Institute of Internal Communication

As a thank-you to members who help us spread the word about the Institute of Internal Communication, a new ‘Recommend a Friend’ scheme has been launched.

Under this initiative, if you recommend IoIC membership to a friend or colleague, and they subsequently join, we’ll show our appreciation to you with a £25 M & S gift voucher.

There are two simple ways to participate in this scheme:

a) Send us the contact details of the person you think would benefit from Institute membership (including email address)

or

b) Contact them yourself and send us a copy of the communication (letter or email). 

It’s as simple as that. If your colleague joins within six months of the original contact, you will receive your voucher.

If you have contact details that you wish to forward or have any queries about the scheme, contact catherine@ioic.org.uk or tel: 01908 313755.

(Please note: a company Group membership is treated as an individual membership for the purposes of this scheme)

It’s official – 100 people have now signed up for IoIC’s Foundation Level qualification since it was launched in January 2009.

The 100th candidate, Lisa Smith, has been working in internal communication roles for Lloyds Banking Group for ten years, most recently communicating operational and strategic messages to the 55,000 employees working in the retail division.

Explaining her decision to undertake the foundation programme, she said: “I have a lot of experience but no official qualification and want to be taken seriously as a professional communicator. I have a good reputation with colleagues, but achieving this qualification will show very clearly that this is my chosen profession, I am passionate about what I do and am committed to keeping up to speed with what is going on in the industry.”

The founders of Help for Heroes are to be the recipients of the IoIC Communicator of the Year Award 2011. 

In just three and a half years, Bryn and Emma Parry have been the driving force behind the charity achieving an amazing fundraising total of £100 million – inspiring the public to get fully behind the fundraising effort. The money is already making a difference, building specialist recovery centres to provide support for injured service personnel.

Former soldier Bryn and his wife Emma were appointed OBEs this year for voluntary service to the armed forces.

The IoIC recognises the Parrys for their achievements as well as their focus, clear articulation of their vision and their practical delivery.

The Parrys set up the charity in 2007, inspired by a visit to see wounded military patients at Birmingham’s Selly Oak Hospital.

They originally planned a bike ride to raise £10,000, but, following a suggestion by General Sir Richard Dannatt, they revised this modest target upward to £8 million with the intention of building a new rehabilitation complex at Headley Court in Surrey.

As effective leaders, they engaged and motivated, encouraging 300 people from all walks of life to join them on a 350-mile sponsored cycle ride through France in May 2008, raising £1.4 million. Help for Heroes had achieved its goal of £8 million within just eight months, and the money continued to pour in.