that particular affinity month.”

🎉 Fun Fact: Lyft introduced a virtual “Ask Me Anything” for its staff on Slack, where Lyft's co-founders would answer questions live every Friday for 30 minutes. 

• “We saw 90% favorability” on an employee survey question that explored if company communication was helpful, says Denise. “It directly correlated” to the AMAs, and since then, “we have invited a lot more of our executives… into that forum to give them the same opportunity. It's been a really big win.”

👉 Go deeper: Lyft, Edelman, and 200+ other organizations use Axios HQ to sharpen their communications. See a free demo.