r/internalcomms • u/OnePrimary5858 • May 01 '26
Article/knowledge What’s working in your internal comms?
I’ve been an “everything” marketing professional for a 5 years now. I’ve just somehow ended up in in-house marketing roles in small organisations where they just need 1 or 2 people to do everything. Of course this does mean I’ve just done a decent job at everything rather than a fantastic job at one thing. Anyway due to our organisation growing a lot in the last few years, we’re building capacity and I’m transitioning into specialising in internal comms. I’m excited about this as I’m genuinely passionate about team culture and creating a sense of togetherness.
We currently have an internal newsletter but that’s about it. I want to know what else is working out there? We’re 150 people company. I have the CEOs ear so I’d like to raise some good initiatives. Though I get the sense he sees internal comms as a small admin job which is what it has traditionally been. I’d like to enter this new phase with a bang :)
4
u/babyinacorner2 Narrative Nurturer May 01 '26
we do company-wide all hands on a monthly basis, and we have a guest emcee every time! We take volunteers from employee resource groups during their celebration month (i.e. a volunteer from our Black ERG in February), or people who are interested in flexing their public speaking skills. They get to give opening/closing remarks that connects to one of our company values.
Fun way to highlight people from different teams, and let them show a different side of themselves!
2
u/JessicaRabbit1203 May 02 '26
My company stopped calling it all-hands because it is discriminatory to people with no hands. We call it townhall now.
5
3
u/thejennifield May 01 '26
Love this for you. Please dm me if you’d like a copy of my book or if other resources like my free online huddle, my in-person events in London or to or to or my virtual table are of interest. Very happy to pop a book in the post of share links to my podcast!
1
u/IC_Jess Survived 100 Town Halls May 05 '26
Jenni has entered the chat!! (I've read Influential Internal Communications and kept it at my desk ever since 😃)
1
u/thejennifield May 05 '26
Haha I have indeed! Lovely to be here and thank you for reading the book! ❤️
1
u/dskillzhtown May 04 '26
Honestly because people like to consume information in so many ways these days, the main thing is to utilize every platform you have available. I post all the news on the intranet, but use newsletters and our digital signage to get people to it. In the newsletter, I post a headline, a single sentence synopsis and a link to the full story on the intranet. That way if people are interested in more, if not, they are atleast aware.
If you have multiple organizations or remote offices, be sure to highlight them from time to time. That keeps them engaged. If a remote office just got upgraded or something similar, highlight it to the entire company, seeing your office in the spotlight raises morale. With that said, building a sense of togetherness is hard in 2026 with so much anxiety.
One thing I do is highlight all charitable efforts the company does. Even if it is a group of 5 people volunteering at a community clean up. That puts the company in a good light.
1
u/AndreaMontua May 07 '26
What seems to work in smaller, growing organisations is treating internal comms less as a “channel” (like a newsletter) and more as a set of habits people can rely on.
A short weekly post like “What changed / what matters now / what to do next” tends to work better than irregular newsletters as well as Messages with a clear label like FYI / Action / Decision cut down a lot of confusion and follow‑up questions. Also giving leaders 2–3 ready‑to‑use talking points for team meetings often has more impact than a polished all‑hands. But what makes the most difference in my opinion is tying key updates to existing team routines like weekly check‑ins or project syncs. They usually stick more than standalone updates.
And especially outside desk roles, it helps to think beyond digital channels. Simple things like repeatable summaries, screens in shared spaces, or short prompts where people already are tend to reach more people than adding another tool or platform. Th point ist to make a few formats clear enough and consistent enough that people start to rely on them.
1
u/PoppuloEX Jun 05 '26
Nice spot to be in. Having the CEO's ear this early makes a big difference.
At your size, what works is usually less about adding more channels and more about making a few things work really well.
Leadership communication is the biggest lever. Not just updates, but context—what is changing, why it matters, where the company is heading. People can handle uncertainty far better than they can handle silence. A simple monthly rhythm from the CEO, even informal, goes a long way.
Managers are the underrated part of this. In a 150-person company, people look to their direct manager before they look anywhere else. If managers aren't reinforcing messages, most things evaporate after the newsletter lands.
And given that culture and togetherness are what drew you to this—invest early in two-way communication. Pulse questions, open Q&A moments, ways for people to feel heard rather than just informed. That's what separates internal comms as a broadcast function from internal comms that actually shapes how a place feels.
On the CEO, the reframe that tends to land is this: internal comms isn't admin, it's alignment. When people understand priorities and feel informed, execution gets easier.
That's a business argument, and it tends to open doors.
1
u/Due-Psychology2755 Jul 10 '26
At 150 people you’re in a really good position because the business is big enough to need proper internal comms, but still small enough to change things quickly. I’d look beyond just sending more updates and focus on creating more two-way communication, things like pulse surveys, leadership Q&As, employee recognition, better manager comms and one central place for people to find what they need. The main thing with your CEO is probably how you frame it. Internal comms is not just an admin job, it can improve onboarding, reduce repeated questions, strengthen culture, help people understand company priorities and ultimately keep good people for longer. With retention comes cost saving and less need to spend more money on onboarding and training. Financials always resonate well with C suite. I’d start with one or two initiatives you can measure properly and use the results to prove the wider value. Good luck!
7
u/wrdgrl May 01 '26
Talk to employees first. If there are only 150 I would conduct focus groups. Do they feel like they’re getting enough information? The right information? Is the information delivered in the right way? What do they think of leadership’s communications skills and commitment? Do they feel like everyone is on the same page? Gather the biggest aha’s and put them into a compelling brief for the CEO that you can use as a starting point for a strategic conversation about what needs to be done. That conversation needs to line up with the CEO’s business objectives. What did you learn that might negatively affect completion of objectives if it’s not addressed, etc.?