EXECUTIVE BRIEF
Empowering Leaders: How Internal Communications Teams Can Improve Leadership Comms
In Partnership with Andrea Greenhous, President at Vision2Voice Communications
About this Executive Brief
In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, effective leadership communication is more critical than ever. Strong leaders inspire, motivate, and guide their teams toward success, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and growth. And communication is the mainstay to making this vision a reality.
But there’s a divide between the communication that employees expect from their leaders, and what leaders are actually delivering today. According to Grammarly’s State of Business Communication 2023, only 55% of workers perceive communications from their senior leaders as effective—despite business leaders spending over 80% of their time communicating.
To bridge this gap, organizations must rely on their internal communication teams to build a connection between business leaders and employees, ensuring that messages from leadership are clear, relevant, effectively communicated and—most importantly—resonate with the workforce. But demonstrating the value of internal comms to business leaders can prove to be a significant challenge— one that requires a deep understanding of your leaders and employees, a data-driven approach to analyzing your existing comms approach, and tactical planning to develop an improved strategy.
This guide is your roadmap to unlocking the full potential of leadership communication through the lens of internal communications. We’ll explore the strategies, tools, and best practices that empower leaders to connect with their teams authentically, creating an engaged and informed workforce.
Author
Christine Kendall
Content Marketing Manager, Poppulo
Contributor
Andrea Greenhous
Founder
Related content
Internal comms is heading into 2026 with more uncertainty about its role than at any point in recent memory. AI is changing the work at speed. Trust is slipping. Managers are stretched thin. Employees are tuning out. And the expectations placed on IC keep widening into work that falls well beyond its traditional scope—often without the structure or support to match. The familiar models aren’t holding, and the function is being pulled into a new order that still isn’t fully defined. 2026 will ask big questions of IC: what it stands for, where it fits, and how it leads through a year marked by uncertainty and shifting expectations. To understand what this means in practice, we’re bringing together four leaders who are working at the sharp end of these changes: Annabelle Gordon, Director of Internal Communications, Superbet Regine Nelson, Director of Internal Communications, Couchbase Stacie Barrett, Former Director of Internal Communications at Domino’s Stephanie Cornell, Head of People Communications & Marketing, WPP Moderated by Joss Mathieson of Change Oasis, this 60-minute session, including time for your questions, will get into the real pressures facing IC in 2026 and how teams can work through them. Expect to Explore: The shifting identity of internal comms and what it means to play a deeper role in shaping the employee experience Where AI is genuinely changing the work of internal comms, and the risks that emerge when speed increases but understanding doesn’t How IC can work alongside leaders and other functions when old command-and-control habits no longer hold up How IC can rebuild trust and strengthen resilience by creating communication that feels human, transparent, and genuinely meaningful in a year defined by ambiguity The emotional and practical load on IC practitioners, and how to stay steady when you’re communicating through the same uncertainty as everyone else Don’t miss this—save your spot now! January 27, 11AM ET / 4PM GMT
Over the past two decades, campus communication has shifted from posters and email blasts to a complex web of comms channels that are accessible to students, faculty, and visitors throughout their days. The modern university is both physical and digital, and the speed of communication must meet the needs of a digitally-native generation. In this environment, digital signage has moved from a nice-to-have to a strategic medium—visible, immediate, and flexible—one that connects a dispersed campus. This whitepaper explores how institutions are using digital signage to communicate smarter and faster, and how to build a program that is easy to operate, simple to scale, and resilient in the moments that matter most. Drawing on Poppulo’s expertise in digital signage for college campuses, we’ll share how leading universities are centralizing digital signage management, empowering multiple departments, and using data and design to make every message count. Keep reading to learn how top universities are leveraging digital signage to create more connected, informed, and vibrant campus communities, setting new standards for communication in higher education.
Dive a little deeper into AI for digital signage and learn what the future holds for these two technologies. Across the enterprise, AI is no longer a distant vision—it’s quickly becoming a practical tool reshaping how organizations work, connect, and communicate. From automating workflows to personalizing customer experiences, AI is changing the way information flows, both inside and outside of businesses. For digital signage network owners, this shift presents both an opportunity and a challenge. How do we move from simply broadcasting content to delivering communication that’s adaptive, intelligent, and responsive in real time? How do we take advantage of AI in ways that make networks easier to manage, more engaging for audiences, and more valuable to the business? This shift is something most businesses are currently navigating, but they don’t have to figure it all out on their own. Poppulo is here to help demystify the technology and provide insight into how AI will shape the future of digital signage.