The Future of Internal Communication

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 and beyond. More poignantly, she’s led organisations and teams in some of the most extreme and hostile situations, surviving political unrest, war, terrorist threats and more.   In this episode, Ineke shares what she’s learned about effective leadership during times of adversity. Most importantly, she presents what she’s learned about how to adapt the style and tone of leadership communication when lives are at risk.  

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 weird is the new normal.  It addresses the essential role of human connection in the future of work and more pivotally for you, our listeners, the expanding opportunity for internal communicators. We urgently need to create new conditions for work, ones in which people can flourish. How we communicate with and show up for one another is an integral part of this, so we really hope you enjoy the listen.  Show notes   Find out more about Seth Godin: https://www.sethgodin.com/  Find out more about The Song of Significance: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/458050/the-song-of-significance-by-godin-seth/9780241655542 

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 issue. She also shares why she believes the role of internal communication is integral to long-term organisational sustainability. Tune in to hear from one of the UK’s leading voices in sustainability to learn about the opportunity for internal communication.

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 explores the optimal mix of work-life factors needed to create fulfilling lives and careers.   In this episode, Cat, Jen and Dom invite Dan to share what inspired him to write the book and to unpick the requirement to maintain healthy boundaries between work and the rest of life. How we work has been reshaped by the pandemic; Dan shares his thoughts for the role internal communication has in helping maintain thriving teams.

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 of the value internal communication provides to employees across the UK. If you haven’t already done so, you can download your copy here. In this bonus episode, Jen, Dom and Cat welcome Susanna Holten, Senior Consultant with Ipsos Karian and Box to discuss the report’s findings and explore what this means for the future of internal communication. They unpick the highlights and showcase opportunities for internal communication professionals to add even more value to their organisations.

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. With an expert view, she shares her views on the current challenges faced by Internal Communicators and the opportunities she believes lie ahead. 

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 leaders across the board, it’s increasingly obvious that organisations must rethink the role people play in business sustainability and resilience. Kevin is leading the way in this area. First Bus has initiated a transformational people strategy to place colleagues and customers at the heart of its commercial goals. In this episode, Jen, Cat, Dom and Kevin discuss the opportunities for internal communicators as we move into the future of work.

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-job as CEO of Peak Demand Inc, Jon enthusiastically writes, podcasts and keynotes about leadership and leadership communication. We were keen to hear his ideas and hope you’ll agree this conversation is one of our most thought-provoking episodes yet.

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 such a primary role to play in the race to net-zero, we were keen to hear Michelle and Gemma’s views on the evolution of responsible business and the opportunities for both marketing and internal communication as we push towards a carbon-neutral economy.

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 internal communication profession. With so much change and adaptation required by organisations today, what might internal communication look like five years from now? Tune in to hear from our profession’s most seasoned expert.