The death of HR comms: Why influence is the only way to drive real change

If you’ve worked in HR, you’ll know that we tend to exist in a world of two extremes—the light side and the dark side.

Most of my career has been on the light side, working inside HR teams, trying to make things better from within. But now, I’ve switched to the supplier side, working with organisations to challenge traditional thinking and rethink how we design learning, engagement, and leadership strategies.

At DisruptHR Norwich, I took to the stage to talk about something I’ve become increasingly passionate about—the power of influence in shaping a modern, people-powered strategy. Because let’s be honest, most organisations are still stuck in a broadcast mindset—telling people what to think, rather than creating spaces where people want to engage.

So let’s break it down. Here’s why influence—not broadcast—is the future of HR.

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The three big challenges HR and L&D teams face

If you ask HR and L&D leaders what’s keeping them up at night, you’ll probably hear something along these lines:

1. Building a true learning culture
2. Supporting a hybrid workforce
3. Embedding learning into the flow of work

These are the three biggest challenges reported in industry research, and let’s be real—none of them have a one-size-fits-all solution.

Now, some leaders still think the answer is simple: “Just bring everyone back to the office!”

That might help, sure. But the reality is far messier than that. And more importantly, it doesn’t actually tackle the real challenge—predicting and shaping the future of human interaction at work.

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Learning from the world outside work

Here’s the thing—HR doesn’t exist in a vacuum. If we want to figure out how to create better employee engagement, we need to stop looking inside HR for answers and start looking outside of work.

Think about Netflix, TikTok, or even Clubhouse (remember that?). These platforms don’t succeed because they broadcast a message—they succeed because they create interactive experiences where people feel engaged and part of something bigger.

Now, the challenge for HR is that many internal platforms and communication channels fail because they default to broadcasting rather than conversation.

Let me explain.

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Why your internal comms strategy isn’t working

There’s a fundamental difference between communication and conversation.

Too often, organisations think that sending an email or posting in a Slack channel equals engagement. But what actually happens?

👉 Leaders talk at people
👉 Trainers deliver one-way content
👉 Comms teams push out corporate messaging

None of that creates engagement.

Why? Because people don’t engage with corporate messaging—they engage with people like them.

We see this play out all the time. The most liked post on Instagram isn’t a corporate message—it’s an egg. The most viewed video on YouTube is Baby Shark. The most liked tweet of all time was a tribute to Chadwick Boseman.

What does this tell us? You can’t predict what will go viral.

So instead of trying to create corporate-approved viral content, organisations should focus on something much more effective:

Creating content that sparks conversation.

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The rise of Workplace Influencers

Now, when I say influencers, I don’t mean the people selling energy drinks, makeup, or fake tan on Instagram.

I mean real people in your organisation who already have credibility, respect, and a following—the ones that people listen to and trust.

Every organisation has them. The people that:

✔ Always get tagged in group chats because they actually know stuff
✔ Get asked for advice before anyone goes to HR
✔ Have a natural way of breaking things down and making sense of chaos

These internal influencers already exist in your organisation—but most companies fail to recognise or harness them.

Instead, they put all their energy into ambassadors, champions, and advocates—which, let’s be honest, are often people who were forced into the role rather than naturally drawn to it.

So how do we harness real influence inside an organisation?

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The four essential traits of an internal influencer

I’ve seen the power of social learning in aIf you want to build an influence-driven strategy, here are the four key things to focus on:

1. Characteristics – let them self-nominate

Never force someone to be an influencer. The best ones will self-nominate—they naturally step up and start sharing because they want to, not because they’re asked to.

2. Capability – teach them how to create engaging content

There’s actually a science behind social content. Did you know that the top 18 influencers on Instagram all show their left cheek to the camera? It’s called left-cheek bias, and it’s a real thing!

These little nuances matter—so if you want your internal influencers to be effective, give them the skills and knowledge to create authentic, engaging content.

3. Content – never script them

If you try to script an influencer’s message, it instantly kills the authenticity. Give them a brief, not a script. Let their real voice shine through—because that’s what people connect with.

4. Community – bring influencers together

A single influencer is powerful—but a network of influencers is unstoppable.

Create a community where they can learn from each other, support each other, and build engagement across different parts of the organisation.

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A people-powered future

HR cannot afford to be a broadcast function.

People don’t engage with corporate messages—they engage with other people.

So, if you want to create real learning, change, and engagement, the secret isn’t in more training, more comms, or more policies.

It’s in harnessing real influence from within your workforce.