Welcome to Inside Comm’, the podcast in which I explore the internal communication landscape!
I’m Hélène Renaud, the host of this podcast. You’ll get to know me throughout these episodes where I alternate between shorter episodes with some quick tips & tricks and slightly longer episodes where I discuss with internal communicators some best practices and some of their inspiring projects.
To listen to this episode on Spotify, click here.
To listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, click here.
To listen to this episode on Google Podcasts, click here.
If you like this podcast, share your love with me and put a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on the listening platforms or send it to your friends and family!
As this podcast is in French, we propose you a transcript of the episode below in English.
And don’t forget to subscribe to the newsletter to make sure you don’t miss any episode.
Internal communication in the face of the Coronavirus
As I record this, early November 2020, Belgium and the world are experiencing a 2nd wave of the Coronavirus.
After a glimmer of hope during summer, when many colleagues were able to catch up with each other and head back to the workplace, here we are again remote working and remote managing.
We’ll once again need to be more effective in outreach communication.
For Gary Grates, a world-renowned expert in corporate communication, Covid-19 will force company managers to rethink their internal communication.
To quote him: “The pandemic is leading executives to realize that companies can’t grow, prosper or even survive without a knowledgeable, engaged and aware workforce. Working in a virtual environment is opening up avenues of innovation, ideation and more interesting managerial techniques. However, it is also causing anxiety, fear and loneliness.”
Against this backdrop, internal communication is evolving from a “disciplined process to a philosophy.” It “must be funded, led and measured like any other corporate function. It can no longer be viewed as a separate and distinct function.”
Gary Grates also stresses the importance of communication based on both facts and emotions. This means clearly informing employees about measures taken, such as temporary unemployment, but also maintaining human contact and being able to listen to their fears.
In this new form of internal communication, it is therefore important to
- Reassure and educate
- Explain and listen
- Provide impetus and perspective
In the upcoming episodes, we’ll look at the different ways to stay close, even when working remotely.
See you soon and take care of yourself!
By Hélène Renaud
