Internal Communications Manifesto: Rebuilding Trust from the Inside Out
Bridging the Leadership Divide: Communications Strategy to Rebuild Internal Trust
Summary:
Tasked with working with senior management and the internal communications team of a major health network to restore transparency and credibility during an internal culture crisis, I developed a comprehensive internal communications strategy to reconnect and restore transparency and trust between executive leadership and clinicians and staff.
Challenge / Need:
Amid downsizing and morale erosion, middle managers and frontline staff felt disconnected and disillusioned. Leadership acknowledged the problem but lacked a structured way to reestablish trust and convey long-term transparency.
Strategic Approach:
I created a multi-phase internal communications blueprint that began with discovery interviews and audience segmentation, leading to a robust messaging strategy backed by voice-aligned templates and feedback mechanisms.
Execution:
I delivered a full internal communications toolkit: talking points, email campaigns, a manifesto aligning values with transparency goals, and a set of measurement tools to track engagement and sentiment. The plan included a brand voice elaborative and implementation guides.
Results:
The strategy was enthusiastically approved by executive leadership and prepared for rollout—before it was halted by an ironic, sudden mass layoff that confirmed the very staff concerns we aimed to address. Even in suspension, the blueprint was seen as a valuable framework for future use.