Today is International Internal Communication Day (IC).
For me, it’s the day we celebrate all the progress that, from this field, we have learned, matured, and achieved over many years of work at the heart of organizations.
We have placed people at the center, creating points of connection to gradually tell a shared story — one that creates value for everyone and mobilises each and every member of an organization toward the same goal.
This year, I’ve had the privilege of launching Volies Comms & Events, and I could say that I’m celebrating the day from the “outside,” which gives me a very interesting new perspective as I observe the situation from many different angles. I’m no longer at the heart of the company, but I am by its side, helping organizations make their communication more effective, authentic, and better connected with their employees toward a very clear goal: mobilizing them towards volunteering.
Today, I want to highlight the role of internal communication in corporate volunteering programs (CV) as a crucial and strategic tool—one we must invest in, because no matter how wonderful a CV program we have, without proper communication, success is not guaranteed.
Did you know that companies with well-communicated volunteering programs have participation rates of up to 60%, while those with poor communication see only 10–15%?
Today I invite you to reflect on how internal communication is not an end in itself, but rather a means to achieve our organizations’ strategic goals. That’s why we must not only focus our efforts on designing these programs but also on communicating them.
And communicating them effectively. Have you ever stopped to think whether you are communicating your volunteering programs effectively?
On a day like today, I think it’s worth remembering the three principles of effective communication: listen, connect, and share with your audience.
LISTEN:
To your leaders: Validate your program’s objectives with leadership and clearly align your content with them. The best way to convince leadership about the importance of communication is by showing how it helps achieve their goals.
To your employees: Do they feel like protagonists or just extras in the story we’re telling them? If we want to mobilize our colleagues, we need to listen to them — understand their concerns, their feelings, and what motivates them.
CONNECT: Our goal is to generate commitment among our employees so they join our positive impact. We must create content that connects with their emotional needs — and for that, we need to know our audience well and segment it. One size does not fit all.
SHARE: Add value to generate interest. If building genuine bridges of connection with our employees is already difficult, imagine how challenging it is to turn that listening into action. Being relevant is key to cutting through the noise, reaching our audience, and mobilizing them to act.
Simple, right? And yet, although this is the ABC of communication, today I invite you to reflect on whether we are truly communicating effectively.
Because, as George Bernard Shaw said: “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.
