According to the 2010 Towers Watson report, Capitalizing on Effective Communication, those companies that communicate with courage, innovation and discipline, especially during times of economic challenge and change, are more effective at engaging their employees and achieving their desired business results.

Companies that are highly effective communicators delivered 47% higher returns to their shareholders over the last 5 years than those least effective at communicating.

Have courage –  communicate to your employees about what matters to them – and tell it like it is. Especially during times of change, make sure your employees understand what they can expect from the company and what the company expects from them.

Innovate - we are all being asked to do more with less. Try new communication tools to reach your employees in real time, but take the time to explain to employees how they will make a difference to the business.

Highly effective communicators are making greater use of social media than their less effective peers. However, usage is often outpacing effectiveness. To get a better return on any investment in social media companies need to – build knowledge and understanding of the benefits of social media; establish a social media policy; develop appropriate tools to measure success; and build executive support.

Be disciplined – plan to succeed. High-performing organisations are 2-3 times more likely to have a documented communication strategy than low-performing organisations. They are also more likely to have performance metrics in place to measure performance against business objectives and budgeted spend.