Our latest member spotlight is on Carly Stevens. She fell into IC by chance and has never looked back. She shares how the IOIC Level Advanced Diploma helped her achieve her career ambitions and why getting the basics right is the best advice she can give anyone starting out.
My role and why IOIC keeps me adapting and growing
As Internal Communications Manager for Lifetime Group my main goals are to enable every voice, engage hearts and minds with openness and honesty, and enhance how we empathetically connect and communicate. My role is like a golden thread that weaves our mission and values into everything we do, helping to build a culture to be proud of and making sure everyone understands the part they play.
I’m always really keen to see what the future of the role holds so I can continue to adapt and keep enhancing what I do. I’ve been loving what the IOIC have produced recently like the IC Index, the monthly IC trends reports and the Future of Internal Communications whitepaper. They’ve all been incredibly helpful when building my strategies and supporting my personal development plan.
How I fell into IC by chance and never looked back
I very much fell into it by chance whilst working at a call centre. I have A Levels in English and Media Studies so when an internal vacancy became available for the role of Internal Communications Support Administrator I immediately thought “I can do that!” when looking at the job description. And apparently, I was right! Having now been doing internal communications for over 15 years I love seeing the positive impact it has on how people feel about where they work by bringing to life why we do what we do. It’s always so varied and creates a huge amount of scope for innovation and creativity.
How the Advanced Diploma helped me become the manager I wanted to be
As Lifetime Group are all about learning and passionate about empowering individuals to reach their full potential, personal development is highly encouraged! When I started with them as Internal Communications Executive my ambition was to one day become manager of the function and completing a Level 6 Diploma of Proficiency in Internal Communications through the IOIC has been fundamental in achieving that. The course also gave me opportunity to use their IOIC Profession Map in a way that allowed me to clearly see what I needed to work on in order to get to where I wanted to be – it’s something I still use as part of my ongoing development to this day.
The moment I knew how far I'd come
Whilst completing my Diplomamy cohort worked together to create a joint report which was so well received that the IOIC decided to publish it as one of their resources for others to use.This was a very affirming moment and showed me just how far I’d come in my career. Aside from that, helping to organise Lifetime’s first group event for over 1000 people was an amazing experience. It was like nothing I’d ever done before and was a vital occasion to help get everyone behind our new mission, vision, values and Group brand. It really felt like my very own Oscars moment in terms of scale and logistics!
My advice to anyone starting out in IC
Nail the basics!Once you’ve laid down the foundation skills, it’s far easier to then begin developing yourself to the next stage and stretch yourself to think more strategically.The IOIC have loads of great resources in their Insight and Practice to help but I would start with anything to do with copywriting, content creation and storytelling, planning and scheduling, and channel management.
One fun fact about me
When I was born, I became the youngest of five living generations - which was actually a huge deal back in the '80s!
From big campaigns to coffee habits, David Manning, senior manager – culture, change and communications at Currys, shares his view of internal comms and career lessons.
Our latest member spotlight is on Ellen Culhane, Manager, Internal Communications at CloudPay. She shares how she fell into IC through politics and PR, the national fire service campaign she's most proud of, and why curiosity and listening are at the heart of great internal communication.
Our latest member spotlight is on Jon Large. After 25 years in pharmaceutical and biotech, he made the leap to Bauer Media Group and never looked back. In this member spotlight, he shares how IOIC helped him build a trusted network outside his usual circle, the LinkedIn post that got 23,000 impressions, and why learning how people think matters more than what they say.
Our latest member spotlight is on Michelle Atkinson, Communications and Engagement Manager (Internal) at Durham University. From a placement year at British Aerospace to internal communications manager at Durham University, IC has always been where her heart is. She shares how IOIC membership supports her work, the project she's most proud of, and why curiosity is the best career advice she can give.
Our latest member spotlight: Caoimhe Nic Allabroin, Head of Communications, St James's Hospital, Dublin, shares how she built an IC function from scratch and why membership keeps her connected to the profession.
Our latest member spotlight features Dr Alex Gapud, who brings anthropology into the heart of internal communication. Discover his unique take on the profession.
This episode, Dom and Cat meet communications strategist Neil Hopkins to learn how to have inclusive, empathic conversations that build unity, even when topics are delicate and require deep diplomacy and tact.
