Internal Communications’ Post

📖 Are you doing enough storytelling in your Internal Communications?📖 Storytelling is as as ancient as humanity itself but we're often seeing it so under-utilised in internal communications. In work, where we're bombarded with information on so many different platforms, with so much noise, a well-crafted story can cut through that noise, creating memorable and engaging internal communications that will win hearts and minds. Here's why and how: 🤝It's that human connection - we're hardwired to love stories. We've been told them since we were tiny. Stories foster a sense of community and shared experience, crucial in building a great workplace culture. 🌟Storytelling can help with clarity and context enormously. Complex ideas wrapped in a story become more digestible. Use storytelling to give life to company values, strategic goals, and change initiatives, making them relatable and clear. ❤️Stories evoke emotions, and emotions drive engagement. Share success stories, challenges overcome, or day-in-the-life narratives to make your internal messaging resonate on a deeper level. 🧠💡A compelling narrative or story is memorable. When we recall a good story, we remember its message, making storytelling a powerful tool for reinforcing key communications. 🚀Stories can be incredibly motivating. Highlighting real-life examples of teamwork, innovation, and resilience can inspire others to contribute their best. My top tips for effective storytelling in internal comms: 👉 Keep it authentic because genuine stories resonate more. 👉Be inclusive and share diverse stories representing different voices within your organisation. 👉Ensure your story aligns with the key message you want to convey. 👉Use different formats - leverage videos, podcasts, or written narratives to tell your stories. Remember, in the world of work, facts and figures may inform, but it's the stories that truly inspire and connect. 🌐✨ Refresh your knowledge. Sign up for one of Cosy Meerkat's storytelling workshops to reinvigorate storytelling in your comms. Link in the comments. 👇 #InternalCommunications #Storytelling #CorporateCulture

💡 Why do a comms audit? If your content isn’t hitting the mark, it’s time to step back and review. A communications audit is like fixing that flickering light you’ve been ignoring 🔧 Look at your strategy with fresh eyes, analyse your storytelling, benchmark against your peers, and make recommendations for quick wins and long-term improvements 🎯 It’s not easy, but trust us, it’s worth it in the long run 💥 Need help? We’ve got you.

Monday, Let's talk corporate😉 How does Design Thinking and Corporate Communications Drive Organizational Sustainability? Yeah, It's a common question you will come across if you work in corporate communications. Now here's my take, Design thinking has transformed the way organizations approach problem-solving and innovation. By placing human needs at the center and taking a collaborative, cross-functional approach, design thinking helps organizations create solutions that are truly meaningful for customers. When applied to corporate communications, design thinking can help ensure an organization's communications are strategic, impactful and foster deeper engagement with stakeholders. Design thinking and corporate communications work hand-in-hand to drive organizational sustainability in several key ways: 1. Empathizing with Stakeholders  At the core of design thinking is gaining an empathic understanding of users and stakeholders. When applied to communications, this means understanding how different audience segments experience and interact with an organization's messaging. Truly empathizing with stakeholders allows communications to be tailored to their unique needs and perspectives. This enhances relevance and builds stronger, long-lasting relationships that are crucial for organizational sustainability. 2. Fostering Innovation By bringing together cross-functional teams, design thinking encourages collaboration and the free flow of diverse ideas. As the source from Dr. Vivek Pandey outlines, this makes organizations more innovative and able to solve complex, multifaceted problems. For corporate communications, design thinking can spark creative ways to cut through clutter, tell compelling brand stories and maximize community impact - strengthening an organization's position over time. 3. Driving Business Value  Design thinking helps ensure communications are aligned with business objectives and strategy. As the source from Leyla Acaroglu discusses, it provides a framework to concretely assess how communications enhance brand perception and utilization of resources. This integration of communications and business goals is key for justifying investments and demonstrating communications' role in long-term organizational sustainability. 4. Adapting to Changing Needs With a focus on continuous evaluation and improvement, design thinking keeps communications agile and able to flexibly respond to evolving stakeholder and market needs. This interactivity future-proofs communications strategies and upholds an organization's relevance amid dynamic external conditions. You can barely witness that a combo of design thinking approach to corporate communications connects an organization's messaging directly to human needs while driving innovation, business value and adaptability. Now this is how you sustain organizations and strengthen relationships with stakeholders for the long walk. Ciao 😎, Have a nice week!

