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Internal Communication 20Trends Report26
We gathered insights from hundreds of internal comms pros around the world to understand what’s really on their minds heading into 2026 — the priorities they’re betting on, the channels they trust, the challenges that won’t quit, the goals they’re chasing, and the trends that are already reshaping the year ahead.
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Compare & contrast experiences
Compare & contrast experiences
It’s hard to get a straight answer when it comes to internal communications. Get a transparent look into the minds of hundreds of comms pros, from their top priorities to their latest piece of tech.
Elevate your everyday strategy
We know that communications professionals are often short on resources, so we’re offering up a few lightweight ways to implement these trends and tactics into your employee emails and everyday communications.
Get inspired for the future
From AI adoption to smarter manager comms, this year’s responses point to a future that’s more connected, more human, and (yes) more hopeful. Use these insights as a springboard for new ideas, better alignment, and the kind of comms employees actually feel.
67%
of communicators say getting content from other teams is their biggest obstacle.
Limited insights and not being “in the loop” continue to slow teams down.
72%
of communicators say employee engagement is their number one goal.
Teams are focused on creating workplaces that feel clearer, more connected, and easier to navigate.
56%
of communicators say manager communication is the number one trend for 2026.
Better cascades and clearer context are top priorities across every industry and team size.
68%
of communicators want AI to automate repetitive tasks in 2026.
Teams are ready to take back time from formatting, summarizing, and day-to-day production work.
Key takeaways
Email is still anchor channel for internal comms
It remains both the most-used and most-effective tool: 95 percent of teams use it, and 81 percent say it’s their most effective channel. Even compared to last year, these numbers barely moved — a strong sign of stability.
The intranet is the hardest tool to use (but a priority for 2026)
Communicators ranked the intranet as the most difficult channel, yet it’s also the number-one tool teams want to prioritize for next year. There’s huge potential here, but teams want a better experience.
AI is now a real part of the workflow
42% of respondents said they are using AI daily in their workflows. Currently, the top ways internal communicators use AI is for content production, strategy or planning, and summarizing employee feedback or survey results.
Creating employee influencers is becoming a real strategy
41 percent want to explore this next year. Internal communicators want to focus on amplifying internal voices and not just top-down channels.
Foundations are stronger, but support still lags
83 percent say they have a solid internal comms foundation, but common themes we found when it comes to what holds internal communicators back were not enough time or resources, and not enough buy-in from leadership or stakeholders.
Read the report!
Learn more about the current and future practices of top internal communication professionals.
