Guide in PDF format

Internal Communication

Code: 104780
Credits: 6

2026/2027

Degree programme	Type	Course
Communication in Organisations	OB	2

Contact lecturer

Name :: Aida Casas Gutierrez
Email :: aida.casas@uab.cat

Teaching staff

: Aida Casas Gutierrez

Group languages

You can consult this information at the end of the document.

Prerequisites

As it is a second year subject, it is assumed that the student must be able to express himself / herself in writing and orally in his / her own languages. They must have initiative and the ability to learn, and they must be aware of current issues.

They must have knowledge of English, because some reading may be in this language.

Students will need to check the official email and the Moodle Classrooms because they will be the ways for communication tools between faculty, teachers and students throughout the semester.

Objectives

The objectives of the subject are the following:

Learn the systems of diffusion of the internal information and the Communication Offices and to dominate the techniques (writing, preparation of acts, creation of agenda, etc.).
Know the elements to take into account for the elaboration of an internal communication plan of an organization, in function of its characteristics.
To have elements of judgment to know how to manage the informative crises that can generate or affect the workers of the organization.
Assess the ethics of communication, journalistic ethics and professional relations between the Communication Offices and their internal audiences.

Learning outcomes

CM22 (Implement communication projects about the organisation in all types of media for the organisation’s internal and external audiences CT07).) Implement communication projects about the organisation in all types of media for the organisation’s internal and external audiences CT07).
CM23 (Apply the communication strategies needed to manage crisis situations in organisations.) Apply the communication strategies needed to manage crisis situations in organisations.
KM20 (Identify the different phases involved in the development of a corporate communication plan for any type of organisation, taking into account the importance of its main intangible values.) Identify the different phases involved in the development of a corporate communication plan for any type of organisation, taking into account the importance of its main intangible values.
KM22 (Recognise organisations’ corporate social responsibility objectives to achieve competitive advantages with respect to their external and internal audiences.) Recognise organisations’ corporate social responsibility objectives to achieve competitive advantages with respect to their external and internal audiences.
SM19 (Apply the theoretical principles of persuasive communication and public relations when developing organisational communication strategies.) Apply the theoretical principles of persuasive communication and public relations when developing organisational communication strategies.
SM20 (Plan communication strategies between organisations and their audiences, both internal and external, that favour dialogue and allow messages to better reach society as a whole.) Plan communication strategies between organisations and their audiences, both internal and external, that favour dialogue and allow messages to better reach society as a whole.

The syllabus of the subject consists of the following units:

Topic 1. Fundamentals and evolution of Internal Communication (IC)

What is Internal Communication today: definition and strategic focus
History and evolution of the concept
Importance in organizational management and workplace climate
Internal audiences: multigenerational and multicultural segmentation
Organizational culture, purpose, values, and sense of belonging
Communication flows: vertical, horizontal, and transversal

Topic 2. Strategy and planning of Internal Communication

Design of an Internal Communication Plan:

Internal Communication diagnosis: audit, employee listening and SWOT analysis.
Definition of SMART objectives aligned with business strategy, culture and goals.
Design of the Internal Communication Plan: audiences, messages, channels, timeline and resources.
Impact measurement: KPIs, employee engagement, employee experience and contribution to organizational objectives.

Topic 3. Tools, channels, and formats for Internal Communication

Ecosystem of physical, digital and hybrid channels.
From information to conversation.
Storytelling and corporate narrative.
Human-centered, relevant and engaging communication.
Communities and employee interaction spaces.

Topic 4. Internal communication in key organizational moments

Internal Communication and Employer Branding: attracting and retaining talent.
Onboarding, offboarding and the employee journey.
Internal communication in change management and digital transformation processes.
Hybrid and remote work, and engagement management.
Diversity, inclusion and sustainability through Internal Communication.
The role of internal events in corporate culture.

Topic 5. Crisis management and professional ethics

Types of internal crises: conflicts, restructurings, layoffs, information leaks
The role of internal communication before, during, and after a crisis
Action protocol and internal crisis communication plan
Coordination with External Communication and HR
Ethics and professional conduct in organizational communication: confidentiality, transparency, truthfulness
Trust as a key communication asset

Topic 6. Innovation, future roles, and emerging trends

The future of the Internal Communicator role: profile, skills and evolution.
Artificial Intelligence, data and analytics in Internal Communication.
Employee advocacy and internal social networks.
Internal Communication as a leadership tool.
Emerging trends in Internal Communication.

All these topics will enter the evaluations to be performed at any given time (theory and practice). If a session could not be given for reasons beyond the control of the teachers, its content will be given as taught and will be evaluated based on specific bibliography, the detailed script of the syllabus, etc.

The course content will be sensitive to issues related to gender perspective and the use of inclusive language.

