The IoIC is on an important mission to raise awareness of internal communication as a career of choice and shift the narrative from 'I fell into IC' to 'I chose IC'.
#IChoseIC Series
Hear from professionals about their career journeys and what it's like to work in the world of internal communication.
#IChoseIC Out and About
Highlights from a variety of our recent activities with the campaign.
Kate Goodman
Ambassador Kate Goodman attended a careers fair at a school in Birmingham with around 450 students, where she helped them to discover internal communication and answered their questions.
Kate's reflections on the day:
"It was a busy – but rewarding – morning with 450 girls from across years 9, 10 and 11 visiting the careers fair. No one I spoke to had ever heard of internal comms – but the girls who told me they wanted to work in marketing, or social media, or enjoyed English, were truly interested in hearing about IC as a potential career choice. They liked hearing about the creativity, the variety, the potential to progress and lots asked me about the qualifications they’d need to enter the profession. They especially enjoyed the ‘true or false’ IC spin-the-wheel game! I definitely think we may have a few future IC practitioners as a result!"
Juliet Green
As part of the campaign #IChoseIC Ambassador Juliet Green spoke to students at the University of Warwick, introducing them to the wonderful world of Internal Communication. We were delighted to hear that students were queuing up afterwards to ask more questions!
Juliet said "Thoroughly enjoyed my session with the Grad and Postgrad students at University of Warwick today talking about careers in internal comms as an Institute of Internal Communication Ambassador."
Jennifer Sproul & Laura Colantuono
"It was a pleasure to spend two hours with students at LSE alongside the wonderful Laura who so kindly shared her career journey. Sharing our mutual passion for internal communication and the fantastic career you can have in the profession is such a rewarding experience. The students were highly engaged and asked lots of interesting questions from the type of roles, what they could get involved in and the opportunities to enter the profession. Continuing our #IChooseIC agenda is so important to the future of this amazing profession."
Jennifer Sproul, CEO, IoIC
"As a proud #IChoseIC Ambassador, I was thrilled to share my career journey with LSE's students. Explaining the ins and outs of my job and why it's important for organisations was a total highlight. And seeing the students so engaged made me even more proud. Big thanks to the IoIC for the opportunity, and a shout-out to the fabulous Jennifer Sproul for being an amazing co-host!"
Laura Colantuono, IoIC Board Dirctor and#IChoseIC Ambassador
Melanie Hinds
Ambassador Melanie Hinds spoke to students at Chester University as part of their English at Work Module, introducing them to internal communication and helping them to discover IC career pathways.
Melanie says:
"The students, of which were around 6 I think, were at the end of careers focused sessions, so it was great to engage with them on how internal communications comes in various shapes and sizes and how what they may be doing now can help to support it, e.g. digital marking, social media, videography, writing content, understanding audiences etc – making those connections helped them to not just understand the profession but also helped them to think practically about skills development and transferring skills.
I talked them through the history, importance and relevance of internal communications, the many lenses it uses when tailoring messages for varies audiences, the different channels used and the importance of measurement.
We also talked about getting work experience and the power of building a LinkedIn profile, and using LinkedIn to make connections and get yourself seen and heard.
A great group, and passionate teachers who were also interested in what I had to share.
They were also very keen on hearing real life work challenges and what my organisation is involved with.
I would highly recommend IoIC members of any level speaking to students. This group have very little knowledge of navigating working life and we can give them various insights, tips and ideas. It is also hugely rewarding to share experiences and feel that you are helping others."
Melanie Hinds, Global Head of Internal Communications & People Engagement and #IChoseIC Ambassador
Jennifer Sproul and Laura Colantuono
Jennifer and Laura delivered a skills seminar for students at The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).
Jen introduced students to the internal communication profession, explored the key knowledge, skills and behaviours required of an IC practitioner, and shared insights into the exciting opportunities within the profession,
Laura then talked to them about her journey into the internal communication profession, her experiences in IC roles; and how rewarding internal comms can be as a career.
Stacy Gibbs
As part of our #IChoseIC Campaign Ambassador Stacy Gibbs spoke to students at Strathclyde University about her IC career journey and the reality of the role day to day.
The session was part of a Careers in PR & Communications event which aimed to help students and graduates explore new career ideas and hear from industry professionals about their real-life experiences of a role.
Are you interested in becoming an #IChoseIC Ambassador?
In order to reach as many people as possible and spread the #IChoseIC message, we are always looking for volunteers.
If you're passionate about your profession and want to use that passion to encourage others to consider a career in IC why not get involved?
Thank you to the following institutions which have already engaged with the #IChoseIC campaign and supported us to raise awareness of the internal communcation profession
