Presenting the 48th edition of Intraskope’s Spotlight on Internal Communication Series featuring Remi Nandy of a leading automotive and farm equipment manufacturer has over 10 years of experience in corporate communications, media, events, content management and publishing. Hands-on with internal and external communications she has worked on numerous campaigns and initiatives that requires planning, prioritizing and directing company resources for effective outcomes.
As the manager of internal communications at her organization she reflects on the importance of value of this important function.
Watch the complete video interview on YouTube or read the transcript below.
Interview
1. What does internal communication mean to you?
Internal communication for me is connecting with people
2. How is it practiced in your organization?
Our philosophy is to keep our communication simple
3. Please share an example/campaign that you are personally proud of working on and that made a significant impact to an organization in the recent past
I want to share an example of a CSR campaign.
The Challenge: to create awareness about CSR projects and increase engagement with employees. Additionally, we wanted to increase brand visibility internally and externally.
The Approach: We reviewed past campaigns, examined employee demographics, considering a growing remote workforce and engaged creative partners to collaborate on theme ideas and graphic execution. In addition, we gained inputs from senior leaders about their visions for CSR. We also did a sample Materiality mapping study.
The Strategy: we used innovative digital mediums for greater outreach. Adopting a multi-pronged approach we leveraged print, electronic, influencer and face-to-face communications customized for management and front-line employees. To strengthen a communication engagement and build a personal connect, we created theme-based newsletter called Rise Commune with the tagline “One Voice, One Story“
The Results: Consolidation of the project across the sector resulted in the selection of five focus areas and finalization of a CSR theme: Water Management, Agri Productivity, Skill Development, Rural Health & Wellness and Road Safety. They are now the driving pillars of CSR focus. It also created a reference and CSR Catalogue of Projects.
4. What is the biggest challenge you face while going about managing internal communication?
The biggest challenge I have faced to make people aware of CSR programs, become a volunteer and making them aware of sustainability action and making sustainability personal. Also quantifying the success of communication activities.
5. What according to you is the biggest opportunity that internal communicators have?
Greatest challenges are going to be storytelling and communicating in an authentic and non-scripted way, especially with employees.
6. How can internal communicators add more value to the business?
As the employee is an important stakeholder for an organization, communication is a top priority. Internal communicators add significant value to the business in a number of different ways, engagement is the most quantifiable. Businesses are now beginning to recognize the link between bottom-line profit and high employee engagement.
7. What skills must they have or develop?
Ability to listen, communicate regularly, be empathetic, be business literate, be an influencer and change agent
8. What is your advice for people who are keen to join internal communication and make a career?
Think like an end-consumer, understand data, get comfortable with change and the unknown, trust your creativity, build your personal brand and keep learning
9. What is your advice for women who want to make a mark in this domain and what must they do differently?
This industry is like no-other, it’s not about gender, it’s about what you bring to the table.
10. With COVID-19 and other crises, how must internal communications engage? What has changed or will change? Examples of how your organization has helped reassure employees and navigate the crisis as it unfolds.
In current or any other crises, we should communicate clearly, simply, frequently. The speed of content rather information has changed and also our relationship with voice and video calls. Trust has become more important than before that has changed. We have daily engagement and communication with employees sharing information from credible sources. Creation of a dedicated microsite to host all relevant information from credible sources such as government sources and WHO. Quarterly or monthly town halls and many more initiatives.
11. Can you share one trend that you spot with internal communications?
For me, I think it would Digital Workplace. Exploring new digital platforms to connect with all employees, which is convenient for them as many Indian companies are in the nascent stage of acquiring work from home culture. Secondly Employee Experience in these times and employee lifecycle.
12. If there is one aspect of internal communications you would like to change, what would that be?
Credibility of internal communication is based on how your stakeholders perceive you. Therefore, it is important to be aware of the way in which our interactions, actions and relationships impact the function’s credibility.
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Keen to contribute and participate in the ongoing series on Intraskope where we put the spotlight on thought leadership, great ideas, and practical solutions?
Look up the previous stories from organizations featured on the Intraskope’s Spotlight on Internal Communication Series  here – Northern Trust, AXA Business Services, Subex,  global insurer, Standard Chartered Bank, BASF, Applied Materials India,  Microsoft UK, Times Group, Samsung, Falabella, Cisco, Brillio, UAE Exchange, Apeland, M.H. Alshaya Co, Proctor & Gamble, Infosys, SOBHA Ltd., ICICI Securities, First Advantage, CK Birla Group, TVS Motors, GE,  Suzlon, Tata Sons, Percept, Knight Frank, TCS Europe, Vedanta, Oxfam, Danske Bank, Diageo, Pandora, Symantec, ISS Global Services, Telia, Thomson Reuters, IBM, General Motors, Intelligence India Software Solutions, Philips, Refinitiv, Mastercard, VFS Global, Ittiam Systems and Bridgestone India.
Intraskope (www.aniisu.com) is the first blog on internal communications in India and among the earliest around the globe. Begun in 2006, the blog has over 1000 posts on topics such as employee engagement, leadership communication and employee branding and receives thousands of visits from across the world. The blog, receives over 1,50,000 visits every month from over 50 countries globally, offers learning resources for practitioners, academicians, and students including industry workshops, research reports, and checklists.
Intraskope has been featured on leading global internal communication forums like Simply-Communicate, IC Kollectif and International Association of Business Communicators. It is hosted by Aniisu K Verghese, author of Internal Communications – Insights, Practices & Models (Sage, 2012).
If you are an internal communication leader working in a firm or a not-for-profit anywhere in the world and have an internal communication case study, campaign, research insight or a guest blog post to share please contact me on [email protected]
Here are Internal Communications resources you can use:
- Learn: Internal Communications Fundamentals Course on Thinkific
- Internal Communications Series: https://forms.gle/KcqmPzLwq7NQi5Km6
- Chat with Aniisu – Internal Communications: https://www.instamojo.com/intraskope/connect-with-aniisu-60-minute-personalized-d/?ref=store
- Internal Communications workshops: https://bit.ly/2zdBRl1
You can also visit my website www.intraskope.com and You Tube channel to know more about my work.
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