Six skills for better internal communications in 2026


Despite shifts away from hybrid work, AI’s increasing presence in the workplace, and more, employees still want clear, relevant and human communication.

Workshop’s What modern communication actually looks like in 2026 webinar covered six skills to improve internal communications in 2026.

Data fluency: Know what you need to measure, how to read that data and connect the dots between those communication measurements and the outcomes. 

AI-assisted personalization: Move beyond “Hi [first name],” to customizing your communications by role, location or tenure; sending them from a relevant leader; and prioritizing smaller lists over big blasts. It can be as simple as creating a little section in the communication that changes depending on who the employee is.

Authentic storytelling: Use a warm, clear and conversational voice (skip the memo-speak), use real photography instead of stock or AI-generated images and write creative employee spotlights.

Channel orchestration: You will never reach all of your employees through one channel. Use email for announcements, chat for gentle nudges and Brief for a source of truth.

Manager communications: Teaching managers how to communicate isn’t just about more or better presentations. It’s about helping them with:

  • Listening: Create situations where they are able to hear their teams’ needs and wants, and give them a space to react and ask questions.
  • Facilitation: Ensure they are able to do something with the information they get from their teams.
  • Collaboration: Connect them to each other and others in the organization who can help.

Automation and AI: Leverage AI to help with automated workflows for reminder or recurring emails; and drafting subject lines, summaries and image suggestions. Remember that you’ll always have to check anything it generates for voice, tone and factual information.

For questions or assistance improving your internal communications in 2026, reach out to the University Marketing Communications Internal Communications team at [email protected]. 

Topics: Internal Communications