Wedge.Black
Intranet Consultant and Conference Director
Hello. My name is Wedge, it really is, and I mostly help organisations plan or improve their intranets. I also plan and craft communications for employees and for customers.
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Having managed intranets for global and regional companies, I have been involved with internal communications since 2004. I have led the use of social media for brand and customer service purposes, and internal social communications for employee engagement and knowledge sharing.
Communications may be the lifeblood of an organisation, and I focus on clear communications that are relevant and actionable by the readers.
Companies and resources
ClearBox Consulting 2017- present
I support Sam Marshall, help with intranet user research, marketing communications, and training. As a boutique consultancy, we help medium and large organisations define and plan their digital workplaces.
My articles | Our resources | Newsletter | Twitter
Intranet Now 2014-
I founded the Intranet Now conference with Brian Lamb; now each year, Lisa Riemers and I surprise the intranet and comms community, and ourselves, with an event that hones in on the must-know digital workplace topics. With around 20 intranet and comms managers on stage, it’s the most dynamic intranet event of the year.
Kilobox Communiqué 2004-
My original blog. I started sharing my ‘experience’ as soon as I landed my first internal communications role in a global corporation back in 2004. The first year was all panic and pain. Over the years, I learnt and shared more about writing, culture, and using the intranet.
My blogging got me writing and intranet work, allowing me to become a freelance consultant.
I have written and edited for Content Formula and for Marginalia.
intra dot today
My latest project goes beyond making a bloglist of the writers I admire; intra.today directly showcases their latest articles in a stream designed for mobile. It's about putting the spotlight on those who make the effort to share and indirectly encouraging independent bloggers.
At the heart of your digital workplace
You’ve always had a digital workplace, but in the last few years it’s been recognised as vital to design and manage the digital workplace with purpose.
The intranet is only part of the digital workplace, but can be at the heart of communication and collaboration.
Skills
User research
- Information architecture
- Navigation menu design
- User experience mapping
- Collaboration priorities
- Home page design
Internal communications
- Communication strategy
- Communication planning
- Crisis communications
- Social communications
- Style guide crafting
- Message shaping
- Content design
- Content revising
- Copywriting
- Copy editing
- Proofreading
- Channel auditing
Intranet design
and use
- Content strategy
- Content management
- Governance
- Site management
- Collaboration processes
- Office 365 design + use
Marketing communications
- Social network management
- Newsletter design, management, and growth
- Webinar management
- Website management
- Content marketing
Speaking
As well as running a conference, I often speak at intranet and comms events around the UK and Europe.
I’ve been on stage at Enterprise Digital Summit, smilelondon, Interact, Intranet Day, Intranätverk, congress Intranet, and my own conference, Intranet Now.
I’ve presented about usability, intranet strategy, user research and design stages, and I’m now keen to talk about Office 365’s role within the digital workplace, and how communicators can make better use of the intranet as a multi-channel platform.
Experience
Intranet consultant, trainer, and marketing manager; Clearbox Consulting Ltd. 2017-2021
Moving from contractor to employee; client facing, user research, intranet planning, business development, and content training. Also marketing, including products and services launch, community engagement, and webinar management.
Communications and intranet consultant; self-employed 2012-2017
Project work for various clients, including ClearBox and Content Formula. Writing communication guides for Internal Communication departments and for novice intranet content authors. Strategic intranet planning and trouble-shooting. I work within the business or from home, as an independent contractor or as part of an agency team.
Intranet consultant; Interact (intranet software developer) 2011-2012
Worked directly with clients around the UK to plan the design and use of their new intranet system. I wrote reports and guides, and helped clients adopt new ways of working. I wrote for three company blogs, led webinars, and spoke at the annual conference. I helped launch two dozen intranets.
Intranet / website manager, digital comms editor; Severn Trent Water 2008-2011
Radically improved the writing style and content of the intranet’s front page news, and improved the navigation to create an easier to use intranet. I gathered requirements and ideas for a brand new intranet, and I was responsible for the architecture and design of the new SharePoint 2010 intranet.
I wrote and edited the majority of internal communications, and ghost wrote for the CEO and HR director. I brought Yammer and Twitter to Severn Trent Water, and expect the company to embrace more collaborative online tools in future years.
Communications specialist; Vodafone (Germany) 2007-2007
I moved to Germany for a six-month fixed-term contract. I managed the division intranet (a bespoke and massive CMS), wrote and published articles, and expanded the corporate internal communications style guide.
National marketing comms manager; Bentley Jennison (accountants) 2006-2007
FTC: I created, and managed the production of, marketing collateral, including leaflets, brochures and the Corporate Booklet. I was involved with the intricacies of print publishing, print costs and deadlines.
Intranet manager and communications editor; Marconi (and then Telent) 2004-2006
As intranet manager for a workforce of 10,000+, I worked with regional internal communications teams across the world regarding business change and press releases, liaising with the marketing department. I assisted executives and the CEO in putting their views across to employees; it was my duty to consider how the various audiences would react, and in turn, listen to feedback.
With the purchase of the Marconi brand by Ericsson, part of the construction division became Telent. My role expanded to include the new Telent website for the UK.
Trustee and director of LifeSIGNS charitable organisation 2002-
I founded LifeSIGNS as the first (?) online-only charity. Our volunteers work from all over the UK, via our intranet and our social media channels. I lead the organisation and support our volunteers’ work.
Contact
Tweet me if you’d like to check something. Email me if you’d like to send me a decent brief. Call me if you’d like a quick chat.