Insights
Thoughts, views, trends, news and best practice from our diverse team of employee engagement experts.
What’s our top IC trend of the last decade?
What’s the one skill communicators have that will help their organisations gain a strategy edge in the years to come? That’s the question Sequel’s Nick Andrews put to Jen Sproul, Chief Executive at the Institute of Internal Communications, in our latest webinar.
Don’t shut the cyber door after the hacker has bolted
What’s the one skill communicators have that will help their organisations gain a strategy edge in the years to come? That’s the question Sequel’s Nick Andrews put to Jen Sproul, Chief Executive at the Institute of Internal Communications, in our latest webinar.
Webinar: the one comms skill to rule them all
What’s the one skill communicators have that will help their organisations gain a strategy edge in the years to come? That’s the question Sequel’s Nick Andrews put to Jen Sproul, Chief Executive at the Institute of Internal Communications, in our latest webinar.
Why explainer films hold the key to people engagement
Employees’ available time – and their attention span – for training and digesting business information is getting shorter. That means HR and IC teams face growing pressure to deliver information that cuts through the noise. Head of Video, Claudi Schneider, champions the value of the explainer film with its magic ability to engage audiences.
Investing in the power of knowledge
In today’s high-performance workplace, clarity is a competitive advantage. And yet, many internal communications teams are still flying blind, relying on instinct, anecdotal feedback, or outdated metrics to steer and shape their comms.
👍or 👎? Do emojis belong in internal communication?
Dumbing down or adding emotion? Muddling messages or aiding clarity? As more and more young workers use emojis at work, should internal communicators be learning to speak their language?
Lights, Camera, Prompt! Can we trust AI-powered film?
Research shows that the AI-generated video content is booming with new software and tools coming online all the time.
Act now to get your intranet AI ready
One question we’re hearing a lot at the moment is: “With all these clever AI tools at our fingertips, do we even need an intranet anymore?”
Microsoft 365: where every upgrade means something new to learn
Our IC clients tell us that there are many reasons they choose to use the Microsoft 365 suite within their organisations.Digital tools: five reasons why they are our best work friends
Digital tools can make life – and work – more efficient, simplifying complex tasks and freeing us up to do the creative stuff…
Five themes from the IoIC Festival
Following a packed few days at this year’s IoIC Festival, we’ve pulled together the top five things that we’ve taken away as a team.
Minimising cybersecurity risk with engaged employees
It only takes a glance at recent news reports to know that all businesses are under increasing threat of cyber attacks and the associated risks to their customers, their bottom line and their reputation.
To speak or not to speak…
Organisations are now expected to speak out on the big issues. But how can internal communicators advise on which ones to explore, and which ones to politely side step?
Internal comms: a box of surprises?
I recently had the pleasure of running a series of line manager training sessions for one of our client organisations. I talked about the value of line manager communication to organisations and productivity, and set out a toolbox of practical techniques to help attendees have more productive conversations with their teams.
From sent to seen: simple design tips to get your email read
Despite the wealth of new communications channels available to business, email remains a popular and effective way of reaching employees.
Email: extracting value from the champion of channels
Despite the many different communication tools we have, email remains the #1 most used internal communication channel in the workplace
Navigating the culture map
How do cultural differences have an impact on international teams, line manager communications and employee listening?
AI jargon buster: making sense of AI language
AI is transforming the way we work, communicate, and make decisions. But let’s be honest, some of the language around AI can feel complicated, full of jargon that makes it sound more mysterious than it really is. The good news? You don’t need to be a data scientist to understand AI.
The quiet art of active listening
“Having a voice at work can make a fundamental difference to people’s working lives and can help build better relationships between employers and their workforce.”
Why persuasive internal communications needs irrational thinking
What if the key to truly persuasive internal communication lies not in logic, but in the unconscious mental shortcuts your employees make every day? Becky Leonard, Sequel’s Insight and Content Manager, explains why organisations need to start thinking more irrationally. 
