It’s that time of year when we all talk about the latest trends in communication and business, what to expect from the year ahead and what to focus on. In 2022, I shared some of my thinking about the latest communication trends in articles and at events. Most importantly, nothing is new. In the process …
Avoiding the hurry habit – trends and why you need to slow down in 2023 Read More »
“Why are there no CEOs here?” This was one of the first questions that was asked as we kicked off our communications unconference – Comms Reboot – in Birmingham. Comms Reboot is a day-long conference where attendees set the agenda based on the topics that are important to them and the organisations they work for. …
Fresh perspectives and creative ideas to improve communication Read More »
Thank you to everyone who joined us for Comms Reboot. What a fantastic day, full of energy and enlightening conversations; described by one attendee as “a joyous day of connection with fabulous people.” We couldn’t agree more! So, what was on the agenda for our Comms Reboot attendees? There was a lot – some we’ve seen before, some …
The Communications Network is a US-based community that connects leaders from influential foundations, nonprofits and social sector consultancies worldwide, so it was great to be invited to talk to their network. During the webinar, I discuss best practices when it comes to creating effective internal communication strategies inside organisations. It’s part one of a series …
This year I have seen more conversations about the difference between internal communication and employee engagement than ever before. The difference is that we seem to be shining a light on the misdirection for internal communication that has happened as a result of the employee engagement focus for leaders in recent years. As I continue …
Is employee engagement the great distraction for internal communication teams? Read More »
When you’re working with lots of different organisations – from local entrepreneurs to global teams – the issues are many and varied. It’s one of the things I love about my job! Different projects or retainers demand different expertise, so we work as a collective team that has now grown to 18 talented people. Every …
Collective wisdom – working with a collective consultancy Read More »
It’s 2012 and I’m walking into a meeting in the Euston head office of the company I work for… There were about six of us in the room, and a few people dialling in from home. Carol grabbed the spider phone and connected the meeting room to the conference call number, and we waited to …
In this article for Poppulo communications expert, Jenni Field, talks about how she describes influence when it comes to internal communication and becoming an influential communicator: “I believe that having influence is not just related to internal communication professionals, but to everyone in an organisation. We all need a certain amount of influence at work …
Four steps to becoming an influential communicator Read More »
In this blog for Blink, global communication expert, Jenni Field shares her advice for improving communication with frontline workers. “We must reach this audience in a way that doesn’t invade the “third space” – places frontline workers convene. We often put intrusive screens or newsletters in the third space, when it should be a place …
Frontline workers – protecting the “third space” Read More »
Following a podcast interview with Vicki Marinker – Don’t Shoot The Messenger – here I share my thoughts and suggestions on how to build a cohesive and diverse culture that’s fit for purpose in a post-pandemic workplace, and the value of communication. What is the role of communicators in establishing a positive corporate culture? Culture …
What is organisational culture and is it important? Read More »
Working in communication seems to have been a calling for me from a young age. I took communication, English and business studies for A Level and my degree was in marketing. Since graduating, all my roles have been about communicating in one way or another. My career has enabled me to explore; to take risks …
How to master internal communication when you’re not a communications professional Read More »
We always like to send clients, associates and people who have supported us a gift at the end of every year. This year the Redefining Communications team thought it would be a great idea to pull together a combination of my thinking over the last few years into one book… We didn’t realise how much …
It’s that time of year when our social media feeds start to fill with blogs about forecasts, trends and themes to look out for in the coming year. I always find these posts really interesting because I think it’s a great way to see what’s on people’s agenda. In fact, I wrote a blog on …
Communication trends in 2022 – and how they’re changing more slowly than we’d like! Read More »
Calm Edged Rebels is an award-winning podcast that Jenni co-hosts with her good friends Trudy Lewis and Advita Patel. The three of them discuss everything from imposter syndrome and productivity to personal branding and diversity. Listen now
In 2020 I read The Art of Resilience by Ross Edgley. In the book, Ross shares the story of his swim round the UK. There are many aspects to the story that have stayed with me and one, in particular, made me write a blog at the end of last year too about how easily …
Why employee engagement needs to be more than just campaigns and rewards Read More »
“You need to get comfortable with ambiguity” was what my old boss told me. I really struggled with this, partly because the ambiguity was everywhere, and nothing seemed to make sense: from the strategic narrative to the organisational structure. Since I had this conversation I have read and researched more into how we work as …
Ambiguity, resilience, and the Stockdale Paradox Read More »
Jenni was recently the keynote speaker at the PRSA Employee Communications conference. The theme of the event was communicating with intention and Jenni shared her thoughts and advice on how we can go from panic to purpose in a post-pandemic world. Jenni shared six key things with the attendees and has created this video to explain …
I’m always reading or listening to something and so far this year there are five books that have really influenced my thinking. If you’re looking for something to read over the summer, here is a little overview of what I have enjoyed about them so you can get some inspiration for your bookshelf! Happy Sexy …
Last week I shared a podcast clip from The Diary of a CEO. It’s hosted by Stephen Bartlett and in this episode, he interviews retail consultant and broadcaster, Mary Portas. The clip I shared (25.30) is the part of the conversation where they discuss remote work and the importance of the office – I agree …
It’s going to take us 25 years to reap the true benefits of flexible working… that’s if the industrial revolution is anything to go by. During my camping holiday in Cornwall I finished reading Rebel Ideas by Matthew Syed and I cannot recommend it enough. I have highlighted so much of the book but a …
Redefining Communications has recently signed up to support the Better Business Act, which calls for every company in the UK to align the interest of their shareholders with those of wider society and environment. It was launched in Westminster in April 2021, with business leaders, coalition supporters, MPs and peers campaigning to change the law. …
