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Hey Reader,

I went to the cinema last week for the first time in YEARS and it turns out I’m 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 wasn’t very good.]

Because it struck me that there’s so many different kinds of frontline workers in a cinema, isn’t there? There’s the guy who sold me the popcorn at the food stand, there’s the girl who checked my ticket on my way in, there’s the team that clean up the mess after each movie, there’s someone in charge of operating the tech for each screen. Then of course I imagine there’s a bunch of people working in offices behind the scenes running marketing, finance, HR and so on.

It’s a real mix of office workers and frontline workers and I wondered to know what kind of communication system they have in place. How are they connecting all their employees together, helping them feel part of one big team and inspiring them to do their best work?

I had a similar experience going through Heathrow airport recently where I began to wonder how internal comms must work in an airport. How do you connect together the airline crews, the baggage handlers, the bus drivers, the cleaners, the customer service agents… some with employees, some with contractors and sub-contractors… my mind boggled at the scale and complexity of it.

I’m always wondering about frontline organisations like this. I want to peek inside the company and find out:

• What are you doing for internal comms?
• What can we learn from you?

So you can imagine my delight when I saw that Workvivo are running an online event on July 29th which is exactly this: a peek behind the curtain into AMC Theatres, a huge cinema chain in the US with 30,000+ employees.

AMC are doing some interesting and creative things to engage their frontline workers. Which is great, because as a consultant I see a lot of large companies still defaulting to the same tired approaches they’ve been doing for years, things like top-down lengthy emails, a muddled line manager cascade that never quite works, a printed update from the CEO that’s left in the canteen. But maybe AMC have cracked the code on frontline engagement in a way that’s both creative and scalable.

Their secret? They flipped the traditional top-down model on its head.

Instead of bombarding employees with corporate messages, AMC have empowered their frontline workers to own the conversation. They’ve created a system where content comes FROM the people, not just to the people. And they’ve done it with creativity, contests and what a philosophy that one of their team members summed up as:

For example, when a big movie release is coming, they run contests where employees create window art using markers. It’s simple, it’s fun and it gets people engaged with their workplace in a way that goes beyond just “here’s what you need to know for your shift”.

They’ve also mastered the art of crowdsourced content, getting employees to share their own stories and experiences rather than relying solely on corporate messaging. This creates authenticity and belonging in a way that polished corporate communications simply can’t match.

Want to learn more about how they run internal comms?

I sure do. The internal comms team from AMC will share their insights and stories in this live event on 29th July. I’m signed up to attend and I reckon you should join me. This is going to be valuable for anyone in internal comms, especially if you’ve got any type of frontline workers.

You’ll hear directly from Adam Murphy (Director, People Analytics & Systems at AMC), Abby McMullen (Manager of Inclusive Communications at AMC) and Barbara Booras (Senior Customer Community Manager with Workvivo) about how AMC has transformed their internal communications from boring top-down announcements to a thriving, people-powered community.

Here’s what they’ll cover:

• How they decentralise internal comms and empower employees to own the conversation
• The role of creativity, contests and crowdsourced content in building belonging
• Real-world examples you can borrow for your own organisation
• How to create open, self-sufficient communications without micro-managing every message

This event is for you if you’re…

• Working with frontline employees who are scattered across locations and shifts
• Tired of chasing engagement with the same old top-down approaches
• Wondering how to make your company feel more connected as it grows
• Looking for practical tips you can implement immediately
• (Or if you’re just plain nosy like me)

Too often, we treat frontline engagement as an afterthought or assume that simple, one-way communications are enough. But AMC has proven that with the right approach, you can create genuine connection and belonging even in the most challenging environments.

Plus, let’s be honest - who doesn’t want to learn from a company that’s managed to make internal communications feel like it has a bit of movie magic?

Join us for the session

The webinar is free. And if you can’t make it live, register anyway – Workvivo will send you the recording so you can watch it when it suits you.

By the way if you work in internal comms in an airport or anywhere complex with frontline workers please invite me for a visit! I’d love to see how you run things.

Thanks for reading and stay curious,

Joanna

Find me on YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn and check out my book​

Want to work together?

• Join The Curious Tribe. This is my membership community for ambitious, curious communicators who want to achieve more in their roles and have fun at the same time. Membership allows you to work directly with me for 12 months, make deep connections with other communication pros who 'get it' and improve your skills through training and learning. More info here.
• Ready to review your channels and content but don't know where to start? Download my practical Internal Comms Audit Playbook to guide you through a DIY audit - no expensive consultant needed.​ This has ready-to-use templates and checklists to give you a systematic way to do your own audit which you can repeat every single year. Get it here.
• Take a shortcut. I've developed a collection of tried-and-tested templates, checklists and how-to guides for the key processes you'll need in your role as an internal communicator. You can download my Internal Comms Cheat Sheets here.​

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