Late last year, I was given an offer I couldn’t refuse.  

Happeo, a digital workplace vendor based in Amsterdam, asked me to do an in-depth research study looking at the present and future of internal communication.  

As someone who has been a practitioner, commentator and agitator in the IC field, the opportunity to look qualitatively at what practitioners think about what is going on in and around our profession – and to have the remit to seek input from those who employ us as consultants, managers and specialists – is proving interesting, exciting, and more than a little alarming.

My research has six parts, each based on twelve conversations.  The goal – to identify the gap between where we are and where we need to be, and what our stakeholders will demand of us to deliver and demonstrate value as the world around us accelerates and changes.

The first report covers the current state of internal communication as leading practitioners see it. The second, which I am currently completing, addresses how practitioners see the near-term future.  Additional reports will cover measurements and business cases, how corporate communicators perceive internal comms and what senior managers and leaders will need as the overall business environment changes.

You can find the first report here: https://www.happeo.com/changing-the-internal-communications-game

If the first report is any indication, the series has the potential to serve as a much-needed wake-up call for a profession whose fundamental importance is exceeded only by its collective difficulty in illustrating that importance to the people who depend on it.

This is sponsored research – and Happeo has an agenda to make itself known as an emerging leader in the internal communication space. And, in giving me, a credentialled advocate for a strategic, dynamic and sustainable approach to IC, free rein to define questions and select a global panel of active in-house IC practitioners and consultants, there is a commitment to do so by identifying fundamental issues and empowering practitioners to confront them.

Through the articles, reports and events connected with this research, my intent is to help change the conversation around our profession – and leave people prepared and empowered for what lies ahead.  If you want to discuss, please ping me at mike.klein@changingtheterms.com.