For decades, internal communication teams have been measured by how many memos they send, how many all-staff emails they blast out, or how slick their intranet updates look. But according to Kevin Ruck, a veteran internal comms specialist and co-founder of the PR Academy, this approach misses the point entirely.

“Too many organizations still treat internal comms like a corporate megaphone, just pushing messages downward,” Ruck told delegates at last month’s AMEC Global Summit in Vienna. “The real value isn’t in what you say to employees. It’s in how you listen to them.”

The Listening Gap in Corporate Communication

Ruck, who led British Telecom’s internal comms team in the late 1990s when the field was still in its infancy said many companies today still underestimate the power of two-way dialogue.

“Annual employee surveys? That’s not listening,” he said. “If you gather feedback but don’t act on it or even acknowledge it, you’re not engaging, you’re just ticking a box.”

His research, analyzing 60 academic and industry reports, found that organizations with strong listening cultures see:

  • Higher employee engagement
  • Better change management during crises
  • Stronger alignment between leadership and staff

Yet, despite the evidence, many companies still prioritize broadcasting over conversation.

The Risks of Ignoring Employee Voices

Ruck warned that failing to listen has real consequences.

  • Employees who feel unheard disengage faster
  • Leadership loses touch with ground-level challenges
  • Company culture becomes top-down and inflexible

“During crises like a PR scandal or restructuring, employees can be your biggest advocates or your loudest critics,” he said. “If they’ve spent years feeling ignored, guess which way they’ll lean?”

How to Fix It: From Megaphones to Microphones

Ruck’s solution? A “RADAR” approach to internal comms:

  • Research – Continuously gather feedback (not just once a year).
  • Assess – Use data to understand sentiment, not just count clicks.
  • Develop – Tailor messaging based on what employees actually care about.
  • Act – Show staff their input leads to real changes.
  • Review – Measure impact and adjust.

He also highlighted AI’s potential to analyze employee feedback at scale but cautioned:
“AI can help spot trends, but it can’t replace human empathy. If you automate listening without real dialogue, you’re just doing surveillance.”

The Bottom Line

For companies that still see internal comms as “making sure everyone reads the CEO’s latest email,” Ruck’s message was blunt:

“Your employees aren’t just an audience. They’re your most credible spokespeople, your early warning system, and your culture carriers. If you’re not listening to them, you’re flying blind.”