How can you get noticed by senior leadership in Internal Communications?

Relationships are everything. You need to be proactive in building those relationships - so find ways to get in front of senior stakeholders, and ask a lot of questions. Show you're interested in their pain points, challenges, and the opportunities they see. Also, it's critically important you demonstrate business acumen. Being able to speak the language of your senior stakeholders helps you connect, and when they can see you have a business mindset, they'll begin to see the value you can add. Once they know you're business-minded, then you can talk about how communication can contribute to achieving personal and business goals.

- As soon as you start in a role, meet with leaders. Understand their business objectives / KPIs. Discuss how internal communications can facilitate their objectives. - Get their feedback on internal communications currently - what works/doesn't work, what ideas do they have. - Understand their world - spend time with their teams, shadow roles so you have a top-down and bottom-up view of what's needed...you can understand their business better and any potential blockers/barriers. - Share your strategy /plan regularly. Incorporate feedback, share data/successes.

Speak the language of business. We're business professionals first; communication professionals second. Internal communications at its finest should be about moving internal audiences to action. That means creating value for our organizations and helping leaders see the connection between what we do and the business results they seek.

In my view there are 3 basic activities you can start to participate in order to get noticed: 1) Attend you company events (that´s obvious but many employees neglect invites for town halls or employee meetings and they should attend). You are expected to be at your company events. 2) If there are volunteer jobs like Diversity and Inclusion networks, join them. Help promote DEI, or help promote sustainaibiliy activities, join on Corporate Social Responsibility projects. 3) Ask HR or the Employee Comms team if there is anything you can do to support!

Start with one. Find the leader who has the biggest needs, who is most receptive, or who has the least to lose by working with you. Score some wins. Get her on your side, and then have her sell you to her colleagues.

The first myth to break when you join a new organisation is "I need some time to settle and understand the organisation, then I will start to perform." You need to prove your skills as soon as possible. The shorter your gestation period, the sooner you will get noticed, and be relied upon. Avoid being a manager and directing others all the time - on the contrary, do things on your own whenever you get the opportunity, then your team will know that you know the job and participate in it. The faster your team builds their confidence in you, the faster will the leadership start relying on you. The key to good internal communications is building safe bridges within the organisation, which can only be done by someone who "walks the talk."

Establish yourself as an expert on communication. Explain that you are there to help senior leaders look good internally and externally. Learn the leaders' style and work to write in their voices. Advise them that you can best do the job when you have a seat at the table and are in on discussions throughout, not just at the end. Meet with the team regularly and respect their time by having communications ready before they even know they need them. Work to develop a relationship with your leaders; this paves the way for them to approach you and you them about work needs.

I think it is important to always remember that an issue/project/etc is ALWAYS important to SOMEONE in an organization. Whether there is a personal, or professional bias, incentive plan goals, or a career advancement opportunity involved, there is a reason that stakeholders are passionate about a cause. Once you have more insight as to someone's personal objectives, it is a lot easier to structure a communications strategy that they can 100% get behind and be a leadership champion.

A great exercise to do is to map your stakeholders. This exercise will enable you to identify all the stakeholders within your organisation that you should build relationships with. You'll find that in addition to the more obvious stakeholders, such as leaders, there are other, maybe not so obvious, stakeholders within your business. Don't just settle for knowing who they are. Begin building relationships with them. Meet them, have coffee with them, ask them what challenges they're facing and how internal communication can support them in addressing those challenges.

It's lonely at the top. Everyone thinks you have all the answers but many are fearful of sharing thoughts or opinions with you. Why? Maybe they don't want to come off showy with their peers. Maybe they don't want to get it wrong or be seen as not understanding. Maybe you have not constructed a safe space where a dialogue can freely happen. My advice is to ask questions & take that knowledge into your day-to-day to augment & enhance your work. Spend time understanding the vision & work on implementing the strategy and getting results, & you'll get noticed. At my first tech company, I used to time my arrival at the office a couple of times a week with the CEO and get in the elevator with him to ask smart questions. THAT got me noticed!

Building a wide network of relationships across all levels of the organisation is essential - not only to be able to understand what is keeping the senior leaders up at night, what the business objectives are but also what the mood music is and how employees are thinking and feeling - marrying the strategic intent with the reality on the ground will support building engagement approaches that will hit the mark. A wide range of relationships and business understanding will also help tell a joined up story that makes sense, that’s not fragmented or contradictory. And data of course to demonstrate the need and impact.

