Who I worked with
Dementia UK, the specialist dementia nursing charity. Their nurses, known as Admiral Nurses, provide free, specialist advice, support and understanding to anyone affected by dementia, whenever it’s needed.
The challenge
The charity had already grown and planned to grow further in order to support more people living with dementia. The CEO and senior team recognised that their internal communication channels would need to develop in order to maintain engagement and connection as the team grew in size. They wanted to assess their existing approach to internal communication and develop a strategy that would work now and in to their expanding future.
What happened?
I interviewed a representative sample of people in a variety of roles from around the charity, including clinical and non-clinical staff. They shared their experiences and expectations of internal communications and the ways in which improvements would help them to carry out their roles. I also analysed examples of some of the communication channels, looking in particular at the tone, style and effectiveness of the content. In addition to collating the themes raised, I used the insight to inform a draft internal communications strategy and plan for the comms team to develop further.
The outcomes
The report and draft strategy proved useful for further discussion about the next stages of development for internal communication delivery at the charity. The communications team were able to take the draft that I wrote for them and develop it further to ensure that everyone could be kept informed and engaged as the charity grows. The first step they took was to introduce a new internal newsletter which has been well received.
Discussions are now underway to look at how to best improve their intranet, their first all staff away day is being organised for early summer and they are exploring a more joined up approached to internal comms between the communications and HR teams.
Find out more about my communications research and communications strategy offers in the Services section of this site.