Broadening my perspective on internal communication
Prior to undertaking the Advanced Diploma, I only had the perspective of my own approaches based on the time spent in my first internal comms role. I had developed a good understanding of what would typically work in different scenarios for my organisation, but was sleep walking into tunnel vision.
Working through the diploma helped broaden my perspective on approaches and techniques used in businesses of various sizes and industries.
This has helped me immensely in aiming to continually hone and improve the frameworks and techniques I apply now, inspiring me to strive for better all the time by considering all aspects of my role as per the IoIC profession map. This, I feel has unlocked the ability for me to truly be an effective communicator as opposed to just a notice board or listening post depending on the circumstance.
Becoming a strategic partner in my organisation
I feel the main success was in moving from and internal comms planner to being strategic. In my early years as an internal communicator I was very good at being reactive and able to turn work around quickly when receiving requests from leadership team or ExCo members. But this meant that often the key, purposeful narrative was not joined up and colleagues were only ever getting snapshots.
Taking inspiration from the profession map with my PDP, and from others during the collaborative project, I started to develop my skills to quickly become the trusted advisor and influencer when it comes to internal comms in my organisation. That meant being able to much more proactive and to lead the conversation in service of a stronger, more cohesive approach.
With that up & running, it became easier to fulfil other aspects. Understanding colleague feedback in return was a more effective task as I knew what the overall approach and intention had been, so I could ratify our success against what colleagues thought of it. All of that has become an effective, cyclical process that repeats in favour of continuous improvement.
Building trust in a post-truth world
I found the topic of our collaborative project to be particularly resonant, as we focussed on the role of internal communicators play building trust in a ‘post-truth’ world. That last part was a new phrase to me at the time, but I feel like it’s something that has become more and more evident in the world since 2020.
Considering sources we reviewed at the time, such as the Edelman Trust Barometer, helped me to better understand the role of businesses in society, both as employers and as consumer-facing organisations. Considering our position on the truth, and specifically on building trust with key audiences such as our workforce, has remained as a north star for me and it’s been helpful to consider that alongside wider societal positions as well. Internal communicators play such a key role in influencing business performance through connection, information and purpose, so it’s essential first that we contribute to building an environment of trust.
A valuable experience I’d recommend to others
I would absolutely recommend the course to other IC professionals. For me, completing the course at a time when I was starting to develop myself towards management roles in IC, I found the whole experience incredibly valuable. Working with my fellow students was particularly fulfilling, working on a joint project with people who could open my eyes to other experiences, perspectives and ideas. I still refer back to some of those ideas and pieces of advice now, six years on. I suspect I always will!
Find out more about the IoIC Level 6 Advanced Diploma