Do you remember that quote saying that the best brand reputation is the one about what people are talking about you when you are not in the room? Build your network, meet more people, get more changes to grow and learn!

Be a leader, be proactive, be charismatic. Be interested in what your colleagues are doing, in their projects, in the business,... Be open to help and collaborate. Connect people, projects and ideas. Bring people closer together.

Make it a habit to do at least one nice or helpful thing to someone outside your organization every day. It could be: send a useful article, invite them to an event, or even cheer them on in social media. But the best you can do in this day and age? A hand-written note.

One thing that I have learned is to really know your stakeholders and be invested in their work and their interests. Take every opportunity to interact with them but have something of value to offer. If in an informal setting, be yourself. It's also important to speak their language, each leader is different and so is each company. If data is something that people understand then you must always back your insight with data. If human relations are important be at the forefront to develop those. Always nurture your relationships and be present at the events that are crucial for your organization.

As reuniões , planejamentos e alinhamentos são os pilares principais dos projetos e ações, a partir daí a equipe é distribuída e dividida entre as principais habilidades de cada um .

Utilizar redes sociales para el fortalecimiento de tus redes de negocio fuera del entorno digital, permite que el grupo directivo de la empresa conozca tu nivel de influencia y quiera pertenecer también a ti red para sumar y sumarse en conocimientos y relaciones profesionales.

Comprender la relevancia que toma la construcción de realidad conjuntas es la clave para poder desarrollar una co creación de objetivos que generen sentido en los stakeholders

Communication is a people-centric business and you must establish personality-based relationships to build a base. Your reputation shouldn’t rely solely on personality though. Look to processes and consistency for long term personal branding and leverage that to build your network.

Networking is one important factor by engaging yourself in meaningful dialogues and conversations with key influencers, taking notes on how things took place in the past, building relationships with seniors and follow in their footsteps while leveraging on your unique selves, going an extra mile above and beyond your regular tasks and consistency is the key. Putting forth your viewpoints backed with facts and reasoning gives you confidence and help you catch eyeballs. Sharpening the saw regularly makes you articulate and critical resource in the organisation.

Learn to brag So many internal communication professionals are used to being behind the scenes making others successful. We also seem to expect others to automatically see our effort, expertise and impact without ever talking about it. It never happens and what you're left with is often others taking credit for your success. As consultants are expected to do, tell people what you plan to do, identify goals and metrics to measure success, provide regular updates on what you have accomplished, have conversations with leaders on what they think of your plan or if they have any advice, measure results, and then remember to debrief and take credit for what you accomplished. It's a closed loop that helps leaders understand your impact.

Stay close to business priorities. Engage on areas that are critical and you will get instant visibility. Your perspectives will matter as people / associates make priorities happen, turn vision into reality- and keeping people engaged and focused is almost the battle won. Senior leadership will value you and your internal comms strategies and skills if you support them meet their goals.

One thing I have found useful is the need to be strategic in terms of how one approaches their work. Excellent work ethic coupled with skills and relevant training will propel one to the highest pinnacle of professional success. People never fail to notice outstanding performance..

In addition to having a comms plan aligned to an organisation's strategy or desired outcomes, measurement/evaluation is so important here. Most of the leaders I've worked with are very data driven. You need to be able to measure what you are recommending and if your suggested approach is not working, adapt your approach. If the approach is successful, that data is a powerful way to demonstrate impact to leaders.

Book one-to-one meetings with the leaders. If they're too busy, suggest a lunch meeting (everyone has to eat, after all). Ask them what their most important business objective is, and then tell them how you can help them achieve that objective through communications. Help them understand how professional communications works (it's surprising how many leaders have no idea) and how you can be a valuable partner to them. If you are an inhouse comms team, it's helpful to remind them that they are already paying for your services, so they might as well team up with you to utilise the resources.

A mistake comms pros can make is to focus on communication goals, rather than business goals. Your communication should support the business to achieve its goals, so make sure you demonstrate that you understand those goals, and that you've strategically thought about how your communication can contribute to the business outcomes.

Para una organización, un área estratégica es un área que aportar valor a sus objetivos de negocio. Para ello, comparto dos recomendaciones: - Identificar cuáles son los objetivos estratégicos de negocio y analizar como la comunicación interna puede aportar a los mismos ¿Qué estrategias podemos genera desde la comunicación para promover en los colaboradores procesos que aumenten las ventas, reduzcan los costos y gastos o impulsen un mejor desempeño como organización? - El lenguaje del negocio son los indicadores. Desarrollar un dashboard de indicadores es crucial. En este tablero no solo se deben medir indicadores administrativos o de gestión, como control de presupuestos, lectoría o participación, sino también de impacto.

