what's the point of internal comms

What’s the point ofinternal comms?

Adrian MacLeod

adrian@writethinking.co.uk

How organisations communicate

Small organisationThis is what I am

trying to achieve

Here is how you can

help me do that

Together we’ll

become great

What a great guy.

Let’s do what he says.

How organisations communicate

Internal comm

s

Largeorganisation

How organisations communicate

The boss

Thinks: Just do as

I say, would you?

World-leading ...

blah blah

State of the art ..

blah blah

Investing in human

resources ... blah

blah

How organisations communicate

Middle managers

Me

Me

Me

Me

My department is

what makes us

world-leading...

blah blah It’s my

leadership

we need to

tell people

about.My people are the

most invested in.

My guys are

doing the real

state-of-the-art

stuff

How organisations communicate

Internal comms

There was a

charity thing the

boss thought

was important.

There is a new

computer WE all

need to learn

how to use.

The company

sponsored this

awards thing.

The boss went

to a dinner with

some people.

By the way, WE

all need to work

harder.

How organisations communicate

Internal comms

What?

There was a

charity thing the

boss thought

was important.

There is a new

computer WE all

need to learn

how to use.

The company

sponsored this

awards thing.

The boss went

to a dinner with

some people.

By the way, WE

all need to work

harder.

How organisations communicate

Internal comms

YawnWE workharder: THEYtake the credit

There was a

charity thing the

boss thought

was important.

There is a new

computer WE all

need to learn

how to use.

The company

sponsored this

awards thing.

The boss went

to a dinner with

some people.

By the way, WE

all need to work

harder.

How organisations communicate

Internal comms

Must lookat the jobs

pagesThere was a

charity thing the

boss thought

was important.

There is a new

computer WE all

need to learn

how to use.

The company

sponsored this

awards thing.

The boss went

to a dinner with

some people.

By the way, WE

all need to work

harder.

How organisations communicate

Internal comms

I wonderwhy weHAVE anintranet?

There was a

charity thing the

boss thought

was important.

There is a new

computer WE all

need to learn

how to use.

The company

sponsored this

awards thing.

The boss went

to a dinner with

some people.

By the way, WE

all need to work

harder.

What’s the point ofinternal comms?

What’s the point ofinternal comms?

Psst... if you work in

internal comms you

really should have a

good answer to this.

Remember this?

Small organisation

This is what I am

trying to achieve

Here is how you

can help me do

that

Together we’ll

become great

What a great guy.

Let’s do what he says.

Remember this?

This is what internal comms tries toreplicate in larger organisations

Small organisation

This is what I am

trying to achieve

Here is how you

can help me do

that

Together we’ll

become great

What a great guy.

Let’s do what he says.

This is what we are trying to replicate

tocommunicate

What

Whyyou want to

communicateit

}

}Small organisation

This is what I am

trying to achieve

Here is how you

can help me do

that

Together we’ll

become great

What a great guy.

Let’s do what he

says.

Thinking small is the secretof making it big

What’s the point ofinternal comms?

We help people feel

engaged with what the

company is doing

We help them to

understand where we

are headed

We make sure

everyone is pulling in

the same direction

We empower them to

make better decisions

for themselves and for

the company

The answer you bosswants to hear

What’s the point ofinternal comms?

The bottom line is ... the bottom line

Efficient communications = efficient company

Happy engaged people = £££££££££

The answer you bosswants to hear

But how on earth dowe get from this ...

How organisations communicate badly

Thinks: Just do as

I say, would you?

World-leading ...

blah blah

State of the art ..

blah blah

Investing in human

resources ... blah

blah

Me

Me

Me

It’s my

leadership

we need to

tell people

about.

My guys are

doing the real

state-of-the-art

stuff

The company

sponsored this

awards thing.

The boss went

to a dinner with

some people.

By the way, WE

all need to work

harder.

... to this?

Smart organisation

This is what I am

trying to achieve

Here is how you can

help me do that

Together we’ll

become great

What a great guy.

Let’s do what he says.

It turns out thesecret is ...

COMMUNICATIONcommunication

Don’t JUST communicate one way

Internal comms

ONE WAY

Good communication goes both ways

Internal comms

BOTH WAYS

This is what we are

trying to achieve

Here is how you can

help us do that

Together we’ll

become great

We help people feel engaged

with what the company is doing

We help them to understand

where we are headed

We make sure everyone is

pulling in the same direction

We empower them to make

better decisions for themselves

and for the company

Trust me I’m an internal communicator

This is what weare here for:

What to tell the boss What to tell everyone

Where to start

�

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Clear objectives

Defined audience

Coherent strategy

Management signatureManagement signature

Management signature

Management signature

Get management to sign upto what you are trying to do

Coming soon ...

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How to set

objectives

Understanding your

audience

Writing stories that

engage an internal

audience

Internal comms