When talented people converge you can expect great connection and cool ideas to emerge.
Yesterday, October 1, 2011 I conducted a first ever (in India) hands-on, full day internal communications workshop at Bangalore engaging participants from organizations such as UST Global and Allianz Cornhill Information Services (Trivandrum, Kerala), Tata Consultancy Services, Max Bupa Health Insurance Company Limited, Aditya Birla Minacs, Mistral Solutions, Thought Works and Ascendas. There were also representatives from agencies who support internal communications for clients.
Personally, I felt blessed to be in the company of an enthusiastic group of corporate communicators, internal communicators and agency consultants from organizations who are leading change at their respective organizations and for their clients.
Since participants were from all career levels and from organizations at different internal communication maturity stages I set the context for the Internal Communications 101- Essentials For Success workshop with research findings not just from global studies but also from the ongoing 2011 India Internal Communications Survey.
The topics covered were integrated internal communications planning, basics of messaging and storytelling, ROI and measurement, crisis communications and leadership communications. Hands-on exercises reinforced their learning for each of these topics. All participants shared stories and experiences on what works well in their organization. I wrapped up the workshop with perspectives on what the future of internal communications looked like and where must internal communicators invest their energies to be relevant for the future.
What struck me most was how much more internal communicators could value add and how often their focus got diverted by work which didn’t quite fit their roles. It also emerged that there seemed to be a lacuna in how leaders perceived internal communications and how internal communicators presented their case.
Therefore we spent a great deal of time thinking through some of the most pressing issues internal communicators face in India and what can make their function stronger and respected.
We delved on strategies internal communicators could adopt that will influence how leaders perceived them.
Overall, I came away a lot more energized from this workshop. There are top-notch internal communicators out there – just that organizations need to tap the potential of this community to deliver improved business results and outcomes.
PS: Look up this skit by the participants!
Hi Aniisu,
I had a great time at the workshop and meeting people in the field of Internal Communications was really awesome! Will definitely want to attend the next edition of this workshop!
Cheers!
Hi, Aniisu…
For a moment, your workshop seemed like the centre of the Internal Communication world, with professionals converging from every corner of India to have conversations around Internal Communication and to discover for themselves–a rich lode of industry insight!
The value, for me, in Internal Communication 101 workshop lay in its ability to meld research, insight and theory into one vibrant learning experience. The practical exercises simulated real-life work environments. And for every participant, there were valuable communication takeaways. I highly recommend your workshops to any seeker of knowledge in Internal Communication. And, I personally look ahead to the new learning spaces you will create for communicators worldwide.
All the Best!
What I liked most about this workshop is that it spelt loud and clear that Internal Communications has arrived. Now young communicators can look up to a very happening career with Internal communications.
It was the convergence of very talented people fro the industry and I came away with a lot of value – an action packed day focussed on communications.
I look forward to more of these from Aniisu.
The workshop was an amazing experience and an eye-opener in terms of the diversity in internal communication practices across industries and organisations. I have learned as much from my peers at the workshop as from Aniisu’s insights and exercises. Too bad it got over so soon! Would have loved to have a discussion on social media as well. I would definitely love to attend the next one.
This was the first time I got an opportunity to be part of a workshop that was dedicated wholly to Internal Communications. It was a pleasure to meet, interact and learn from fellow peers who are equally passionate about Internal Communications like me. Aniisu your presentation gave us rich insights into developing effective internal communication campaigns. The group exercises helped us understand the practicality of the concepts discussed. The workshop also helped us realise that regardless of the varied organisations we came from we still face common issues and I’m sure we’ve all gained fresh perspectives on how we can tackle them. I went back from this session being much enriched and look forward to being part of more such sessions.
The workshop was an eye opener. It gave us a platform to connect, communicate and collaborate with peers from various industry. One day power packed work shop not only gave us rich insights with opportunities in building strategic campaigns and communications, but also gave an edge to think through Internal communications on a wide spectrum.
Well as all said.. “it wasn’t enough! and we look forward to more opportunities to learn and unlearn! 🙂
Aniisu shared his experiences as an Internal Communications Specialist to a group of people who bore similar titles within their respective companies. What emerged was very exciting. While there were broad similarities that people experienced, each person’s perspective of the role of an Internal Communicator was unique. This clearly established the need for such a workshop and future explorations in this domain. Aniisu has gathered a rich understanding in this area and was selfless in sharing his learning. He is an excellent facilitator and balanced the varied opinions that floated through the room. Everyone left the workshop feeling richer in some way and knowing that they were part of a new beginning. Thank you for the workshop Aniisu!
From the point of view of someone who manages an agency that works with Internal Communication departments in corporates, this workshop helped me get a deeper understanding of the business issues faced by my clients. This understanding has helped me improve my solutions/offerings, making them relevant to my client’s stakeholders.
Aniisu’s years of experience was well encapsulated into the workshop. It was a great learning experience for me and a wonderful opportunity to network. I look forward to the future sessions.
Hi..just started following your blog. Are you planning to do more workshops like this in the near future? and how does one get to participate in this?
Thanks
Ruchi