As the digital employee experience continues to evolve, internal comms (IC) professionals are stepping into more strategic, tech-savvy, and creative roles. Here are five key trends shaping the future of internal comms in 2026, and how they connect to the digital employee experience.
IT functions can find themselves operating in a silo, focused on their own priorities that range from managing information security to technical debt. With so much IT orientated work to do, some IT teams can become disconnected from the broader business agenda and lose sight of the challenges the wider organisation is facing.
When IT isn’t fully plugged into business challenges the function can struggle to act as an enabler to the business, limiting the measurable impact of the department as a whole.
According to the IOIC, more than 50% of IC pros are using AI in some capacity. But the real benefit of such tools will be realised when IC teams switch from simply experimenting with AI, to using it strategically.
This means embedding AI into day-to-day work which can be done in the following ways:
In 2026, IC pros that embed AI strategically will be better equipped to meet employee expectations, personalise at scale, and prove the impact of their work with real-time insights.
In 2026, gut instinct won’t be enough. IC professionals must use data to demonstrate impact and guide decisions. This means moving beyond vanity metrics like email open rates and focusing on outcomes—did employees understand the message? Did your recent company announcement change employee behaviour? For example, it’s nice to know that 80% of staff read the CEO’s blog post, but it’s far more powerful to know that, after reading it, 60% can correctly articulate the company strategy (up from 30% before). Data can tell that story if you set the right KPIs and collect feedback.
Being data-driven also means listening. If employees prefer short videos over long articles, or express confusion about a policy, IC can adapt accordingly. This approach not only proves value to leadership but also enhances the digital employee experience by making communication more relevant and timely.
There was a lot of talk in 2025 about how IC professionals amplify and make authentic leadership comms. In 2026, IC professionals are stepping up as strategic advisors to leaders, shaping change initiatives, and helping leaders to consider how business goals will land.
Is there any surprise? In a 2025 IC survey, two in five communicators (39%) said they were being hampered by a lack of direction from the top –leaders not giving clear guidance or priorities – so no wonder 2026 is the year for takin the reigns. 70% of respondents to Gallagher’s State of the Sector report say their advice is being acted on. This highlights a meaningful sea-change in the role of IC.
With information overload a continuing theme in 2026, comms professionals look for more creative ways of landing their message. In the IoIC’s latest edition of the Voice magazine, 5 ways to storytell well are shared:
1. Stories only succeed when listeners care
A story only earns that title when there is an audience ready to engage with it. First you must understand your audience’s world and speak to what matters most to them.
2. You don’t have to be the hero of the story
It’s tempting to be the cheerleader for the company but setting others as the protagonist role adds depth and vulnerability, something employees deeply value in internal communication. For example, spotlighting customers makes the story a lot more human and more compelling.
3. Exploring a story rather than telling it, makes it more inspiring
Move beyond telling and create real experiences. Immersive formats like AR or AI let employees live the story, not just read it. People retain information more effectively when they are actively taking part in it.
4. Numbers have faces, statistics have stories
We are social beings, stories have more impact when see people, hear familiar names and can relate ourselves to those in the story. Bring a story to life by showing the real individuals behind the numbers. This can be difficult when delivering abstract strategy updates etc, but think about who are the real people involved? What’s the impact your company has on them? This can sometimes be a challenge, but it’s real people that audiences remember.
5. Clarity comes before the storytelling flair
We often rush to package messages with creative flair. But, if you don’t first nail the ‘what’ and the ‘why’ of the message, the story won’t land. Make the core message unmissable and crystal clear. That’s what earns trust and makes storytelling click.
The final trend is perhaps the most profound: internal comms is increasingly becoming the architect of the digital employee experience, not just the news and communications experience.
Everything an employee digitally touches—onboarding materials, tools, communities, recognition and change is now heavily informed by IC professionals.
Why is this trend taking hold? Because tech is finally delivering on the integrated platform experience that employees have needed for years. As one of the first business stakeholders to design and run a platform, IC professionals have deep experience that benefits those newer to the game.
Furthermore, Internal communicators are in a unique position to influence culture and morale. So, the role is stretching: comms teams are collaborating much more with Operations, HR, IT and other departments to make sure the employee experience is thoughtful and holistic.
By championing user-friendly design IC can reduce the “digital friction” that frustrates employees – things like not being able to find policies or having too many apps with inconsistent information.
If you want to understand the art of the possible, we can show you how you can deliver a digital employee experience that is so engaging, people simply can’t ignore it.
