Conference: The evolving world of internal communications

The world of internal communications is moving at an ever-faster pace as organisations respond to the changes, challenges and uncertainty of the world around us today. In this session, our speakers explored why internal communications has never been more vital in helping charities to move cohesively through this insecurity. They shared how their charities are responding to changes and how this has impacted on their internal communications work. They also looked at trends on the horizon and how to prepare for what might come next in internal comms.

Culture is the personality and character of an organisation. But why does it matter? And how does internal comms play a pivotal role in shaping, nurturing and upholding that culture? Clare Mills discussed values, behaviours, attitudes and leadership, and the fundamental role these play in your culture and your brand. She also shared three key things she’d learnt about how internal comms can use culture, values and brand to deepen the connections between people and teams.

In this session, Noha brings you back to basics with a super practical talk on measuring the impact of internal communications. You’ll learn about: 

• The key principles and best practices for internal comms measurement
• How to demonstrate the true value of your internal comms strategy
  The ‘Who, What, Where, When, Why and How’ of measurement
• How to adopt a ‘big picture’ mindset that looks beyond the traditional metrics
• How to build more engagement and impact in a post-covid world 

Mind is undergoing a huge period of change. With the launch of its new strategy, the organisation has taken on three ambitious strategic development priorities: becoming an anti-racist organisation; supporting young people and fighting for people in poverty. It is also moving to hybrid working model, developing a digital transformation strategy and a people strategy. To succeed, each of these priorities will represent a major change in the way they operate. At every stage in the process, internal comms plays a pivotal role in bringing staff along. Everybody has a role in creating change and that means developing a shared vision and delivery plan. This doesn’t just mean communicating clearly, but it also means listening to staff and creating a genuine dialogue. Hear about Mind’s change journey as they share what they’ve learned (and are still learning!) about the crucial role of staff engagement along the way.

Smart Pension was named one of the UK’s Best Workplaces for large companies in 2022 and one of the UK’s Best Workplaces for Wellbeing in 2022, and there’s a lot we can learn from their internal comms experience. In this session, you’ll learn how Nicki created a team of engagement champions and worked with them to develop, shape and deliver an impactful communication strategy. Nicki also shares how your champions can help increase colleague engagement and promote an inclusive and equitable culture too. 

The pandemic pushed the importance of both internal comms and wellbeing initiatives in charities to the forefront. But internal comms teams are burning out with demanding workloads and ongoing challenging times. How can you promote workplace wellbeing in good faith if you aren’t able to look after your own wellbeing? In this insightful talk, Shanara shares strategies and tips to support workplace wellbeing alongside your own, drawing upon her experience as a workplace wellbeing engagement officer, a wellbeing and mindset coach, and a National Athlete too.  

Brilliant channels are the bread and butter for any Internal Comms team. They cost time and money so making them work hard is essential. Our recent channel audit (conducted by All ThingsIC), gave us lots to think about and pushed us to really focus our energy on getting the basics right and making them work as hard as possible. Hear about our work in progress to improve our channels for our staff and volunteers at the British Red Cross.