Legacy competency frameworks have served us well, but they were built for a different era — one of predictable channels, slow change and manual delivery.Now, AI can create content, analyse data and orchestrate channels faster than we ever could. But it can’t empathise, influence or inspire.
That’s where the People-First IC Capability Model comes in. A prototype for a changing profession, it reframes what it means to be a communicator in the age of AI — built on three layers that together define the future-ready practitioner:
- Human strengths – our IC ‘superpowers’
- Strategic skills – our learned capabilities
- Foundational capabilities – the essential building blocks that still matter, but matter differently
These are the qualities AI can’t replicate — the deeply human abilities that build trust, connection and resilience in times of change.
- Empathy – understanding how others feel and designing communication that connects emotionally.
- Curiosity – asking better questions, exploring new perspectives and fuelling innovation.
- Resilience – staying grounded and adaptable amid uncertainty.
- Creativity – seeing new patterns, reframing challenges, experimenting boldly.
- Influence – shaping perceptions and decisions through insight, storytelling and relationships.
- Courage – speaking truth to power and challenging outdated ways of working.
These strengths aren’t nice-to-haves; they’re the differentiators that will define our future relevance.
Tomorrow’s communicators will need to blend human strengths with a suite of strategic skills that elevate their impact:
- Human-centred design – seeing communication as an experience, not just a message.
- Behavioural science – understanding what drives people’s choices and actions.
- Systems thinking – mapping the bigger picture of how culture, structure and communication interact.
- Facilitation & coaching – helping others collaborate, converse and connect.
- AI-augmented practice – partnering with intelligent tools to accelerate, not replace, human insight.
- Stakeholder engagement – building coalitions of support and shaping decision-making from within.
These are the skills that turn communicators into catalysts for change.
Core IC tasks such as content creation, channel management and measurement still matter. But they’re no longer our defining value.AI will increasingly automate these activities, freeing communicators to focus where it counts: human experience, strategic insight and meaningful connection. Ask yourself:
- Which tasks could AI support or automate?
- Where can I refocus my time for greatest human impact?
Recalibrating our work means doubling down on what makes us uniquely human.
To thrive in this new world, we must learn to think like experience designers — empathising deeply with employees, designing from their perspective, and focusing on what people need to feel and do, not just think and know.
When we view communication as a series of human moments rather than a cascade of messages, everything changes. We stop broadcasting and start connecting.
