The future of Internal Comms: my take on the IoIC’s new report

I’ve just finished reading the IoIC’s Future of Internal Communication report, and honestly, it couldn’t feel more relevant to what I’m seeing inside organisations every single day.

The world of work has shifted permanently and internal communication is no longer “nice to have”. It’s the glue, the connective tissue, the thing that determines whether organisations thrive… or unravel.

A few insights from the report jumped out at me, and they mirror exactly what I’m hearing from leaders and employees across the sectors we are currently working in.

1. Business-as-usual is over and internal comms is now the survival strategy

We’re operating in what the report calls a post-normal world: unstable, anxious, non-linear, unpredictable. And in that kind of environment, communication is the only way people can make sense of change. You can have all the strategies in the world, but if people don’t understand them, can’t see their role in delivering them, or don’t trust the organisation behind them… nothing moves.

2. The biggest future skill isn’t AI. It’s connection

One of the report’s most powerful themes is that as AI accelerates, human communication becomes more valuable, not less. Yes, AI will write content, automate workflows and personalise messages. But it can’t build trust. It can’t coach a nervous leader. It can’t sense the mood in a room or repair a relationship after a difficult restructure.

Internal comms will become an ‘embodied’ discipline, rooted in conversation, listening, psychology and culture-building. That’s exactly what I’m seeing in my work - the organisations winning right now are those intentionally strengthening human connection.

3. Complexity is the new normal and IC is the function that helps people understand it

The report talks about how organisations are facing multiple, overlapping pressures - geopolitical tension, climate anxiety, a skills crisis, AI disruption, mental health challenges and declining trust. And you feel that intensity everywhere - in leadership teams, in frontline roles, in hybrid work patterns that still haven’t quite settled.

IC professionals are becoming sensemakers, translators and guides. The calm voice in a noisy system. And I think that role is only going to grow.

4. It’s not all doom and gloom

What I love about this report is that it isn’t all doom and gloom. It says very clearly that internal comms is about to become one of the most strategically important functions in the business.

New roles are emerging, from Heads of Listening, to Culture and Community leads, to Chief Trust Officers. Skills like behavioural science, facilitation, strategic alignment, and data-driven storytelling are becoming core.

And I think they’re right. 

My take?

Internal comms has been underestimated for far too long. But if the last few years have taught us anything, it’s that organisations rise or fall on the strength of their communication.

The report confirms what many of us have felt intuitively:

• Communication is culture

• Communication is leadership

• Communication is how organisations adapt

• And communication is the real competitive advantage.

For anyone in IC, it’s worth a read. For any leader not in IC, it’s essential.

If you want help turning these insights into action, capability, or comms strategy, this is exactly the space I love working in so please get in touch.