The Future of Internal Communication

Institute of Internal Communication

The Future of Internal Communication podcast is a series commissioned by The Institute of Internal Communication. Organisations today face widespread and continuous disruption. The way communication takes place within and across teams, departments and business units is more critical than ever. The podcast hosts subject matter experts from within and outside internal communication, each sharing their insights on the future of work and the role of communication as an essential driver of workplace trust, connection, culture, innovation, resilience and performance. Hosts Jennifer Sproul, Dominic Walters and Cat Barnard explore opportunity for internal communicators. In increasingly digital, data driven, distributed and on-demand work landscapes, their conversations with thought-leaders examine the human side of work.

  1. 6d ago

    AI and the future of the intranet with Suzie Robinson

    As new generative and agentic AI’s become commercially available, the way colleagues access and consume information and knowledge at work is set to transform. Rather than browse an intranet, soon colleagues will interact with AI agents that cross-reference, interpret, summarise proprietary information and deliver insights in a fashion that’s customised to the unique needs of each user. This presents a massive opportunity for internal communicators, assuming of course that current intranet set-ups are optimally configured. This episode, digital employee experience consultant Suzie Robinson shares her experience of working with intranets and her predictions for how AI will transform the workplace in the coming years.   Suzy on LinkedIn:      https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzie-robinson/ Clearbox website:      https://www.clearbox.co.uk/

    45 min

  2. May 27

    AI and the future of internal communication with Frank Dias

    AI continues to dominate boardroom conversations. As organisations race to achieve efficiency gains, a key question for all professions is the extent to which these new technologies will transform core responsibilities. While certain elements of internal communication are, and should always remain, uniquely human, other more transactional components can be automated. But breaking down workflows isn’t always easy. It can be challenging to know where and how to get started. Internal communication consultant Frank Dias has worked with GenerativeAI since its launch in late 2022. In this episode he shares his experience, expertise, hints and tips for successful AI integration into internal comms activities.   About Frank Dias Frank Dias is an AI Adoption & Change Consultant at Quilter, and the founder of Ai x Comms Lab, where he helps organisations build sustainable AI capability through a human-first lens. With over 15 years in communications, he brings a grounded, practical perspective to AI transformation, having led early AI integration across four complex global organisations. His work focuses on cutting through vendor promises to identify the real organisational conditions needed for successful adopt and foster AI aligned with your use cases.   Find Frank on LinkedIn:        https://www.linkedin.com/in/frankdias/ Frank’s website:                     https://www.aixcommslab.com/

    48 min
  3. Bridging generations: the power of mentoring and early careers support with Mercy Abel

    May 13

    Bridging generations: the power of mentoring and early careers support with Mercy Abel

    The world of work has been in continuous flux since 2020. Every week another crisis emerges to further complicate the delivery of strategic objectives. This is stressful across the board. But what is it like for those who started work for the first time after COVID? What impact do continuously shifting work priorities and practices have on younger workers and the support they need to progress? In this first episode of series 16, Jen, Dom and Cat chat with Mercy Abel, founder of It Is Who You Know, to uncover the value of mentoring to bridge intergenerational divides and superpower early years careers. Despite university attendance reaching record levels in recent years, the latest UK data shows nearly one million young people aged between 16-24 are now not in education, employment or training. Young people are struggling to enter, and remain in, the labour market. While there are many reasons for this, AI job displacement seems to have hit younger workers far harder than other generations. Unless addressed, this will have disastrous consequences in the years to come. A COVID graduate herself, Mercy Abel experienced first-hand the challenges of entering the workforce for the first time. Having gained immense value from a mentorship opportunity, she has gone on to build an award-winning internship programme to help kickstart early careers within the creative industry.     About Mercy Abel Mercy is a multi-award winning marketer & founder of a future workforce consultancy, Who You Know (WYK) shaping the talent of tomorrow. WYK supports organisations to understand, connect, and recruit incoming talent through intergenerational learning, mentorship, and strategic insight. She is passionate about platforming talent, building community and connecting people to opportunity. She has done this through co-founding an award-winning marketing and creative internship programme named Futures UNLOCKED, providing almost 50 paid internships and free upskilling workshops for a 600+ network of emerging creatives across Scotland. Throughout her career, she has been awarded for 2025’s The Media Leader’s 50 Black Women Gamechangers in Media, 2024 Campaign’s IPA iList, 2023 Media Week 30 under 30, The Media Leader Future 100 Club and 2022 Advertising Association’s BRiM Changemaker.   Find Mercy on LinkedIn:                   https://www.linkedin.com/in/mercyabel/ Mercy’s website:                                https://www.itiswhoyouknow.co.uk/

