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Happeo Unmuted, Episode 10 - Courage, Strategy, and Breaking the Cycle of Communication Gaps
Happeo Unmuted
Welcome to Happeo Unmuted, the podcast where we go beyond best practices to explore what really connects people at work. In this episode, Jesse Bourgeault-Trickey sits down with Priya Bates to discuss the strategic evolution of internal communications. From building courage and credibility to measuring real business impact, Priya shares her career-defining moments, common pitfalls organizations face, and why internal communicators must position themselves as part of a system for success.
Top 5 takeaways from Priya Bates on Happeo Unmuted:
1. Internal communicators need courage and accountability, not more complaints
Priya emphasizes that the profession must shift focus from complaining about lack of resources and respect to being accountable for real results. Internal communicators should focus on contributing to bottom-line outcomes and engaging employees to deliver on brand promises. She uses the quote from Albert Einstein: "the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result," encouraging professionals to do things differently to achieve different results.
2. Strategy must come before tactics in communication
The biggest challenge organizations face is the knee-jerk reaction to jump immediately to tactics when communication is identified as a problem, often skipping strategy. This leads to assigning communication tasks to junior or administrative staff who lack strategic training, perpetuating recurring issues. A holistic internal communication audit provides the strategic roadmap needed to identify gaps and create consistent employee experiences.
3. Tool adoption requires more than just availability
Using the Field of Dreams analogy, Priya warns that simply making a tool available does not guarantee effective use or contribution to efficiencies without proper process implementation. Successful adoption requires thinking about how the tool will be used, providing training and governance, maintaining relevant content, and measuring success beyond mere clicks to focus on organizational impact.
4. Survey fatigue is actually lack of action fatigue
What organizations call survey fatigue is really frustration over failed follow-through. Organizations either fail to act on survey results or neglect to inform employees of the actions taken. Effective reinforcement means consistent actions from leaders, highlighting recognition for achievements, and connecting requested actions with actual results—a process of showing and showcasing, not just repeating the same message.
5. Measurement is the biggest opportunity for internal communicators
Priya advocates for using metrics to demonstrate value and build credibility, even if it starts by showing what went wrong. This includes tracking often-overlooked outcomes like improvements in safety records, reduced liability or lawsuits related to non-compliance with policies, and better alignment with organizational goals. Building credibility involves delivering on strategic projects, measuring results, and creating case studies that demonstrate the link between successful communication and business results.
