Engaging Internal Comms

Hope is a powerful motivator and something that many organisations have been starved of since the pandemic began. Richard Nugent, Founder of TwentyOne Leadership, explains to the Engaging Internal Comms Podcast why communicators need to start bringing hope back and how they can go about doing this.

A lack of leadership buy-in is an issue that often hinders organisational change but is one that Dean Batson, an educator of communications in colleges across Arizona, knows can be overcome. He explains to the Engaging Internal Comms Podcast the effects of authentic leadership and why it is crucial they are connected to any large-scale change effort.

Understanding the psychology behind the most effective ways to communicate with employees can make the difference in any change effort. Founder of The MindTime Foundation, John Furey, is an expert in this area and he tells the Engaging Internal Comms Podcast the benefits of understanding employee thinking and how to tailor your communications around this.

As Global Head of Employee & Community Engagement at Life Sciences business Merck, Melissa Hackmeier is responsible for the development of volunteer programmes in all parts of the world. She tells Craig Smith the importance of these programmes, how they demonstrate the organisation’s purpose to employees and other stakeholders.

Employee experience is something which has often been overlooked by organisations and leaders, despite the crucial role it plays in both productivity and revenue. Award-winning communicator and author Nicholas Wardle is working to change perceptions on this and speaks to Craig Smith about the key role communicators have to play in shaping employee experience.

Series 3 of the Engaging Internal Comms Podcast will be based around the key questions that communicators need to be able to answer when dealing with change. This is a constant for many organisations and Craig Smith explains why it is so vital in this short trailer episode.

In the final episode of Series 2 of the engaging Internal Comms Podcast, Craig Smith takes some of the highlights from the show so far to display the best examples of implementing a strong culture within an organisation. The guests explain their own experiences with showing employees a clear vision and why it is crucial to have a strong sense of purpose.

Craig Smith gathers the thoughts of several of the guests that have featured on the show so far to discuss remote working and change management. Using some of the best insights from Series 1 and 2, the interviewees explain their thoughts around becoming leaders in organisational change and how the shift to remote working has affected their communications.

It has been a turbulent year for internal comms, but what does 2022 look like for the industry? IoIC CEO Jen Sproul reflects on the lessons that can be taken from 2021, while assessing the challenges that lie ahead, with community playing a key role for communicators in overcoming difficulties like change management, hybrid working and information overloads.

Off the back of their new book, Mark Dollins and Jon Stemmle chat to Craig Smith about the growing links between change management and employee communications. Mark and Jon bring both industry and academic experience to the conversation, explaining how techniques such as storytelling can help those in internal comms become trusted advisors for organisational change.

Podcasting and audio content is growing in popularity, which is making it of interest to internal communicators. Brian Landau is the Co-Founder and CEO of audio distribution platform Vennly and he explains to Craig Smith how internal comms professionals can take advantage of this emerging medium.

The pandemic has been a turbulent time for everyone in the internal comms industry as they have seen their influence grow tenfold. This progress is something IoIC Board Member Kirsty Bowen feels needs to continue, as she reflects on what those in the profession can take from the last 18 months.

What are the metrics that determine the success of an internal communications strategy and how can we use this data to increase engagement? Andrea Scarpulla has a keen interest in this topic and explains to the Engaging Internal Comms Podcast why she has found it so effective, drawing on examples used in her current role at DHL Americas.

The Department of Health and Social Care has been at the centre of media attention since the pandemic began, helping shape the UK’s ‘COVID battle plan.’ Its Head of Internal Communications and Niall Ryan has played a pivotal role in this, as he tells Craig how his newly formed team dealt with the pressures of this unprecedented situation and how they engaged its newly recruited remote workers.

Lisa Gwinnell has been helping drive internal communications at Siemens Mobility for a number of years now and knows just how important it is to the organisation. During her time here she has seen the profession's rise, something she wants to help further as she explains to Craig how those who work in internal comms can strengthen their hand when it comes to being a trusted advisor who truly earns...

Craig talks to Neil Jenkins (Director of Communications Business Partnerships at Iron Mountain) about using the power of communication to get the best out of people, connect them to their organisations and build reputation and trust from the inside out. Craig and Neil also discuss the challenges of communicating to a very diverse workforce across the globe, from frontline truck drivers to the comm...

Craig talks to Kevan Hall who leads a team at Global Intervention with people in Europe, the Americas and Asia. Kevan is a pioneer in remote, virtual and hybrid working and since March 2020 the rest of the world has been playing catch-up with his philosophies, ideas, tools, and concepts. They discuss the pace of the change to remote working which was startling and the previous main objection which...

In this episode we speak with Laura Colantuono who is International Internal Communications and Employer Branding Manager at Kraft Heinz. Kraft Heinz have recently communicated their purpose… ‘Let’s make life delicious’. This is supported by six new core beliefs which make up their values. In the interview, Laura explains the challenges of sharing company values with 16,000 employees from diverse...

Craig speaks to Jen Grogono of uStudio Inc about the use of new media in comms and in particular podcasts and audio. Jen discusses the 6Ps of podcasting – people, programming, production, publishing, promotion and performance – and explains how our ‘voice’ is 500% more effective in terms of conveying meaning.

Employer branding is a topic which is highly relevant when it comes to employee engagement and employee experience. How can internal comms and employee engagement professionals innovate and support the development of a world-class employer brand? Farrah Ekeroth shares some of the great work going on in this space at EY.

Craig speaks with Paula Leach from Vantage Points about creating an organisational culture where employees thrive. In the interview, we explore two key roles for leaders - creating clarity and getting out of the way. We find out that if a leader only ever does two things, then these are the right two things. We also look at the implications of these leadership behaviours for employee engagement an...

Craig Smith talks with Matthew McLean from The Podcast Host about the value of podcasting as an effective channel for internal communications. Matthew provides tips for growing and retaining an internal audience and explains what sort of metrics should be used to measure the success of your internal podcast.

In this Series 2 Episode 16, Craig speaks with Eoin Weldon from Merck about the challenges and opportunities of communicating with “offline” employees (i.e. those without access to digital channels such as Yammer, Slack or email). We explore what organisations can do to ensure that these employees are not left behind and are kept fully informed and engaged.

Craig Smith gives a recap of the five tools for sharing your values we’ve discussed over the past few weeks. They are all free to download from the resources page. All of these tools are designed to take you to a point where you can identify your values, pressure check them for being fit for purpose but also start to embed them within your organisation.

In Series 2 Episode 14 Craig Smith talks to Anna Kilmurray who is Chief People Officer at ClearScore. Anna was one of the first 6 employees at ClearScore who now employ over 200 people. Anna explains how creating a strong employer brand, is essential for fast-growth businesses to thrive and to attract and retain the most promising talent. Anna explains the role that internal comms and employee eng...