Internal Communication

By Ande Schurr

The corporate video market is an industry unto itself. Hundreds of small production companies around New Zealand vie for the job to produce internal videos for medium to large organisations who have grown beyond their ability to have a face-to-face conversation with their employees.

Rather than just work through their advertising agency, the corporation will often go directly to a local production company. Perhaps they adopt this direct approach because there is no need for a third party to consult. The organisation knows exactly what they need.

This is where the role of the Internal Communication Manager is so critical. This crucial person, who works for the organisation, acts as a producer. They liaise with the production company, and coordinate with the CEO and executive team. I thought it would be of value to those freelancers interested in chasing corporate videos to peer inside a large organisation from a Communications Manager point of view, since they do the hiring.

For such a grand sounding title you might picture an experienced middle-aged man or woman in this position, but in my experience, an overwhelming percentage are in their 20s or 30s. Perhaps they are hired for their enthusiasm and energy! Well this is certainly the case with Ben Mabon, the Communications Manager at the large financial services organisation, AMP. He is on a first-name basis with their hundreds of staff at the head office in Auckland's waterfront.

He joined me for a chat, in December, at a cafe next to their offices.

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What is internal communication?

It depends on where it lives in the organisation. With a lot of places, it sits within Human Resources, dealing with employee engagement. In other places, it sits in Marketing, and is concerned with marketing campaigns and initiatives. I think that it works best as a stand-alone function, and you can have an influence across the organisation. At the end of the day, you are there to manage the image and reputation of the organisation, whether that be to an internal or external audience; to 'manage the conversation' is another way to put it.

It must be useful to the new employee, who doesn't understand their place in the bigger context of the organisation?

That's right, but still, people have levels of interest. Some people collect their pay at the end of the week and go home. That's fine. Others come to work and really are interested in what they are doing, enjoy what they are doing and have an ambition to make a difference in the company and a difference for our stakeholders.

For some organisations, communication is very tactical, such as a newsletter that gets sent out regularly. In other places it is very strategic. You get involved in all aspects of the company and have to work out how to explain something that is actually quite complex, to a level whereby people can understand and work with it.

Comms is about making complicated things simple. At university they told us that anything you write or produce must be able to be understood by a twelve year old. That's difficult when you're dealing with complicated issues and business plans. So that's where the skill is, I think. Translating one to the other.

Where did you study for your communications degree?

I studied a Bachelor of International Communication at UNITEC in Auckland. It was a great experience and I made some lasting friendships. Not many of my classmates went on to careers in communication but I think that’s the nature of the beast. I went back to UNITEC and served as a member of the School of Communication Board for a year or so and I’m pleased to see the degree programme has gone from strength-to-strength.

Did most of your class land jobs like yours? What are the expected job opportunities from having this degree?

I was lucky and landed a relevant job before I had finished studying. I was a couple of years older than most of my classmates so I got straight into it. Many of the graduates wanted to get into media and external relations roles, but others have gone on to be diplomats, journalists, and event managers.

What is a day in the life of the internal communication manager?

In my case, I spent today resolving some intranet issues, writing a speech for the CEO for an event next week and running some employee focus groups to make sure our communications are meeting their needs.

My current role is diverse compared to most internal communication roles and involves managing a range of communication requirements on behalf of our managing director, senior leaders and employees from events, video production, speech writing and employee engagement initiatives.

What value does an organisation like AMP place on corporate videos?

Face-to-face communication is the preferred way of delivering information to employees. Despite best efforts this isn’t always possible, so video is the next best thing. It’s a good medium for conveying not just the message but also the passion and excitement of senior leaders and employees. In most situations how we’re saying something is more important than what we’re saying.

How do organisations you have worked for treat corporate videos?

Some organisations do it all internally. Others outsource all their video requirements to agencies or production companies for either straightforward corporate videos or expansive stakeholder events, including all aspects of pre-production, production and post-production, which in some cases equates to a staggering investment.

There are also plenty of freelancers out there who provide a “one-stop-video-production-shop” at a relatively low cost.

Increasingly organisations are realising the value of having their own in-house production facilities. They may still use production companies and freelancers but provide basic video kits and training for their employees and have their own in-house studio areas.

What has been your career path thus far?

My first four years following graduation was spent at Manukau City Council working as an online advisor and then moving into external relations. It was a good proving ground and an interesting organisation given the diverse communication audiences and the political and corporate tug ‘o war.

I moved into an internal communication role with Westpac for 11 months and then contracted with organisations like Sky City and BNZ for a couple of years, working in both external and internal communication. I moved to AMP on a one-year maternity cover contract, before becoming a permanent member of the team.

You seem to know hundreds of people on a first name basis, does it come second nature to you or have you had to work hard at this role?

When it comes to remembering names, I’m actually quite shocking. I do think it’s important to make the effort though – remembering someone’s name is a sign of respect and I find it goes a long way, especially because you’re usually asking them to do something!

What special skills do you need to become an internal communications manager?

Firstly, you need to understand that no one will ever agree to what exactly internal communication is. From organisation to organisation and person to person, and depending on which department the function sits in, it will never be the same thing. So, it has to be what you make it, and you’re never going to please everyone. I think you need to be a good writer, back yourself, and be an influencer, but always know when to pick your battles. These are competencies that you develop as you go but it always comes back to how well you can write and how well you can get your message across verbally to a range of audiences.

Do you like the corporate life?

I like corporate life for now, but I won’t be working for a corporate in another ten years. There’s too much else out there to let it pass you by while you’re sitting in an air-conditioned office.

What are the big challenges of your job? How do you deal with them?

The biggest challenge is always managing competing expectations and personalities. Check your ego at the door, don’t get offended easily and expect the unexpected.

What advice would you give students studying a communications degree?

Spend some time talking to people who are already in the industry so you’re clear and realistic about what you want to get into. Then you’ll know what you want to specialise in and be able to plan your career path accordingly, and you’ll get more out of your studies that way too. Look around at different degrees and what they offer – they’re all quite varied. And choose to do a communication degree because you’re genuinely passionate about the discipline, not just because you don’t know what else to do!