“What are you hearing from your clients?”
July to September edition
We know that working in-house as an internal communicator can be isolating. It’s difficult to know what other organisations are doing or if you’re up to date with the latest trends and solutions.
Here are the top five trending internal communication (IC) issues we’re hearing about from our clients – and the actions we’re advising they take to tackle these challenges in the rest of 2024, and beyond.
“Is our channel
mix still right?”
We went through Covid comms, then ‘new normal’ comms, and now it’s a kind of business as usual.
But for many organisations, their channel mixes are still stuck somewhere between 2020 and 2021. What worked in times of uncertainty may not be fit for purpose as our everyday working experiences settle, and employees’ communication preferences adapt alongside.
So how can organisations be sure that their IC channels are pulling their weight and supporting employees in the right way?
Our answer: Find out what people need
Run employee research to understand what your different employee groups need and want from internal communications.
We’ve helped clients to talk to their people – through the likes of pulse surveys and focus groups – about how they actually communicate and why.
On a smaller scale, we’ve also run our tried-and-tested ‘Which tool for which task?’ workshop with small groups of stakeholders and influencers to uncover valuable insight that can help to inform a refreshed channel mix.
“Why don’t people get our strategy?”
Our mission and values. How we approach DE&I. Our sustainability goals. Whatever the strategic communication may be, organisations tell us people just aren’t engaging with the bigger picture.
Sometimes it’s because it’s unclear or confusing. Sometimes it’s because they don’t see how they fit in. And sometimes it’s because it doesn’t seem the right approach, based on the organisation they know and work in.
These kind of factors are affecting trust in organisational strategy. Indeed, The IC Index shows that only 56% of employees believe their strategy is the right one for success.
So how can internal communicators help people to make those valuable connections, and provide a clarity of purpose?
Our answer: Get employees involved
While The IC Index shows that many employees don’t believe in their strategy, it also suggests a solution. Their research shows a 35 point jump in belief in the organisational strategy when employees know how they can contribute to it.
So the answer is clear – get employees involved, from inception to execution. We’ve worked with organisations to hold listening groups to dig into their experience and uncover the sentiments that will affect how strategy is received and understood.
And when you’re communicating about strategy, make sure you clearly link the bigger picture to the everyday reality of your employee groups. For example, if you’re saying “We are going to become a technological leader”, give tangible examples of how you’re going to do that, and what employees need to do to support it.
“How dowe
use AI?”
When Chat GPT started what’s being called the ‘AI boom’ a little over a year ago, the IC community was awash with feelings of confusion, excitement and concern, to name a few.
While the initial furore seems to have quietened, we find the feeling of confusion lingers. Many of the organisations we speak to are oscillating between worrying that they don’t know how to use it and will be left behind, to worrying that if they do use it, they will be out of a job.
Some businesses have certainly embraced AI, with Forbes reporting that half are already using it to craft internal comms. But if you’re still feeling a bit stuck, where should you start?
Our answer: Start small
The topic of AI can be overwhelming, so don’t try to take on too much at once. We recommend doing what we did at Sequel with our own AI journey. We assembled an AI exploratory group to look into available platforms and analyse them to see how useful they would be for our work. Then we asked people to pilot a few activities to see how AI could fit in to their routine.
And of course, don’t try out AI in isolation. Check in with colleagues in other departments (IT being the most obvious one) to see what they’re using, or not using, and pool your experience to share knowledge and avoid overlaps.
“Why aren’t my line managers better communicators?”
We’ve heard this for years, and suspect we’ll hear it for many more until organisations put proper investment into the training and support their line managers to become better communicators.
A massive 82% of new managers are ‘accidental managers’, with no formal training (CMI). They’re often promoted because they were the best at their specialist role, not because they had the best management or communication skills. On top of this, we’ve found that most organisations don’t have ‘communication’ and/or ‘engagement’ in their managers’ job descriptions.
So how can organisations tap into this valuable resource and get managers to own communication and develop in their role as communicators?
Our answer: Help managers to build confidence
Don’t expect your managers to immediately ‘get’ the value of internal communication. Run training sessions that teach them its value, their role in it, and core communication skills for common scenarios.
Then don’t forget to back this up with longer-term resources so they can get help and advice when they need it. We’ve helped our clients to develop self-serve hubs with guides and templates to help managers build their confidence, as well as a programme of regular learning and networking sessions to keep their role as communicators front of mind.
“I can’t get my projects approved.”
We’ve been plagued by uncertainty from all sides this year, but particularly in political and economic spheres. This has led to risk-averse leaders and tightened purse strings, meaning many internal communicators are finding it difficult to get their projects, and budgets, signed off in this ‘flat’ time for businesses.
Internal communicators tell us they’re having to fight that much harder to make the case for consistent, effective internal communication. Something that is made even trickier when only one in five IC specialists measure and share their impact (IoIC).
So how can internal communicators break the stalemate and help organisations to see the value in investing in IC?
Our answer: Prove your IC worth
You can only show the value in your work if you have the evidence to back yourself up. That’s why we’re huge advocates for regular measurement and evaluation to show the impact that your work makes.
As well as helping you to understand if your communication strategy and methods are working, it also shows leaders how spending the time and resource on internal communication can make a real difference to employee engagement. And, therefore, the bottom line.
We recommend putting together a measurement matrix that will help you to collect the data and proof points to make a business case for IC. It will help you to prove your IC worth, and make project and budget approvals easier.
“How can I find out more?”
Get in touch with Paul, our Head of Insight, at paul.jones@sequelgroup.co.uk to talk about the trends we’re seeing in 2024 so far, and how Sequel can help you tackle your communication and engagement challenges this year.
