Recalibrate and Rise: The Skills IC Needs for the Age of AI

Emma Bridger

Minutes
10th September 2025
Internal Communication 
People First
AI
Employee Experience
Internal communication is at a crossroads. For decades, our craft has been built on technical expertise: writing, planning, channel management. But AI now does much of that faster, sometimes better. At the same time, employees are demanding a more human experience of work: transparency, fairness, connection.

The challenge isn’t how to produce more content. It’s how to design communication experiences that truly shape how people feel, think, and act at work.

That’s why we’ve developed the People-First IC Capability Model and a brand-new self-assessment diagnostic. Together, they reframe what makes IC professionals indispensable today.

The diagnostic guides you through three layers:

  • Human Superpowers — the deeply human strengths AI can’t replicate.
  • Strategic Skills — the applied tools that turn strengths into impact.
  • Foundational Capabilities — still necessary, but increasingly automated.

By scoring yourself and reflecting on your practice, you’ll identify your unique mix of strengths, skills, and growth areas. It’s not just about survival, it’s about leading the profession into a people-first future.

Access the self-assessment here and create your personal roadmap for growth.
This launch also marks the lead-up to our new book, People-First Internal Communication, out December 3rd. The book explores how communicators can shift from content producers to human experience designers, and why that evolution is essential for the future of work.

The opportunity is clear: let AI handle the delivery, while we double down on what makes us most human.

It’s time to recalibrate and rise.