    55 min

  4. Apr 15

    The business value of sustainability communication with Daniel Cope

    The UK's net zero sector is now growing three times faster than the broader economy. In summer 2025, the UK Office for Budget Responsibility confirmed that achieving net zero costs far less than inaction and renewable energy has become significantly cheaper faster than previously forecast. Yet most of this positive news doesn’t feature in the mainstream media, overshadowed by clickbait doom-mongering headlines. In this episode, Chartered Environmentalist Daniel Cope shares his experience of helping organisations reduce carbon emissions and waste and highlights why internal communication is an integral element of sustainable business.   About Daniel Cope Dan is a Chartered Environmentalist and the Founder of Green Lark Environmental Solutions, bringing nearly two decades of experience helping organisations navigate the realities of climate change. His work spans small enterprises to global multinationals, supporting leaders to cut emissions, strengthen resilience, and embed sustainability into strategic decision‑making. Driven by a belief that environmental stewardship and economic viability must work in tandem, Dan specialises in carbon accounting, net‑zero strategy, and the development of credible, measurable emission‑reduction programmes. He is known for translating complex climate data into clear, actionable insight, and for challenging organisations to recognise both their impact and their opportunity to lead. A passionate climate‑change speaker, Dan works to move climate action beyond political polarisation, helping organisations communicate with clarity and purpose. His focus is on enabling leaders to reduce emissions in ways that enhance performance, credibility and long‑term value.     Find Daniel on LinkedIn:                   https://www.linkedin.com/in/copedaniel/ Greenlark:                                          https://www.greenlark.co.uk/

    52 min

  5. Apr 1

    The way we talk around here with Gill Ereaut

    Highly commended in the 2025 Business Book Awards, The Way We Talk Around Here offers a treasure trove for internal communicators. It examines the intricate interplay between culture and language, showcasing how the forensic analysis of language and discourse can accelerate organisational performance.   In this episode, Jen, Dom and Cat chat with Gill to learn about her work and what she has learned about how the choice of language – both written and spoken – go on to shape and underpin culture. Understanding the relationship between language and culture is a superpower to be leveraged by internal communicators seeking to deliver strategic impact.   About Gill Ereaut Gill Ereaut is a researcher, author, speaker and organisational consultant.  She founded the consultancy Linguistic Landscapes in 2002, pioneering the application of language sciences to real organisational issues.  Her book "The Way We Talk Around Here: How your organization's culture shows up in your language and why it matters" is an Amazon No.1 Bestseller, was Highly Commended in the 'People, Culture and Management' category of the Business Book Awards 2025, and won in the 'Stories and Conversations' category of The Change Ninja Book Awards 2025. She holds degrees in Psychology and Contemporary Cultural Processes and has amassed more than 40 years’ experience in business consulting. She remains insatiably curious about organisations and language and the effects they have on each other. She lives in Oxford, UK with an oversized whippet and (probably) too many books.   Find Gill on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gillereaut/ Linguistic Landscapes website: https://linguisticlandscapes.com/ Get the book: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-way-we-talk-around-here/gill-ereaut/9781788604840

    1h 2m

  6. Mar 18

    From crisis communication to resilience communication; the reality of geopolitical conflict with Ada Borucka

