Want. Need. Experience. Asking the questions that matter in internal comms
How we communicate plays a huge part in how we experience work. And we all want to understand the impact internal comms has on our people and the business.
But getting there starts with asking the right questions.
Too often, we fall into the trap of asking people what they want.
It comes from a good place, but the inevitably thing that happens is people jump straight to the solutions.
“I want an app!” We’ve probably all heard that one before!
The thing is, people usually know something isn’t working but the solution they’re shouting about isn’t always the thing that will fix it.
This is why – as an IC pro – your experience, expertise and knowledge is worth its weight in gold. So, trust yourself. Because your role is to translate people’s challenges into clear insight that allows you to design the right solutions. It’s evidence over assumptions, every time!
And it all starts with the questions we ask:
🥉Good: What do you want?
🥈Better: What do you need?
🏆Elite: Tell me about your experience…
“What do you want?” makes people jump straight to the end — the tool or channel they think will make their life better. But we miss the why and the context that sits behind it and once that idea is in their head, it can be hard to shift the conversation to anything else.
“What do you need?” makes a subtle but big difference. It gets people to move from their wishlist to more of a problem-solving mindset. But it can still lead to the same destination… “I need to be able to scroll through updates quickly, like in an app!”.
Whereas “Tell me about your experience…” opens the door to stories, frustrations, and real moments that help you find the root cause.
You might hear things like:
“Updates take too long to find.”
“Messages are too long to read.”
“I never know what’s most important.”
Suddenly, you realise the problem isn’t a missing app — it’s an experience that feels outdated, cluttered, or noisy. That what people are desperate for is an experience that feels more like the tools, channels and apps they use every day: short, to the point updates supported by visuals (in this example).
But… the only way to find this out is to ask your people.
So, if you're looking at your internal comms thinking it's time to freshen it up, modernise it, and turn it into a driver of business and people results, start with an audit.
At Rocket, we can help you dig into what’s really going on. With DIY tools you can run with yourself or a more hands‑on partner by your side, there’s an option to match where you and your organisation are right now.
