How has your year been? What are you struggling with work wise?
I frequently ask my clients and Masterclass attendees what they’re struggling with. I posed this question in my recent monthly newsletter, The Water Cooler, in the form of a short survey. Thank you to everyone who participated.
Rather than write a typical 2020 predictions article, I’m going to look back on this year and share some insights from your peers. I offered practitioners the option to be anonymous if they wished.
I’ve also linked to a free 2020 planner at the end of this article to help you get a head start on next year.
Ready? Let’s dive in.
What IC practitioners have been struggling with this year
Communicating the value of communications – Melanie Gibbons, Owner at Elm Communications, based in Australia.
Getting the business to understand that for an initiative/campaign/project/change programme to be successful you need to involve your people – and internal communication!
How have you been getting your business to understand the need to involve your Comms team and people this year?
Understanding of communications, it’s a discipline everyone thinks they know better – Joanna Goodwin @joannagoodwin3
There it is again, perhaps this is a blog post I should create next year. What do you think?
If you’re struggling with this too, keep this in mind…
Why?
I often find there is confusion about the language we use in internal communication, so a great starting point is to define and clarify what you mean when you say internal communication and internal communications in your organisation. Do your stakeholders know the difference? Do you speak about it consistently as a team?
Further reading on the All Things IC blog: How to change conversations about internal communication.
A quality leader in communications.
Does this resonate with you? What is your boss like? Are your leaders good communicators? How are you going to help them improve in 2020?
Cutting through the noise, simplifying comms and the channels landscape (currently a bit of a wild garden!). – Simon Monger, Internal Communications and Engagement Specialist @SimonMonger
What would your answer be? What has been dominating your thoughts and energy work wise this year? Does it look set to resolve in 2020 or does it need more attention?
I offer Consultation Calls to help IC practitioners problem solve, you can explore the options here.
What trend from 2019 looks set to stay in 2020?
How to engage those hard-to-reach remote workers – Simon Monger, Internal Communications and Engagement Specialist @SimonMonger
Do you have remote workers in your company? If so, check out this blog post I published earlier this year featuring research by my friend Jenni Field: How to communicate with remote workers.
The “narrative” – everyone wants one but no one really knows what it is. Melanie Gibbons, Owner at Elm Communications, based in Australia.
More engagement, less dissemination
Email.
Email, we try to avoid it, but it’s the best channel for our people. As a team we’re trying to encourage people to use it to ask questions, we’re slowly getting there.
The trend for apps seems to be back. Everyone is talking about them at conferences.
Looking ahead to 2020
How are your plans shaping up for next year? Readers of my monthly newsletter, The Water Cooler and Comms practitioners in my Masterclass and Mastermind alumni groups on LinkedIn, will know I’ve been sharing a 2020 planner.
Would you like your own copy? You can access it here.
Find a new Comms job
Are you looking for a new job? Keep an eye on the All Things IC Jobs page to discover the latest vacancies. They are also Tweeted @AllThingsICJobs. Trying to recruit? Adverts cost £125+VAT per vacancy per week.
Come and learn about internal communication with me
Dates for my upcoming All Things IC Masterclasses can be found on my website. They are held at my brand new All Things IC Hub and your investment is £599 +VAT.
I have a price freeze in place across all of my Consultation options, from Consultation calls, to VIP Days, Team Days and Monthly Masterclasses. Book before the end of January 2020 to benefit from this year’s prices next year.
- 21 January 2020: How to be a Comms Consultant – Momentum
- 28 January 2020: Comms Director Mastermind – TWO places left
- 29 January 2020: Internal Communication Masterclass
- 11 February 2020: Strategic Internal Communication – ONE place left
- 24 February 2020: Change Communication
- 25 February 2020: How to be a Comms Consultant – Exploration
- 27 February 2020: Microsoft 365 Masterclass with Rachel and Jon Miller
- 17 March 2020: Comms Director Mastermind
- 21 April 2020: Strategic Internal Communication.
- 22 April 2020: Internal Communication.
Thank you to everyone who has chosen to work with me this year and to all my Masterclass attendees and guest writers.
I hope you have a fantastic Christmas and New Year.
Thank you for stopping by,
Rachel
First published on the All Things IC blog 20 December 2019.