Learning activities and methodology

Title	Hours	ECTS
Theory classes, student oral presentations, debate, case study	27	1.08
Individual and group tutoring	15	0.6
Autonomous study and preparation of exercises	70	2.8

There will be a detailed presentation in the classroom of the theoretical contents of the syllabus, which is what will allow the development of practical teaching and the achievement of the competencies defined for this subject.

Master classes should encourage reflection and joint debate, and are a necessary element in encouraging students' self-learning.

Practical teaching allows the student to assess the evolution of their learning and place it in front of the simulation of real cases. The internships are complemented by tutorial consultations that have the basic goal of providing training, personal and professional guidance, and especially guidance for doing group work.

The basis of the teaching methodology will be to achieve an autonomous learning by the students. The academic activity supervised by the teaching staff, with a constant and active participation of the students, will allow them to assume the generic and specific competencies that will be raised in the subject, thus achieving the objectives set.

The subject is divided into a series of master classes, seminars and / or conferences and / or specific days that provide the theoretical and methodological basis and serve as a link and guide to perform the learning activities (practical classes) and self-learning that are essential. in the design of the subject. Theoretical classes and learning activities will allow students to assume the purposes of the subject.

Tutorials are considered a fundamental aspect for the guidance and growth of student learning. These tutorials can be individual, group, face-to-face orvirtual, depending on the development of the course.

A detailed schedule outlining the content of each session will be presented on the first day of the course and will be available on the course’s Virtual Campus, where students will find all teaching materials and necessary information for effective course monitoring.

Should the teaching modality change for reasons of force majeure according to thecompetent authorities, the teaching staff will inform students of any modifications to the course schedule and teaching methodologies.

Annotation: within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Assessment

Continuous assessment activities

Title	Weight	Hours	ECTS	Learning outcomes
Participation	10%	3	0.12	CM22, CM23, KM20, KM22, SM19, SM20
Exam	25%	3	0.12	CM22, CM23, KM20, KM22, SM19, SM20
Practical Exercises	40%	20	0.8	CM22, CM23, KM20, KM22, SM19, SM20
Course Work	25%	12	0.48	CM22, CM23, KM20, KM22, SM19, SM20

This subject doesn't provide for the single assessment system.

As this is a subject with continuous assessment, it is mandatory to attend the classroom. And to pass the subject it is mandatory to take all the activities. The course consists of the following assessment activities:

Activity A (25% on the final grade). Exam: It is a theoretical test of content control. It will include the theoretical contents taught and the bibliographic material indicated by the teachers.

Activity B (25% on the final grade). Course work. Autonomous group activity with teacher supervision. 5% of the grade will correspond to the oral presentation to teachers and students. 20% of the grade will be for the written content of the work.

Activity C (40% on the final grade) Practical exercises, usually individual or in groups. Tests in the classroom, directed and supervised. Each test will be worth between 5 and 10% depending on its difficulty and will be explained in the document of teaching planning of the subject, which also indicates the detailed schedule of activities to be carried out throughout the semester and which is posted in the Moodle Classroom at the beginning of the semester.

Activity D (10% on the final grade). Knowledge control tests in the theory classroom, without prior notice, based on what was explained in the session. There can be a debate or answer or reflect on an issue presented in the classroom both in person and virtually from the Virtual Campus Forum.

To pass the course and make the average grade proportional, each of the parts must be passed (minimum of 5 pointsout of 10 in each of the 4 blocks of activities). The result will be:

A (25%) + B (25%) + C (40%) + D (10%) = 100% final gradeof the subject.

Recovery System:

Students will be entitled to the recovery of the subject if they have been assessed for the set of activities whose weight is equivalent to a minimum of 2/3 of the total grade of the subject.

Since the course has a continuous evaluation system, the activities that are excluded from the recovery process are the B (coursework) and the whole of the C (individual exercises). In the case of having failed an exercise of part C or not having handed in any of them on time, it will not be possible to recover it and it will be averaged with the rest of the exercises.

Plagiarism

The student who commits any irregularity (copying, plagiarism, impersonation ...) will be graded with 0 this evaluation activity. In case of several irregularities, the final grade of the subject will be 0.

In this course, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is not permitted at any stage. Any assignment containing content generated by AI will be considered a breach of 5 academic integrity and may result in a partial or total penalty to the assignment grade, or more serious sanctions in severe cases.

Bibliography

Specific bibliography for each topic will be provided

BASIC BIBLIOGRAPHY

Berceruelo, Benito (coord.) (2011). Comunicación interna en la empresa. Claves y desafíos. Vizcaya: Aedipe. ISBN: 978 84 87670 98 5

Berceruelo, Benito. (2014). Nueva Comunicación Interna en la empresa. Madrid: Estudio de Comunicación.

