1. What’s the point of
internal comms?
Adrian MacLeod
adrian@writethinking.co.uk

2. How organisations communicate
Small organisation
This is what I am
trying to achieve
Here is how you can
help me do that
Together we’ll
become great
What a great guy.
Let’s do what he says.

3. How organisations communicate
Large
organisation
In
te
rn
al
co
m
m
s

4. How organisations communicate
World-leading ...
blah blah
State of the art ..
blah blah
Investing in human
resources ... blah
blah
Thinks: Just do as
I say, would you?
The boss

5. My department is How organisations communicate
what makes us
world-leading...
blah blah It’s my
leadership
we need to
My people are the tell people
most invested in. about.
Me
Me
Me
My guys are
doing the real
state-of-the-art Me Middle managers
stuff

6. How organisations communicate
The company There was a
sponsored this charity thing the
awards thing. boss thought
was important.
The boss went
to a dinner with There is a new
some people. computer WE all
need to learn
By the way, WE how to use.
all need to work
harder.
Internal comms

7. How organisations communicate
The company There was a
sponsored this charity thing the
What?
awards thing. boss thought
was important.
The boss went
to a dinner with There is a new
some people. computer WE all
need to learn
By the way, WE how to use.
all need to work
harder.
Internal comms

8. How organisations communicate
The company There was a
sponsored this charity thing the
awards thing. boss thought
was important.
The boss went
to a dinner with There is a new
some people. computer WE all Yawn
WE work
need to learn
By the way, WE harder: THEY
how to use. take the credit
all need to work
harder.
Internal comms

9. How organisations communicate
Must look
The company There was a at the jobs
sponsored this charity thing the pages
awards thing. boss thought
was important.
The boss went
to a dinner with There is a new
some people. computer WE all
need to learn
By the way, WE how to use.
all need to work
harder.
Internal comms

10. How organisations communicate
The company There was a
sponsored this charity thing the
awards thing. boss thought
was important.
The boss went
to a dinner with There is a new
some people. computer WE all
need to learn
By the way, WE how to use.
all need to work
harder. I wonder
why we
HAVE an
intranet?
Internal comms

11. What’s the point of
internal comms?

12. What’s the point of
internal comms?
Psst... if you work in
internal comms you
really should have a
good answer to this.

13. Remember this?
This is what I am
trying to achieve
Here is how you
can help me do
that
Together we’ll
become great
Small organisation What a great guy.
Let’s do what he says.

14. Remember this?
This is what I am
trying to achieve
Here is how you
can help me do
that
Together we’ll
become great
Small organisation What a great guy.
Let’s do what he says.
This is what internal comms tries to
replicate in larger organisations

15. This is what we are trying to replicate
}
This is what I am
trying to achieve
Here is how you
What
to
can help me do communicate
that
}
Together we’ll
become great
Why
you want to
What a great guy.
communicate
Let’s do what he
Small organisation
says. it
Thinking small is the secret
of making it big

16. What’s the point of
internal comms? The answer you boss
wants to hear
We help people feel
engaged with what the
company is doing
We help them to
understand where we
are headed
We make sure
everyone is pulling in
the same direction
We empower them to
make better decisions
for themselves and for
the company

17. What’s the point of
internal comms? The answer you boss
wants to hear
The bottom line is ... the bottom line
Efficient communications = efficient company
Happy engaged people = £££££££££

18. But how on earth do
we get from this ...

19. How organisations communicate badly
World-leading ... It’s my
blah blah leadership
we need to
The company
State of the art .. tell people
sponsored this
blah blah about.
awards thing.
Investing in human Me The boss went
resources ... blah
to a dinner with
blah
some people.
Me By the way, WE
all need to work
harder.
Thinks: Just do as
I say, would you?
My guys are
doing the real
Me
state-of-the-art
stuff

20. ... to this?
This is what I am
trying to achieve
Here is how you can
help me do that
Together we’ll
become great
What a great guy.
Smart organisation
Let’s do what he says.

21. It turns out the
secret is ...

22. COM UNICATION
communication

23. Don’t JUST communicate one way
ONE WAY
Internal comms

24. Good communication goes both ways
BOTH WAYS
Internal comms

25. Trust me I’m an internal communicator
What to tell the boss What to tell everyone
This is what we are
This is what we trying to achieve
are here for:
Here is how you can
We help people feel engaged
help us do that
with what the company is doing
Together we’ll
We help them to understand
become great
where we are headed
We make sure everyone is
pulling in the same direction
We empower them to make
better decisions for themselves
and for the company

26. Where to start
A Clear objectives
A Defined audience
A Coherent strategy
Managem
ent signat
ure
Management signature
Management signatur
signature e
M anagement
Get management to sign up
to what you are trying to do

27. Coming soon ...
A How to set
objectives
A Understanding your
audience
A Writing stories that
engage an internal
audience
Internal comms