Internal Communication

While I am aware of induction and orientation sessions conducted to induct employees into the organization, I would be keen to know if there are specific focussed inductions undertaken to get internal communicators up to speed with the role. In my previous assignments, it was mainly ‘trial by fire’ to get into the ‘groove’! I dived […]

Have seen a spurt in recent times in getting employees to ‘register for a gift voucher’, ‘attend a training session and get a free t-shirt’ or ‘volunteer for a program and avail a discount at the cafeteria’! These programs and campaigns begin with a clear conscience but by the end of it you are left wondering […]

It took me a while to convince event communicators to align their thinking around engagement and less on the tactical elements of events. Questions typically asked earlier were centered around ‘enjoyment’ and  ‘comments on program elements like tranpsort and entertainment’. After understanding the need for business justification, we now are able to get answers from […]

Internal communicators often fall prey to taking ownership for chunks larger than what they can chew. I believe intranets are self-running animals – all they need is direction and empowerment. Feed the ideas, provide the focus and get out of the way. I can witness a revolution in one of the intranets which I manage. […]

I have had the opportunity in my earlier assignments to observe the transition between an existing vendor and another taking over the intranet management. Quite a tricky affair managing expectations and heartburn! While trying to gauge what works best – in-sourcing or outsourcing, the debate never really ends. There are pros and cons but what […]

In India, most internal communication openings are known either through networks or via consultants. Internal communication professionals are a rare breed in this part of the world. Apart from large, established multi-nationals, the concept of engaging with internal communication professionals is still quite unfamiliar.  The JD ( job descriptions) shared by consultants generally include the […]

Just a couple of days ago, I received a brief for an important human resources communication related to career development. When I enquired if there was a measurement metric in mind to understand if the program was successful or not, I was greeted with a wry smile. There was none. “Could we measure the hits […]

    What does an internal communicator do when you are faced with a challenge of gathering content for the intranet? Do you wait for content to come in or are there some steps you can take to continue keeping the intranet alive?   I thought of a couple of ideas and would like to […]

While 2006 draws to a close, I wanted to leave you with some closing thoughts on trends in internal communications which seem to have impacted business in India.  From my experience and interactions with senior leadership and human resources, the following observations indicate an  increased awareness of how internal communications can create value and build brands. Local lingo: […]

    Despite the rage of new media ( and me propagating it in my MBA classes!), it took me over 6 months to download my RSS reader. Unsure if it was inertia. I attempted downloading a reader sometime ago but the details for registering were a put-off. I never really got around to completing […]