5 Internal Communication Trends To Watch For In 2015 and Beyond Aniisu K Verghese in.linkedin.com/in/aniisu www.intraskope.com www.intraskope.wordpress.com http://www.twitter.com/aniisu

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Evolving world of work expects more

from internal communicators

• With the world of work changing rapidly and

expectations from the increasingly young workforce

rising, internal communication in 2015 and beyond

will never be the same.

1. Evolving asks of the internal communicator

• Employees now seek information in formats of their

choice (channels, on demand, BYOD among others)

• The internal communicator needs to be adept with

newer technologies, craft personalized content and

make information accessible in ways that matter.

• The internal communicator isn’t anymore the owner

and gatekeeper of information but is expected to tap the knowledge and talent of employees to

create engaging communication.

• Crowdsourcing of internal communication context,

content and conversations will see an increase in the

coming years.

2. Curator of corporate conscience

• Stakeholders seek greater transparency and

authenticity from corporations • This is an opportunity for internal communicators to

step up and help the brand be counted.

• Will expect to own the last mile on internal corporate

reputation, managing employee relations and

leverage ‘moments of truth’ to the organization’s advantage.

3. Foil for tapping corporate activism

• Role evolving from an organizational connector to be

a lead collaborator and talent spotter.

• Today, more and more employees create content

and share stories about their organizations, good or

bad.

• Every employee is capable of shaping a company’s

reputation

• The internal communicator is well placed to steer

opinions in ways that matter.

• Expected to engage employees in conversations,

hone their passion and build an army of active

advocates.

4. Engaging every team counts

• The internal communicator will need to understand

and influence the ‘team’ or the smallest unit within

their organization.

• As organizations evolve to be an amalgamation of

people with skill-sets and diverse capabilities the shift

is taking place from organizational commitment to

occupational commitment.

• The internal communicator is expected to get better

with coaching teams to succeed and to reframe

content that will make these units more effective.

5. Internal communicators as personal

branding experts

• The world’s workforce is getting younger and the

growing set of millennials prefer personalization and

individualism

• Personal branding will be an essential capability for

internal communicators.

• Employees will expect to work with a ‘minimum viable brand’ which they can DIY and reinvent.

• Internal communicators will need to able to organize

employees into a movement with individual brands

serving the organization’s larger goals.