Melcrum Publishing surveyed more than 2,000 in-house comms professionals and found that two-thirds believed face-to-face briefings to be the most effective channel to communicate with staff.

In spite of the increasing prominence of digital media, only seven per cent of in-house comms professionals said blogs were their preferred channel.

A further 15 per cent favoured webcasts as the best way to engage with their employees.

James Bennett, head of content at Melcrum Publishing, said: 'Social media are enablers of great communication, but they do not take away the fact that face-to-face is as important. We need to do both.'

But Paul Armstrong, head of social media at Kindred, urged comms chiefs not to neglect digital communications. He said: 'Face-to-face communication is very important, but use the right tool for the right job.'

When asked about using social media as part of an internal comms strategy, 40 per cent of respondents said they planned to adopt social media such as blogs, webcasts and wikis in the coming year.

'A lot of people don't know how to use social media tools, but in times like now when costs are important, these can be great for saving money,' said Armstrong.