Culture doesn’t usually change because of a single announcement or a new initiative rolled out the top of a new year. It shifts when one behavior shows up again and again... well, you get it! Something small, visible, and consistent enough that people start to rely on it and incorporate into their day-to-day! ✨
And this is where internal comms can really shine. How/when/where we communicate shapes how work feels — that might look like your leadership team regularly hosting open Q&As, celebrating people’s wins during team meetings, or using a simple project brief to kick off new ideas!
AI can absolutely help internal communicators move faster — drafting updates, repurposing content, shaping ideas, all the sort! But the key is making sure it reflects how you actually communicate, not some generic default. Try:
Giving ChatGPT real examples of your writing (things like past emails, brand guidelines, newsletters that landed well)
Being crystal clear about your audience, goal, and tone before it starts generating
And treating AI like a teammate that improves with feedback, not a magic button 🔮
TL;DR: When AI understands your voice/tone, you'll get stronger outputs and spend less time on cleanup duty!
Yep, it's time to be more like Gandalf at work 🧙♂️
Calling all Lord of the Rings fans! The “Gandalf effect” is the idea that great leaders don’t do everything themselves. Instead, they guide, challenge, and create space for others to step up. You know — “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.”
Very practically, this can look like leaving space for others to ask (and answer!) questions, delegating work as a way to build skills, and offering *actionable* feedback instead of taking the task over completely. Less hero mode, more wise guide energy! 😉
Inclusive onboarding starts with how we communicate
You've likely been there before — the first few days at a new job and navigating a lot 😅 Paperwork, meeting new teammates, learning new tools, and trying to read between the lines of “how things work around here.” Inclusive onboarding helps by making fewer assumptions, because not everyone knows what’s obvious/part of the company culture or even okay to ask.
That’s why how we communicate early really matters ❤️ Clear guidance, multiple ways to access information, and gentle check-ins (sometimes supported by automated emails) can help new hires feel oriented and included, not left to piece things together on their own!
If internal comms cascades are starting to feel exhausting, you are not alone. Fatigue often shows up when random messages pile on, context gets lost (or wasn't there to begin with!), or updates feel repetitive instead of purposeful.
A more sustainable approach is truly being intentional about what truly needs to cascade, simplifying the message for each audience, and giving leaders/manager support so they’re not reinventing the wheel every time. Fewer messages, clearer priorities, and better timing can go a looong way in helping important updates actually land.
