For this episode of The Comms Shift, I’m delighted to introduce, straight from Canada, a country which I was lucky enough to call home for 10 years, the one and only, Priya Bates.

Priya Bates is probably one of the most qualified professional communicators you will ever meet. If you look her up on LinkedIn, she goes by Priya Bates, ABC, MC, SCMP, IABC Fellow. Let’s break those down.

Priya is an Accredited Business Communicator (that’s ABC) and one of the first Certified Strategic Communication Management Professionals in the world (that’s SCMP). In 2010, she received the Master Communicator designation (that’s MC), which is the highest honour you can possibly have as a communication professional from IABC Canada by the way. As if that wasn’t enough, about 4 years ago, Priya was recognized as an IABC Fellow, a global lifetime achievement award for her contribution to the profession.

She’s been doing this for 20+ years. She’s led communication for organizations including Loblaw Companies Limited, HP Canada, Compaq Canada, and The Ontario Nurses Association. These days, she’s the President and Owner of Inner Strength Communication where she works with organizations across a variety of sectors who are looking to build strategic internal communication expertise that drives business results.

In this episode, Priya and I dissect her 5 I’s framework for evolving internal comms into strategic thinking:

- What are the 5 I’s and how can you apply them at your work?

- How IC professionals can take a strategic vision of the tactical work they’re given

- Priya’s approach for understanding internal audiences at large corporations with a dispersed workforce

- How to combine relationships with knowledge of the organization to influence decisions

- The Yogurt story - A practical example of measurement in internal comms

Whether you’re new to internal comms or a seasoned veteran, I think you’ll enjoy this conversation. Grab a coffee and listen on!