Two professionals sat across from each other at a quiet café. Sarah works in internal communication at a mid-sized company. Marcus consults on organisational change. What started as networking quickly became something more honest.
“I think I’m doing my job,” Sarah said, stirring her coffee slowly. “But I also think I’m missing the point of my job.”
She described her week: managing the intranet, drafting leadership emails, coordinating town halls, planning employee engagement days. Her performance reviews were strong. Her KPIs were met. Yet something felt off.
Marcus asked a straightforward question: “What do leaders actually expect from you?”
“They want employees aligned to the strategy.”
“And are they?”
A pause. “They recognise the words. I don’t think they know what to do differently.”
This is where many internal communicators find themselves. Announcing changes. Explaining changes. Repeating changes. While teams continue behaving exactly as they did before.
The conversation turned to timing.
“When leadership makes an important decision, when do they involve you?”
An awkward smile. “Afterwards. Usually when they need an email written quickly.”
“Do they ask what employees might worry about?”
“No.”
“Do they ask how managers will explain it?”
“No.”
“Do they ask what questions employees will ask?”
“No. They ask when we can send it.”
Marcus leaned back. “If communication starts after the decision, your job is distribution.”
Sarah leaned forward. “And if communication starts earlier?”
“Then your job is organisational understanding.”
That distinction changed the direction of everything that followed.
Internal communication isn’t responsible for sending information. It’s responsible for helping people work differently because they understood.
“So the problem isn’t that I’m managing channels,” she said slowly. “The problem is that I’m only allowed to manage channels.”
Exactly.
Because organisations see communication as a finishing step. A packaging step. A publishing step. Which makes communicators busy, but not influential.
Near the end, she asked the question that mattered most: “Then what should I actually be learning? I know how to produce communication. What is the real skill?”
That’s the question many communication professionals are asking themselves right now.
They’re competent at delivery. But few have been taught how to influence organisational outcomes.
So here’s the question for you:
Where does communication sit in your organisation—part of decisions, or part of announcements?
And more importantly: where do you want it to sit?
The difference between those two answers might be the most important professional development work you do this year.
What’s your experience? Are you involved before decisions are made, or called in to package them afterward? How has that shaped your role and your impact?
