The Future of Internal Communication

How comfortable would you feel if we asked you to walk into a crowded room and find someone to strike up conversation with? Most of us can relate to feeling stressed by networking events where the focus is on meeting new people. A media that thrives on headlines that accentuate difference and division doesn’t help. Which is perhaps why we were so captivated by the themes discussed by Joe Keohane i...

Hardly a day goes by now without a news article circulating telling us of the boundless benefits of the next phase of AI and how we must all hurry to adapt. There’s little time to think about the pros and cons – the mainstream narrative is get on board or get left behind. But what’s at stake? What are the downsides? Activist Gerry McGovern is hugely concerned. And rightly so. The environmental foo...

As economic conditions continue to create complexity, it’s easy to look for quick fixes and short-cuts that ringfence and protect margin and profit. But at what cost? Almost every week a new scandal breaks of an organisation breaching standards and causing harm either to humans or the environment. Ethics, it seems, are on the wane. But what are they and why do they matter? In this episode, Jen, Do...

In this episode, the hosts are joined by guest Alex Fahie to discuss the role of artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI in internal communication. They explore the potential of generative AI to automate content creation and the impact it may have on the role of internal communicators. They also discuss the importance of upskilling for internal communicators to effectively leverage AI tools...

In this episode, the team is joined by guest Howard Krais to discuss the importance of listening in organisations and the role of leadership in fostering a listening culture. He highlights the lack of emphasis on listening in business education and the challenges organisations face in prioritising and acting on feedback from internal stakeholders. He emphasises the need for leaders and internal co...

In this episode, Janet Hitchen discusses the importance of understanding organisational priorities and aligning internal communication efforts with those objectives. She emphasises the need to ask the right questions and challenge assumptions to ensure that the work being done is truly impactful. Janet also highlights the educational aspect of internal communication, both within organisations and...

In this episode, Jen, Dominic, Cat are joined by Professor Michael Heller and Dr Joe Chick to discuss the institutional history of internal communication. They recap the progress of their research project and share their discoveries from archival research. They explore the concepts of diachronic and synchronic analysis and how the perspective on well-being has evolved over time. They also discuss...

In this episode, guest Diane Osgood, discusses the topic of business sustainability and its importance. She defines business sustainability as the impact a company has on the environment and society through its modes of production and the impact of the products it makes. She also highlights the importance of managing the risks of climate and environmental impact on the company, its employees, and...

In this episode, Neil Carberry, Chief Executive of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, discusses the current state of the labour market and the challenges employers face in 2024. He emphasises the importance of effective internal communication in recruitment and retention, highlighting the need for human skills in the hiring process. Neil also discusses the impact of remote work and the...

In this episode, hosts Cat Barnard, Jen Sproul and Dom Walters are joined by Chris Carey and Christina Dolding from Axiom Communications.  The guests discuss the importance of colleague experience and its impact on attraction, retention, and business transformation. They emphasize the need for organisations to focus on the entire colleague journey, including pre-joining, onboarding, and post-honey...

Steve Wells is a global futurist who helps organisations and their leaders improve their future change readiness through the delivery of horizon scanning executive education. The co-editor and a contributing author to seven books on the emerging future, Steve is expertly placed to identify the trends most likely to present opportunity for internal communication in 2024. In this episode, Cat, Jen,...

In this episode, we turn the spotlight on IoIC CEO, Jennifer Sproul to hear her reflections on how the internal communication profession has changed since she took the helm in 2017. And where she feels the emergent opportunities lie.     Find out more about IoIC |  Website: https://www.ioic.org.uk/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/institute-of-internal-communication Twitter: https://twit...

Perry Timms is the founder and CEO of People and Transformational HR. He was ranked HR’s Most Influential Thinker in 2022 by HR Magazine. An accomplished author and TEDx speaker, his 30+ year career focused on people, business change and performance means he now sits in the HR Most Influential Hall of Fame. In this episode, he shares his observations about the changing nature of work and explores...

