How can you make the most of your first internal communications job?

At a previous workplace, I once had the pleasure of mentoring a bright trainee. Early on, I assigned her a change project at the company. As our work progressed, it became clear that we needed to gather information on the opinions of our colleagues. When she asked me how to do this, I gave her an unexpected answer - talk to people. Visit floors, introduce yourself, ask questions, and compile a report. Although she was hesitant, she took my advice and started reaching out to colleagues. Months later, she told me that my guidance was the best because it helped her connect with people and earn their trust. It wasn't long before she became a major influencer at our company and played a significant role in that big transformation project.

It's important to understand the organization's mission, values, and goals. Building relationships and trust with colleagues is crucial for effective communication. Actively listen to employees and gather feedback to tailor your strategies accordingly. Develop a comprehensive communication strategy aligned with the organization's objectives, and communicate messages clearly and concisely while utilizing visuals when necessary. Be proactive in sharing updates and addressing potential issues, utilizing multiple communication channels to reach different employees. Measure the effectiveness of your efforts and adapt as needed, staying updated on industry practices and investing in professional development opportunities. Thanks

You have to understand your audience before you can impact their behavior. One-on-one and/or group interviews are key strategies. Listening is a path to your successful strategy.

If this is your first internal comms job, try to be exposed to as many different departments and levels of colleagues as possible. Be curious, ask questions, learn how others work and think at the office - and don’t feel bad if you feel that you don’t understand everything first. Just practice active listening and keep on asking those questions!

Algunas herramientas útiles para conocer a tu audiencia son: - Encuestas abiertas - Reuniones con las diferentes áreas - Focus Group o grupo focal - Reuniones uno a uno - Visitas a los centros de trabajo Estas son instancias donde generas cercanía con tu audiencia y te permite recoger de primera mano las problemáticas, expectativas y mejoras que puedes implementar para acercarte cada vez más a tu audiencia. Es importante comprender en el contexto que te mueves, rubro y a quien te diriges, si no adaptas tu forma de comunicarte será muy complejo que tu audiencia conecte contigo. La primera conexión será la que te permita recibir la información que te ayudara a tener éxito en la implementación de tu plan de comunicación interna.

Managing internal communications is not possible without having a strong network. “Internal comms” as a concept is basically a complex web of leaders, line managers, employees, brand advocates, people & culture specialists and supporting functions (such as facility management) - with one IC coordinator or team sitting in the middle and moving all the threads at the same time.

One of the best things about internal comms roles is you'll get involved with every part of the business. Take the time to build these relationships as you meet with new colleagues. I often say - "every problem ends up being an internal comms problem". You'll hear the frustrations of the frontline, which puts you in a great position to be a problem-solver and support of your teams.

Networking is a lifetime sport. The contacts you make in your first year could support your career trajectory for several years.

It's worth working on your networking and relationship building skills early on in your career. Meeting as many people, both inside and outside of your organisation, listening to their challenges and needs and developing a strong understanding of how their business function operates in relation to other parts of the business is important.

Ignore your job description! Most entry level positions are limiting. At my first job I was able to revamp the internal publication; establish a labor-management committee and facilitate its monthly sessions to mitigate labor strife and resolve issues, establish a monthly town hall to share business progress, and publish bi-weekly messages for supervisors to engage employees. None of which were in my job description!

Put your hands up for everything! That's how I learnt. I took extra shifts, set up banners, designed posters, picked up calls etc! And yes I absolutely ignored the job description. Stay focused on soaking it all in. Be humble. Stay curious. Good luck! ????

I literally fell into internal communications out of sheer disapproval on how comms was at a my first job. So being thrown into it was a case of constant learning and putting hands up for everything. Positioning as the go to person where nothing was too big or small a task knowing that at the end of the day you have learnt. As a new entrant, you need to stay hungry for more. Be proactive don’t wait to be asked, get some research done and also be the first follower. Show senior colleagues that you want to learn by asking questions, and a lot will adopt you professional. A lot of us are where we are thanks to the many seeded their time in helping us grow

Get to know the organization and its strategy, goals, mission, vision, etc., build relationships with colleagues in the whole organization on all levels and find yourselves some allies, learn about the informal structures and communication channels, get feedback, listen and raise your hand for new opportunities.

To make the most of your first internal communications job, learn something from everyone you come in contact with. Think, what can I learn from this person? What is it that they do that makes them so effective? What is it that they do that makes me feel so good being around them? What's a helpful phrase that they use, which seems to get them results? Then, "try on" each of those answers to see if that approach can work for you. As you try each, think, "Is this me, or is this not me?" If the strategy feels like you, and you can be genuine, try to incorporate it as your habit. If not, move on to "try on" something else. This approach is just like trying on clothes. Some things fit; others don't.

Ask questions and listen to the responses. Curiosity is one skill you need to have as a new IC Team member. Then take what you ve learnt and add your unique spin to it. Don't forget to network with peers and senior colleagues and remain curious.

When talking about creativity, a lot of people immediately start to think about groundbreaking new ideas, fancy new tools or complex projects requiring massive agency support - which might not always be the right approach. Based on my experiences, the key here is how you find creativity in your everyday tasks as a communicator - how do you turn a speech into an emotional story, a Powerpoint slide into an exciting visual experience, or a newsletter into an engaging read for your audiences.

This is where you can have lots of fun! In previous roles, I've used creative ways to bring new values to life, engage employees around new building openings and launched hybrid working. Sometimes, the more creative the better as it makes the experience more memorable for your employees. Even consider taking employees out of their comfort zone at times.

First impressions matter. If you show value right out of the gate, you'll likely build good rapport who leaders who will fight for you to be on their teams.

It’s your job to show colleagues how communication strategies are the backbone of a successful profit or non- profit business. When you demonstrate how the steps of successful communication projects result in the desired change, you will be recognized as a vital team member. Always remember to develop strategies that are measurable so you can prove your point.

It is indeed a great idea to showcase that your presence in the communication value chain of your organization is invaluable and this you visibly do through the consistent demonstration of your unit’s contribution(s) to the internal communication processes of your organization.

It's well worth while attending industry events, joining webinars and going to internal communication networking events to allow you to keep up to date on industry trends and continue to grow your knowledge. It's also a great way to keep getting new ideas about how to deliver your internal communication. I usually find that many internal communicators are facing the same challenges, no matter what company they work at or industry they're in. So meeting other internal communicators will help you to continue to grow your knowledge.

There’s not “one way” to do anything and it’s important to remember that IC is about aligning your organization behind your overall strategy. Sometimes you need outside help. IC or crisis comms consultants are great to learn from and often have a wealth of tools to help you craft creative and effective IC messaging plans.

Embrace your curiousity. It's a super power. There is so much go learn! You've got an incredible career ahead of you. Don't be a snob. Get to know as many people in the company at every level. You won't know the problems your audience is facing unless you get to know your audience. Embrace feedback. It really is a gift. Enjoy the journey. You'll make mistakes and it'll hurt. You'll try new things, stretch gloriously, and then eventually get bored. This is all part of the growth cycle and it's good. Guard your off-time. You need it to stay grounded and connected to what matters. Celebrate with friends. Get involved in the causes that matter to you.

Learn from anything, and everything around you. Right from the organisation’s personality to the employees perspective. Observe, talk to people and never be afraid to make mistakes or maybe several reworks. Because this is this time to keep all the “I know how to do it” aside and say “I need to learn/know how to do this better”.

If you see opportunities - take them! Don't hope that you're given the chance to do things; either take the initiative or ask your manager to get involved!