The One Skill Overlooked In Internal Comms
(It’s not the writing.)
Here I am thinking: I’m a great writer, I know how to market to the employee, and I’m creative. I love that I can do all of this and not be forward facing.
Wrong.
Networking is like death by a million paper cuts for an introvert.
Hard pass. We’d rather eat a brick sandwich.
A lot of us walk into roles thinking our work will speak for itself. We write the email, build the campaign, run the town hall. But your stakeholders don’t see the work the way you do. They’re running their own departments. So, if the only time HR, IT, or leadership hears from you is when they need something, you might as well ask, “Hello, can I take your order?,” because you’re the drive through now. The request shows up already decided. You get looped in late. And the relationship is at best — a transaction.
What I would do if I were you.
Learn to network within your own org, specifically with your stakeholders. It’s almost more important than the work itself. No. Yeah, it's definitely more.
You know the saying: you catch more flies with honey.
(Wait, why do we want more flies?) I digress. You do.
Things run smoother. You listen, you learn. Collaboration starts to feel like a true partnership between functions working toward the same goal. But you have to put yourself out there. You have to set the meetings. You have to make the first move, set the tone, then invite them in.
Here’s the part that made it easier for this introvert: it isn’t small talk. You’re not working the room. You own the room. You’re walking in with your expertise. And it will become the thing people expect from you.
What it looks like on a real request.
Say there’s a stakeholder you only hear from when something is due in two weeks. Don’t wait for next year’s request. Put 30 minutes on their calendar now, while nothing is on fire.
Come with three things:
An agenda. Always. It sets the stage and it shows you’re not wasting their time.
The comms brief. Fill it in together, starting with the goals they have for next year.
A recommendation. Pick a previous campaign: what worked, and what you’d change.
The metrics. You better bring some metrics. Use whatever you have.
Listen more than you talk. Leave with one next step on the calendar.
What does it cost you if you skip it?
Requests will continue to land on your desk last minute, and already decided. Leadership never sees the thinking behind it. And when big conversations happen, nobody in that room can speak for you, because nobody was in the room with you.
Build your lane
One thing to do this week.
Pick one stakeholder you only hear from when something is due. Set the meeting. Bring the comms brief. When it’s filled in, save it to your portfolio. That brief is proof you led the conversation, not just took the order.
What I Would Do If I Were You is a weekly newsletter to help you lead with strategy and a little audacity.
Each issue gives you “the how” you can use by your next Monday meeting. Plus, how to make it a habit. Even when saying “sure, I’ll get that out” feels easier. (Old habits die hard, I know).
