It’s been a month since I went to Rachel Miller’s (allthingsic) strategic internal comms masterclass and I’m still energised and buzzing from the session. It was held in central london in an amazing venue called wallspace which was warm, creative and welcoming. As soon as I entered, I understood why Rachel had chosen this venue for her masterclasses.

When I read Rachel’s blog on her masterclass I knew it was something I had to do. The session promised to help us;

* Apply internal communication theory
* Equip us to have difficult conversations with our CEO and stakeholders
* Examine employee engagement and how it fits into organisations
* Understand the role of the modern senior communicator and their team
* Keep updated with the latest trends
* Analyse communication methods, including planning and stakeholders.

One of the key things I loved about this masterclass was the size of the session. It was purposely kept small and intimate (10 people). We were able to share ideas and thoughts without feeling overwhelmed or under pressure. The group I was with were fabulous and came from different organisations not only in the U.K. but from
across Europe as well.

Rachel kicked off the session with introductions and asked us why we were all there. This was great as it ensured that the session was tailored so it addressed everyone’s key concern. For me, as well as learning more about strategic internal comms, one key thing I wanted to take away from the session was measurement and how to do it successfully. This is one area that I do struggle with and I’m determined to get right as I know when it’s done correctly it can have such a massive impact on influencing key decision makers.

After intros, Rachel spoke about the evolution of Internal Comms and what it now means. This part of the session was fascinating. Like many others I ‘fell’ into internal communications and never really intended it to be my career. Listening to how internal comms came about was fantastic and gave me a greater understanding (and appreciation) for my profession.

The day flies by with lots of chatter, discussion and debate. We cover a range of subjects including what we need to do to move from good to great, how to become a trusted advisor, where does comms add value, what do we mean by engagement, how to develop a robust IC strategy plus much much more. I could have sat there until midnight listening, sharing and learning but sadly I had a train to catch and other people had lives to get on with.

One thing you need to understand about the masterclass, is that it’s not a ‘traditional’ training session – it’s not death by PowerPoint, you are not being spoken at for 8 hours and expected to jot down pages and pages of notes. It’s a collaborative session with conversation, sharing and learning. Rachel shares her experience, the tools that have been useful to her and insight on some really interesting case studies. Her delivery of the masterclass is brilliant and she ensures everyone has time for discussion and reflection.

I paid for this session myself and I don’t regret a penny, in fact I’d pay it all again!
I seriously urge you to get booked onto this day, I know spaces get sold out quickly so if you get a chance book on. I promise you will not regret a second. Oh I’m now that one step closer to nailing measurement 🙂 – thank you Rachel for a fabulous, insightful and interesting day – one of the best sessions I’ve attended!