We’re excited to introduce a new series by Elyse Featherstonhaugh, our Strategic Comms Partner, who specialises in helping non-comms teams sharpen their message and elevate their impact.
When you’re standing at the bottom of a staircase, the only way is up. Sometimes it can seem overwhelming. There are so many stairs to climb. But each step brings you closer to the top, where the view is much more interesting. You can see everything. It gives you a greater perspective.
It’s the same for internal communications. Unfortunately for many internal comms professionals, we’re expected to start at the top of the staircase. So how do we get there?
For some businesses, internal comms are treated as an afterthought, where you get confusion, misalignment, and disengagement. When it’s done right, you get clarity, momentum, and a culture that actually works. This isn’t about newsletters and notices — it’s about making sure everyone knows the why, the what, and the way forward.
Internal communications are one of the most influential tools a business has to shape its culture. Studies from Edelman, Gallup, and the Institute for Public Relations consistently highlight that when employees are communicated with openly and consistently, it builds trust, alignment, and engagement — the very foundations of a strong organisational culture.
I’ve worked in companies where internal comms have been done well. Employees are generally more engaged and enjoy working there. I’ve been at companies where it’s been done terribly and it’s absolute buffoonery. Employees are paranoid, frustrated, overwhelmed and burnt out.
Sometimes explaining the ‘what not to do’ is just as powerful as ‘what good looks like’. When it’s done well, internal comms conveys clarity, connection and has a strategic impact. When it’s done badly, it could lead to lack of direction, low morale and high turnover. In this three-part series I’ll share three real scenarios I’ve experienced during my career. Step by step, I’ll also include ‘what not to do’ and ‘internal comms 101’ laid out simply in bullet points.
1. When Your People Are Your Customers
How misaligned messaging can blow up your business from the inside
I worked for a company that ran major train lines in London who were making significant changes to their ways of working onboard. This resulted in drivers and onboard guards striking, causing major disruptions. The train unions were holding meetings at the depots, running member drives and spreading misinformation to our staff. As the internal communications manager working on this crisis, I recommended our executives also go to the depots and meet with our drivers and guards to explain what these changes actually meant. Their response: ‘I don’t have time. I’m too busy running a train line!’ I thought, ‘You’re not going to have a train line if you don’t get the drivers back to work.’ Their response blew my mind.
The Communications Team included Internal Comms, Stakeholder Management, and the Media Team. Without consulting the Internal Comms team on messaging, the Media Team would send press releases to the media with derogatory and divisive comments about our drivers. Did they not realise our drivers and staff (i.e. station staff, engineers at the depots, cleaners, the control room, head office employees) were also our customers, our passengers? They would read these messages coming from our executives. I had to be tenacious to get a seat at the table when the Media Team were writing their press releases, ensuring their messages aligned to what we were telling our staff internally.
We needed to make sure our employees felt supported. Every day, the media was out vox popping passengers, listening to them complain about being late for work, trains being cancelled, missing important meetings. What were we doing to boost our people’s morale and ensure we didn’t continue to fan the flames? The Internal Comms Team can write the ‘gold standard’ comms, but it’s meaningless if the rest of the business isn’t living these standards.
While the industrial dispute raged on in the background, we still needed to run a train line. Our ‘strike’ comms needed to be on point: easy to read and understand as well as show support for those who were being yelled at by our passengers. This was a much bigger issue than the internal comms team, but we could play our part by ensuring instructions were clear, correct, and relevant. Trust had been broken and needed to be fixed. We worked hard to build back that confidence. Ensuring our Media Team gave our people a bit of a break and run some good news stories of what was working well, also helped to rebuild that rift.
Communicating with staff isn’t just a task; it’s a relationship builder.
What not to do
- Not prioritising your people. As Richard Branson has been quoted, ‘Clients do not come first. Employees come first. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of the clients… Take care of your employees, and they’ll take care of your business. It’s as simple as that. Healthy, engaged employees are your top competitive advantage.’
- Don’t humiliate your people. Yes, they’re replaceable, but at what cost?
Internal comms 101
- Align internal and external messaging. Remember, your employees could be your customers too.
- Make time for your employees – without them, you don’t have a business.
- Support your employees – make them feel important. They should hear business news before the world hears it. And if that’s not possible (due to ‘insider trading’ legislation for example), make sure they understand why.
Has your comms team ever been sidelined in a crisis? Let’s talk about how to fix that before the next fire starts.
Written by Elyse Featherstonhaugh, LXDA’s Strategic Comms Partner.
Elyse Featherstonhaugh is a Strategic Communications Advisor who helps organisations communicate with clarity, purpose, and impact; especially during times of change. With over 15 years of experience in internal and strategic communications across government, finance, education, and infrastructure, Elyse specialises in turning complex messages into simple, actionable narratives that build trust and engagement.
If you’re ready to strengthen your internal comms and align your messaging from the inside out, reach out to Elyse here at LX Design Agency for a conversation. Let’s make sure your next big message doesn’t just land, it resonates!
Further Reading: How Internal Communications Shape Company Culture
- Edelman Trust Barometer (Annual Report)
- Edelman’s global research consistently finds that internal communications play a critical role in building trust within organisations. Transparent and two-way communication is directly linked to how employees perceive leadership and organisational culture.
- https://www.edelman.com/trust
- Gallup – State of the American Workplace Report (2017 & 2023 Updates)
- Gallup research highlights that organisations with effective internal communication see significantly higher employee engagement. This engagement influences key cultural outcomes like alignment, belonging, and organisational performance.
- https://www.gallup.com/workplace/238085/state-american-workplace-report-2017.aspx
- Welch, K. (2011). Internal Communication and Organisational Culture: Strategic Relationships
- Academic research outlining how internal communication helps shape, sustain, and evolve organisational culture by reinforcing shared values and behaviours.
- Published in Journal of Business Strategy.
- Institute for Public Relations (IPR) – Employee Communication Model (2021)
- IPR’s model emphasises internal communication as a strategic driver of culture, directly influencing how employees perceive organisational values, leadership credibility, and their role in business success.
- https://instituteforpr.org/employee-communication-model/
- CultureAmp – Employee Feedback Insights
- CultureAmp’s research indicates that strong internal communication practices correlate with higher levels of trust, psychological safety, and cultural alignment within organisations.
- https://www.cultureamp.com/resources/guides/employee-feedback