VOICES Virtual 2025 set a new benchmark for the internal communications industry. The powerhouse virtual event from Staffbase brought together several thousand professionals worldwide to hear from keynote speakers, including Malcolm Gladwell and Arianna Huffington.
This year’s theme, Inspiration Everywhere, tackled the most pressing — and often avoided — topics in corporate communications. The elephants in the room, so to speak. The goal? To break down the barriers standing in the way of inspiring work. From authenticity in messaging to the impact of AI, internal communicators worldwide left the virtual event armed with fresh perspectives, actionable insights, and the inspiration to drive meaningful change within their organizations.
How was this achieved? By tackling the biggest elephants in internal communication, and offering actionable solutions for these pesky and persistent roadblocks. Whether you missed the largest internal communications event in the industry and are eager for insights or simply want to rediscover some of the key moments, let’s check out the conversations that made VOICES Virtual 2025 an event to remember.
Game-changing keynotes: Malcolm Gladwell & Arianna Huffington
Following the success of VOICES 2024, this year’s event featured an unforgettable keynote from Malcolm Gladwell, the author of eight New York Times bestsellers, including The Tipping Point, Blink, and Outliers. In his keynote “The Butterfly Effect of Communications,” Gladwell explored how small, intentional shifts in messaging can create ripple effects. In turn, this drives massive organizational and cultural change.
Speaking of memorable keynotes, closing the event was none other than Arianna Huffington, founder and CEO of Thrive Global. In a fireside chat with Eva Spatz — Senior Director for Organizational Development, Culture and Community at Staffbase — Huffington tackled the growing crisis of employee burnout and the need for authentic employee connection.
Her session, “Beyond Burnout: Building Employee Engagement and Resilience through a Culture of Well-Being,” provided an eye-opening look at navigating workplace stress. Here are a few key takeaways from both sessions to inspire today’s communicators:
Malcolm Gladwell’s key takeaways for internal communicators
- Trust isn’t built through performance — it’s built through storytelling. Even when institutions improve, trust declines if people don’t feel connected. Data doesn’t earn trust—stories that align with values do.
- Small messaging shifts can create big cultural change. From student councils to the Marine Corps, Gladwell showed how intentional changes in narrative can unlock engagement, inclusion, and belief.
- Explain the why — not just the what. Powerful organizations don’t just state facts. They tell stories like, “We fight hard because we protect families.” Use purpose-driven storytelling to make comms stick.
- Don’t communicate more — communicate more intentionally. Forget flooding channels. Focus on consistent, strategic messaging that builds long-term trust and meaning.
Arianna Huffington’s advice for easing workplace stress
- Stress isn’t the enemy—cumulative stress is. Occasional stress is natural. The real danger lies in never resetting. Companies must create space for recovery and sustainable performance.
- Connection is the antidote to burnout. Loneliness at work is rising. Direct, compassionate communication and moments of personal connection — like asking, “What matters to you outside of work?” — can break the cycle of disconnection.
- Healing and high performance can go hand in hand. With 129 million people already managing chronic conditions, building habits that support well-being at work is both urgent and possible. Leaders must model change and normalize reset rituals.
- Failure isn’t a stop sign — it’s a stepping stone. Burnout thrives in cultures that equate failure with weakness. Arianna reminded us: moving forward, not staying stuck, is the real key to resilience.
Unpacking DEI, leadership, and the future of work
Meanwhile, VOICES Virtual 2025 speakers addressed many of the modern communications elephants that plague today’s comms professionals. Joelle Emerson, CEO of Paradigm and an esteemed civil rights lawyer, led a thought-provoking keynote titled “Creating Cultures That Work for Everyone: A New Era for Organizations.”
Her message was clear: while the language around DEI may be shifting, the need for fair, inclusive workplaces remains urgent — and measurable. Backed by real-world business data and cultural insights, Emerson reminded attendees that inclusive workplaces aren’t just better for people — they’re better for performance, too. And in an era of rising disengagement and change fatigue, that makes inclusive leadership a strategic necessity, not a nice-to-have.
