Engaging Internal Comms

This is the final episode of the Engaging Internal Comms podcast for the foreseeable future. I've decided to end the show as part of a simplification strategy for my professional life. Thank you to all of the guests who have been part of the show and have shared their inspirational ideas with our listeners. All 143 episodes will remain live and will hopefully provide inspiration and information for listeners in the future. Take care and thank you.

In this episode we delve into the concept of unblocking organisations. Our guest discusses his book, "Unblock: Clear the Way for Results and Develop a Thriving Organization." The conversation explores six key blockers: strategy, steering, decisions, ownership, teamwork, and meetings. Our guest offers practical insights on overcoming these challenges, emphasising clarity, adaptability, and empowerment to foster agile and responsive organisations.

When considering human centric change, the link between change, communication, and employee engagement is critical. For any change to be successful, employees need to understand the rationale, expectations, and implementation process. Effective communication fosters engagement by creating transparent feedback channels, making employees feel valued. When employees are engaged, they are more likely to embrace and adapt to changes, leading to higher morale and productivity.

We explore the critical role of writing skills in internal communications and employee engagement, especially amidst the rise of social media and AI. We cover the importance of clear, effective writing for impact in professional settings. The interview identifies common writing challenges and offers strategies for improvement, including audience empathy and regular practice.

Host Craig Smith speaks with Valerie Di Maria, a seasoned communications and marketing leader and executive coach. Valerie shares her expertise on enhancing leaders' communication skills through presence, presentation, and persuasion. The discussion highlights the importance of engaging audiences, making explicit asks, and fostering dialogue.

“Welcome Everything” – a simple yet profound principle discussed in my latest podcast episode with Gabe DeRita. It's about staying present with our experiences without being overwhelmed by them. We explore how this and other principles can enhance our workplace relationships. Tune in to learn how to remain in the observer seat, allowing more choices and less reactive behaviours and authentic communications.

In this episode, guest Mary Barnes stresses linking change management and Internal comms and the importance of "calming the chaos" that often accompanies organisational change. She discusses how new leaders sometimes implement structural changes merely to leave their mark, causing confusion and disruption. Instead, she advocates for a more thoughtful approach that prioritises stability, allowing teams to adapt without constant upheaval. It's a compelling perspective on how to manage change without causing unnecessary disruption and stress among employees.

Kyle Coon is a professional adventure athlete and Paralympian. Kyle's journey is truly inspiring—he overcame vision loss due to retinoblastoma to become a triathlete competing on the world stage. One key takeaway? He emphasised the power of meaningful conversations, not just in personal life but also in professional settings. In an age overshadowed by technology, his insights remind us that effective communication is fundamental to understanding and collaboration.

We explore the topic of disability inclusion in the workforce with David D'Arcangelo, a disability policy expert and president of Arc Angel Communications. David shares his personal journey of being blind and discusses the structural and societal barriers that hinder employment for people with disabilities. He advocates for modernising programmes, mentoring, and inclusive hiring practices to maximise the potential of disabled employees. The conversation highlights the broader benefits of disability inclusion, emphasising its positive impact on organisational engagement, diversity, and innovation.

Meet Pat Taggart, a documentary filmmaker specialising in corporate video storytelling. Together we explored the transformative role of video in internal communications. The discussion covers the evolution of video technology, the importance of authenticity, and the shift towards more organic content facilitated by smartphones. We also explore the benefits of enabling comments on internal videos to foster engagement and the pitfalls of overly scripted content.

Dr. Frank Douglas, a seasoned problem solver with a 24-year career in the pharmaceutical industry, shares his personal experiences with discrimination. We discuss his approach to reframing problems to achieve desired outcomes. The discussion highlights the need for empathy, understanding, and tailored solutions to combat discrimination. Dr. Douglas also underscores the role of middle managers and the significance of finding common ground to bridge divides in the workplace.