This video perfectly illustrates how strategic communication works - by reframing a brand’s message from simple statements to emotionally-driven messaging, you can compel your audience to act in line with your strategic goals. It demonstrates how strategic communication can transform the perception and engagement of a brand by its audience. Key takeaways for strategic communication include: 👉🏽 Message Framing: Just like the change in the sign, how you present your message influences how it’s received. A simple adjustment can shift focus and produce a stronger response. 👉🏽 Emotional Appeal: People respond to emotionally-driven messages. The revised message connected the beggar’s blindness with the beauty others could see but he could not, evoking empathy and action. 👉🏽 Audience-Centered Messaging: Effective communication resonates with your audience's perspective, emotions, and experiences. The new message invited people to reflect on their own blessings, prompting them to help. 👉🏽 Storytelling: A powerful narrative moves beyond facts to engage emotions. Well-told stories build connections, trust, and inspire action. In strategic communication, the right message, delivered at the right time, in the right way, can significantly impact outcomes - just like the beggar’s sign adjustment. It highlights the importance of understanding your audience and crafting messages that truly resonate. _____________________________________ Need to clarify your high-value message through strategic communications? Whether it's PR, digital, social media, or experiential, we’ve got you covered. Call 0704 218613 or visit www.carlstic.com today! {Video Credit - Inbox To Claim }

Personally, I'm weary of the term storytelling in internal communications, but that didn't stop me from sharing my two cents in response to this question. Some interesting answers here! #Forbesexpertpanels #internalcommunications

Corporate communications is the lifeblood of every successful organization, weaving together the threads of strategy, storytelling, and stakeholder engagement. From crafting compelling narratives to managing crisis communications, it's the art of connecting with audiences on a profound level. At its core, corporate communications is about building trust, fostering transparency, and amplifying the organization's voice in a crowded marketplace. It's about navigating the ever-evolving landscape of digital media, harnessing the power of social platforms to drive brand awareness and reputation. As professionals in this field, we're the architects of brand perception, shaping how the world sees and interacts with the organizations we represent. It's a dynamic and multifaceted role that demands creativity, adaptability, and a keen understanding of audience dynamics. Through my experiences and education, including my time at UC Irvine, I've learned the importance of strategic thinking and effective communication in corporate settings. Whether it's through developing comprehensive communication plans, executing engaging content strategies, or leveraging data-driven insights, every aspect of corporate communications plays a vital role in shaping organizational success. As we navigate the complexities of the modern business landscape, let's continue to champion the power of effective corporate communications to drive meaningful impact and propel our organizations forward. Together, we can elevate brands, inspire audiences, and shape the future of corporate storytelling.

Great to see that my book is helping communicators to be more strategic and add more value. To find out more, see link in comments. #betterinternalcommunication

I always say the foundation of great communications is first to understand the business strategy and then to tell a compelling and impact focused story that supports business objectives:).

Why I’ll never approach content creation with increasing sales as the goal Does this sound familiar?  “We need a (insert content type here) because our sales aren’t where they should be…” Now before you come at me, I’m not saying this type of content won’t help support the audience we’re trying to get in front of. But as communicators, too many of us find ourselves reacting to requests instead of first asking the right questions that will ensure the right channel and content is used to support greater success—whether that’s for internal OR external communications. Lesley Allman has a great strategy model that I’ve found success with—and I suspect as communicators, you use this in one form or another. It’s her ABCDE model of Internal Communications—now don’t let the “Internal Communications” throw you. It’s applicable to all communications really, and helps to guide the thinking and strategy behind developing content using an easy-to-remember mnemonic. (Remember using ROY-G-BIV in school to recall the colors of the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet??) It’s as simple as walking through the first 5 letters of the English alphabet: A, B, C, D, E.  - Audience - Behavior - Content - Delivery - Evaluation You’ll notice that CONTENT comes after you’ve identified “A” for AUDIENCE and “B” for BEHAVIOR. This is important to ensuring the CONTENT you create is applicable to the AUDIENCE you’re trying to reach, and will guide or influence the BEHAVIOR you want from that audience. And honestly, as communicators, it’s OUR responsibility to collaborate, guide, advise, and influence colleagues to ensure the heartbeats we’re investing at work every day gives us the greatest return on that investment. So how does this tie back into my statement: Why I’ll never approach content creation with increasing sales as the goal? Because increasing sales is just PART OF THE END RESULTS once you’ve successfully identified your audience, the behavior you want from them, the content that will resonate, as well as the delivery channel (and then of course evaluation!). You’ll also understand your audience better and how they consume information and what influences behavior. So it goes DEEPER than the single goal to increase sales—it’s about deepening our understanding and nurturing a relationship that provides business growth. A true win/win. I encourage you to read Allman’s book 'Better Internal Communications.' She shares some great strategy and insights to help you hone your communication chops, along with advice on being an effective business partner, which naturally feeds into advancing your career. I’d love to hear what your biggest takeaway is—so let me know!

Get to the point, and keep it snappy It’s long been known that capturing attention within the first three to five seconds is critical to keeping audiences absorbed in a piece of content. This usually takes the form of an exciting opening line or headline that makes audiences want more, but it can also mean getting creative with formats and narrative structure. Feed surprise and curiosity to keep eyes on your comms. https://lnkd.in/gjhvnnWT