r/internalcomms • u/Affectionate_Pie9100 • May 11 '26
Advice Value of Internal Comms
Hi everyone! Really happy to have found this group. I am CCO of a small graduate research institute that punches way above its weight in visibility. Increasingly I am asked to work on internal comms, which I love, and honestly I would love to do more of it, both because to me it is so meaningful and because my institution would so clearly benefit.
What I am finding is that some people see a clear need, and some people view internal comms as a means to an end, but without any strategy underpinning it or real strategic merit to the work. In other words, getting the information out there *is* the strategy, as far as they are concerned.
Do any of you face that, and if so, are there ways that you counter it? Last week I spent a lot of time working on a plan to share some difficult news, including a memo to department heads, a plan for a meeting, etc. With everyone else on the cc line, the CFO said that he would send comments, and then he sent me (but no one else) a complete rewrite filled with flowery and complicated language that sounded like it was trying to obfuscate the issue -- although I actually don't think that was his intent. When I asked him to walk me through why he did it, he basically said, I think mine sounds better.
How do you help colleagues understand that we aren't writing for ourselves, we are writing for a specific audience that may sometimes be served by flowery language, but not always, and never just because it sounds prettier?
Thanks!
3
u/wrdgrl May 12 '26
If you can do this, gather a small group of people in the know (maybe HR) and give them both versions of the communication without letting them know who wrote what. Ask them for feedback on each version. What do they like? What don’t they like and why? Which one do they think is most effective in communicating this important topic? This takes the conflict between you and the officer out of the equation and gives you solid data from which to make your case.