Overview
Internal communication isn’t the issue, clarity is.
Across government, teams are dealing with constant, overlapping change. Policy reform, service transformation, and rising expectations to adopt AI — all at once.
Recent data shows the pressure clearly:
- The Australian Public Service Commission (APS Employee Census 2025) continues to highlight communication, leadership and change as key drivers of employee experience and performance
- Around 1 in 4 APS employees report challenges with change management and communication during periods of reform
- At the same time, AI adoption is accelerating, with the Digital Transformation Agency and state governments pushing for safe and responsible use across agencies
Messages are being sent. But in practice:
- Staff are overloaded with information
- Direction is still evolving
- Adoption isn’t happening fast enough
Awareness is there. Understanding and action aren’t.
This program focuses on how to communicate clearly in that environment. It’s built around practical application, helping participants:
- Simplify complex messages
- Maintain consistency across large, decentralised organisations
- Support leaders to translate strategy into clear, team-level communication
- Enable faster adoption of change, while managing risk and reputation (especially with AI)
Increasingly, internal comms and change professionals are also being asked to play an AI enablement role — helping their organisation actually adopt AI, not just hear about it. That means shaping behaviour, building confidence, addressing concerns, and translating governance into something teams can use. This program supports that shift directly.
AI is included where it matters particularly in communicating:
- AI adoption and new ways of working
- governance, risk and policy changes related to AI
- what AI means for staff in their day-to-day roles
This is not a course about how to use AI. It’s about how internal communication can support any organisational change including a specific look at AI enablement and adoption. Where relevant, some practical AI use cases for communicators are woven throughout the course content.
Who Should Attend?
This course is designed for mid–senior level professionals who are actively responsible for creating messages, influencing communication and driving adoption, not just overseeing it.
Primary Professionals responsible for leading and delivering internal communication and helping drive change across their organisation: Internal Communications Manager / Lead Senior Communications Advisor Communications Business Partner Engagement Lead / Manager Stakeholder Engagement Manager / Advisor Change Manager / Change Lead Change & Communications Manager Transformation Lead / Manager Program Communications Lead
Also useful for Professionals responsible for making strategy clear, practical and usable across teams: Program Manager / Project Manager Service Delivery Manager Senior Policy Officer / Principal Policy Advisor Strategy / Reform Leads Business Transformation Managers PMO Leads Communications / Engagement Officers supporting delivery Team Leaders responsible for cascading communication
Secondary Employee Experience/Employee Relations Organisational Development (supporting change initiatives) BEST suited for Comms and change professionals who turn strategy into clear messages that people understand and act on.
NOT suited for Entry-level or junior staff Roles not directly involved in communication delivery Technical AI roles or solution architects L&D-only roles not involved in real communication Leaders looking for broad leadership training
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
Craft messages that prompt a specific action, not just awareness
Simplify complex updates down to what people need
Communicate change clearly when direction is still shifting
Use behavioural science techniques to shift how people respond to a message
Coach leaders to deliver a change message that lands
Communicate change in a way that builds staff trust and reduces risk and anxiety
Explain safe, responsible AI use in terms staff can act on
Feel more equipped to support AI adoption and enablement in your agency
Choose simple measures to evaluate whether your communication worked
Online Training
Internal Communications for Public Sector
Session details
Register Now: Stop Sending More Messages. Start Being Understood.
Internal communication in government isn’t broken, but clarity is.
Join public sector peers this October for a practical, hands-on virtual program designed to help you communicate clearly in complex, fast-moving environments where policy, transformation and AI are all happening at once.
This is not about more comms. It’s about making comms land.
Walk away able to:
- Make complex updates easier to understand and actually act on
- Cut through the noise without adding more messages
- Help leaders explain strategy in a way teams genuinely get
- Keep messaging consistent across teams, channels and functions
- Talk about AI-related change clearly without confusion or overpromising
- Move from awareness to real adoption and behaviour change
- Design communication that drives engagement and action, not just sends information
- Cut rework, confusion and repeat questions
- Learn communication techniques drawn from behavioural science
- Grow your influence as a trusted advisor who coaches senior leaders
- Step confidently into the AI enablement role comms professionals are now expected to play
- Make human-led, data-informed decisions in your comms planning
- Get ideas to be more creative, innovative and energised
- Leave with tools, templates and drafts you can use straight away
Some familiarity with topic is recommended
Key Sessions
Internal Communication for Strategic Impact
Module 1 - Why Internal Comms Is the Job That Matters Now
- Today’s context: change load, uncertainty, risk, AI, budgets
- Getting off the tactical treadmill and into strategic impact
- Where Internal communications, change management and AI now meet
- Turning strategy into action
- Communicating when the ground keeps shifting
- Supporting leaders to communicate change
- Building trust and communicating difficult messages
- Behavioural science and data: your superpowers
- Handling resistance to change
- Being clear and concise with complex content
- Getting consistency of brand and message across teams
- Practical frameworks that scale
- Visual and digital comms techniques
- Thinking outside the box
- Using AI for content creation
Trust, AI Enablement and Future-Fit Practice
- AI risk management for communicators
- AI-supported employee engagement
- Practical actions for communicators
- State of play: AI literacy, adoption and ROI
- Accelerating AI adoption across Agencies
- Explaining safe, responsible AI use in terms staff can act on
- Repeatable habits, tools and templates
- Communication measurement & evaluation
- Increasing your personal impact and influence
- The future of internal communication
- What’s next in Agentic AI and workflows
- How to stay ahead—and the skills you can’t ignore
- Protecting your energy
- Setting expectations and how to say no.
- Unplugging and holding your focus
Reflections, Action Commitments & Close
End of Day 2
Meet Your Facilitator
Megan Thomas
Strategic Communication & Change | AI Enabled | Trainer | Author | Speaker
Megan is a communication and change management professional with over 20 years experience leading teams in large, complex organisations and now running her own business, Buzz Communications. She’s worked industry wide - across financial and professional services, government, media and not-for-profits.
Her results driven and human-centred approach has helped many senior executives achieve their goals, manage risk and build trust with employees and stakeholders. Countless communication and change professionals have benefited from her highly engaging workshops and training, increasing their influence, impact and creativity.
Megan has delivered presentations across the globe and published widely on AI’s impact on communication and organisational change, as well as topics ranging from behavioural science to leadership and crisis communication. She’s been described as “a leading voice for GenAI in the Australian Comms scene”, helping organisations communicate AI policy and become more data driven. In 2025 she developed the “AI Skills Guide for Professional Communicators©”, and in 2026 she’s co-authored Amazon’s best-selling book, “The AI Edge: How to Thrive Within Civilization’s Next Big Disruption.”
Megan enjoys seeing others excel in their careers and contributing back to the communication industry. She is the Immediate Past President of IABC NSW, having served six years on the Board, including three years as president.
Register Today
Join this training for professionals working within the Public Sector
For group or payment enquiries or custom training solutions, please contact [email protected]
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