We’re back for Season 11 of The Internal Comms Podcast! And kicking us off with a very special episode, this week host Katie Macaulay is joined by not one, not two, but three guests. Kevin Ruck, Mike Pounsford and Howard Krais are the three authors of a brand-new book called Leading the Listening Organisation: Creating Organisations that Flourish. They are all internal communications aficionados, and with this book they have dialled in on one of the most important attributes of any skilled commu...
Feb 07, 2024•1 hr 16 min
Looking for tips on creating internal communications that land – and stick? In this Moment from The Internal Comms Podcast, Steve Crescenzo shares a few things you absolutely must keep in mind. He calls them ‘the four Cs’. Creative. Think outside of email and your intranet. As Steve’s son told him, “Young people are not reading their emails and they aren’t visiting websites”. We have to think differently. Compelling. We must demonstrate the benefit to the audience in every piece of comms. Conver...
Jan 31, 2024•8 min
“I realised I was probably a pretty crap listener,” Mike Roe tells Katie Macaulay in this Moment from The Internal Comms Podcast. We often go to leaders and start by asking them something entirely different to what we are really there to ask. It’s down to leaders, says Mike, to ask the right questions and really listen to the responses. So, Mike took a leadership course that equipped him with invaluable skills to really connect with his colleagues. “Learning to ask powerful questions, being curi...
Jan 24, 2024•6 min
At IKEA, choosing the right words when communicating with the workforce is everything. Guy Britt, IKEA’s Global Head of Co-worker Comms, tells Katie Macaulay the use of ‘co-worker comms’ instead of internal or employee comms is very deliberate. “It’s based on the fact that those we’re communicating to are people,” he says. The team at IKEA want to activate their colleagues; inspire them, and create a two-way dialogue. The language they use matters. The tone, and respect they have for their colle...
Jan 17, 2024•10 min
If you have ever attended one of Shel Holtz’s presentations, you will know that, more often than not, it’s standing room only. Shel has a remarkable ability to anticipate what's next for internal communication, a knack for seeing what's around the corner and an in-depth understanding of how technology is revolutionising our world of work. Since Chat GPT was made public in November 2022, AI has dominated the headlines. So, who better but Shel to talk us through the implications for internal commu...
Dec 20, 2023•1 hr 2 min
Does your approach to internal communication have the human touch? It’s essential to the humans you employ, says Victoria Dew, CEO of Dewpoint Communications and an internal comms aficionado. And it’s good for business, too. If you’re relying on people to run your business – and not robots or machines alone – then Victoria says you should be creating an environment where those humans can bring their whole, authentic selves to work, not just when it suits the business. Human beings are messy, the...
Dec 06, 2023•11 min
Ever feel like, as an internal communicator, you’re fighting an uphill battle all by yourself? This week’s guest on The Internal Comms Podcast has exactly what you need. Host Katie Macaulay welcomes internal communications strategist, author, and certified communication management pro, Emily Hecker. With over a decade of experience under her belt, Emily has been a one-person team at a string of organisations and has just written a new book, Me, myself and IC: Building internal communication as a...
Nov 22, 2023•1 hr 5 min
This week on The Internal Comms Podcast, host Katie Macaulay is joined by Sim Sian, Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at Mitie, and Yvonne O’Hara, formerly Mitie’s Group Head of Internal Communication and Engagement. Equality, diversity and inclusion, or ED&I, is fast climbing the corporate agenda. Creating an equitable environment that celebrates diversity and includes everyone is no longer a nice to have – it's a business and social imperative with tangible impact on workplace succ...
Nov 08, 2023•1 hr 4 min
In this episode of the Internal Comms Podcast, host Katie Macaulay is joined by Access Group’s Global Head of Communications and Engagement, Paul Downey. Paul caught Katie’s attention on LinkedIn, where he was discussing his unique approach to internal communications for a global, largely remote audience. With over 6,500 colleagues to engage, Paul had to shake things up for the Access Group’s annual global employee event. He shares his secrets to success in this episode. Katie and Paul also disc...
Oct 25, 2023•58 min
In this episode of the Internal Comms Podcast, host Katie Macaulay is joined by Anne Morriss. Anne is an entrepreneur, author, public speaker, and the Executive Founder of the Leadership Consortium, an accelerator dedicated to helping leaders thrive. And cutting across it all is Anne’s commitment to fixing things. On Fixable, a podcast she co-hosts with her wife and business partner Frances Frei (a professor at Harvard Business School), she solves listeners’ workplace problems in just 30 minutes...
