
WHITEPAPERS
At a time of tumultuous change and uncertainty, it pays to take stock. To look at how work and the working environment is being utterly transformed, and with it the role of internal communicators.
What exactly is our role now and what should it be? What’s changing and what needs to change?
And when we ourselves can contribute to and control the change agenda, why are too many of us holding back waiting for direction from someone else?
These are just some of the questions we address in our new white paper, The Changing Role of Internal Communications in Corporate Communications, written by Katie Marlow, founder and CEO of Little Bird Communication.
She has drawn upon extensive international research, and incorporates insights from some of the world’s most respected voices in internal communications to assess the challenges facing IC, and how to overcome them to cement the function’s position as a critical business driver.
Katie explores the changing role of IC in the context of the current changing work environment and where we’ve come from as an industry, the evolving expectations of what we do, how we need to focus less on tactics and outputs, and more on strategy and outcomes. How we need to shift from being the reactive order taker to proactive trusted advisor.

Katie Marlow
Director and Communication Lead
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In an environment where timely communication can make or break the student experience, traditional methods like bulletin boards and email often fall short. Digital signage fills this gap by delivering messages instantly and visually, ensuring critical information reaches the right audience at the right time. It’s not just about convenience—it’s about creating a connected, informed campus community. The benefits speak for themselves. Digital signage enhances safety with rapid emergency notifications, boosts engagement through interactive and eye-catching content, and strengthens university culture by showcasing achievements and campus events. To help you plan and execute a successful digital signage rollout, we’ve created a comprehensive guide, complete with practical templates. You’ll find resources for defining objectives, assessing campus needs, selecting the right technology, building a content strategy, managing launch and training, and measuring success. Use this framework to ensure your digital signage implementation is organized, strategic, and impactful.
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: Stephanie Cornell, Head of People Communications & Marketing, WPP Annabelle Gordon, Director of Employee Communications, Super Regine Nelson, Director of Internal Communications, Couchbase Stacie Barrett, Former Director of Internal Communications, Domino’s 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