Why being clear about organisational purpose impact employee trust
Time and time again we hear from our client organisations that people just aren’t engaging with the bigger picture. Sometimes that’s because it’s unclear or confusing. And sometimes it’s because it doesn’t seem the right approach.
365 ways to use Microsoft 365, but are you using the right one?
If your organisation is using Microsoft 365 but you’re still not sure if you’re getting the best out of it, or understanding the ‘art of the possible’, you’re not alone. 
Defining your digital culture
While the rapid roll out of digital collaboration tools was a business necessity back when many of us went into lockdown in 2020, many organisations are still not adapting their approach to fit new working environments.
The People Workplace: how to amplify employee voice
While hybrid working was hampered by Covid restrictions in 2021, 2022 is the perfect time to turn up the sound of the employee voice across your organisation.
The Purposeful Workplace: how to create a compelling corporate culture
Record numbers of employees have been moved to, well… move, when it’s come to their careers in recent times. The challenge is written large for employers – offer a clear, compelling purpose and corporate culture or your organisation will suffer.
The well workplace: how blurring the boundaries between work and home life and unrelenting change continues to impact employee wellbeing
While the advent of hybrid working promised flexibility and improvements to our work/life balance, the reality has arguably brought new wellbeing challenges that need to be recognised and addressed.
The power of personalisation in employee engagement
Low readership? A lack of organisational alignment? It’s definitely time to be more personal with your internal communications content and audience.
How to… get the best out of AI and navigate the AI revolution
AI is reshaping the communications industry, paving the way for better quality, more accessible human communications by reducing monotonous tasks and expanding creative potential.
AI: the one tool to rule them all?
As the debate around AI continues, Sequel’s Head of Insight Paul Jones asks how can communicators and organisations avoid AI’s pitfalls, while making the most of its benefits?
The Modern Workplace: digital innovation doesn’t equal tech savvy employees
During one of the fastest revolutions in communication history during and after the pandemic, communicators face a vital question: how do we optimise this digital innovation opportunity and ensure employees aren’t left behind?
Why storytelling is a key differentiator to an organisation’s engagement success
Storytelling is by far the most underrated skill when it comes to business, writes Sequel MD Suzanne Peck.
5 ways to help leaders communicate change
In the dark. Nervous. Gossiping. Ever worked in an organisation where change is afoot and employees are feeling and acting like this? Internal communication’s support for leaders to better communicate change is the first step to avoiding this. Whether your organisation is going through a restructure, embarking on a cost-cutting programme, working out how to implement AI, or...
How to make your intranet more useful, relevant and trusted
“Pointless. Out-of-date. Confusing”. In our channel audit and measurement work with clients, we frequently hear these words used by people to describe their intranet.
Reinforcing the value of line manager communications
Our Sequel Insight team was intrigued to read the new 2023 IC Index report, particularly as its findings reflected many of our own experiences from recent client work.
Are you ready for the AI revolution? New guide from Sequel offers AI advice for internal communicators
Generative AI – is it something for internal communicators to embrace or fear? A new report from Sequel called AI: a guide for internal communicators offers some answers, and gives advice on getting ahead of the game when it comes to digital transformation.
How tech teams are changing perceptions through internal comms
If you want people to engage with your comms strategy, you need to create it with them, not for them Jill Luber, CTO Elsevier, explained at a 2022 CITF webinar which included colleague Lisa Pantelli, Senior Internal Communication Specialist – Technology, and Sequel’s business development director Nick Andrews.
Employees: last line of defence or weakest link?
Following a successful webinar held in June 2020, we asked Head of Digital and Cyber Security Awareness at Dixons Carphone Corinne Linskell to share more of her experience. Here are her top tips on how internal communicators can engage employees to fight cybercrime, together.
Empathetic communications for cost-of-living
While everyone’s reality is different, organisational communications need to reflect and demonstrate empathy for employees facing economic and employment uncertainty.
Authenticity in the workplace: taking the right tone from the top
Leadership authenticity in the workplace has never been more important. 
