Driving Change Through Internal Communications Certificate Program

In this module, participants will gain an understanding of what world-class internal communications looks like and the ways it drives business performance.

By the end of this module, participants will:

• Understand the principles and attributes of best-in-class internal communication.
• Be able to think more critically around the role of communications across a variety of value spaces.
• Understand critical communications philosophy including the relationship between leadership and communications.
• Understand why communications teams often win but sometimes fail in their efforts.
• Understand the value internal communications adds and build an elevator speech that speaks to its impact.

In this module, participants will gain a full understanding around how to deploy communications to create future outcomes.

By the end of this module, participants will:

• Understand the pieces and parts of a purposeful communications journey.
• Know how to assess whether their communications systems are effective and efficient and build a baseline for ongoing measurement.
• Be equipped to understand business challenges and design high impact communications strategies to address them.
• Understand the difference between framing, narrative and message — and be able to apply that when communicating strategic direction and priorities.
• Be equipped to understand the power of a purposeful cadence and balanced push/pull channel mix, and how to build a toolbox that leverages the best organizational assets and resources.

In this module, participants will reframe their thinking around the employee experience today and understand how to best deploy the skills they gained in the prior module.

By the end of this module, participants will:

• Understand what employees need from their employer today including the 8 key questions all employees have.
• Know the role of communications in building a more resilient, empathetic culture with DNA that resonates.
• Learn how to scope key communications opportunities and maximize critical moments given what employees need today.
• Understand a variety of ways and approaches to segment employee groups and the benefits / impact of each.

In this module, participants will gain an understanding of change management and the ways communications can be a driver of this.

By the end of this module, participants will:

• Be able to build an employee-centric change impact analysis.
• Understand how to best engage an organization around change using critical principles of behavioral science.
• Understand social influence, and how key networks determine the ultimate success of the change effort.
• Appreciate the combined power of setting context and employing storytelling to move heads and hearts.
• Know the principles of effective leadership communications and how to create the conditions for leaders at all levels to succeed.
• Understand the role that collaboration, co-creation and ongoing listening plays in activating strategy especially during times of change.

In this module, participants will gain an understanding of the latest trends in internal communications including generative AI, tech stacks and measurement / analytics.

By the end of this module, participants will:

• Understand generative AI and its role / limitations across the internal communications landscape.
• Be aware of the latest digital and tech stacks that are helping organizations not only communicate but improve how they operate.
• Understand the latest measurement techniques in internal communications that will help them track sentiment, attitudes and business outcomes.
• Be aware of the evolving attitudes around communications related to purpose, ESG, activism, DEI and other social issues.

In this module, participants will learn how to grow their personal influence and cultivate stronger advisory relationships with their key clients.

By the end of this module, participants will:

• Know how to effectively cultivate advisory relationships.
• Be able to adopt a consultant mindset for solving problems together with their clients.
• Be able to build social capital to drive their priorities and influence beyond the formal hierarchy.
• Understand how to create stakeholder engagement plans to help themselves and their leaders drive greater influence.
• Be able to “tie it all together” through effective facilitation, air traffic control management and stakeholder management.