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Will the real internal communicator please stand up?

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Will the real internal communicator please stand up?

Struggling with imposter syndrome? You’re not alone…

Imposter syndrome has been highlighted as something that holds internal communicators back. For example, one of the reasons we don’t measure is because we either don’t feel qualified to or we’re worried that it will show us up as the fraud we believe ourselves to be.

The same goes for challenging senior stakeholders. It’s an integral part of our job yet so often that little voice whispers in your ear “Who are you to speak up when there are far more important and capable people in the room?”.

Imposter syndrome is very real and can feel very crippling. Psychologists cite many reasons why people feel this way from the things we’re told about ourselves as children, to feeling different to everyone else because, for example, you’re the only woman in a room of men.

Internal communicators also have it tough as we’re working in a profession that is commonly seen as a nice-to-have and when you’re struggling to be heard or to have an impact every single day, it starts to take its toll on your confidence.

So how can we overcome this?

It’s good to talk

It can be tempting to think that everyone else knows what they’re doing. They don’t.

Many famous people have admitted to experiencing imposter syndrome from Maya Angelou, Tom Hanks, Sheryl Sandberg, Michelle Obama, former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultzand even Albert Einstein.

“The exaggerated esteem in which my lifework is held makes me very ill at ease. I feel compelled to think of myself as an involuntary swindler.” Albert Einstein.

Next time you’re in an important meeting and are looking at every person around the table in awe and wondering why you’re there, chances are many of them will be having internal monologues about how today might be the day they are finally found out.

It’s perfectly normal to experience self-doubt and the more we talk about it and share experiences we can start to understand the root causes and focus on creating and maintaining workplaces that are nurturing and supportive.

“I have written 11 books but each time I think “Uh oh, they’re going to find out now. I’ve run a game on everybody and they’re going to find me out.” Maya Angelou.

Run your own race

It’s tempting to look at a colleague who has a master’s degree in internal communication or who has been working in the industry for far longer than you and feel daunted. It can lead you to believe that their contribution in a meeting or to a project will be more insightful than yours.

Instead, focus on what you bring to the table. So, you don’t have a qualification or 20 years of experience but maybe you’ve spent the last three months running focus groups and listening to employees across the organisation. Or in your last role you successfully communicated during a huge transformation project. Or you recently attended a conference and picked up lots of tips from the speakers and case studies. Your contribution will be just as valuable as anyone else’s.

And remember, you wouldn’t be in that role, involved in that project or invited to that meeting if your colleagues didn’t think you were capable and had something to offer.

Invest in your CPD

It can be useful to reference things like courses, qualifications, books etc when recommending an approach to a campaign or when challenging a stakeholder as it adds a layer of credibility to what you’re saying.

However, it can also help to keep your impostor syndrome in check, whether you mention it to others or not, as it will give you the confidence that what you’re doing and saying is grounded in a strong foundation of industry knowledge and experience.

And it doesn’t have to cost money – there are plenty of free events, webinars, mentoring programmes and online guides that you can access.

Ask for feedback

Scary as it can feel, asking for feedback can be a useful way of overcoming imposter syndrome. Hearing what you do well from colleagues and peers can provide a huge confidence boost especially if you discover strengths you didn’t know you had.

And learning where there are opportunities to improve can be empowering. It allows you to focus on those areas and remove some of those niggling doubts about your capabilities.

Feedback doesn’t have to be formal either. If you see a colleague doing a great job – tell them! They might have no idea that others think that and instead are convincing themselves that they’re out of their depths.

It’s also important to remember that we can’t be great at everything. That doesn’t make you a fraud in your role. That’s why it’s so great to be part of a team where you can play to each other’s strengths. And if you’re a solo communicator, build relationships with other teams where you can collaborate and learn, or consider bringing in external help.

Give yourself a break

So what if sometimes you don’t know the answer, or you say something in a meeting that doesn’t land well? It happens to everyone and it’s how we learn and improve. It doesn’t mean you’re an imposter and that everyone has finally found you out.

