Hello Reader,

How are you?

Last week was Dharini's (my sister and CommsRebel’s Chief Operating Officer) 40th birthday, so we took her on a surprise birthday trip to Mexico. It was a wonderful break, where we were lucky enough to see humpback Whales and some glorious sunsets.

L-R Dharini (my sister), my mum and I stood on a beach with a sunset behnd us

I’m now back working with my fabulous clients and CommsRebel team, delivering some great projects, including supporting a culture change following a merger and acquisition, a digital transformation programme for a new platform, and a comms and engagement strategy for an EDI team at a global organisation.

As the CommsRebel team grows, we have additional capacity to take on more projects. If you fancy working with a consultancy with a difference, reply to this email, and let’s chat about how we might be able to help.

Earlier this week, I was featured in PR Week’s Power List alongside some pretty impressive people. As chuffed as I am for this recognition, it’s important to note that people won’t remember you because you were on a list. They’ll remember you for your kindness and support. I also shared that I’d been chosen to be part of the CSW68 UN Women delegation. If you want to know more about this great initiative, I’ve spoken about this on my Instagram post.

On that note, as it’s International Women’s Day, I want to thank all the women and allies who have been highly supportive of me and the work I do. If you’ve ever recommended me to anyone, shared details of my book, or asked folks to follow me - I’m beyond grateful.

I wouldn’t be who I am with you.

As I shared in my last newsletter, we must move beyond meaningless gestures and take effective action to achieve greater gender equality. I shared my three LinkedIn pledges on what I’ll do #InvestInWomen for the next 12 months. I also spoke about International Women's Day on a podcast interview with the fab folks at Pagoda—have a listen and let me know what you think.

That’s it for now. I hope you enjoy the update this week. Have a great couple of weeks, and I’ll speak with you soon.

Advita

Internal Comms and IWD

International Women’s Day, the annual global celebration of women's achievements while advocating for gender equality, took place today. This year’s official theme, set by the United Nations, is “Invest in women: Accelerate progress.” In a new blog on CommsRebel.com, we take a closer look at internal communications' role in empowering women in the workplace.

What is an inclusive culture?

We often discuss the red flags to look out for when discussing inclusive culture - but what about green flags? Here are some of the signs that demonstrate an inclusive culture:

Feedback is encouraged, and answers to questions are always given, even if it isn’t the answer people want to hear.
People feel comfortable speaking up if they disagree, and no one believes they’ll be penalised for sharing their thoughts.
Colleagues are expected to take personal accountability for inclusion and are actively encouraged to learn about DE&I.
Communication is accessible and inclusive because learning styles have been considered across the organisation.
All colleagues have the opportunity to contribute thoughts and ideas, ensuring that every voice is heard.

Download my free inclusive communication checklist to help you get started.

Catch up on CuriousRebel TV!

Series two of CuriousRebel TV, my LinkedIn TV show, has featured some excellent special guests, including Faryal Mirza, Clare Plant, Lesley Woods, John Porter and Chaya Mistry. You can watch previous episodes via YouTube and LinkedIn. Today I chatted with Eduvie Martin, Group Internal Comms Manager at BAT and President-Elect of IABC UK&I, about creativity in internal communications.

Get a budget boost with a business plan

Writing a business plan is one of the best skills I’ve learned as an internal communications professional. If your budget year ends this month, you’ll probably be asked for your projected spending for the coming year. A compelling business plan may help you get your requested budget.

Here are some things to consider:

1) What are your key objectives? Why do you need additional resources, and how do they clearly align with the corporate goals?

2) What’s the current state analysis of internal communication? Analyse the function, showing highlights and areas of improvement.

3) Competitor analysis: What are competitors doing, and what does good practice look like for your organisation?

4) What’s the return on investment? If the business invests £150,000 on a new platform, how will you demonstrate how the investment will be paid off, e.g. will it help improve performance, build better teams, etc?

5) How will you spend the investment? Be specific with spend and clearly articulate the breakdown. If you’re not brilliant with numbers, I highly recommend the finance for non-finance manager programme.

6) What are the risks and challenges with the proposed changes? Also, share the consequences of what would happen if you didn’t receive the investment.

7) How will you measure success? What will be your Key Performance Indicators, and how will you track them?

8) Provide alternative solutions to the proposed challenge, with costs included.

9) Always give a realistic timeline with clear milestone checkers.

10) Go back to the beginning and write a short but compelling executive summary about your request—it should be no longer than a few paragraphs.

Give the business case a go, and let me know how you get on!