The strategy that has never failed me is being a great listener; be it praise, criticism, side talk, an hunch by someone, and idea/suggestion by the coffee or door person, etc. I take note of everything anyone in my organizational circle says. At the end of the day, I make a statement and, most times, everyone nods.

Where buy-in to the value of internal comms is low, look for a discrete project where a clear communication thread can improve the gap between strategic intentions and business outputs. Pitch to the project owner, outlining your solution via internal comms and measures that align with the project KPIs. Keep the project owner and their leader informed on progress and the iterations made, and provide a wash-up report with key insights and suggestions on how they can be embedded in similar projects going forward. Demonstrating measurable wins (even small), understanding of issues, and commitment to success always helps with buy-in from leadership.

Also tailor your communication to reflect their priorities, underline the value your updates bring to the overall strategy and seek feedback actively engaging with leaders.

Know the currency of the organisation you are working with and express outcomes in those terms. It's usually going to be numbers. This can vary by industry: shareholder return, social impact, employee experience, thought leadership, brand loyalty, R D. Be ready with examples of how strategic communication delivers on the most important things to your C-suite. Bring the numbers to life with story.

Dress how you want to be addressed and embrace an executive presence through: -Composure -Confidence -Compassion -Charisma What is your tone of voice? being fully present and listening fully.

Criatividade, ao meu ver, tem uma ligação direta com compartilhar vivências pessoais e profissionais em prol de ser colaborativo. Muito mais que isso, é também estar sempre com a escuta ativa, ouvir opiniões, perspectivas. Alteridade, termo da antropologia, refere-se à capacidade de se aproximar da realidade do outro, reconhecendo e respeitando suas diferenças. Nada é mais importante para isso do que a escuta atenta.

Develop a creative and interactive campaign involving top management, utilizing innovative media to highlight the emotional value of internal communications.

Seek common ground without expressing opinions on divisive issues. Illustrate commonality. Remember: Issues divide. Images unite.

If you want to stand out from the crowd, here are some tips to boost your creativity and get noticed by your leaders: Build a business case and link it to the overarching strategy. Develop KPIs and objectives that clearly impact the business in a real way. Learn and use the language of the Board. Use a repeatable messaging framework to ensure consistency and coherence. Use the preferred channels of your employees. Different groups of employees may have different preferences and habits when it comes to receiving information. Be authentic, simple and relevant. Employees can sense when a communication is genuine or not. Avoid corporate speak and pretense and be honest and transparent.

La mejor manera de generar un gran impacto es conectando a través del #Storytelling. Saber como compartir tus ideas utilizando una narrativa genuina, con los insights adecuados y el drama suficiente para mantener la atención, es la mejor estrategia para conectar con todos tus stakeholders, incluyendo los líderes. No hay que olvidar que los seres humanos nacimos y crecimos con historias, somo seres de historias.

One way to get noticed by senior leadership is to be creative in developing and executing internal communication strategies. Senior leaders expect their internal communication team to design original and engaging campaigns that can enhance the positive and collaborative work culture. By being creative, you can demonstrate your value and potential to the senior leadership.

Creativity will save you anytime! Just try to think outside the box, and you will be able to bring a different perspective to the problem. Don't be afraid to do it differently!

Make sure to add your own specific personal touch to your work. There are enough nondescript, vague, sometimes even boring alternatives. Adding a personal note or touch and some self reflection (and humor) works!

Flexibility and agility are a must for any communications professional. We're living in a time of increasingly rapid change, and we don't know what lies around the corner. Plan as much as you can, prepare for different outcomes, but also be ready to adapt your plan at a moment's notice. If you can be flexible and resilient, leaders will start turning to you first for advice/counsel when issues emerge.

I've observed that employees who capture the attention of top leadership possess a remarkable ability to adapt to diverse situations while maintaining a commitment to continuous learning. Personally, I emphasize the importance of versatility, encouraging Jrs to cultivate a thirst for knowledge across a broad spectrum of subjects. It's crucial to be inherently curious. This is indispensable when change and adaptation arises, allowing you to navigate transitions with grace. Embracing a mindset where questioning is second nature and that everything is in constant flux, makes it easier to adapt to new scenarios swiftly. Perpetual curiosity and adaptability become a powerful tool for landing on your feet in the face of professional challenges.

