Claire Munro spoke to Rachel Miller ahead of the publication of her book Internal Communication Strategy.

The book aims to provide internal comms practitioners with knowledge, skills, and real-world examples, while also addressing critical challenges, the impact of AI, key trends, and the importance of developing a professional network in the field of internal communications.

Rachel is the founder of consultancy All Things IC, Chartered PR and Fellow of both the CIPR and the Institute of Internal Communications.

What do you hope to achieve with this book?

A. I have two aims with the book. The first is to support internal communicators by equipping them with knowledge and skills to boost their confidence, so they can thrive in their roles. Secondly, I’m proud to amplify some of the incredible work taking place inside organisations, which I’ve not been able to share before.

Internal communicators have such visible roles in their own companies, and their hard work may not be known externally. I’ve used this opportunity to highlight some outstanding examples of strategic internal communication and celebrate those hidden stories.

What makes it stand out from other books on the subject of internal communication?

There was a gap in the publisher’s portfolio in terms of a book dedicated to writing an internal communication strategy. It felt like a natural topic for me to write about because I’d already developed a model and successfully applied it.

The discipline of strategy creation has underpinned my entire IC career and I’ve evolved my approach over the years. The book draws on that evolution, revealing mistakes I’ve made and models I’ve created to fill the gaps and advise clients. It is the book I needed when I was working in-house; it would have saved me so much time!

Having written the book post-Covid, it reflects the reality for today’s internal communicator, highlighting the changes we’ve seen in recent years and the impact it’s had on our work.

What do you see as the critical challenges for internal communicators, and why?

There are many critical challenges for internal communicators and it’s the sheer variety that has kept me enthralled for two decades.

Knowledge gaps make our roles harder, not least because of the visibility of our roles. If you’ve never experienced preparing a business to float on a stock exchange or introducing a new CEO, communicating a merger/acquisition/restructure, the pressure is on. Add the daily required knowledge of knowing how to advise leaders, effectively measure, equipping people managers to be great communicators and creating a channel strategy, there is always something new to learn.

In all these scenarios, internal communicators are expected to know what to do, how to do it and advise the rest of the organisation.

In the book you say: “Internal communication needs to be treated as the strategic function it is and recognised for its ability to transform organisations.” Is this achievable?

Yes. It starts with internal communicators being able to articulate the work they’re doing.

We need to lead internal communication – the overarching way a company communicates – not merely get drawn into internal communications – the tools, tactics, channels and methodologies.

Transforming organisational communication starts with understanding the current position. How internal communicators show up is vital. We need to demonstrate alignment with the business strategy and not just ‘talk comms’.

As professional communicators, it’s our business to know our business, which means knowing why market conditions matter, why our CEO is worried about a competitor or the impact of new shift patterns for our frontline workers.

We are a business function because we enable a business to function. If you want to be treated like a strategic function you need to demonstrate your thinking, make bold choices and evidence your work.

We need to prioritise the work we do ruthlessly. To prove your value, you need to know what the business treasures and align with it. The lack of prioritisation and measurement causes huge challenges for many internal communicators.

In the book you also discuss the potential impact of AI on internal communications. What do you see as one big benefit, and one big negative, of AI in terms of internal communications?

I felt the need to write a disclaimer in the book to state I had not used AI to write any of it, that was incredibly important to me.

A benefit of AI is saving time, particularly when analysing sentiment and to aid measurement, which should hopefully free up internal communicators’ time to do what is inherently human. Applying the superpowers of ethics, kindness and empathy in internal communication will become increasingly important for us.

A big negative is the potential for disinformation and misinformation. That’s not a new problem, but it’s amplified due to AI. We need to verify; fact check and question what is being created. A falsified video of a CEO making outrageous comments is no longer science fiction, so we need to be mindful and prepared for the path ahead. This draws on our skills as internal communicators as we’re used to championing credible, accurate and reliable communication.

What do you think are the key trends for internal communications in the next five years?

A few months ago, I said 2024 is the year of relevancy. I expect it to still be the case over the next five years and to hear that phrase a lot more. I’m speaking about it constantly with clients and it’s showing up in every facet of my consulting work. There are three relevancy models in my book that I’ve been drawing on flip charts for seven years, I’m excited to share them further through its publication.

I included my pandemic employee model in the book and its impact is just starting to take hold. There are tensions inside organisations based on when employees joined (pre-March 2020, March 2020-January 2022, post-January 2022) as their experience of culture, leaders and even place of work can vary wildly between these groups. I’m curious to see what happens as that ripple effect will resonate for years.

You can’t talk about the future and not mention AI, but as with all the latest shiniest things, or ‘comms bling’ as I call them, the key is to understand what it is, how it works, and what it means for your employees and organisation. Be open to new ideas and experiment with them, so you understand the potential and how it relates to your company.

I hope we learn more about neurodiversity as a profession. I’ve shared some personal experiences in the book and how I’ve had to relearn how to communicate in my neurodivergent household.

My home life has made me realise how many own goals there are inside organisations when it comes to neuroinclusivity and how many opportunities there are to do better. I’m determined to play my part by learning, working out loud and sharing candid reflections and recommendations.

There is an impressive array of expert advice and case studies in the book. What is your key tip for developing a professional network?

The global IC community is very special, and I took the opportunity of writing the book to ask Comms friends in every corner of the globe to contribute, so I could share their brilliance with others. What unites us all is a desire to improve the world of work to create positive workplaces where employees can thrive.

If you are an independent practitioner or team of one, as I was a number of times in my in-house career, I know how lonely that can feel. Every single time I have asked a fellow IC professional for help throughout my career they have said yes.

You just need to show up and ask for help. However, I encourage IC practitioners to invest in their professional development while building their network, so you can provide equal value and support for others. I make sure I give back through mentoring, sponsoring and providing free access to my knowledge via my blog and Candid Comms podcast.

Is there anything else that you would like the readers of the Wadds blog to know, about the book or about internal communications?

The book is raw, honest and reflects the reality of working as an internal communicator today. Whether you’re just starting out, or have decades of experience, you’ll benefit from the stories, theory and advice.

Internal Communication Strategy honours the hard work of internal communicators and is a rallying cry in parts, giving permission for readers to transform organisational communication. I found writing it cathartic and emotional as it flowed from my head, heart and notebooks.

The ethos of my business is what happens inside is reflected outside. I can’t wait to see what internal communicators do differently as a result of reading the book.

Rachel’s book is published on 3 April in the UK and 30 April elsewhere. You can use the code COMMSFRIEND to save 20% when you buy the book from the Kogan Page website. Alternatively, a custom edition of the book is available from the All Things IC website, where you can get a signed copy and an additional two-page foreword.