The Role of AI in Internal Communications

Today’s breakfast session was even more energised and interactive than usual, and no wonder with such an evocative subject at the heart of our discussions! Safe to say AI is here to stay, and we’re all only just starting to get to grips with it – what it can do for us, the pitfalls and all the governance issues it raises. Kudos to Katie Marlow and Lisa Pantelli for agreeing to present today – as finding anyone confident enough to share their thoughts on this topic was not easy! Katie shared insights into how she uses AI within her consulting practice, and Lisa provided a whistle-stop tour of definitions, and an overview of how she uses AI in her role as Director of Communications at Elsevier.

The room at today’s breakfast session was packed with IC pro’s – all keen to hear fresh ideas around the thorny topic of how best to support your leaders to deliver effective communication.

We were delighted to get together with some of our network last week for a breakfast session on the role of IC professionals in supporting ESG. Huge thanks to our client, Hyve for hosting us in their fabulous Paddington offices!

ESG can help organisations articulate, live and breathe a sense of purpose and meaning that is good for our people. And it’s good for business too - affording genuine competitive advantage, not just some standardised thing that’s indistinguishable from others in the same industry.

As a business that’s worked a lot with partnerships and professional services, I took that there’s much learning not only within the sector to be shared but also with other organisations on how engagement and collaboration can make for better communication.

It was a real treat today to be back face-to-face at one of our breakfast sessions after more than two years of running them virtually. It was a reminder to everyone just how important it is to meet ‘IRL’ (in real life) and was a living example of the benefits of face-to-face communication!

It’s not new news that front line managers are key to successful internal communication, particularly during periods of change, but the challenges of implementing effective line management communication is something that many organisations still struggle with.

More people are leaving their jobs voluntarily than at any time before; it has become apparent that nearly half of the employees who voluntarily left the workforce during the pandemic aren’t planning on coming back*.

Like me, I’m sure most of you still revert to the old school days’ habit of clearing your desk in preparation for the new school year. Not only can it serve as a boost of inspiration, that sense of a fresh beginning can do wonders for your productivity levels, positive mindset and creativity.

Part of this trend towards inhouse recruitment is about cutting costs, but when I look at the findings from the report by Thomas International I take some comfort that our business would not be trading if 57% of the people we placed were ‘not working out to some degree’.