Caldevilla Domínguez, David. (2010) La cara interna de la comunicación en la empresa. Ed. Visión Libros. Madrid. –

Cuenca-Fontbona, Joan; Verazzi, Laura (2018). Guía fundamental de la comunicación interna. Barcelona: Editorial UOC. ISBN: 978 84 91802723 (mandatory)

D’Almeida, Nicole; Libaert, Thierry (2018). La communication interne des entreprises. Malakoff: Dunod, 8ª éd. ISBN: 978 2 10 077484 5

FUTHER READING

Argenti, Paul A. (2014). Comunicación estratégica y su contribución a la reputación. Madrid: LID editorial.

Barroso, María Belén ; Castillo-Esparcia, Antonio ; Ruiz-Mora, Isabel (2023). \"La dimensión medioambiental y los ODS en la comunicación estratégica de las empresas de triple impacto\". Estudios sobre el mensaje periodístico, Vol.29 (1), p.27-42.

Carrillo-Durán, María-Victoria (2016). “Importancia del profesional de la información en la dirección de comunicación de las organizaciones”. El profesional de la información, v. 25, n. 2, pp. 272-278. https://doi.org/10.3145/epi.2016.mar.14

De-las-Heras-Pedrosa, Carlos; Ruiz-Mora, Isabel; Paniagua-Rojano, Francisco-Javier (2018). Gestión de la comunicación en las instituciones. Madrid: Pearson. ISBN: 978 1787268616

Field, Jenni (2021). Influential Internal Communication: Streamline Your Corporate CEd. KIogan Page.

Ingelmo, Marta María. (2015). Utilización delas nuevas tecnologías en comunicación interna. Análisis del uso de los Social Media en la comunicación interna de las empresas españolas. Valladolid: Universidad de Valladolid.

Karanges, Emma; Johnston, Kim; Beatson, Amanda; Lings, Ian (2015). “The influence of internal communication on employee engagement: Apilot study”. Public relations review, v. 41, n. 1, pp. 129-131. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2014.12.003

Lucotti, Francisco. Pulso CI. Escucha activa: clave para la comunicación interna (2016) [Artículo en línea] Disponible en: http://www.pulsoci.bwcomunicacion.com/escucha-activa-clave-para-la-comunicacion-interna/

Medina-Aguerrebere, Pablo (2012). “El valor estratégico de la comunicación”. Revista de comunicación y salud, v. 2, n. 1, pp. 19-28. https://doi.org/10.35669/revistadecomunicacionysalud.2012.2(1).19-28

Miquel-Segarra, Susana; Aced, Cristina (2019). “El perfil de los responsables de comunicación interna en España”. Revista de la Asociación Española de Investigación de la Comunicación, v. 6, n. 11, pp. 99-118. http://revistaeic.eu/index.php/raeic/article/view/184

Mimoso, Marta. Los empleados, los portavoces más creíbles [Artículo en línea] Disponible en: http://www.estudiodecomunicacion.com/extranet/los-empleados-losportavoces-mas-creibles/

Morales, Francisca.RedDirCom. La comunicación interna. Herramienta estratégica de gestión para las empresas. [Artículo en línia] Disponible en: http://www.reddircom.org/textos/f-serrano.pdf 3p. -

Muñiz, Rafael. Marketing XXI. La comunicación interna. [Artículo en línea] Disponible en: http://www.marketing-xxi.com/la-comunicacion-interna-119.htm

Penalba, Francisco. Confinem.Comunicación interna empresarial: Los canales de omunicación. [Artículo en línea] Disponible en: http://www.mirelasolucion.es/blog/comunicacion-interna-canales/

Sales, Xavier. EADA Bussiness School. La importancia de los activos intangibles en la empresa. [Artículo en línea] Disponible en: http://blogs.eada.edu/2016/06/14/activos-intangibles-en-la-empresa/

Verghese, Aniisu K. (2015). Internal Communications: insights, practices and models. London: Sage.

Vilanova-Giralt, Núria (2016). Micropoderes. Comunicación interna para empresas con futuro. 4ª ed. Barcelona: Plataforma Editorial. ISBN: 978 84 15750673

COURSERA

On the Coursera platform you will find the online course \"Internal Communication Management\" (in Spanish) conducted by professors Recoder and Casas. There are many videos and exercises on the subject. It is a free course for UAB students entering the platform with the university's institutional email.

Software

No special software is required. Use of Word and Powerpoint for exercices and oral presentations.

Course groups and languages

The information provided is provisional until November 30. After this date, you will be able to consult the language of each group through this link. To access the information, you will need to enter the course CODE

Type of teaching	Group	Language	Semester	Shift
(TE) Theory	7	Catalan	second semester	afternoon
(PLAB) Practical laboratories	71	Catalan	second semester	afternoon
(PLAB) Practical laboratories	72	Catalan	second semester	afternoon