Oct 11, 2023•1 hr 2 min
It’s often said we must understand the past to build the future, and that sentiment sits at the very heart of this episode. This week on The Internal Comms Podcast we welcome professors Michael Heller and Joe Chick, of Brunel University. Michael and Joe were recently awarded a considerable grant from the UK government to write an institutional history of the internal comms function in the UK – and they join host Katie Macaulay to discuss IC’s humble beginnings and its evolution over time. Intern...
Sep 27, 2023•51 min
Season 10 of the Internal Comms Podcast kicks off with one of Katie’s most compelling conversations yet. Shil Shanghavi is a public speaking specialist, storyteller and head of speaker coaching for TEDx, Perth. He's gained an international reputation for both his captivating keynote speeches and the way he coaches others to speak. He helps everyone from business leaders to students (and now Internal Comms Podcast listeners) to face their fears, control their emotions and form a genuine bond with...
Sep 13, 2023•1 hr 7 min
Our summer break is drawing to a close, Katie has dusted off her mic and we’re ready to launch Season 10 of The Internal Comms Podcast! This season, we’ll be welcoming more of the bright lights in the communications industry to the hot seat. Packed with insights from some of the most influential comms leaders from all corners of the globe, this season is a must-listen for anyone honing their internal comms craft. We can’t wait to share these episodes with you. Stay tuned!
Sep 06, 2023•3 min
In this moment, we catch up with Mike Klein, former political consultant, modern-day communications stalwart, and two-time guest on the Internal Comms Podcast. Mike breaks down how organisations can find the four types of influencers that operate within the proverbial ‘walls’ of the business. When segmenting our workforce to find out who we’re actually communicating with, there’s a quartet of potential players in the mix, says Mike. Tune in to explore the role of every colleague, from your impor...
Aug 30, 2023•8 min
What’s our one true purpose as internal communicators? It’s the question we’re all seeking the answer to. This moment takes us back to when Katie first welcomed Sue Dewhurst and Liam FitzPatrick, co-authors of Successful Employee Communications: A Practitioner’s Guide to Tools, Models and Best Practice for Internal Communication, and masterminds behind the Melcrum Black Belt training programme for IC professionals. Internal communications is about creating meaning, say Sue and Liam. In today’s w...
Aug 23, 2023•5 min
If there’s one thing we’re clear about at AB, it’s that communication should not be a one-way street. And that’s what this moment is about. We head back to Episode 13, where Katie sat down with the ‘Doctor of IC’, Kevin Ruck, to explore exactly how communication needs to shift at each level of an organisation. They discuss the theory that line managers are the most important communicators in any business, the flawed cascade comms approach, how senior leadership can sharpen their tools and how to...
Aug 16, 2023•7 min
As communicators, we could often do with slowing things down a little. In this moment, Henry Normal – author and co-founder of production company Baby Cow, which he founded with Steve Coogan – explains to Katie how life with his autistic son Johnny has taught him many valuable lessons about how we communicate with one another. From the problem with the question “Why?” to the importance of tolerance and respect, there’s more than a few lessons to take away from this heart-warming moment. Come for...
Aug 09, 2023•13 min
Have you heard of an inside-out approach to communication? It’s no secret that today’s internal comms messages seep into the world outside the office walls. After all, anything you say to your colleagues, bar protected IP and trade secrets, should be fit for external consumption. We’ve seen it time and time again: a leader sends out a poorly advised all-company email and it ends up on Twitter. It’s a reputational nightmare. But this goes beyond reputation. In this moment, Katie and Rachel Miller...
Aug 02, 2023•6 min
We’re ending Season 9 of the Internal Comms Podcast with a bang this week, as Sally Susman takes to the hot seat for her second appearance. Sally is Executive Vice President and Chief Corporate Affairs Office at Pfizer, and on episode 55 she shared with Katie what it was like being on the company's vaccine development task force and being in the room when the US Federal Drug Authority gave the vaccine the green light. This time, she’s back to take a deep dive into her book Breaking Through: Comm...
Jul 26, 2023•43 min
In modern business, integrity is non-negotiable. As legislation ramps up in lockstep with colleague and customer demands, operating an ethical business in line with global regulations has never been more important. That’s where Jonathan Satinsky comes in. As Johnson Matthey’s Group Head of Ethics and Compliance, he’s tasked with the challenge of embedding an ethical culture across a business with more than 12,500 colleagues in 30 global locations. This week, Jonathan joins Katie Macaulay on the ...
Jul 12, 2023•1 hr 2 min
Define ESG… Well, it stands for environment, social and governance. But can you really define what ESG actually is? Put very simply, ESG is a set of criteria used to evaluate a company's impact on people and the planet. It’s not just about ‘operating sustainably’ and it's becoming increasingly important to investors, consumers and employees. But we would be wrong to think of ESG as yet another initiative, another campaign, another pillar in our content strategy. In this episode, ESG trailblazer ...
