🌲 Internal Communications Introductions: Meet Netta Conyers-Haynes

VP, Communications at Sequoia Consulting Group

I enjoyed talking with Netta Conyers-Haynes to learn about her career path. This is her internal communications story.

About Netta

Netta is a connector of people, ideas, and information. She describes her internal communications role as the eyes, ears, and voice of the company. “A good internal communicator sees and feels what’s happening in an organization, actively and openly listens to people, and creates dialogue and opportunities to foster understanding, community, and alignment.” - Netta

What sparked your professional path into Internal Communications?

I began my career in Public Relations after deciding to forgo a career in journalism. At that time, internal communications was considered a function of the human resources department and there weren’t many practitioners. It wasn’t until I joined Kaiser Permanente in 2007 that I began to focus on internal communications and began to understand the value of the practice, especially for large organizations.

As a storyteller or corporate journalist, I was drawn to the opportunity to tell stories that inspire and connect employees to something bigger.  

How do you describe internal communications to others?

I tell my children I'm a communications engineer! Just having the word engineer attached to my job description seems pretty cool to them. I develop content, design channels, and build connections, so I’m engineering how data and messages are sent and received between parties. 

The simpler definition is that I connect people to each other and the information they need to understand the company, what’s expected of them, and how they can be most effective in their roles. Communicators — whether internal or external -- wear many hats. I’m a translator who listens to what is desired to be converted and I create simple messages and channels to reach people.  to their team or how to reinforce important thoughts we want everyone to know and embrace. It's a lot about understanding people, what motivates them and how they interpret messages. 

So much of leadership is about communicating well across different groups. Especially at a time like now, when we're trying to work closer together while we’re further apart because of the pandemic. Communication is one of the most critical factors to help sustain a culture and a company during trying times. 

What is one project you are particularly proud to have accomplished?

I’ve had the opportunity to work on many incredible projects that stretched my skills and capabilities. I’ll always be proud of challenging projects like organizational change initiatives or responding to crises like the pandemic. Hats off to all internal communicators who’ve had to pivot during company shutdowns and navigate the challenges of a distributed workforce. Many of us had to rethink what, when, where, and how we communicate with employees during this past year. 

The project I’m most proud to have accomplished was connecting Facebook employees to the company’s mission through a storytelling campaign I launched. It was challenging, creative, and allowed me to connect with many employees across the company — it had all the elements I love about internal communications. 

I partnered with a Stanford Graduate School professor to teach employees how to effectively tell a story, which is a skill used in their profession and it was training for my project. To simplify collecting stories, I commissioned a portable video recording booth for employees to privately record their story and share it on social channels. I also took that opportunity to tell the company’s historical story through an interactive digital experience where visitors and employees learned how the company’s mission was impacting lives. Developing storytellers and telling stories, the best of both worlds.

What are the skills that are most important for someone to succeed in Internal Communications? 

Definitely creative storytelling. There’s a lot of information coming at employees and there’s a lot for them to digest. As communicators, we need to think about how to develop and deliver content in a way that’s engaging, insightful, and worth their time. That means we need to be creative in which channels we use, how we craft the message, and even how it’s delivered.

Equally important is good listening skills. Internal communicators are the eyes and ears of the organization. We need to have a pulse on what’s happening and what’s important to employees and leaders so that we can bridge gaps and create alignment. 

How do you continue learning about the field of Internal Communications?

I love talking to people who are in the field. It’s a great way to learn. My friend Lisa Chen started a group for internal communicators. It’s informal. We meet up once a month and identify a couple of case studies that we want to address and share learnings with each other. 

I've always been an advocate of PRSA and IABC (International Association of Business Communicators). There are a lot of organizations that hold really insightful webinars and conferences. I encourage everyone to really take time to attend those events and invest in yourself and your career. 

I also make it a point to mentor and connect with young professionals; you can learn a lot from people who are at different points in their career. There's so many fresh ideas and new perspectives out there.

Internal communication has evolved over time. It’s more than just delivering information to employees. It’s also about listening to employees and understanding what motivates them, how they’re feeling about, and what brings them inspiration. Employees have taught me that. Who better to learn from than the audience you’re communicating to?  

Is there anything I didn’t ask you that I should have asked you?

I love how internal communications has gained more recognition in recent years. The function has been on display during the pandemic as many companies were forced to shift to a distributed environment overnight. Prioritizing and investing in internal communications can help create more engaged, informed, and connected cultures.