In another notable session, Shadé Zahrai, an award-winning leadership strategist, global peak performance educator, and LinkedIn Top Voice tackled one of the biggest elephants in the room: why internal communicators often struggle to break into executive leadership.
Her session, “Breaking Through: Building Influence, Credibility & Strategic Value as an Internal Communicator,” provided attendees with a roadmap to elevate their role and secure a seat at the leadership table. Here are some key takeaways from these standout sessions:
Joelle Emerson urged leaders to:
- Reset the narrative by focusing less on labels and more on outcomes
- Use data to tell a more effective story and guide accountability
- Center internal communications and HR as key drivers of an inclusive culture
- Demonstrate impact with metrics
Shadé Zahrai’s guide to creating IC influence:
- Master influence by identifying stakeholder communication styles — and when in doubt, appeal to all.
- Persuade with structure: start with a clear vision, spotlight the blockers, emphasize the cost of inaction, offer a tailored solution, and address resistance.
- Tailor your message to decision-makers: keep it simple, specific, and strategic.
- Lead from the middle: build cross-functional partnerships and simplify communication flows.
- Reframe your role: You’re not just delivering updates. You’re unifying the business story — and you’re indispensable.
The power of panel discussions at VOICES Virtual 2025
Meanwhile, virtual attendees tuned in as top communicators took the stage to explore some of today’s most pressing issues. VOICES 2025 featured two dynamic panel discussions covering some of the most challenging topics in modern corporate communications.
In “The Forgotten Stakeholder During Crises,” senior leaders from Alaska Airlines, Ford, Walgreens, and Starbucks shared real-world lessons on how employee communication must take priority during crises. Jill Tyson, Jim Olson, and Faryl Ury weighed in with their insights alongside moderator Erin Green, VP of Communications at Docusign.
Meanwhile, “Too Hot to Handle: HR and Communications Leaders Address Hot-Button Topics” presented an unfiltered discussion. HR and comms leaders who’ve worked for companies including Allstate, Google, General Motors, United Airlines, Starbucks, and Uber tackled elephants such as RTO mandates, political tensions in the workplace, and generational divides in employee expectations.
Eloiza Domingo, Catherine Anderson, and Victoria Barnes took the stage with moderator Andrew Blotky, Former VP of Communications at Johnson & Johnson and Founder of Azure Leadership Group. These sessions provided some key insights for communicators:
Tips for navigating crisis communication:
- Don’t make employees the last to know: When internal comms doesn’t have a seat at the table, employees become an afterthought — especially during change or crisis. That’s a risk you can’t afford.
- Segment your messaging like marketing does: Not every employee consumes information the same way. Tailor comms based on roles, locations, and access—whether they’re at a desk or on the floor.
- Always answer “What’s in it for me?” If comms don’t feel relevant or personally valuable, they’ll be ignored. Employees need to see how information impacts them before they can absorb values or vision.
- Be transparent—even when you don’t have all the answers: It’s better to communicate honestly and consistently than to go silent. Say, “We don’t know yet, but we’ll share more soon” — and mean it.
- Internal comms is your frontline defense in a crisis: Keep updates flowing internally to prevent confusion and rumor spirals. If you’re not informing your people, Reddit will.
- Morale depends on meaningful connection: During uncertainty, internal comms can be a stabilizing force — reminding employees of their value, keeping them aligned, and reinforcing shared purpose.
- Build your crisis comms playbook now — not during the storm: Draft your process, define roles, and rehearse. When a crisis hits, clarity and speed are everything.
- Comms deserves a seat, a budget, and a plan: Use your success stories to make the case. When leaders understand the impact of strong internal messaging, investment follows.
Today’s burning comms challenges key takeaways:
- Communicate with authenticity during change: Employees don’t need spin — they need honesty. Acknowledge what’s happening and stay human, especially in moments of uncertainty or crisis.
