Natalie Deacon, head of communications UK, Avon

To succeed in internal communications you can’t just rely on great communications skills. These are the top 5 skills I look for: excellent stakeholder management, networking skills, creativity, organisation skills and audio-visual and digital communications skills.

As traditional long-form text is supplemented by new channels, audio-visual and digital savvy is crucial. I need people to be able to do some basic coding, set up a video, manage an intranet, develop an infographic. And I’d stress that stakeholder management and networking skills are essential if you’re going to effectively manage both up and across the organisation. IC is not one-way top- down message management. It’s about acting an organisation connector, creating dialogue and understanding how people are feeling and thinking.

Most people in internal comms get there through other routes. And I think that’s a good thing – broader experience enhances our ability to understand how businesses work and to deliver.

Steve Doswell, chief executive, Institute of Internal Communication

IC people have often had some exotic backgrounds – my favourite example: an excellent practitioner turned academic who entered IC as a fully qualified ocean-going yacht skipper! But as a profession, IC needs common standards of practice and a coherent framework of skills, from strategy and planning to execution and evaluation. That calls for some system of accreditation and that’s why IoIC offers externally- accredited foundation and advanced diplomas. The sector has evolved and organisations need IC input as well as output. Once trusted to write, now a trusted advisor, the IC pro is increasingly required to build trust by equipping leaders to be effective communicators. Alongside the mix of craft, creative and technical skills, today’s IC pro also needs business acumen, influencing, coaching and consultancy skills.

Andrew Harvey, executive director – head of internal communications practice, VMA Group

I would encourage people once they’re in it, to study the theory behind internal comms. Whether you’re an athlete or an accountant, an HR manager or a marketing manager, I think any route is fine because you always bring some value depending on where you come from. But once you get into that career, rather than just say ‘I fell into it and this is what I do.’ Say, ‘I may have fell into it, but actually now, I’ve really started to study and I’ve started to read all those books that are out there on employee engagement and internal comms, I’ve joined an industry body, I’ve been on a course and I’ve been to a particular university that may offer a postgraduate diploma and I’ve immersed myself in the theory and the knowledge behind best practice.’

Padraic Knox, internal communications manager, Vodafone

Successful internal comms professionals needs to clearly understand the difference between external and internal comms, underpinned with the basics of employee engagement. The purpose of our role is to link and support employees and the business with a company’s strategies and goals. As IC professionals, we need to understand our most unique group of customers. Serious consideration and focus is essential to supporting them do better in the roles and how we can equip them with the information they need to excel.

A lot of internal comms professionals have ended up here by accident or chance...For me our profession is growing in credibility and reputation, over the last number of years I am always encouraged by the number of candidates from graduate programs interested in breaking in. It promising to see high potential and clued in grads giving it consideration. These graduates starting off their careers who get in early will become the life and blood of our industry, the ones who will bring creativity, innovation and drive IC full steam ahead in the years to come.