    With no shortage of external crises to worry about, most forward-thinking organisations by now have devised a crisis communication plan, to assist and reassure colleagues in case of emergency. But what happens when crisis turns from temporary to sustained? How do people working under the threat of persistent danger maintain focus on core business objectives? In this episode, Dom, Jen and Cat talk with internal communication professional Ada Borucka. Located in Poland, Ada has spent the past four years helping organisations leverage internal communication to allay colleague anxieties. She introduces the concept of resilience communication and shares her experience of the pivotal role internal communication now plays in helping organisations sustain performance despite the odds.     About Adriana Borucka Adriana Borucka is an internal communication strategist with 20 years of experience helping organizations build effective communication and navigate change. As the founder of Poland’s first agency dedicated to internal communication, PinPoint, she has supported leaders and teams in shaping strategies, refining processes and adapting to an evolving market. For the past decade, Adriana has also been building a national community of communication practitioners through an annual industry conference, podcasts and regular meet-ups for professionals. She co-authors Poland’s annual IC market report and recently published a study on workplace communication during election periods. She additionally supports international companies in understanding and entering the Polish IC landscape. Adriana believes communication creates real value when it connects people, builds understanding and helps organizations evolve responsibly in a changing world. Find Ada on LinkedIn:           https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrianaborucka/ Find Pin-point:                       https://pin-point.pl/

    45 min

  7. Mar 4

    The impact of financial confidence on organisational wellbeing with Heidi Allan

    This episode, Cat, Jen and Dom chat with Heidi Allan who heads up Employee Financial Wellbeing at pensions and investment advisory firm LCP. LCP’s research into financial wellbeing provides illuminating data points that link financial worries to poor engagement, in turn impacting wider organisational performance. Heidi’s work in this field highlights the benefits of offering financial education and support to anxious colleagues and showcases the opportunity for internal communicators looking to support colleagues in retirement and wider financial planning.   About Heidi Allan Heidi has been in the pension and employee benefits industry since the early 1990s and has worked for organisations from both a consultancy and provider perspective.  Over the last decade she has produced and authored a number of thought leadership papers on many facets of employee wellbeing.  Heidi helps clients to understand their workforce and the challenges they may be facing, supporting them in providing a valued, engaging, and well-communicated benefits package   Find Heidi on LinkedIn:         https://www.linkedin.com/in/heidijallan/ LCP’s website:                         https://www.lcp.com/en LCP’s employee wellbeing report:              https://www.lcp.com/en/insights/publications/employee-wellbeing-report

    42 min

  8. Feb 18

    2026: a year of internal communication impact with Colin Archer FIIC

    Global economic uncertainty shows no sign of abate and most organisations face a challenging 2026. Headcount and budgets are under intense scrutiny and internal communication carries the additional threat of, in some quarters, GenerativeAI offering a plausible and more cost-efficient alternative to human contribution. Under such intense pressure, how can internal communicators successfully advocate for the value they bring? This episode, Dom. Cat and Jen chat with Colin Archer, Head of Communications for Spirax Sarco. With a wealth of experience spanning several decades, Colin succinctly argues against using ROI to measure internal communication. This is both transactional and reductivist. A more effective measure is that of impact – showcasing the powerful effect that the thoughtful use of words and language can have on human behaviour.   About Colin Archer Colin Archer has worked in Internal Communications across different sectors and industries and loves working with people and cultures.  His reason for working in the profession comes from a strongly held view that if we are to spend such a lot of our life in work, then we should enjoy it and certainly not waste any of the precious hours we have in something which doesn’t make us feel good. His strategies encourage deep personal connection with purpose, and with other people, to achieve significant steps forward for the organisations he has worked with.  A Fellow of the IoIC and great believer in extending our sphere of influence to make things better for everyone who is touched by our work, Colin cares deeply about bringing people and ideas together through impactful communication     Find Colin on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/colin-archer-fiic-072a306/

    43 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

The Future of Internal Communication podcast is a series commissioned by The Institute of Internal Communication. Organisations today face widespread and continuous disruption. The way communication takes place within and across teams, departments and business units is more critical than ever. The podcast hosts subject matter experts from within and outside internal communication, each sharing their insights on the future of work and the role of communication as an essential driver of workplace trust, connection, culture, innovation, resilience and performance. Hosts Jennifer Sproul, Dominic Walters and Cat Barnard explore opportunity for internal communicators. In increasingly digital, data driven, distributed and on-demand work landscapes, their conversations with thought-leaders examine the human side of work.

Information

  • Creator
    Institute of Internal Communication
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2021 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    The Future of Internal Communication

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