Knowledge Bank

This question was asked recently on the IoIC LinkedIn Group, and attracted a lot of discussion. Firstly, is it actually possible to measure your return on your internal communications investment? Are we deluding ourselves if we believe that we can actively quantify a real benefit – and place a price…

As we move into a new year, the impact of last autumn’s Comprehensive Spending Review will really be felt – particularly in the public sector. In a feature in the January 2011 issue of “Inside Out”, IoIC's member magazine, Tim Smith offers some tip tips on communicating bad news. While…

Internal publications and news writing: should you use 'we' and 'us' or [company name] / 'the company' in your house style guidelines? And why? That was the question posed by IoIC member Simon Henning, Senior Corporate Editor at National Grid, on the IoIC LinkedIn group, as Steve Nichols reports. This…

As former publications and editorial manager at the Disability Rights Commission, Katie Grant is only too aware of the importance of producing inclusive and accessible information. Now running her own consultancy, Katie advises businesses and other organisations on how to incorporate accessibility into their information and communication design and provision.…

Dominic Walters, chairman of the Institute of Internal Communication, discusses the role of organisation leaders in ensuring that internal communication genuinely contributes towards enhanced business performance. Most organisation leaders know that employee engagement is important: in a recent major study by the Engage Group, it was one of the top…

Within any organisation, remote workers have distinct communications needs. Steve Doswell, IoIC director and president of the European federation of internal communications associations, discusses strategies for ensuring remote workers remain part of the team and committed to organisational objectives. Remote working offers promising possibilities in a complex world of work…

A recent discussion on the Institute of Internal Communication LinkedIn group looked at the best ways to get people engaged in an online forum on their intranet. Will Foy, Internal Communications Manager at NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “We are looking at revamping our rather tired online intranet forum as…

Turbulence is life force. It is opportunity. Let's love turbulence and use it for change. – Ramsay Clark A recent YouGov poll from the UK’s Trade Union Congress says more than one in ten workers lack confidence in keeping their jobs for the next twelve months. There is a lot…

A new phrase has entered the vocabulary of internal communicators over the past few years – Tone of Voice (ToV). It may be a buzz phrase, but ignore it at your peril. If your organisation doesn't have one, it soon will. But what exactly is ToV? Steve Nichols takes a…

The western world-view of business can be somewhat simplistically summarised by the "3 P's" - process, people and pounds sterling - a business climate where the "bottom line" is delivered by process - worked by people. The traditional project approach to change management sees it as a set of tasks…