Thousands of IC pros passionate about elevating employee communication and experience tuned into our first-ever Internal Communications Virtual Summit. And wow, we learned some incredible insights, innovative strategies and forward-thinking best practices from industry experts on topics ranging from harnessing AI for comms to research into the current state of internal communications and lots more in between.
Read on for key takeaways and be sure to watch the full session videos to learn more!
Shaping Tomorrow: Insights from Simpplr’s State of Internal Communications Report (2024)
“If you can leverage technology and automation to accomplish some of the low-impact, repetitive, administrative tasks, think about how much time you have to focus on strategic, high-impact actions.” ~ Jordan Katz, Simpplr’s Chief Insights Officer
Simpplr VP of EX Strategy Carolyn Clark joined our Chief Insights Officer, Jordan Katz, for an enlightening presentation on the latest trends and developments in the field of Internal Communication. They unveiled dynamic shifts, emerging trends, and key drivers in building a highly effective and strategically significant internal communications strategy, including:
- The increasing role of artificial intelligence (AI) in helping IC teams do more with less
- The impact of IC’s placement within the organization (standalone, under HR, IT, etc.) and team members’ work model (in-office, hybrid, remote) on effectiveness, budget and more
- Characteristics that set highly effective (HE) teams apart from less effective (LE) teams (hint: strategic vision matters)
“We have to learn to be ruthless prioritizers — prioritizing the things that are going to have a measurable impact on the things that matter in the big picture,” Carolyn said.
Get your free copy of the full report
Revolutionizing Internal Communications in Healthcare: A Playbook from Moffitt Cancer Center
“We had all this growth and we needed a way to preserve our culture. We needed a new digital tool that could support our growth and help our team members stay informed and connected with our mission — no matter where they were located or what kind of role they were in.” ~ Katherine Kyne, Director of Corporate Communications at Moffitt Cancer Center
Moffitt Cancer Center’s Director of Corporate Communications, Katie Kyne, led us through the journey of reinventing internal comms amidst significant organizational changes. We discovered how the comms team navigated major growth challenges by:
- Fostering strong cross-functional partnerships
- Implementing Simpplr to modernize their internal communications technology
- Creating and executing an internal comms strategy that continues to keep employees informed, inspired and engaged
“We’ve seen about 90% of our workforce logging in and engaging with the intranet,” Katie said.
Intellicomms Unveiled: Harnessing AI in Mixternal Communications with Shaun Randol
“Whether you’re new to AI, experimenting on the side, or you use it on a daily basis, there’s something for everyone in this demonstration.” ~ Shaun Randol, Publisher of Mister Editorial and authority on #mixternalcomms
Renowned Intellicomms thinker Shaun Randol offered a tutorial that showed how the exciting fusion of AI and internal communications can produce pretty stunning results while saving us a ton of time. Our learnings included:
- How to develop the strategy and create content for a complex internal comms campaign, using seven different AI tools to produce a targeted comms plan and content in a variety of formats for different audiences
- How to use AI to generate strategic goals for the campaign
- Pros and cons of generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Pathfinder and Lumen5
“Is [the AI output] perfect? Heck no. But did it give you a huge head start on a complex comms task? Yes. We did it in less than an hour,” Shaun said.
Leading the Charge in Internal Communications: Insights from Employee Experience Pioneers
“AI is rapidly changing the space that we work in and the way that we work.” ~ Ann Melinger, CEO & Owner of Brilliant Ink
A panel of visionary employee experience (EX) leaders — including Simpplr’s Carolyn Clark, Senior Internal Comms Manager Christine Robertson, Local Wisdom CEO Pinaki Kathiari, and Brilliant Ink CEO & Owner Ann Melinger — shared illuminating insights and strategies to help us navigate this time of rapid workplace transformation, including:
- Why IC might be considered in its teenage years
- How AI can help us keep up with the unending pace of change
- What we should measure to show internal comms effectiveness — and how to use it to get buy-in from decision-makers
“We have to continue to show how internal communications and employee experience is making a difference,” Pinaki said. “And we have to continue to put our wisdom out there. We have to keep educating people about how we want to see this profession evolve.”
Own Your Ecosystem: Turn Stakeholders into Collaborators
“Do you see yourself as an order-taker? Or do you proactively position yourself as a strategic partner?” ~ Allegra Kipnis, Senior Internal Communications Manager at Coursera
Allegra Kipnis, Senior Internal Communications Manager at Coursera, encouraged internal communicators to think bigger, beyond our role as purely content creators or campaign drivers — to recognize our potential organizational impact as strategic comms experts. She shared a wealth of actionable insights, including:
- How to craft a clear and compelling vision for Internal Communication — and why that’s critical to be seen as a strategic partner
- Strategies for building stronger relationships with cross-functional partners in specific departments
- Tips for getting the most out of your internal communications tech stack
“Avoid getting caught in the delivery flywheel,” Allegra said.
Intranet Excellence Awards: Celebrating the Intranet Superstars: Best of Simpplr 2024
“I loved seeing the creativity that comes out of our industry, and your entries did not disappoint. … A big high-five for making magic happen at your companies.” ~ Judge Kristin Hancock, VP of Community & Engagement at ICology
We wrapped the summit with a real crowd-pleaser, honoring the outstanding achievements of Simpplr customers who have excelled in the realm of internal communications. We couldn’t wait to announce the winners of our first-ever Best of Simpplr contest! Check out our full list of winners here.
That’s a wrap
We’re grateful to everyone who took time out of their busy schedules to join us at the virtual summit — and hope the insights, strategies and recommendations our experts shared will shine a light for internal communications that inspire, inform and engage employees like never before. Onward!