Dr. Iain Wilton is a former ministerial special adviser who has held several senior public policy, corporate communications and government relations roles - in organisations including the BBC and the Royal Statistical Society.  In this episode, he shares why it’s important for organisations to stay abreast of political developments to minimise risk. We also find out which political risks pose the...

Scott McInnes is the Managing Director of Inspiring Change, a consultancy that helps organisations build and maintain engaging and thriving work cultures. With a prior background in internal communication, he is expertly placed to share how and why the way we communicate at work is integral to culture.   In this episode, Scott shares his thoughts as to whether work culture is driven by the C-suite...

Ineke Botter is a rarity. In what was, and what continues to be, a male-dominated industry, she is one of the very few female leaders to have led the organisations that designed, built and launched the mobile networks we rely on today for always-on digital connectivity.   Her work has taken her around the world, from the former Eastern Bloc to Europe and from there to the Middle East, Central Asia...

Earlier in 2023, Seth Godin published his 25th book. Hot on the heels of a yearlong involvement with The Carbon Almanac project, the release of The Song of Significance seemed urgent and timely.   In this special episode, Cat chats with Seth about the catalyst for The Song of Significance and what led him to write it. This is a conversation about work, the impact of artificial intelligence and how...

Illana Adamson is a leading sustainability consultant and educator, working with business and non-profits to introduce science-based sustainability initiatives, actions and behaviours into their organisations. She moves beyond the greenwashing to surface action that actually counts. In this episode, Illana provides us with a progressive definition of what sustainability is and why it’s a business...

Dan Pontefract is a renowned leadership strategist, author, and keynote speaker. With more than two decades of experience in senior roles in the technology industry, he speaks and writes on the topic of people at work and how to create more inclusive, engaging workplaces.   His latest book – Work-life Bloom – explores the key elements that humans need to flourish at work. Most poignantly, he explo...

What if there were data to prove the business case for internal communication? What if we could see in fine detail the impact of internal communication on employee experience and engagement? Well, now there is and now we can. In July 2023, the IoIC launched brand new research in partnership with Employee Research and Experience Agency, Karian and Box. The IC Index is the first of its kind analysis...

Many of you will recognise this episode’s guest, Katie Macaulay. She’s the Managing Director of award-winning Internal Communication agency AB Communications and host of the The Internal Comms Podcast. Katie chats with Jen, Dom and Cat to explain what she’s uncovered through her work with The Acid Test Audit, a tool that uncovers discrepancies in communication and flaws in strategic alignment. Wit...

When Jen Sproul met Kevin Green at a conference in late 2022, they immediately hit it off. With a long-standing career in HR, staffing and employment, Kevin has an expert view on how to accelerate inclusion, engagement and performance at work. Today, Kevin is Chief People Officer of First Bus, one of the UK’s largest bus operators, with some 14,000 staff. As labour markets continue to perplex lead...

Spending months underwater will inevitably teach you a huge amount about the role of communication in effective teamwork. And this is what this episode’s guest learned during his military career serving as a US Navy Nuclear Submarine Officer. Ever since, Jon Rennie has been fascinated by leadership communication. With various civilian leadership roles under his belt, today, in addition to his day-...

To mark World Environment Day, it’s a special treat to hear from co-authors of the best-selling book Sustainable Marketing, Michelle Carvill and Gemma Butler. Since their book was published in early 2021, Michelle and Gemma have gone on to host the ‘Can Marketing Save the Planet’ podcast series. This has led to many fascinating conversations across the marketing domain. When organisations have suc...

Bill Quirke was our very first guest, when we launched this podcast back in 2021. As author of the celebrated book, ‘Making the Connections: Using Internal Communication to Turn Strategy Into Action’, he’s an influential figure within the IC field. Given all that’s unfolded in the past two years, we wanted to catch up with Bill to hear his latest reflections on the risks and opportunities for the...