Hey there, I'm Devin!
Most of the time you can catch me deep in the world of internal comms at Workshop (yes, the Happy Mondays folks!), and while I love AI, there are just some comms questions that need a human who really gets it… that’s me!
Devin,
We had a transition in our most senior leadership. Their only touchpoint with employees is a quarterly all-staff meeting, but they are strongly opposed to recording those meetings or sharing any kind of recap. Nothing discussed is very controversial, yet this this approach has certainly contributed to distrust and misalignment.
Do you have ideas on something else I could try, that might be in my power? Or how internal comms managers can support employees when it feels like their hands are being tied by leadership?
Oof — I can totally see how this setup would feel frustrating, especially when employees are craving more visibility and might be used to a prior leader sharing more. Even so, I think you’re in a solid place to make some small shifts that could have a big impact, without needing to convince your leadership to completely 180 their preferences.
One idea: would the leader be open to a recurring Q&A? A simple form (I really like Typeform) that’s always open lets employees submit questions ahead of each quarterly meeting. It creates a two-way channel, even if the format stays the same, and helps the content feel more grounded in what people actually want to hear about. We do this and allow employees to submit questions anonymously, and I send reminders in Slack every so often to prompt submissions.
Another light-lift option: could you send a brief follow-up message that highlights a few key points from the meeting? It doesn’t need to be positioned as a formal recap. Even something like, “Here are a few themes from today’s all-staff” or “What stood out this quarter” can go a long way in reinforcing what was said — without needing a recording.
I’ve also seen leaders warm up to short written updates. At Workshop, our CEO sends a weekly “Friday Focus” email — just a simple, consistent note that shares what he’s thinking about, where the company’s headed, and how we’re doing. It’s not fancy at all, but it helps folks who don’t work with him often feel connected to his perspective. Honestly, this is something I’ve seen leaders across industries lean into. You can even help with ghostwriting by pulling from what you heard at the all-staff and drafting suggested talking points.
I know these kinds of moves won’t fully replace direct access, but they can help close the gap — or at least scratch that itch! And who knows, they might even nudge leadership toward more transparency over time.
