What is Informal Communication? [Guide + Examples]

Who doesn’t like chatting with a co worker at the water cooler or shooting the breeze with a buddy during lunch time?

We all do.

This kind of spontaneous and casual sharing of information, informal communication, is part of what makes a good company culture.

In this edition of HR Vocabulary, we’ll break down what is informal communication with examples, the various types, benefits, and share a few practical tips on making use it in the workplace.

What is Informal Communication?

Informal communication is the sharing of information outside formal channels. Unlike the structured path of formal communication dictated by organizational hierarchy, informal communication flows freely without strict rules.

Informal communication usually has a spontaneous, flexible, and personal feel. You may notice it during casual greetings, small talk, or spontaneous discussions during coffee breaks or team events. This casual style of communication helps nurture friendships and makes employees feel connected and supported.

In the workplace, informal communication also promotes collaboration and strengthens relationships. People tend to bond more and feel engaged when there is no pressure and the mood is light. This means better employee morale and stronger work performance.

The draw back on the other hand, is the lack of strict rules in informal settings can sometimes lead to misunderstandings and the spread of inaccurate information.

8 Common Examples

Informal communication manifests in various everyday interactions within a workplace. These can range from casual conversations in the break room to quick exchanges over instant messaging platforms.

Here are 8 examples you have probably been a part of and didn’t realize it.

1. Casual conversations

Casual conversations are spontaneous chit chats about weekend plans, project updates, “How’s it going?”, or small talk as people pass each other in common areas like break rooms or hallways. These are basically water cooler conversations.

Employees usually use these chats as ways to discuss various topics like their own personal interests (where are you going for vacation?!) to work related issues (are they hiring someone new for our team?).

2. Instant messaging

Emoji reactions, GIFs, or a short side conversation in a channel. Instant messaging works just like text messaging on your phone but for the modern workplace.

Popular platforms include:

• Slack
• Skype
• Microsoft Teams
• WhatsApp

These tools help your team stay connected and collaborative using quick messages for casual interactions and quick discussions. The draw back is instant messaging can also be a distraction and disrupt workflow.

If you are a remote worker, then you likely rely heavily on instant messaging to stay in touch with your team members.

3. Coffee breaks

Coffee breaks are critical for human civilization to continue functioning! So of course they are a great time for you and coworkers to relax and discuss work-related topics or engage in light-hearted exchanges.

Spaces like lounges, coffee stations, and shared seating areas are great places to have a coffee break and chat.

4. Desk-side brainstorming

This could be a teammate leaning over to say, “Got a minute? I’ve got an idea,” and you sketch concepts on a sticky note or whiteboard.

5. After-meeting debriefs

As everyone walks out, two or three of your colleagues linger to quietly ask, “What did you think of that proposal?”

6. Social gatherings or team lunches

Maybe its casual talk over lunch, birthday cake, or an after-work happy hour where work topics and personal stories mix freely.

7. Grapevine/rumor mill

Unofficial word-of-mouth updates—“I heard marketing might reorganize”—passed peer-to-peer rather than through formal memos.

8. Company chat rooms or intranet forums dedicated to hobbies

Maybe your company has channels like #dogs-of-the-office or a fantasy-football thread or an afterwork basketball league where coworkers bond outside formal work discussions?

Types of Informal Communication

Informal communication can take various forms, each facilitating information flow and relationship building in unique ways. Typically these type of communications are called grape vine since the message can spread like a twisted random collage of vines!

Gossip chain

A gossip chain is when information is shared within a group and one person conveys details that can cross departmental boundaries. This often happens in online team chats, team meals, and company parties.

A key aspect of the gossip chain is the information is usually spicy and provocative, and thus the information spreads quickly. Coworkers often can’t help to share rumors and office gossip. On one hand this makes for fast news dissemination, but many times at the risk of accuracy.

Cluster chain

Cluster chains is when one person shares information with an established group, who then relay it to others. This method of information share usually occurs in hierarchical structures where specific groups need to be informed and kept in the loop.

Regardless, the information spreads fast because everyone wants to be in the know.

Single-strand chain

A single-strand chain refers to one-on-one information sharing. It’s most common in remote work settings and among different shifts.

Single-strand chains are basically continuous conversations you would have with a single coworker. They help to facilitate one-on-one exchanges and convey messages clearly and directly.

Probability chain

Probability chain communication is when one person shares information spontaneously within a group. Individuals in the group then decide randomly to share that information to others for a variety of reasons.

This sounds very similar to a gossip chain. The difference is gossip chains usually have the intent to spread and regardless if the news is positive or negative.

