The Future of Internal Communication

Steve Wells is a global futurist who helps organisations and their leaders improve their future change readiness through the delivery of horizon scanning executive education. The co-editor and a contributing author to seven books on the emerging future, Steve is expertly placed to identify the trends most likely to present opportunity for internal communication in 2024. In this episode, Cat, Jen, Dom and Steve chat about the shifting nature of work and the risks and opportunities for business in the year ahead.   Takeaways Business leaders need to be aware of the interconnections between geopolitical frictions, cyber attacks, and elections. Internal communicators play a crucial role in scenario planning and navigating uncertainty. Embracing complexity and agility is essential in the face of rapid change. Internal comms can become the new leadership function, driving understanding and collaboration.   About Steve Wells Steve is a global futurist and founder of Informing Choices Ltd, a foresight business focused on helping organisations improve their future change readiness through delivering thought provoking speeches and presentations, executive education workshops, and horizon scanning studies. He is also the co-editor and a contributing author to seven books on the emerging future. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-wells-futurist-speaker/  

In this episode, we turn the spotlight on IoIC CEO, Jennifer Sproul to hear her reflections on how the internal communication profession has changed since she took the helm in 2017. And where she feels the emergent opportunities lie.     Find out more about IoIC |  Website: https://www.ioic.org.uk/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/institute-of-internal-communication Twitter: https://twitter.com/IoICNews Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ioic_uk/ Facebook: https://en-gb.facebook.com/IoICupdates

Perry Timms is the founder and CEO of People and Transformational HR. He was ranked HR’s Most Influential Thinker in 2022 by HR Magazine. An accomplished author and TEDx speaker, his 30+ year career focused on people, business change and performance means he now sits in the HR Most Influential Hall of Fame. In this episode, he shares his observations about the changing nature of work and explores the business case for agility, both as an organisational practice and as a mindset.   More importantly, he sets out why internal communication has such a centre stage role to play as we navigate a very different future of work.    Show notes Find out more about Perry:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/perrytimms/ Find out more about PTHR:  https://pthr.co.uk/ Watch the Barry-Wehmiller video Perry mentioned: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=or6YoXfHWSE

Dr. Iain Wilton is a former ministerial special adviser who has held several senior public policy, corporate communications and government relations roles - in organisations including the BBC and the Royal Statistical Society.  In this episode, he shares why it’s important for organisations to stay abreast of political developments to minimise risk. We also find out which political risks pose the most threat to UK industry in the years ahead.   A key way for internal communicators to provide strategic value to their employers is to demonstrate awareness and understanding of the external factors driving change in the way we work today. We hope you’ll agree Iain provides huge food for thought and plenty for our senior executives to consider as they navigate the path ahead.  

Scott McInnes is the Managing Director of Inspiring Change, a consultancy that helps organisations build and maintain engaging and thriving work cultures. With a prior background in internal communication, he is expertly placed to share how and why the way we communicate at work is integral to culture.   In this episode, Scott shares his thoughts as to whether work culture is driven by the C-suite or whether it manifests from the ground up.   Scott, Jen, Dom and Cat also dissect the primary role internal communication has to play in nurturing positive working environments where people are inspired to give their best.  

Ineke Botter is a rarity. In what was, and what continues to be, a male-dominated industry, she is one of the very few female leaders to have led the organisations that designed, built and launched the mobile networks we rely on today for always-on digital connectivity.   Her work has taken her around the world, from the former Eastern Bloc to Europe and from there to the Middle East, Central Asia and beyond. More poignantly, she’s led organisations and teams in some of the most extreme and hostile situations, surviving political unrest, war, terrorist threats and more.   In this episode, Ineke shares what she’s learned about effective leadership during times of adversity. Most importantly, she presents what she’s learned about how to adapt the style and tone of leadership communication when lives are at risk.  

Earlier in 2023, Seth Godin published his 25th book. Hot on the heels of a yearlong involvement with The Carbon Almanac project, the release of The Song of Significance seemed urgent and timely.   In this special episode, Cat chats with Seth about the catalyst for The Song of Significance and what led him to write it. This is a conversation about work, the impact of artificial intelligence and how weird is the new normal.  It addresses the essential role of human connection in the future of work and more pivotally for you, our listeners, the expanding opportunity for internal communicators. We urgently need to create new conditions for work, ones in which people can flourish. How we communicate with and show up for one another is an integral part of this, so we really hope you enjoy the listen.  Show notes   Find out more about Seth Godin: https://www.sethgodin.com/  Find out more about The Song of Significance: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/458050/the-song-of-significance-by-godin-seth/9780241655542 

Illana Adamson is a leading sustainability consultant and educator, working with business and non-profits to introduce science-based sustainability initiatives, actions and behaviours into their organisations. She moves beyond the greenwashing to surface action that actually counts. In this episode, Illana provides us with a progressive definition of what sustainability is and why it’s a business issue. She also shares why she believes the role of internal communication is integral to long-term organisational sustainability. Tune in to hear from one of the UK’s leading voices in sustainability to learn about the opportunity for internal communication.

Dan Pontefract is a renowned leadership strategist, author, and keynote speaker. With more than two decades of experience in senior roles in the technology industry, he speaks and writes on the topic of people at work and how to create more inclusive, engaging workplaces.   His latest book – Work-life Bloom – explores the key elements that humans need to flourish at work. Most poignantly, he explores the optimal mix of work-life factors needed to create fulfilling lives and careers.   In this episode, Cat, Jen and Dom invite Dan to share what inspired him to write the book and to unpick the requirement to maintain healthy boundaries between work and the rest of life. How we work has been reshaped by the pandemic; Dan shares his thoughts for the role internal communication has in helping maintain thriving teams.

What if there were data to prove the business case for internal communication? What if we could see in fine detail the impact of internal communication on employee experience and engagement? Well, now there is and now we can. In July 2023, the IoIC launched brand new research in partnership with Employee Research and Experience Agency, Karian and Box. The IC Index is the first of its kind analysis of the value internal communication provides to employees across the UK. If you haven’t already done so, you can download your copy here. In this bonus episode, Jen, Dom and Cat welcome Susanna Holten, Senior Consultant with Ipsos Karian and Box to discuss the report’s findings and explore what this means for the future of internal communication. They unpick the highlights and showcase opportunities for internal communication professionals to add even more value to their organisations.