This episode sees the return of the brilliant business communications strategist, international public speaker and podcast host Jenni Field.

The immediate past chair of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations joined host Katie Macaulay to discuss the ideas and frameworks outlined in her new book, Influential Internal Communication: Streamline Your Corporate Communication to Drive Efficiency and Engagement.

As this essential volume is a field guide (pun intended) to taking your organisation from chaos to calm, Katie and Jenni talk about chaos – what this looks like from a business perspective and what causes disorder – and how to use communication as a diagnostic tool to identify the root causes of business problems and, ultimately, fix them for the long term.

Other subjects in this enjoyable conversation include leaders’ often obsessive preoccupation with change, the levers we can pull inside our organisations to drive engagement, and how organisations can sometimes become conceptual entities standing between employees and the people they serve.

The life and career of this week’s guest has been a literal roller coaster.

Mark Webb fell into PR and media relations by chance, after spotting a job ad for the new Eurodisney theme park (later Disneyland Paris) while on his way to work another season as a ski rep.

His impulsive decision to apply for that post has shaped much of the following 30 years.

After experiencing the famous Disney magic as an A-list guest liaison, escorting the likes of Michael Jackson around the park, Mark took that sense of excitement with him into more conventional comms roles with David Lloyd Leisure and Dixons Carphone.

It was as Head of Group Social Media for Dixons that he embraced and mastered the power of Twitter as a comms tool to humanise a brand. But it was during those same years that he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

Adopting an overwhelmingly positive attitude, Mark resolved to live life to the full, whatever MS throws at him.

Now Head of Comms at Shift.ms – a charity and social network for MSers – Mark is a public speaker and tireless campaigner, raising funds and awareness about this progressively debilitating condition.

We guarantee you’ll be entertained, touched and inspired by his conversation with Katie, although ‘inspiring’ and ‘inspirational’ are terms Mark would rather you didn’t use to describe him. Re-Mark-able, perhaps?

Katie Macaulay’s guest for episode 44 of The IC Podcast is Canadian comms expert Prarthna Thakore.

After beginning her career in Calgary and then moving to London, Prarthna has accrued more than 10 years’ experience working across sectors in business-to-business and business-to-consumer, developing expertise across the comms disciplines.

Until very recently, she was the Head of Internal Communications at ISG, a global construction company employing 3,000 people across 24 countries.

This conversation covers a lot of ground – from the strategic to the practical – including the best way to analyse and map your audience, three ways to think about content creation, how to design a successful values programme, a really smart structure for your line-manager briefing pack, and how to influence without authority.

We’re sure you’ll enjoy the thoughts of this dynamic and highly articulate woman who seems destined to lead innovation in our industry for decades to come.

Every year since 2008, internal comms pros have responded to the Gallagher State of the Sector report. Because it’s been running for 13 years, and because similar questions are asked year-on-year, this report has become a useful way for the IC community to benchmark our activities and ambitions.

So, with the 2021 report hot off the press, host Katie Macaulay wanted to reach out to an experienced and thoughtful in-house comms practitioner to really get to grips with its findings.

And who better than Kate Jones?

Kate is Head of Communications and Corporate Affairs at construction industry giant Tarmac. The firm supplies the materials that help shape the world around us and is perhaps best known for the invention of asphalt, a product that remains synonymous with its brand.

Kate is a qualified internal communications specialist with 25 years’ experience, both agency and in-house, across a number of industries. She is the elected Chair of Board at the Institute of Internal Communication, a Fellow of the Institute and was named Internal Communicator of the Year in 2016.

She speaks with an authority borne from experience, so we’re confident you will enjoy this deep dive into the state of our sector.

Katie Macaulay kicks off Season 5 of The IC Podcast with a riveting conversation with business storytelling specialist Gabrielle Dolan.

Gabrielle is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker and trainer, and the author of six best-selling books.

