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The British Association of Industrial Editors was founded in 1949; its early members were largely editors of house magazines and newspapers. This very much reflected the thrust of employee communication at the time. Gradually, the organisation’s activities expanded to cover a broader range of tools and strategic issues, relating to both internal and external communication. This was reflected in the title it held until 2010– the British Association of Communicators in Business. Members of the association voted on 23rd September 2009 to change the association to the Institute of Internal Communication, and this status change took place formally in May 2010. It is a natural product of the organisation’s strong foundations in internal communication - apparent from its very first members in 1949 - and the depth and breadth of its current members’ expertise. The move also reflects a steadily growing profile for internal communication in recent years, and an overwhelming weight of opinion and evidence highlighting its importance to the achievement of a whole range of critical business goals. Around 20,000 people in the UK are now working in a role that focuses entirely or to a considerable degree on internal communication issues. The greater complexity of internal communication activities today, not least due to the wide range of tools and technologies at communicators disposal, have also made it more important that practitioners can receive support from a dedicated professional body focusing entirely on this discipline. The move to institute status confirms the body’s strong focus on accredited professional development and leading-edge knowledge on workplace dynamics, innovative approaches and best practice. A detailed history of IoIC and how this has progressed in tandem with the evolution of internal communication is available. For a copy (postage only payable), contact enquiries@ioic.org.uk
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