In this episode, we explore the pressing issues of burnout and mental health in organisations post-pandemic. There is a high level of stress among employees, with nearly 80% feeling burnt out. The multifaceted causes of burnout, such as lack of support and recognition, go beyond just long working hours. The discussion also highlights the importance of a balanced work-life approach and the preference for audio over video calls to reduce fatigue.

Generational differences aren't just about age—they're about understanding diverse life experiences and how they shape work preferences. Anna Hislop shares valuable insights into why continuous feedback and individualised support are crucial for managing Gen Z employees. This generation values autonomy and trust in the workplace, and adapting leadership styles to meet these needs can significantly improve organisational dynamics.

What are the complexities frontline workers face in their communication channels? In this episode of Engaging Internal Comms , I explored this landscape with Ben Collier from Ocasta Engage. We unravelled the web of challenges such as limited communication time and the sense of detachment from the central office, emphasising the critical need for innovative delivery methods. It's a thought-provoking dive into the reality of those keeping the wheels of retail, healthcare, and more, smoothly running.

We explore psychologically healthy conversations and the depth of interconnectedness between purpose and action. Our guest's "Eye of Power" model delves into the quadrants of our psyche, shedding light on fears that may hold us back. Fascinatingly, it's not just about being fearless; it's about taking the step despite the fear. How often do we find ourselves trapped by our own doubts? It's time we navigate these hidden aspects to move forward.

We take a deep dive into the transformative realm of artificial intelligence (AI) and its profound impact on personal productivity and organisational effectiveness. In this thought-provoking interview, we peel back the layers of AI's potential to revolutionise the way we work and communicate. Imagine tools like ChatGPT at your fingertips, streamlining your workflow and enhancing your team's collaboration. It's not just a vision of the future; it's a reality we're stepping into today.

We know how visualisation helps organisations grasp complex messages and identify challenges and opportunities. However, music is a tool that can foster conversations and ideas within companies. This episode delves into music's potential to clarify organisational priorities and unite people around common goals. Our guest specialises in using music for team building and strategic alignment. Join us as we explore the unique role of music in organisational communication and connection.

Ever wondered how aligning volunteer work with your company's mission can boost employee engagement? In this episode, we delve into the art of connecting purpose and volunteering. It's not just about offering opportunities; it's about ensuring they resonate with your team's values. Listen in to discover how a meaningful match can transform your workforce's enthusiasm and commitment.

Understanding Ego in the Workplace: Ego is a term that frequently carries a negative connotation, conjuring images of arrogance and self-centredness. However, in this episode, we challenge this perception by dissecting the multifaceted role of ego in communication. At its core, ego can be seen as our sense of self-importance and identity, and it's not inherently negative. In fact, a healthy ego can contribute to confidence and assertiveness.

Persuasion is often seen as a double-edged sword, capable of both influence and manipulation. In this episode of our podcast, we grapple with the ethical dimensions of persuasive communication. It's fascinating to consider how the nuances of argument, emotion, and character shape our messages and actions. In the journey of aligning employees with a company's vision, understanding the true essence of persuasion is key.

We're delving deep into the world of AI once again on the podcast! This time, we're exploring the role of AI in internal communications. It's not just about content generation, it's also about delivery. AI can ensure that the right content reaches the right audience at the right time. An often-overlooked aspect, but crucial nonetheless! We use the analogy of AI as the plumbing that delivers content, while humans or AI create the content. This episode will illuminate how AI can be a powerful tool in shaping and delivering internal communications.

Curious about the drivers behind employee turnover? It's not just about the salary. Join us as we explore both financial and non-financial drivers, and the role of line managers in preventing the challenges of retention, turnover, and absenteeism in organisations. Our guest, Douglas Brown, provides insights and strategies for internal communicators and employee engagement professionals on how to create a more engaged and committed workforce.

An issue that has risen in prominence due to recent legislation changes, is the pay gap, particularly between genders, and its impact on employee engagement and internal communications. Michelle Gyimah, based in Spain, specialises in helping organisations improve conversations with employees about pay and pay gap issues. The episode also explores how organisations are using pay gap reporting to communicate their value as an employer and address the pay gap.

