Finding time for strategy amidst the whirlwind

Each year when the Gallagher and IoIC State of the Sector report is released, there is a level of consternation about the absence of long-term strategic planning in internal communication (IC). According to the 2021 report only 40% of IC teams had a plan any further ahead than one year. Putting aside debate about how far ahead IC teams should be lo...

Reading through the raw results from the IoIC's recent 'future of work' survey the one thing that really leaps out to me is how many possible futures internal communication people envisage. Depending on which of the 150-ish responses you pick, internal communication is going to become part of HR or become entirely separate to HR. It is going to be ...

I currently work for one professional body and volunteer for another, so you won't be surprised that I think professional standards and vocational qualifications are important things. Both organisations (the CIPD and the IoIC) are dependent upon lots of people agreeing with me in order to function. But I don't believe this because I am involved in ...

A familiar question to start: in the future, will internal communication (IC): A) become more distinct as a profession?B) increasingly merge with other professions?C) cease to exist entirely?Taking one of those viewpoints and arguing it is a perennial source of conference speeches and blog posts in the IC world. And yes, I realise that is exactly w...

So here's a thing.I have 8,760 hours in a year (you probably do as well).I sleep for about seven and a half hours a night (assuming I'm not woken up by one of my children… which I frequently am… but let's say seven and a half).So that's 2,750 hours when I'm not conscious. Leaving me with 6,010 hours of time to actually do stuff.I spend about 100 of...

What does it mean to be a professional? When you hire someone to plan an extension on your house, draft your will or advise you on a mortgage, you want to know a bit about their credentials. You want to be assured that they know what they're doing and you can trust what they say. After all, these are all important things right?Internal communicatio...