Probability chains is like sharing with a small group you may be leaving your company. Members of the group can randomly decide to share or not share that information. Regardless, your intent was not to have that information made known to everybody.

Formal vs Informal Communication

Understanding the differences between formal and informal communication can help your organization balance both effectively.

Structure and hierarchy

Formal communication focuses on a chain of command and organizational hierarchy. This means information flows through predefined formal communication channels. For example, if you have a complaint about a coworker, you would file a complaint with your immediate manager before going to your department head or HR.

In contrast, informal communication is less structured and more flexible. This makes for a more fluid, creative, and quicker information sharing environment.

Speed and flexibility

Informal communication is generally faster than formal communication. This makes it ideal for social interactions or simply addressing issues and sharing updates in real-time.

It’s also flexible enough to adapt to changing circumstances. For example, you have a deadline and don’t have time to send out a formal communication to your team.

Purpose and content

Formal communication is usually reserved to share essential business and company related information. Informal communication covers pretty much every other subject, including personal interests and off-the-clock conversations among colleagues.

Benefits of Informal Communication

Informal communication offers several advantages, such as enhancing employee engagement, promoting collaboration, and encouraging informal communication while building stronger workplace relationships.

Enhances employee engagement

A quick coffee break. A fun team lunch. Easy going mingling in the company canteen.

All of these small episodes of informal communication are bonding opportunities between colleagues and coworkers. Each positive interaction can boost employee morale and job satisfaction for everyone.

For most people, it’s the people that make the job worth coming to. So the more people get to talk to each other and learn about different areas and roles, the more cohesive and collaborative the workplace becomes.

Ultimately this builds a sense of belongingness and pride and promotes a strong workplace culture.

Promotes collaboration

If your organizational culture empowers your team and promotes dynamic free flowing communication, then it will be natural for team members to talk about how processes and products can be improved. Everyone will be excited to contribute.

In fact, it would be possible for spontaneous brainstorming sessions to pop up from informal interactions, leading to creative solutions and creative ideas to tough problems. This kind of collaborative environment is the goal because it promotes teamwork, mutual support and achievement of organizational goals.

Builds stronger workplace relationships

Informal communication is the building block of strong relationships and a sense of familiarity among employees. It’s the small casual interactions like standing at the company bus, riding in an elevator, or quick banter in the break room or lounge that build trust among your colleagues.

Disadvantages of Informal Communication

With great power comes great responsibility. So despite its benefits, informal communication does have drawbacks, including the risk of misinformation, lack of accountability, and potential for exclusion.

Risk of misinformation

Informal communication can propagate inaccurate information without a structured framework that causes confusion and misunderstandings. Since there is no structure and no paper trail, it can be difficult to verify the accuracy of the information shared.

Conversations with coworkers or even leaders that lack structure can devolve into gossip, and spread falsehoods. Once rumors begin percolating from person to person, it can be a challenge to correct the misinformation and resolve conflicts.

Lack of accountability

Since there is no structure or traceability in informal chatter among colleagues, it’s almost impossible to hold individuals accountable for the information shared. This is where a culture of respect, and ethical behavior has to be the answer.

Potential for exclusion

If you’re like me who doesn’t participate in work chatter or mingle with coworkers during lunch, you may miss out on the latest in the workplace grapevine. If you are a remote or part-time employee, you may miss out on spontaneous updates from official channels, possibly leading to feelings of exclusion and affecting team dynamics.

Best Practices

To harness the benefits of informal communication while mitigating its disadvantages, organizations should adopt best practices.

Create physical and virtual spaces

Designate areas like break rooms, lounges and coffee stations as unwinding areas to encourage casual conversations and foster informal interactions. Similarly, virtual spaces like chat channels can facilitate informal communication among your remote workers.

Be sure to clarify what information can be shared informally versus formal to maintain professionalism.

Encourage leadership participation

Leaders are important in establishing a culture of open communication. By participating in informal settings, they can help normalize open communication among staff and promote a positive work environment.

Set guidelines

Clear guidelines help employees understand the limits of informal discussions to maintain professionalism. For example, most companies have policies for harassment and abusive language or behavior. Just because it’s casual doesn’t mean it’s appropriate.

Final Thoughts

Informal communication is the building block of all human interactions. We are at our best when we speak freely, comfortably and respectfully with each other. This leads to a collaborative and engaging workplace culture.

Even though there are potential drawbacks, organizations can implement a strong culture that facilitates effective informal communication, ultimately enhancing employee morale, and overall productivity.

One way to promote communication in your organization is via a strong time tracking app. If you haven’t checked out how time trackers can improve culture, productivity, and the bottom line, check out our review content!