This is a bonus episode about the hero's journey where we share a full show from our friends at "Infernal Communication". This is from Infernal Communication's 2nd season, where they take a deeper look at the wild little fires communicators have to put out every day. Their hosts, Lottie Bazley and Brian Tomlinson of Staffbase, bring together experts, authors and even a former private eye – for fresh perspectives that will soothe the burn of your latest communication breakdown.

Get ready to explore the intriguing correlation between espionage and internal communications with a retired spy. JJ Brun, who has applied his espionage skills to the business world, shares how the ability to build rapport, communicate effectively, and establish strong relationships can enhance leadership and communication. Together we provide insights into the unexplored world of espionage and its application in business, emphasising the value of awareness and effective communication.

In this episode, we explore the growing importance of social purpose within organisations. We explore how it manifests, its business benefits, and how to authentically embody it. This is of importance to employees of all generations, not just the younger ones, who are seeking to work for organisations with a strong social purpose. The episode aims to provide insights on how to build, communicate, and align an organisation's culture with its social purpose.

Ever wondered how to build an effective internal communications team from scratch? Meet Emily Hecker, the author of "Me, Myself, and IC: A Guide to Building Internal Communications as a Team of One." Emily shares her expertise in building internal communications teams from scratch, offering tips on resourcefulness, credibility, and trust. The episode provides listeners with foundational tips on becoming a successful internal communicator, even with limited resources.

We discuss workplace culture with Eric Stone and discuss his book about improving organisational culture. The interview explores misconceptions about workplace culture, and explores five factors to improve it. Eric introduces the hourglass model for translating and sharing strategy and culture within an organisation. Eric's insights are based on his extensive corporate experience. This episode is part of a series featuring authors discussing their recently published books.

Sustainability is a topic that should not be approached solely from a compliance perspective. It's not just about ticking boxes or meeting the bare minimum requirements. Similar to health and safety, organisations should engage people on a human level when it comes to sustainability. In this episode, our guest emphasised the importance of connecting with people's values and aspirations when communicating sustainability. Many individuals genuinely care about the well-being of the planet, and tapping into this sentiment can create a more engaged and committed workforce.

Intrinsic motivation is the drive that comes from within. It's about doing something because it's personally rewarding, rather than for some external reward. In today's knowledge economy, intrinsic motivation is more powerful than extrinsic motivation when it comes to influencing behaviour and performance. This episode explores intrinsic motivation and its measurement, with the goal of helping individual managers and organisations better motivate their employees.

Psychological safety is a term that many organisations are familiar with, but few fully comprehend its depth and significance. It is more than just a buzzword; it is a crucial element that can make or break an organisation's culture. Our guest expert, with his extensive experience in the mergers and acquisitions industry, shed light on this concept, explaining how it plays a pivotal role in successful organisational integration.

In this episode, we explore the findings of recent IoIC Index 2023 research with its authors. The research explores the relationship between internal communications and employee engagement and reveals what employees think about IC. The interview covers the background, findings, and how listeners can use the report in their organisations. The discussion contains valuable evidence practical advice for improving internal communications.

In this episode, we focus on the misalignment between strategy, culture, and customer experience within organisations. We emphasise the importance of addressing this disconnect and highlight the challenges it can cause. We find out that aligning these issues can provide the ultimate competitive edge by reshaping your strategy, transforming your culture and prioritising your customers and clients.

Our guest is a Formula One industry expert who discusses the challenges of internal communication and employee engagement in high performance teams. We explore how Formula One teams, despite employing thousands of people, face routine communication challenges like any other organisation. However, what sets them apart is their relentless focus on performance and ensuring that everyone understands their role in driving success. The interview uncovers valuable lessons that can be applied to internal communication practices in other industries.