Why we’ve signed up to support the Better Business Act Read More »
This article is a snippet from the Inspiring Workplaces eBook, which is packed with lots of suggestions from the top 101 influencers. Jenni was asked to contribute and she talks about the fact that hybrid isn’t new; people have been working flexibly for years and there are millions of workers who serve on the frontline …
How to return to the workplace (or not) – in a post-COVID world Read More »
In this article for CIPR International about finding calm in a global crisis, Jenni discusses The Field Model™ and the impact of globalisation on organisations. “Internal communication has never been more important. In a year when we’ve been forced to change how we’ve worked for decades, the need to connect and engage a workforce in …
In this article for Insights for Professionals, Jenni discusses how leadership is more than being able to delegate. Without effective communication, a leader’s team can quickly descend into chaos and disorder: “The defining trait for leaders shouldn’t be their ability to transform – doing what you do well, focusing on the basics and becoming an …
Six leadership skills to master for better internal communication Read More »
This was an interesting month for inspiration as I found myself focused on the results of my line manager research and my book launch events. The line manager research has thrown up 12 key things for organisations to consider and my online book launch event included some interesting questions about internal communication and the role …
When it comes to the different approaches to management and culture, many leaders have moved on from command and control. This top-down approach has its place in organisations where leaders prefer to be the authority figure – the ultimate decision-makers. The problem is that this rigid approach doesn’t allow team members to develop management or …
Empowered decision-making is not really decision-making at all Read More »
What a year it’s been! As I write this I’m sitting in my office, surrounded by boxes and debating putting on gloves as it’s so cold. I should say that the boxes are here because we are on the move and I will leave what has been my office for the last three years – …
The Bionic Business report from simplycommunicate provides insight into the way organisations need to change to adapt to a hybrid working environment in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The report outlines three key characteristics of what a bionic organisation is: They go beyond simple empathy, and everyone is united behind a common purpose so …
The skills we need to take us into the next era of comms and engagement Read More »
This week I finished listening to the audio version of Ross Edgley’s Art of Resilience. He talks a lot about circadian rhythm in the book (which tells the story of his endurance swim round the United Kingdom) and towards the end he mentioned zeitgebers. All of this got me thinking about work, why we are …
The phrase “Hybrid working” isn’t new but it’s being used more and more. Most of us will understand it to mean a blend of working from home and the office, with greater flexibility than we had pre-Covid. It sounds reasonable enough, but what are the realities of this new way of working? What do leaders …
Hybrid working – what people are really thinking Read More »
Our blog celebrated its 10th birthday this week and we’ve been going back through the archives to see what has/hasn’t changed. We’ve picked the top three things that jumped out at me but feel free to have a scroll through, let us know what you think! 1. What is internal communication (IC)? Back in 2012 …
We attended the CIPD Future of Work conference last month and it sparked a number of ideas, the most timely being around the importance of a diverse and inclusive workplace. How can internal communications and HR work together to achieve that? The CIPD is the professional body for Human Resources (HR) and people development. Perhaps …
The word pivot became the word of my social media feeds in the first 4 weeks of lockdown. It’s a word I have seen many business owners use to describe their need to change the direction of the business or alter the course they were going on. There was huge pressure to do this quickly …
Today I attended the annual state of the sector event hosted by Gatehouse, a Gallagher Company. This is always a ‘must attend’ event in my calendar as I’m keen to hear how things are shifting for internal communicators. I’m not sure annual surveys help us that much anymore. I have been thinking about this for …
State of the Sector 2020: What will it take to overcome our barriers? Read More »
Edelman’s Trust Barometer has been running for 20 years. With over 34,000 respondents across 28 markets, it’s a trusted source and snapshot into trust in business, government, NGOs and media. Many of us working in communications have the annual launch date of this report marked in our diaries because we use these findings to inform …
Edelman’s Trust Barometer 2020: is ethics on your radar? Read More »
This year I have signed a publishing contract with Kogan Page to write a book about how to take your organisation from chaos to calm. Over the course of the next nine months some of my blogs will feature the thinking for the book. As I’m reading and watching more than ever, themes and ideas …
Communicating to remote or deskless workers has been one of the biggest challenges for organisations for years. Professional communicators have talked about this barrier, but it has been moved into the ‘too hard’ pile. To help overcome this, I partnered with SocialOptic and together we took to the mess rooms, cafes and fire stations to …
Yesterday I was invited to speak at the National Housing Federation Comms Event in London to talk about how you can demonstrate impact and value in internal communications. I hadn’t attended a specific housing event before and it was great to see over 250 people together to learn, discuss and network about challenges and share …
What I heard at the National Housing Federation Comms Event 2018 Read More »
Last week I attended my first Employee Engagement Awards Conference – hosted by Ruth Dance and organised by Matt Manners and the team behind the global employee engagement awards. I was excited to attend a conference dedicated to employee engagement as it’s been a while since I attended something that wasn’t focussed purely on communication. …
Four things I heard at the Employee Engagement Awards Conference Read More »
Last week I attended the Gatehouse (Gallagher Communications) State of the Sector research*. It was an insightful morning with some good debate in the room and a clear desire to further understand some of the data points. The research shows the results from over 650 communication professionals representing more than 400 organisations and based all …
Subscribe to join our community for helpful advice and updates about how we can take your organisation from chaos to calm. We discuss key issues around comms, leadership and teams. Our community also gets early access to events, workshops and research.