Internal communications lessons from Scottish Rugby and UK Sport: Clarity, two-way comms, and measurable impact

Elite sport environments bring together high-performance expectations, fast-moving operations, and a wide range of roles from finance, sports coaches, leadership and the athletes themselves. 

Internal communications in this context needs to work across the pitch and the back office, reaching people with different schedules, locations, and information needs. The same conditions also surface common organisational challenges, including hybrid working, siloed teams, and inconsistent ownership of messages.

The practices that perform best in this setting centre on clarity, concise messaging, accessible channels, and a deliberate shift from broadcast updates to two-way communication. 

The most effective approaches also rely on leadership visibility, stakeholder understanding, and measurement that supports continuous improvement. 

In our webinar Changing the game: Lessons in internal communications from elite sports, our Customer Success Manager Mark Cockroft sat down with Bethan Christensen, HR & Engagement Manager at UK Sport, and Sarah Bell, Internal Communications Lead at Scottish Rugby to discuss all of these challenges and the solutions. This blog will break down the key lessons learned in the webinar., covering:

• Why internal communications in sport is uniquely challenging
• What great internal communications looks like in elite sport
• Lesson 1: Targeted and personalised communications for dispersed and deskless roles
• Lesson 2: Two-way communication and employee voice
• Lesson 3: Humanising leadership through authentic communication
• Lesson 4: Getting to know stakeholders and designing comms apps people want to use
• Lesson 5: Measuring success and proving impact
• Key implications for internal communications teams

Sport organisations often include an unusually broad mix of roles. Alongside finance, legal, commercial, and marketing teams, there are coaches, physios, medical staff, strength and conditioning teams, and development staff working across regions. Some colleagues can be dispersed across wide geographies and still need timely access to operational updates and critical information.

This variety makes a one-size-fits-all approach ineffective. Different groups prefer different formats and channels, and the same message needs to land with people who use different terminology day-to-day. Sport also brings a public focus and media scrutiny that requires a tough skin and careful judgement about what warrants internal updates.

Great internal communications in elite sport is direct and accessible across all layers of the organisation, including operational roles and office-based teams. Openness supports high-performance outcomes, but it needs to be delivered in a way that works for a diverse workforce.

Clarity, concision, and confidence in message ownership are central. Clarity focuses on what colleagues need to know and why it matters. Concision avoids “fluffy” messaging that does not respect time or context. Confidence means messages are owned by the people closest to the work, rather than being hidden behind faceless aliases.

Dispersed and deskless colleagues often do some of the most visible and high-impact work, including major events and on-the-ground delivery. Inclusion improves when internal communications makes it easy for these teams to share what they are doing and see that others value it.

A practical shift involves reducing hurdles for contribution and accepting content that is less polished but more real. Short videos from the field, quick updates, and simple posting processes can increase participation. Engagement data can reinforce this by showing that colleagues are viewing and responding to the content, which builds momentum for further sharing.

Centralising information also supports inclusion. Moving away from frequent Outlook emails and using a single hub that is accessible via app, desktop, and other devices helps ensure messages can be reached from anywhere, including during travel. Push notifications provide speed when messages are critical.

Maintaining consistency across varied roles

Consistency improves when language is stripped back. Removing unnecessary acronyms, avoiding extended sentences, and writing in plain English helps ensure that messages make sense across departments. A practical test used in this context is whether someone outside the organisation, or a 14-year-old, could understand the message. Alignment also improves when internal tone of voice and house style match external communications, making it easier to repurpose content and save time.

Major events and operational alignment

Large venues and major events create complex operational requirements, including contractors on site, broadcast activity, restricted areas, and changing schedules. A single, simple hub for major event guidance can keep information aligned across the organisation. Pages can be updated in real time, structured by day, and built with clear, concise guidance that reflects input from teams such as health and safety and security. Ownership of updates across contributors supports accuracy and speed, even when the process is not perfect.

Two-way communication creates a place for colleagues to talk about their work, share behind-the-scenes updates, and ask for help. It also reduces the expectation that internal communications should be the answer to every question, shifting collaboration into shared spaces where colleagues can support each other.

Creating a safe space for posting builds confidence over time. When employees begin sharing organically—posting stories, uploading moments, and creating hubs—the knock-on effect can be significant. It can lead to new communities and initiatives forming inside the organisation, and it can reduce silos by increasing visibility of what different teams are working on.

Tactics that increase participation

A firm approach can accelerate adoption. When posting becomes the default route for sharing information, and staff emails are restricted unless routed through a central process, ownership shifts to the people closest to the message. Over time, this reduces the burden on internal communications and creates clearer accountability for updates.

Practical steps that support this shift include requiring named authors on posts, encouraging profile use, and reinforcing that information is available on the platform. Adoption can also be supported by making the platform the default homepage in a browser environment where possible. Informal reinforcement matters as well, including direct encouragement in the office to like or engage with posts to normalise visible participation.

Leadership communication has greater impact when it is visible, personal, and relevant. Short videos recorded on a phone and shared quickly can be effective because they feel raw rather than polished. This supports trust and makes senior roles feel more accessible.

Leadership visibility also sets the tone for the rest of the organisation. When senior leaders post their own updates and videos, it signals that this is how communication works internally and encourages other leaders and managers to follow.

Where leadership communications can go wrong

Updates that exist only “for the sake of an update” waste time and reduce credibility. Leadership communication needs a clear message and purpose. Ownership also matters when things go wrong. Mistakes can be acknowledged, and messages can be clarified later if needed. Trying different approaches and learning from what lands well supports progress, especially during culture change.

Internal communications works best when it reflects what stakeholders actually need. One effective method is structured conversation: sitting down with leadership and employees across levels to understand expectations, what success looks like, and what people want from internal communications. Surveys and engagement rates add useful signals, but direct conversation remains a powerful input.

A common pain point is colleagues saying they cannot find what they need. This can require firmness about ownership, but it also benefits from platform analytics. Search data can show what people are looking for repeatedly, which can guide changes to navigation and content placement. If multiple people search for the same item, that content can be made more prominent.

Making the platform useful and engaging

Sustained usage depends on a mix of practical and engaging content. Behind-the-scenes information that colleagues cannot access externally can bring energy into the platform, while practical updates ensure it remains useful. Light-touch features that create humour and variety can also help maintain attention and routine usage.

Measurement supports credibility and improvement. A measurable impact highlighted in this context is a dramatic increase in engagement when a dedicated internal communications resource is in place. In one case, the first ten months showed a marked increase in weekly engagement, alongside visible feedback from colleagues in day-to-day interactions.

Campaign impact can also be seen through engagement during major sporting periods, including sustained interest even when outcomes are challenging. Behind-the-scenes access and consistent updates can reinforce connection to the work and remind colleagues of the value and distinctiveness of operating in elite sport.

Effective internal communications in elite sport relies on targeted delivery rather than one-size-fits-all messaging. Plain English reduces friction across diverse roles and helps alignment. Two-way communication builds confidence, breaks down silos, and shifts ownership across the organisation. Authentic leadership visibility strengthens trust and sets behavioural norms. Stakeholder understanding improves usefulness, while analytics and engagement data support decisions about what to change, what to simplify, and what to double down on.

📹 Watch the full webinar Changing the game: Lessons in internal communications from elite sports.