Hey Reader, This week I've been reading IC Index 2025 from the Institute of Internal Communication. Let's look at some of the findings from this report and discuss what they mean for you as a comms professional. This report is based on a survey of nearly 5,000 UK employees, making it one of the most comprehensive studies of employee communication experiences in recent years. The researchers explored everything from how employees rate their organisation's communication to what activities make...
9 days agoĀ ā¢Ā 5 min read
Hey Reader, Each week in this newsletter I usually answer a question from a reader. Today Iām doing something slightly different to help you tackle a challenge I know a lot of you struggle with. Iām going to expand on something I shared on LinkedIn last week. I can see from the comments that it really struck a chord with many of you so letās dig into it deeper and Iāll give you more practical tips and advice. Hereās the topic I posted about: How to decide when content should be posted on 1...
16 days agoĀ ā¢Ā 8 min read
Hey Reader, Each week in this newsletter I tackle a question from a reader. This weekās question comes from a comms pro in Canada who read my previous newsletter about helping stakeholders move beyond ācreating awarenessā to setting clear objectives. [If you missed that edition you can read it here.] She writes: āI love your weekly emails and learn so much from them. Thank you. I enjoyed seeing how this weekās email built on last weekās theme, and wondered if youād consider continuing this...
23 days agoĀ ā¢Ā 5 min read
Hey Reader, Each week in this newsletter I tackle a question from a reader. This weekās question comes from a Comms Business Partner in London. She read my newsletter last week about protecting your audiences' attention and saying no to sending out irrelevant content and she followed up with this thoughtful question: āThanks very much for your latest newsletter ā great advice here! One thing I struggle with is something you touched on: āEvery communication should have a clear purpose. We just...
30 days agoĀ ā¢Ā 7 min read
Hey Reader, Each week in this newsletter I tackle a question from a reader. This weekās question comes from an internal comms manager in Manchester who asks: āI feel like Iām constantly sending out communications but Iām not sure anyone is actually reading them anymore. My inbox is full of requests from different departments wanting me to ājust quickly send this outā and I find it really hard to say no. How do I know whatās actually worth communicating and what isnāt? Iām worried Iām...
about 1 month agoĀ ā¢Ā 5 min read
Hey Reader, Each week in this newsletter I answer a question from a reader. This week's question comes from an internal comms manager in Toronto: "Hi Joanna, I am trying to get better at slowing down, asking questions and thinking things through rather than immediately saying yes when someone asks me to send something out. Do you have a list of questions you can share to help me do this?" Well you absolutely sent this to the right person. Do I have a list of questions? Yes. Yes I totally do....
about 1 month agoĀ ā¢Ā 6 min read
Hey Reader, Each week in this newsletter I answer a question from an internal comms pro. This weekās question comes from a member of The Curious Tribe community. I thought it was a great topic and one that you will find useful to consider if you work with senior leaders including your CEO. This may also give you a good feel of the kind of conversations and discussions we have in the tribe in case you were thinking of joining. Here's the question: I'm trying to bring some order to our...
about 2 months agoĀ ā¢Ā 6 min read
Hey Reader, I went to the cinema last week for the first time in YEARS and it turns out Iām terrible company to watch a movie with. Because I got bored of the film and spent most of my time wondering how internal comms works in a cinema instead. [My excuse is that the movie wasnāt very good.] Because it struck me that thereās so many different kinds of frontline workers in a cinema, isnāt there? Thereās the guy who sold me the popcorn at the food stand, thereās the girl who checked my ticket...
about 2 months agoĀ ā¢Ā 4 min read
Hey Reader, Many years ago I was working in an office where I felt I was doing a really good job and was proud of myself. I was really busy every day, I felt accomplished ticking off my handwritten to-do list as I ploughed through the tasks and my work was high quality. I felt great and I loved that job. Until one day I didn't. Because I overheard a conversation that wasn't meant for my ears, and although they weren't bad-talking me, I found their words upsetting. I was walking past the break...
2 months agoĀ ā¢Ā 6 min read