The Internal Comms Podcast

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 their audiences.

But here’s the thing. Shil has a severe stutter and juggles several complex strategies to communicate effectively with his audience.

He joins Katie in the first episode of season 10 of the Internal Comms Podcast to discuss those surprising strategies, as well as his use of AI in coaching, the difference between storytelling and ‘story sharing’, building bonds while networking, overcoming a fear of the audience, a daunting stint in stand-up comedy and his desire to play for Manchester United.

As always, share your thoughts on this or any other episode of the Internal Comms Podcast using the hashtag #TheICPodcast. And thanks for listening.

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!

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 important followers who are “building the boat” day in, day out, to the impactful influencer group, and how each type of colleague leaves their own unique mark on the way your business is run.

And that three per cent? They’re worth getting to know.

Listen to the full episode here: https://abcomm.co.uk/podcasts/episode/episode-18-editing-organisations/

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 world, with the complexities and pressures of our working lives, communicators are the key to assigning meaning and digging deeper for colleagues.

How can we frame things in a meaningful way and help our peers can find their own meaning? Tune in to find out.

Listen to the full episode here: https://abcomm.co.uk/podcasts/episode/episode-17-black-belt-thinking/

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 get to the heart of what frontline colleagues actually need from internal comms.

Is it time for a shift in approach? Tune in to find out.

Listen to the full episode here: https://abcomm.co.uk/podcasts/episode/episode-13-a-check-up-with-the-ic-doctor/

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 the feel-good storytelling, stay for the wisdom.

Listen to the full episode here: https://abcomm.co.uk/podcasts/episode/episode-06-the-craft-of-communication/

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 get to grips with the importance of being purpose led. Customers and colleagues are voting with their feet, walking away from businesses with values that oppose their own. Organisations should be asking, What’s our purpose? What do we believe in?

As Katie says at the end of each episode, “It’s what’s inside that counts.”

Listen to the full episode here: https://abcomm.co.uk/podcasts/episode/episode-01-how-to-thrive-in-ic/

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: Communicating to Open Minds, Move Hearts and Change the World.

Sally shares candid stories from the book, including a toe-curling account of a costly mistake when working for a US Senator. As Sally reflects, “it’s in these moments when we suffer embarrassment that we really stretch ourselves, learn and grow”.

Beyond these anecdotes, Katie and Sally discuss when corporations should speak up, the blurred lines between external and internal communications, and even Pfizer’s unexpected fourth corporate value. This episode is jam-packed with equal parts wisdom and humour. It’s not one to be missed.

As always, share your thoughts of this or any other episode of the Internal Comms Podcast using the hashtag #TheICPodcast. And thanks for listening.

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 Internal Comms Podcast to unpack the many challenges of instilling an ethical culture across an organisation. The pair discuss how his experience as a courtroom attorney equipped him as he stepped into the world of ethics and compliance, how challenging measurement really is and how courage and persistence are key to his success.

As always, share your thoughts on this or any other episode of the Internal Comms Podcast using the hashtag #TheICPodcast. And thanks for listening.

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 and the founder of Communique, Gihan Hyde, joins Katie Macaulay to demystify the acronym of the moment. A comms marketing and internal comms specialist, Gihan has led some extremely complex change programmes for the likes of Barclays and the World Health Organisation, but it’s her lived experience as a Sudanese migrant, and as a parent, that drove her to make ESG her purpose.

This conversation gets to the heart of the E, the S and the G. It explores how internal communication teams can use each as levers to elevate and enhance their strategic value and impact – and why they’d be remiss not to. Gihan and Katie explore legislation around ESG, and the far-reaching ramifications for any business not yet taking notice. 

As always, share your thoughts of this or any other episode of the Internal Comms Podcast using the hashtag #TheICPodcast. And thanks for listening.