What’s Blocking Internal Communication Success?
Every year, Gallagher drops its State of the Sector report, and every year, I read it with a mix of curiosity and existential dread. The freshly released 2025 edition tackles the same question that haunts IC pros everywhere: What’s blocking internal communication success?
If you’ve spent any time in this field, you already know the usual suspects—lack of leadership alignment, resource constraints, and a fundamental misunderstanding of what IC is actually supposed to do. (No, Karen, we’re not just here to “make it pretty.”)
Let’s break down the key blockers from the report, and I’ll share some advice on how to tackle them—because while you could just sigh dramatically and power through, wouldn’t it be nice to actually make some progress?
First, what does success even look like?
According to the report, IC teams are judged on three primary success indicators:
Behavior change—Getting employees to actually do something different after they’ve read, heard, or watched your comms.
Employee engagement—That elusive metric where people don’t just show up but care about what’s happening.
Vision and strategy awareness—Ensuring employees understand where the company is going (which is tricky when leadership hasn’t exactly figured that out themselves—more on that later).
Now, let’s talk about what’s getting in the way.
1. No universal definition of IC’s purpose
The report highlights a common problem: no two IC teams seem to have the same job description. Unlike finance or HR, where roles are fairly standard, IC is a wild west of self-determination. One company sees IC as a strategic driver of business success, while another still thinks we’re here to format PowerPoint slides.
If your leadership team isn’t setting the purpose for IC (and let’s be honest, they probably aren’t), then it’s on you to define it. That’s exactly why I developed a framework for an IC road show—because sometimes, you need to show your value rather than just tell. Want to learn how to position IC as a strategic business partner? Check it out here.
2. Lack of time or capacity
Surprise, surprise—IC teams are stretched thin. The function has always been underfunded and understaffed, yet expectations keep growing. But before you resign yourself to an inbox full of “urgent” (but not actually urgent) requests, ask yourself: Do you really not have enough time, or are you just spending it on the wrong things?
False comms crises—usually caused by poor planning or a lack of IC awareness—are a huge time drain. As the report suggests, start tracking how you actually spend your time. Log your activities in 15-minute intervals for a few days, and you might be shocked at where your hours are going. For more ways to claw back your sanity, here are eight of my favorite time-saving hacks.
3. Change fatigue
There are three certainties in a professional’s life: death, taxes, and yet another organizational change. Employees are exhausted, and honestly, IC pros are too. But since “make change stop” isn’t an option, the best approach is to make it suck less.
The key? Be transparent, listen to concerns, provide support, and communicate consistently. Not rocket science, but you’d be amazed how many organizations get this wrong. Need a deeper dive? Here’s my guide to mastering change communication.
4. Poor communication from leaders
Everyone’s a communicator… but very few people are good at it. Senior leaders and managers often struggle to engage, inform, and inspire their teams—not for lack of trying, but because no one ever taught them how to do it well.
This is where IC pros need to step up as coaches and educators. You don’t have to be a leadership whisperer overnight, but you can start guiding leaders to communicate more effectively. Here’s how to kickstart those coaching conversations.
5. Lack of clear direction from leadership
And finally, the one that makes IC pros stare into the abyss: working for a company that has no clear goals.
I’ve worked with (and for) organizations that are basically just a bunch of people doing a bunch of random things, with no overarching vision or alignment. When leadership can’t articulate the strategy, IC has to step in—not to make things up, but to help clarify and translate whatever vague direction exists into something employees can actually act on.
This is why I republish my article on leading IC in goal-less environments every year—because some things never change. Read it here.
Let’s Fix This!
IC success isn’t about pumping out more content—it’s about making smarter choices with your time, setting boundaries, and coaching the people around you to communicate better.