She first realised the power of storytelling in a business context while working in senior roles in corporate Australia, when she recognised the importance of bringing humanity to the way business people communicate.

Gabrielle has shared her experience and insight with leaders at an impressive range of clients, including the Obama Foundation, EY, National Australia Bank, Amazon and Vodafone.

After wowing readers with such published works as Stories for Work: The Essential Guide to Business Storytelling, and Real Communication: How to be You and Lead True, Gabrielle is releasing her latest work, Magnetic Stories: Connect With Customers and Engage Employees With Brand Storytelling, on 01 March this year.

Gabrielle joined Katie from her home in Melbourne for a really illuminating and inspiring conversation about all aspects of storytelling.

With the new season of The Internal Comms Podcast just around the corner, we wanted to whet your appetite with a selection of the best bits from Season 4.

For this special best-of compilation, host Katie Macaulay has chosen her favourite moments from eight fascinating chats with communications experts across a range of disciplines, from the NHS frontline to hostage negotiation.

We hope such insights, advice and wisdom helped get you through a difficult autumn.

The NHS has never been far from our hearts and minds over the last few months. As the national jewel in the UK’s crown, the National Health Service has battled many difficulties over the last 72 years. But in 2020, in the face of a global pandemic, it’s faced its toughest period to date.

For those handling its communications, it’s been an incredibly challenging time with highs, lows and everything in between. For the last episode of 2020, as focus shifts once again to the tireless NHS workers who are facing – quite possibly – their toughest ever winter, we hear from some of the comms professionals who are supporting them in this fight.

Katie sits down with Amanda Nash, Head of Communications at Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust, Ross Wigham, Deputy Communications Director at Northumbria Foundation Trust, and Adam Brimelow, Director of Communications at NHS Providers to talk about everything they’ve dealt with this year – and what they’ve learnt from the pandemic.

What prompted the creation of the first IC agency back in 1964 and what convinced those first chief executives that they needed external help communicating with their employees?

We always strive to explore and inspire with every episode of The Internal Comms Podcast and at AB we like to think of ourselves as the future of IC – but did you know we’re also a big part of its origins?!

Although we can’t take credit for laying all the groundwork for the discipline, we can certainly relay the story and Katie takes great pleasure in welcoming AB’s founder and namesake Anthony (Tony) Buckley, now 86, and his son Tim, who continued his legacy, to this episode of The Internal Comms Podcast.

In some way, AB’s long and unique heritage reflects the growth and maturing of our profession, as you’ll hear in this episode.

Tony and Tim look back on the origins and evolution of internal comms, delving into its very essence. The conversation gets lively as they cover values-based leadership, the power of integrity and honesty, the difference between mirrors and windows and the need to keep asking why.

Moreover, their story is testimony to the changing nature of IC and what will bring you staying power in our fast-changing world.

There’s also discussion of ‘ABness’ – how we live the values of IC ­­­ – a culture embedded by Tony.

So sit back, grab yourself a coffee and enjoy some insights from two of IC’s trailblazers.

Coming soon in season 4 of The Internal Comms Podcast

Recent research shows measurement is particularly challenging for many internal comms professionals. Katie’s guest on this episode of The Internal Comms Podcast is Benjamin Ellis – a data cruncher – who is on a mission to change that.

A self-confessed tech geek, Benjamin realised that the problem with technology is often the end user, or in IC terms – people – prompting him to study psychology.

Having worked at the cutting edge of technology and communication for more than three decades, his expertise lies in networks, Big Data, Machine Learning, data governance, privacy and security – among other things.

He is now the CEO of SocialOptic and works to create positive organisational change with a variety of businesses and is currently helping the NHS and UK Government during the pandemic.

The conversation deep dives into measurement, how to do it successfully and its increasing importance in our fast-changing world. It also explores common misconceptions, survey fatigue and why the right question is more important than the right answer.

Throughout this engaging chat with Katie, Benjamin provides fresh insights and inspired thinking, guaranteed to help motivate you to measure more.