Justine Stevenson, Director of Internal Communication and Employee Engagement at AQA shares her top tips on making the most out of corporate membership with IoIC.
So you’ve persuaded your finance business partner and learning and development team that corporate membership makes sense. You’ve enrolled your team as members and they have their log-ins to the members area of the website
But how do you, as head of the team, make the most of this investment. Here’s a few tips:
Search for resources: Hopefully your team have already been using these but encourage them to look in the members area to find a huge amount of useful info. They’ll pick up a more diverse range of ideas than you alone can give them and might just teach you a thing or two.
Chat with a community: The area where you can connect with other Internal Communicators who chat about a whole range of topics that are on their minds. Your team may have questions that they feel are too basic to ask you – this is the place for them to get some great advice.
Build a network: A wide network of contacts, all with similar work issues and challenges is one of the biggest benefits that IoIC offers. Encourage your team to connect with others at events, online webinars and just by starting a conversation.
Manage performance: Sometimes it’s difficult to assess the performance of specialist communicators against generic organisational frameworks. So use the IoIC profession map to show your team what is expected of them at their level – it will help give an IC flavour to your performance conversations.
Team and individual development: And when you’ve identified where development is needed there are a wealth of opportunities for training and development. Why not think about a bespoke training session for the team – they’ll get great insight but it can also be a great team building opportunity.
Qualifications: For those stars in your team who want to delve much deeper into their specialism, consider sponsoring them to take a professional qualification. It shows your commitment to them and they will pay you back day after day with the wisdom that they’ve gained.
Win awards: The IoIC awards are a great way to show off your team and their work and to gain top notch feedback on what you’ve done. If you are one of the lucky ones to be shortlisted for an award, there is also the prospect of attending the awards dinner and hopefully picking up a gong.
Volunteer: The IoIC central team is small (but perfectly formed) so are always on the lookout for volunteers. Perhaps your organisation offers volunteering days which could allow your team to support your local network with events or become an #IChoseIC Ambassador – there are loads of opportunities.
Mentoring: Encourage members of the team to apply for a mentor. They’ll get a different perspective that you can give them and will learn from a more senior IC colleague. And who knows, in time they may repay the favour and become mentors themselves.
Team structures/job roles: Many of us have faced the challenge of reshaping the team for one reason or another. If you are struggling to work out what you need to best support the organisation, use the profession map for ideas for job descriptions etc.
One day of insight, workshops, case studies and networking isn't enough. Rob Jones is back for Day 2 of Festival, live-blogging the highlights from Warbrook House in Eversley.
Guided by member feedback and the changing needs of internal communicators, the Institute of Internal Communication is preparing a year focused on clarity, advocacy and strengthening its community. What can members expect?
This survey, run by IOIC in partnership with Ipsos Karian and Box, is the most detailed study yet of capability, confidence and development need across the profession. It explores ten roles internal communicators play, developed specifically for this research and connected to the IOIC future of internal communication whitepaper.
Your answers will directly shape how the profession invests in its own development.
