Why it’s time the language of internal comms grew up.

Emma Bridger

Minutes
13th June 2025
Employee Experience,
Internal Communication,
Human-centred

The language of internal comms hasn’t kept up. And that’s a problem.

There’s a debate doing the rounds on LinkedIn about whether we should still be using words like “audience” in internal communication. And while it might sound like a semantic nitpick, I believe it points to something much deeper.

I've been in IC since 1998. And the fact that we're still using the same language today — audience, message, cascade, channels — reveals just how little has really changed in the way we think about our role.

Language isn’t just how we communicate — it shows how we think.

The language of ‘expert-led IC’ is holding us back.

These legacy terms come from what we call an ‘expert-led’ model of IC:

“Audience” implies employees are passive — just there to receive.
“Cascade” reinforces top-down control — as if communication flows like water from the C-suite.
“Message” frames comms as something we send, not something we co-create.
“Channels” reveal our obsession with delivery — not with whether the communication actually connects.

It’s the language of an expert-led model: polished, controlled by IC pros as experts. It reflects a worldview where IC professionals know best, making assumptions about what people want and what will work.

But the world of work has moved on — radically.

Enter People-First Internal Communication.

Our new model of IC is built on one big truth: employees aren’t an audience. They’re people.

They don’t want to be talked at — they want to feel heard, understood, and involved. And they want a great IC experience.

At its heart this is what People-First Internal Communication is all about. It’s a shift from communication as output to communication as experience. From one-size-fits-all messages to emotionally intelligent design. From expert-led to employee-centred.

The language we use shows what model we’re operating in.

Other fields have made the shift — why haven’t we?

We’re not the only ones who’ve faced this reckoning.

HR dropped “personnel” for “People & Culture.”
Marketing stopped pushing products and started building “customer journeys.”
Tech stopped talking about “users” and started designing for humans.

They updated their language because they updated their thinking.IC needs to do the same — urgently.

Why now? Because the stakes are higher than ever.

As our People-First IC model outlines, we’re now in an era shaped by two massive forces:

1. Rising employee expectations – people want communication that feels like Netflix, not a corporate intranet circa 2003.

2. The rise of AI – automation will handle a lot of our expert tasks. But it can’t replace empathy, emotional intelligence, or trust.

If we keep clinging to the language (and mindset) of expert-led IC, we risk becoming irrelevant — or replaced.

What needs to happen?

Let’s start with the basics:
 
  • Retire outdated terms like “audience,” “cascade,” “message”
  • Adopt people-first language that reflects how work and workers have changed
  • Rethink our role — not as content experts, but as experience designers
  • Use AI to free up time — and invest that time in creating connection and trust

This isn’t about ditching our expertise. It’s about redirecting it — from control to co-creation.

So is it really just semantics?

No. Because language drives mindset. And mindset drives behaviour.

If we want to transform internal comms, we can start by changing the words we use — and what they reveal about how we see our people.

Final thought: Let this be the wake-up call.

We’ve spent decades talking about engagement, impact, and influence. But many of our words still belong to another era. If we want internal comms to survive, and more importantly, to lead, we need to speak like it’s 2025, not 1995.

This isn’t just evolution. It’s transformation. And the words we choose will play a critical role.

If you want to hear more about People-First IC make sure you sign up to our webinar.