Interested in Internal Comm Now?

In today's class we had a guest speaker from JP Morgan Chase come and talk to us about internal communications and what she does as an internal communicator for the company. Amanda Atkins is the AVP of Corporate Communications for the company

First and foremost, she was an excellent guest speaker. She really knew what she was talking about and had great tips to share with us on being a successful communications professional. 

Her tips included:

• Building great relationships within the company, both people at the top and bottom of the hierarchal ladder.
• Knowing your business. Not only your own company, but others in the same industry as well.
• Capturing the voice of the speaker you are writing for to ensure authenticity.
• Knowing your audience. Where are the people you are communicating to? What do they do?
• Ensure the messages you create and distribute are easily understood, relevant and actionable.
• Listen to the feedback from those you support.
• Keep your journalism skills sharp. You want to be the strongest communicator in your company.

Some tips I found on my own while researching more on internal communications include:

• Timeliness and transparency are next to godliness.
• Nurture your company’s personal web.
• Your managers are your local spokespeople.
• Survey the staff.
• Follow through with all feedback.

After hearing the presentation from Amanda, and then researching on my own, I think I may have found a new area of communications I might seriously consider looking into besides just public relations.