Internal Communications Trends 2026: Why It’s Time to Stop Playing the Victim
It’s prediction season — the time of year when every new Internal Communications Trends Report promises insight into the future of our profession. I’ve just finished reading the Workshop Internal Communications Trends Report 2026, and to be honest, the results concern me.
As we head into 2026, the data points to something deeper than channel preferences or shifting priorities. It reveals a profession stuck in a victim mindset: talking about what we can’t do instead of taking ownership of what we can.
The resourcing story we need to stop telling
Here’s what jumped out:
Only 44% say they have the resources to deliver their internal comms strategy.
82% believe there is room for more budget.
Just over half feel they have a solid IC foundation in their organisation.
Outside email, the next best-rated channel — in-person events — scores only 35%.
Here’s the reality check: you must build a strategy that matches your resources.
If you walk into the year knowing you have a saloon-car budget, don’t design a Ferrari strategy and then blame the car.
This mismatch is one of the biggest causes of internal comms frustration — and it is completely avoidable.
The contradictions we need to fix in 2026
The report revealed several contradictions that will hold our profession back unless we address them.
1. Intranets: the “most difficult channel”… and the top priority
If intranets are consistently ranked as hard to manage, hard to govern and hard to measure, why are we doubling down without rethinking our approach?
A channel isn’t strategic simply because it’s expensive or time-consuming — it’s strategic when it delivers value.
2. Manager communication: biggest trend, lowest capability
Manager communication tops the trend list at 56%, yet only 4% of communicators believe managers are effective communicators.
Let’s be honest: unless managers understand their role and are given the skills and tools to deliver, we’re just throwing information over the fence and hoping something sticks.
3. Engagement remains the top goal — but it’s the wrong one
I’ve said this before: we are past engagement.
If internal communicators want more impact, focus on:
Trust
Clarity
Business value
Engagement is an outcome, not a strategy.
Employee listening: consistency beats convenience
While teams say they want to listen more, 37% admit they only gather employee feedback “when they have time.”
Listening cannot be an occasional activity. It must be a system, not a side-project.
That said, I was encouraged by this quote from the report:
“We have a very strong feedback and listening strategy which directly influences our priorities and also the recommendations we make to our executives and managers.”
More of that, please.
Employee influencers: a promising shift
It was encouraging to see 41% of communicators prioritise employee influencers.
Not in the social-media-celebrity sense (sadly) — but as trusted internal voices who shape culture, reinforce priorities and strengthen trust.
This is a healthy move. People trust people — and organisations with strong internal advocacy outperform those without it.
It’s time to stop waiting for permission
If there’s one message the 2026 Internal Communications Trends Report makes clear, it’s this:
We need to stop thinking like victims of circumstance and start acting like strategic owners of communication inside our organisations.
Match your strategy to your resources.
Stop over-prioritising channels that aren’t delivering.
Build manager capability, don’t just identify the problem.
Listen consistently, not sporadically.
Focus on trust and business value, not just engagement.
Because here’s the truth:
When internal comms shows its value, the resources follow.