Take some pressure off yourself and remind yourself of all the good things you’ve done that day, week, month or even year. If it helps, keep a list that proves you are good at your job and refer to that whenever you’re having a wobble.

“I still have a little [bit of] imposter syndrome, it never goes away, that you’re actually listening to me. It doesn’t go away, that feeling that you shouldn’t take me that seriously. What do I know?” Michelle Obama.

Ask for help

Sometimes impostor syndrome can be one element of a bigger issue and if you’re finding you are struggling with your mental health, don’t be afraid to ask for help, whether inside or outside your organisation. It’s important to thrive at work, not just survive.

When it comes to imposter syndrome it’s important to remember that you’re not alone and sometimes it can even be helpful to keep us grounded and driven to be the best we can be. But next time that little voice in your head starts whispering negative thoughts challenge it with all the great things you’ve achieved and then tell it to sit down and be quiet as you’ve got important work to do.

By Helen Deverell, for Alive with Ideas

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Jo Hobbs — Communications Manager

“Thanks for all your help. We are delighted with the campaign, both in terms of the creativity and messaging but also the thought taken over the rollout of the materials. All looks absolutely fabulous!”

Sarah Crowdy — Campaign and Media Officer Communications, South East Water

“We went to ‘Alive’ for ideas on how to run a specific employee program in Europe. Alan and his team were brilliant in coming up with fresh, creative and practical approaches. The team took charge and executed brilliantly. We are pleased with the progress made so far and hope to have the same level of partnership and commitment going forward.”

Sobha Varghese — Tata Consultancy Services

“Alive helped us create a video of our response to the floods of winter 2019. Our Chief Officer received messages from all round the country praising us for it and was really pleased with both the video and the response to it.”

Alexander Mills, Communications Manager — South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue

“We had the privilege to work with the Alive team. It was our first time to be involved in creating an animation for our patients within paediatrics. The team were approachable, friendly, creative and very accommodating. Your vision for what you want to create, is at all times acknowledged, appreciated and accommodated by the team. They worked effectively and with great passion towards our project and worked not only alongside health professionals but also our patients who really enjoyed the experience of working with the Alive team. It has given our team the confidence and inspiration to do further projects in the future. We highly recommend Alive and their exceptional team.”

DR ELENI ATHANASAKOS, Lead Paediatric Clinical Scientist — NHS Barts Health

“‘The short animation developed in co-production with clinicians and young people is outstanding! Informative, developmentally appropriate, vitally fun and engaging. We are really grateful for the expertise of the Alive with Ideas team for their innovative approach in building children’s health literacy.'”

Kath Evans — Director of Children’s Nursing at Barts Health

“Our mission was to update our brand visuals to better reflect our innovative and forward-thinking organisation. After receiving numerous pitches from different branding agencies, Alive stood out with their clear passion and understanding of our identity and goals. We thoroughly enjoyed working with the Alive Team to create an engaging new brand that we are immensely proud of.”

Lianne Springer — Communications and Engagement Lead

“Alive wowed us during the pitch process and they didn’t stop wowing us throughout the whole project. Every person we worked with at Alive were so friendly, knowledgeable and clearly passionate about what they do. They have worked with us to really understand what we do and have created a new brand and website that really stands out from our competitors. Thank you!”

Louise Burnard, Head of Marketing and Communications UK — Be | Shaping the Future

“I think the team have done such a brilliant job, particularly with responding to our requests. It's one of the best mental health videos I've ever seen. Very proud to be associated with your exemplary work. Thank you so much.”

Dr Anna Batho — Clinical Psychologist – Critical Care, UCLH

“We have worked with Alan, Caroline and the wider Alive With Ideas team for many years. In that time, they have provided a dedicated service that is second to none. We appreciate their attention to detail and creative approach to bringing our brand, communications and stories to life. And would recommend them to anyone looking for creative communications support.”