Adaptability is a key leadership driver in ensuring one is able to build and maintain strong relationships amongst different stakeholders. Whether that be an employee, fellow manager, or upper management, it’s important to recognize when and how to adapt to different situations or opportunities. By adapting to the ever-changing wants and needs of the business and key stakeholders, we can ensure that the best solution benefits not only your organization, but the team as well.

Everything is iterative and your comm plan should be flexible to accommodate inevitable change. Change in the internal environment, change in the corporate culture, and change in employee attitudes can all impact the trajectory of your well-laid plan.

Normalmente los altos directivos son mayores en edad a los profesionales en gerencia media, por lo que es importante adaptar y aportar desde una perspectiva fresca nuevas ideas, respetando las estrategias de negocio de la alta dirección, para sumar esfuerzos de manera adaptativa y abierta a diferentes pensamientos.

In my experience, you need to anticipate senior leadership needs, deliver what is asked for and what is needed, build trust through reliability (your credibility will shine though once you prove reliable) and approach your work with positivity and a can do attitude.

This is probably the most undervalued part of this list. The ability to adapt quickly, in your communications, in quickly being able to change plans. This sort of resiliency is invaluable to leadership.

I've realized that to build stronger relationships at work, it is important to build your network, be interactive with people, establish strong connections and add value to conversations. If one is adaptable and is a good listener, they can help identify pain points, understand people's emotions and then offer the desired help.

Provide an adaptable dashboard allowing top management to visualize key internal communication data in a personalized and efficient manner.

Communication is one of the most adaptable businesses. You always have to measure and deliver to get ROI, but people aren't products, so you need to continue to change the way you deliver your message in order to have ROI.

Listen hard to what they say. When I was first asked by a manager to “ be more visible” with leadership, I wanted to vomit. Ugh what does that even mean? But I knew that most conversations about you (think promos) happen without you so I knew they were right. I just needed to find my own way of doing it. So I listened hard when senior leaders spoke and digested what they wrote and started seeing signals and themes and connecting dots and came up with a way to help. I got noticed (and good things happened) and have been listening hard ever since.

For internal comms to be effective, it must work closely with the leadership. So, the question isn't to get noticed by leadership. I would rephrase that by building trust and credibility with the leadership. What's worked for me is to be present (physically / virtually) , doing my groundwork by having a real pulse of the business and having the courage to recommend the right course of action.

Senior leaders like to see measurable insights or outcomes. Use data to demonstrate why you recommend a certain course of action, or to show progress toward a goal and impact, and identify improvement opportunities, data can indicate the best day of the week or time of day to send a message to the organization and actions taken as a result of the message. Data can should reach of a message or adoption of a new process or technology.

Understand what's important to them – their priorities, what's urgent and important, what's keeping them up at night, what will make them look good. Design your strategies and tactics in response and create opportunities to showcase their work, increase their visibility, etc. It's not about their "ego" – often comms pros get caught in the web of "our stuff" and lose sight of what's mission critical for our most important stakeholders. It can make us tone-deaf and diminishes our impact.

Get creative. Offer ideas that break the mold and showcase your ability to think beyond the day-to-day. Many organizations repeat the same approaches and programs because they're tried and true. Inject some new ideas that will spur innovation.

Share your success stories out loud and in public channels. I love creating a "smile file" and sharing screenshots of performance metrics, employee LinkedIn or Slack posts, or email replies. Put together a nice mix of qualitative and quantitative data, and share that with leadership on a regular basis!

Tenha propósito. Comunicação alguma atinge seu público alvo sem um propósito legítimo contextualizado. Somente assim a mensagem chega, penetra, convence e tem capilaridade.

In addition to all the above great advice, don't forget to invest in building your 'self-belief' and 'personal confidence' muscles. You might be THE best IC practitioner, but nobody will notice or, worse, believe in you if you don't believe in yourself. Personal confidence (not to be confused with arrogance) is a much-forgotten aspect of influencing and being noticed for all the right reasons. Watch the words you use - reframe them so they come across as confident, knowledgeable and trustworthy. Do things outside your comfort zone to build your nervous system capacity to mitigate anxiety or self-doubt. Build your self-awareness - get feedback, reflect on what worked well (and celebrate that) and what didn't, so you constantly improve.