In this episode, we address the issue of burnout and its impact on turnover and recruitment. These are being driven by the challenges organisations face such as the aftermath of the pandemic, cost of living issues, energy shortages, and climate problems. We explore the importance of helping colleagues reconnect with their sense of identity, vocational calling, and finding joy and fulfilment in their work. Our guest, who has experience in a healthcare setting, shares insights that can be applied to any sector.

This is a bonus episode of the podcast recorded at the "Unite 23" Employee Experience Conference in London on 13th and 14th September 2023 and hosted by Unily. The episode includes my reflections on the conference, some clips from the keynotes delivered by Stephen Fry and Steven Bartlett, and some brief conversations with other delegates and the hosts at the conference.

With our guests, we discuss the challenges organisations face in implementing sustainability practices and the importance of engagement and communication in driving behaviour change. We emphasise the need for employees to be motivated by conviction rather than just compliance with legislation. The episode aims to provide insights and strategies for organisations to effectively address sustainability and engage employees in the process.

With our guest, we explore the concept of brand advocacy and its significance in marketing strategies. We emphasise the role of employees as brand advocates and how they can promote the brand through their social networks and interactions. The conversation raises the question of whether organisations should enable employees to talk about the brand in a coordinated manner without being manipulative. The interview aims to explore the relationship between employee engagement, brand advocacy, internal and external marketing, and internal communications in creating a group of employees who actively and positively promote the brand.

In this podcast episode, I'm joined by Jen O'Ryan, an expert in diversity and inclusion. Together, we delve into the topic of diversity and inclusion from a human perspective, shedding light on the significance of language in fostering an inclusive working environment. They go beyond mere compliance and explore how organisations can genuinely embrace diversity and inclusion. The role of both internal and external communications is discussed, emphasising the power of inclusive language in shaping branding and policies.

As employee engagement and internal communicators, we already comprehend the significance of engagement. We know that engaged employees are healthier, happier, and more productive. However, here lies the challenge - how do we construct a compelling business case for it? How do we establish an employee engagement programme for those who do not have one, or strengthen existing programmes? That is precisely what we will explore in this episode.

Craig and his guest, Jim Gitney, discuss the importance of aligning organisational strategy and activities, as well as the challenges of communicating strategies throughout the organisation. They explore the concept of the most important goal and the need for clear communication. Jim introduces the Business Hierarchy of Needs, a framework for successful strategy implementation. They also discuss involving middle-level leaders in the strategic planning process and the importance of aligning business strategies with the most important goal.

In this episode, we explore six critical approaches to turning around underperforming or crisis-stricken organisations, all starting with the letter C. The episode focuses on the first two approaches, context and connection, and how they can be explained to employees to help them understand their role in contributing to the organisation's bigger picture. We emphasise the importance of improving business literacy within organisations and exploring how organisational developers, employee engagers, and internal communicators can play a role in improving context and connection within their organisations.

A voice that we've rarely heard is that of early career internal communications employees. Often it's quite difficult to find people who are new to an internal comms role, who are willing to step forward and talk on a show like this. However, I was recently approached by today's guest who came forward who did want to talk about that their experiences, mostly positive, in fact, mainly positive in terms of their role and their new role within internal communications, but also someone who's got a lot of drive and passion and commitment for other causes outside of their professional role and someone who's clearly very keen to learn and to try new experiences. What I did today in today's episode is we have an interview with someone who's new to the profession.

In the 100th episode of the podcast, we discuss how internal communicators can become change makers within their organisations. The episode covers topics such as non-verbal communication, storytelling, and building deeper connections to drive meaningful change. The guest speaker shares insights on how to deliver internal communications with authenticity and purpose, and how to build a positive legacy. The episode is informative and engaging for those interested in internal communications and organisational development, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

How do we help our people connect our overall mission, purpose, vision, and values, and the bottom line results that we deliver? There often seems to be two separate conversations going on in many organisations. Our purpose, our mission, our vision, our values should not be something that's abstract and distant. On a day to day basis, people are being driven by KPIs, scorecards and other metrics and there somehow seems no connection between these and our mission related goals.