How can you help less experienced colleagues in Internal Communications succeed?

As comms dealing with internal comms, we wear two hats. We are both audience and author. This is a gift! Trust your instincts. Don't be afraid to ask the hard questions. Advocate for doing the right thing. The best internal comms start from the truth, and evolve from there.

Understanding the business is the key to success as a communicator. This includes a good grasp of the financials, customers, products, technology, strategy and priorities. Master this, talk the language of the business and you will be well placed to advise on how good communications can help a business overcome challenges and enable opportunities. My advice to less experienced colleagues is always to develop an insatiable curiosity about the strategy, plans, priorities and people in the business. You will then be able to share informed insights, and success will follow.

“Walk a mile in their shoes”, was some of the best advice I was given. As a communicator it’s vital to understand the perspective and provide context, and not all employees work on computers behind desks. I had the opportunity to work alongside colleagues on production lines and join sales teams on the road to visit customers, and this has been very helpful to understand what their day looks like, what information they need to do their work, how they like to have this information, what they find interesting and engaging, and conversely what is just noise.

We all grow together. Many of the IC professionals I've met during my career have embraced this mentality and quick to share their learnings, insights, and feedback. Pay that forward. Be genuinely interested in the people you work with and if they invite you to share feedback, focus on their work. Help them get up to speed on how things are done in your organization. If you have templates or best practices, share them! Someone's career can be enhanced by being generous with your time and encouragement.

Understanding the customer is key to all marketing and comms work. In the case of internal comms, that customer consists of the team itself. Having great relationships across the entire organization, representing their perspectives at the leadership level, and communicating according to the team’s needs — these are all important skills to build.

Be a safe person that they can ask "dumb questions" to. You don't need a formal mentorship, often an open door (or Slack!) policy will do. Create a psychologically safe space for them where they can ask questions and share feedback. They will come in with fresh ideas that will challenge your way of doing things. Embrace it! You will be both learning and growing together.

In some cases, the less experienced IC colleague may find themselves in a leadership position within the function. This is where the concept of reverse mentorship becomes invaluable. More experienced IC professionals should embrace the opportunity to serve as mentors to their supervisors or senior colleagues, leveraging their IC knowledge and expertise. This collaborative approach not only fosters their own professional growth but also enhances the overall effectiveness of their team's communication endeavors. By proactively engaging in reverse mentorship, they contribute to a culture of continuous learning and improvement, strengthening the entire internal communication team.

One of the most helpful things a previous manager and mentor did for me was invite me on calls with the most senior people in the company. She didn’t throw me into the deep end. Instead, she briefed me about her approach and whether I’d be expected to speak or not. We'd always discuss the call after. Two important things came from this. Firstly, it put me on the radar of decision makers, so I was top of mind for exciting projects. Secondly, I learnt how to navigate difficult conversations with senior stakeholders and how to adapt to achieve results. Those calls were invaluable for my career growth.

One of the things I love about coming back into the work environment as an older employee is that I’m not seen as a threat by those who have ambition. Formal mentorship and coaching spaces are vital for growing and supporting talent. Equally are the little human interactions with deep listening: How are you doing? If you need anything, just shout. Any challenges you’d like to talk over? Let’s have a coffee! Don’t be afraid to share stories of when things have gone wrong for you. Show that you are open in your approach to sharing and non-judgmental. Create a safe space.

Dê espaço para a criatividade e sair da caixa… Ficamos tão focados em prazo que esquecemos da importância de pensar livremente para atingir seu alto nível de criatividade. A comunicação interna pode ser melhor explorada sim com mentoria e coaching, mas a mente precisa estar aberta!

I would encourage any communicator who wants to have a successful career to join a professional body I'm a member of IABC, CIPR and PRCA. All run by enthusiastic volunteers there's plenty of opportunities for networking. It's also a safe space to share common challenges. Very helpful particularly for those in a communication team of 1.

Encourage them to start a daily micro-learning journey in the social media. IC pros are sharing their expertise on LinkedIn and other channels, and so much valuable know-how is freely available in small doses. Following these people and reading their content helps less experienced colleagues extend their knowledge. Spending 15 to 30 minutes every day adds up over time and has the beautiful side effect of growing their network, too.

As well as encouraging new team members to network internally, I strongly recommend them to network externally too. There is a huge opportunity to learn from comms professionals in other companies or sectors and bring back new perspectives and fresh ideas to how your own organisation or team manages IC.

One thing I've found helpful is to learn from other communicators in my field, both seasoned and otherwise. Often the fear of the unknown or uncertainity about a reaction will keep you from reaching out. The worst thing that can happen is someone refusing to to help and then in that case, you find a different person. Putting yourself out there can be daunting but it is one of the quickest ways to learn! Be the 1st to approach, you may gain more than you thought!

Mentorship, training, and constructive feedback are crucial. Encourage collaboration, share resources, and facilitate networking opportunities. Its also really important to boost their confidence and assist in problem-solving to foster their professional growth and success in the field.

"Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn." This quote from Benjamin Franklin is very useful when thinking about junior communicators. The best way to help them is to get them directly involved in projects, campaigns, planning, measurement... get them DOING the work with you. Let them have a go and make a mess. Let them make mistakes and then discuss it as a learning experience. Bring them to the table; involvement is key.

Internal communications is a balancing act. We need to balance the guidance of leaders and the company-wide perspective with individual employees, their needs and environments. This is not easy. Often we find that there is more than one truth - and we guide others in how to balance this dynamic. Modeling good situational awareness and understanding of this need for balance is key to an internal communicator's growth. It's what they'll need to become strategic advisors.

Often when leading and working in the communications field- listening to, not just communicating with- team members, is overlooked. In addition to modeling IC behaviors with IC team members, consider this addition - where actively seeking input from team members can help create a trusted and dynamic team environment, allow leaders to understand the needs of their team, and model IC engagement practices that are essential for the larger organization.

Documentation It is important to keep record and document processes to help them better understand the intricacies of the organisation. I have found that it is easier to have a set template and guidelines to follow especially as you navigate new waters. These documents can serve as reference points when they need them to solve related tasks.

Something I follow, If something has worked exceptionally well, keep some record of it. Share it with the new person on the team, explaining why it worked. That is a good start to introduce good IC practices.

One of the most powerful and game changing moments in my own IC career was my own professional development and improvements in communication behaviors, human psychology, and core values. By increasing my own self awareness, I became more effective in aligning my words and actions, coaching leaders through their communication challenges, and supporting people and leadership.

Many years ago, a senior communicator I admired told me about the IABC conference she attended and made a remark that I should look into membership. It wasn't even on my radar at that time. Now I've been a member for years and continue to grow in my field because of that one simple remark. One simple connection. If you have some IC podcasts or Substacks that you subscribe, share it with others. Let them know what you are learning. Gift them a free subscription. Recommend a book. There are countless ways to help others grow. But it starts with thinking of others. Being genuinely interested. Seeing what aligns with their goals/dreams/ambitions, and sending them gentle nudges towards them.

Share resources, good links to conversations and threads of interest to others. It helps them grow and also comes back to you as they do the same

Empower them to become the team expert on a topic. Identify the knowledge and skills gaps you have in the team and ask if they would like to learn more in that area. You can offer support and point them to good resources but let them take ownership of their own learning. Encourage them to share their findings at regular intervals. They’ll gain confidence from developing their presenting skills as they become the subject expert, while the wider team will benefit from the new knowledge.

Getting feedback from your employees is crucial to establishing good internal communication. Employees that feel as though their voices matter will be more likely to share their ideas.

Inspire them to be an idea collector. Remind them, whenever possible that no idea is a bad idea and those little sparks and creative thoughts can lead to amazing outcomes. So encourage them to remain curious, gather up concepts and notions, keep a record of all the ideas they have and talk them through with others to help them grow, evolve and take shape. You never know which one will spark your next big breakthrough.

Let less experienced colleagues join you (where appropriate) in engaging with business leaders. Give them the space to contribute and the courage to interact with higher-ups on their own. It's a win-win when these junior colleagues are growing from opportunities to back you up and leadership already has a positive perception of them.

Delegate. Trust. Recognise. When you've hired competent people to the role, be sure to give them the tools to succeed and get out of their way. Promote their skills so others trust them with the hard stuff and give them the important stuff they need to grow into strategic advisors.

Giving less experienced colleagues a stretch project is a great way for them to learn. Be available for coaching, but be sure to let them take the first step (or you might find they are shadowing you vs truly owning the project). This is a great opportunity to show that failure is ok, that learning from mistakes is a positive. And, that when this happens, you have their back.

Agree to Caroline's input. Being Curious is very important. Ask them to keep thinking on how to raise the bar and don't settle for less. Imagine the unimaginable and find a way to get it done.

Encourage your IC people to think bigger. To recognize that they don't just edit copy, but edit the organization itself. To take the initiative to connect key people with each other. To ask the right questions, to back up their opinions with data, and to think about how employees communicate with each other. These are the pathways from being a doer to being a leader as an internal comms pro.

Make sure you're all clear on what the job is, what the role they are playing is, what the outcomes they are aiming for are and how they can get there. And as a leader let people know your door is always open and there's no such thing as a daft question. if you have build that level of psychological safety within your team, you're onto a winner.

Working in internal communications is like being at a busy intersection. Some days, we’re helping folks across the street; other days, we’re having to shut down traffic and clear the decks for a parade. By understanding the organization’s strategy and goals, you will naturally know how your role needs to evolve for the given need. As they say, no two days are the same for communications and IC is no different. It is challenging work and takes practice, support from the top, and confidence that you are in the room for a reason.

Host killer workshops to teach them the art of storytelling, crafting killer messages and using data analytics to shape compelling narratives. Don't forget to make sure they're armed to the teeth with the latest tools and tech. Share your secret arsenal of communication software, design resources and other game-changing gadgets.

IC = Integrated Communications. What other audiences and groups would benefit from the content you are creating: clients? outside talent? IC is a great way to gather content for brand pieces, award submissions, and social media channels. Encourage IC teams to be creative!