Georgia Beech — Internal Communications Specialist, Ocado Group

“This is brilliant. I wanted to give my heartfelt thanks to all of the team who worked on this. You all understood exactly what we wanted to communicate and why, and then managed to do it in a way that was far better than anything I could have imagined. I’m a bit choked up to be honest!”

Sarah Wright, Head of Communications and Campaigns — NEA

“Each time I work with the team, I am always stunned at the effort and creativity that goes into each detail and am always eager for the end result. The team is extremely accommodating and always provide a fresh approach to our projects that elevates our communications materials!”

Alana Khaytin, Communications Specialist — Braskem America

“What I really appreciate about Alive is that they work with us as partners, and care as much about getting it right for our patients as we do.”

Sara Langston, Patient Engagement & Marketing Manager — italk

“Alive are unique in how much they deeply listen and invest in you and your ideas. I have not come across a company that listens as much as they do to ensure your needs are understood and met (actually - they always exceed my needs and expectations). Everyone I recommend Alive to has an equally brilliant experience. When you work with Alive, you are not only getting some genius creativity brought into your life, you are also hanging out with some of the best examples of human beings I’ve ever known.”

Steph Tranter, Hybrid Exec Coach & Psychologist — StephTranter.com

“The (Alive) team were able to creatively pull together and document (in just over 2minutes) everything our service has achieved over the last few months, from thousands of prescriptions deliveries to hundreds of phone calls made to the vulnerable. The final product was so powerful and reflective of what our service has and continues to achieve. It couldn’t have been better received within the service – thanks Alive for once again helping us to communicate our vision!’”

Emma Wright — South Yorkshire & Rescue

“We worked with the team at Alive to create our staff recognition video.
At a time like this, its never been more important to share the amazing work that our staff have done and continue to do on a daily basis under very difficult circumstances. We wanted to shout about this and recognise that when the time came, South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue stepped up to the plate. We didn’t want an ordinary thank you post on social media or a basic email sent out internally, we wanted something special. Enter Alive. ”

Emma Wright — South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue

“Our company is fun, we have great brands, but most importantly we’re all about our people – and I wanted an agency who would understand that and help us bring it to life through our website and other comms. Straight away I felt that Alive ‘got’ us and provided the creative inspiration exactly where we needed it, as well as the technical expertise to deliver a well-functioning website.”

Keren McCarron, Head of Corporate Affairs & Communications — KP Snacks

“Boom!
Thank you so much. Incredible work done at incredible speed by incredible people.
Outstanding work as ever and what a turnaround. As for the concepts – wow. These are that good it would be an insult to describe them as just good. It’s a joke, quite frankly. This is exactly the Alive effect I was after. Right now I feel like I am living in an Alive With Ideas wonderland. Thank you!”

Jack Grasby, Campaigns Manager — SYFR

“If you are looking to improve creativity and build teamwork, I highly recommend a session like this for your team. No matter where you are in your creativity journey, a workshop like this can give your team a boost of energy and ideas to invigorate their creative thinking.”

Amy Lilja, IC Manager — Hennepin Healthcare

“Alive were there to help when we were working every hour to respond to the coronavirus outbreak. They gave us the creativity, ideas and support we needed to deliver campaigns which empowered our residents in the most difficult time most of us have ever seen, personally and professionally. The team understood what we needed, worked closely with us and delivered fast without any compromise on quality. Working with Alive has been a joy in the darkest of times and I have no doubt will have helped to save lives. Thanks team x”

Julie Odams, Assistant Director of Communications & Customers — Derbyshire County Council

“We got 'Alive' involved to help us shift mindsets across our organisation and they delivered! Using simple, clear and creative ideas the team have delivered us a campaign which has seen a dramatic increase in idea sharing and development. They’ve also played a significant role in creating a culture of shared success. I wouldn’t hesitate to work with again, in fact, we already are!”

Gavin Buckle — B&Q
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