Jun 28, 2023•58 min
It seems everyone’s talking about resilience, the ability to bounce back from misfortune or adversity. But as Bruce Daisley explains to host Katie Macaulay, there’s something wrong with what he calls the ‘resilience orthodoxy’, the idea that it’s not really what happens to you that matters, but your attitude to what’s happened. In this, his second appearance on the Internal Comms Podcast (his first was in season 1, episode 8), Bruce tells us why. He discusses the US military’s billion-dollar res...
May 31, 2023•1 hr 15 min
With over 130,000 colleagues, and a 100-year history, Unilever is one of the world’s largest consumer goods companies. And this week on the Internal Comms Podcast, we get a peek behind the curtain at how their IC function keeps them all supported and engaged. Our guest this week is Charlotte Carroll, Unilever’s Global Head of People Communications. Charlotte has vast experience in her IC career, which includes time at ASOS, the BBC and Cadbury’s Schweppes, but has always been drawn back to Unile...
May 17, 2023•1 hr 1 min
“The days we fail are the days our competitors live to regret,” said the late, great Niki Lauda. And that’s what this episode of the Internal Comms Podcast is all about. This week, host Katie Macaulay welcomed Nicole Bearne, Head of Internal Communications for the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One team. The F1 team competes at the very pinnacle of motorsport, and with a 1,200-strong workforce behind the scenes, the racing team’s high performance is the product of a whole lot of work. And they ar...
May 03, 2023•1 hr 20 min
Ever considered what it takes to become an effective communications consultant? Then this week’s episode of The Internal Comms Podcast is for you. Host Katie Macaulay welcomes Simon Monger to the hot seat to discuss internal comms, change, engagement, authenticity and the power of being just that little bit disruptive. Simon has a breadth of experience in internal comms, with stints at E.ON, Transport for London, Deloitte and IKEA on his CV. Today, he’s an impactful change and engagement consult...
Apr 19, 2023•1 hr 12 min
This week on The Internal Comms Podcast, host Katie Macaulay welcomes Audacity’s Jason Anthoine. Jason has spent three decades working in internal communication, employee experience and culture change, and has a refreshing take on the profession. Jason says on his company website: “I do one thing: I help companies inform, involve and inspire their employees.” It’s what every internal comms practitioner is seeking to do successfully, and Jason certainly has the creds to back it up. This conversat...
Apr 05, 2023•1 hr 13 min
This week on The Internal Comms Podcast, host Katie Macaulay welcomes culture-chameleon Shane Hatton. Shane is many things – author, international speaker, trainer, leadership coach, podcast host… but he best describes his journey as “a long collision of marketing, leadership and psychology.” Shane is the author of Lead the Room and Let’s Talk Culture, two fascinating books that get to the crux of how leaders can step up and lead ‘“in the conference room, the meeting room and the lunchroom,’” an...
Mar 22, 2023•1 hr 11 min
This week on The Internal Comms Podcast, host Katie Macaulay welcomes Nicholas Wardle. Nicholas is Head of Employee Experience at Brand Experiences, and co-author of ‘Monetising the Employee Experience’. So, it’ll come as no surprise that this conversation offers some deep insight into the many ways motivated colleagues can drive productivity and ultimately ROI. Many have said (and we agree) that employees are an organisation’s greatest asset. They are one of the only assets that appreciate over...
Mar 08, 2023•1 hr 6 min
This week on The Internal Comms Podcast, host Katie Macaulay welcomes Sam Bleazard. Sam’s role as Employer Brand Content Producer takes him behind the scenes of ‘the world’s most famous corner shop’, Fortnum and Mason and, in the second episode of season nine, join Katie as she gets an exclusive behind-the-scenes peak at life at the King’s grocer. Fortnum and Mason is an iconic British institution. It holds two Royal Warrants, meaning it provides groceries and tea to King Charles and, as Sam exp...
Feb 22, 2023•1 hr 9 min
The Internal Comms Podcast is back for Season 9! To kick off this season, we welcomed BizJuicer’s Andy Goram to the hot seat. Andy’s passion for building businesses ‘from the inside-out’ aligns rather nicely with our own ethos at AB, and makes him the perfect guest to help inspire and inform our listeners. Andy’s formative working experiences were in hospitality, learning the power of relationship building for success in front-line service roles. He calls this “lifting the curtain on ‘have a nic...
Feb 08, 2023•1 hr 23 min