- Own your mistakes—then rebuild trust: Admitting when you’ve missed the mark can do more for credibility than staying silent. Employees are smart. They notice when you’re dodging the truth.
- Align comms, HR, and operations: The most effective strategies for trust-building come when comms works hand-in-hand with people leaders and experience owners — not in isolation.
- Don’t let your values become wallpaper: Poor placement and lack of context can make even well-intentioned messaging fall flat. Understand your audience, environment, and what resonates before launching a values campaign.
- Anchor rebrands in evolution, not performance: When updating values or mission, make it clear how the business has matured — not just shifted. Show that transformation comes from growth, not image control.
- Avoid DEI comms that feel performative: DEI is often in “survival mode” right now. Use clear, mindful language and directional messaging that shows commitment — not corporate theater.
- Cut through noise with the right message — not the loudest: Repeating the same line in different formats isn’t a strategy. Ask: what does this audience really need to hear, and how?
- Make space for life in remote work culture: Normalize humanity. If people need to take a call while folding laundry, that’s okay. Empathy and flexibility help communication land.
- Use questions as a leadership tool: Asking thoughtful, open-ended questions signals respect and deepens connection — especially in tense or uncertain moments.
- Respect comms teams’ emotional labor: Comms professionals often absorb company-wide stress. Recognize their role on the front lines while protecting their boundaries and well-being.
VOICES Virtual 2025 unveils Staffbase innovations
Kicking off VOICES Virtual 2025, Staffbase CEO Martin Böhringer took the virtual stage with a keynote that struck at the heart of one of the most urgent challenges in the workplace today: trust.
Martin explored why everything feels harder right now — and how it stems from a breakdown in trust — during his keynote, “The Elephant in the Room: Bridging the Employee Trust Gap.” In a climate where 400% more enterprise change programs are launched each year, employees are increasingly resistant. In fact, only 38% are open to change, just 21% feel engaged, and a staggering 5% understand company strategy. The reason? A widening disconnect between leaders and employees.
Backed by new findings from the 2025 Employee Communication Impact Study, Martin made a compelling case for internal communicators to lead the way in restoring belief and alignment through transparent messaging, authentic leadership, and employee-first tools.
He also unveiled several new Staffbase innovations designed to meet the moment:
- The all-new Staffbase Email, now powered by AI and equipped with features to make comms easier and more impactful.
- A revamped employee app and intranet experience — coming soon — to serve as a true digital front door to the company.
- Staffbase for Leaders, a new solution to activate leadership communications, help leaders stay motivated, and understand how their teams engage.
- Enhanced Town Hall support to help connect employees to leadership with more consistency.
Martin emphasized that regular communication from leaders boosts employee engagement by 36%, proving that technology isn’t just about efficiency — it’s about closing the trust gap. You can read more about Staffbase’s plans to bridge the trust gap.
The Staffbase 2025 Employee Impact Study
In addition to providing an exciting look at major product innovations at Staffbase, VOICES Virtual 2025 offered an exclusive look at the brand new 2025 Employee Communication Impact Study, powered by YouGov. Main takeaways include:
- Non-desk workers are still being left behind — but the right employee communications tools can remedy this.
- There is a major trust in action gap between employers and employees that needs to be addressed.
- Immediate supervisors are the most trusted source of information for employees. However, among those who use an employee app, this channel is rated even higher in trustworthiness.
You can check out the full Staffbase study here. And if you’re interested in proximity communication, stay tuned for the new Staffbase white paper “The Power of Proximity Communication,” which will be included in our You’ve Got Comms! newsletter.
How Staffbase is shaping the future of comms tech: Highlights from VOICES Virtual 2025
Meanwhile, Lara Dobson, VP of Product Marketing, teamed up with the Staffbase Product Team to showcase how we’re building tools with one goal in mind — helping communicators drive measurable business outcomes.
In “How Staffbase Innovates with Business Outcomes at the Center,” the team revealed the latest innovations equipping internal communicators with the skills to craft impactful, authentic messaging. From AI-powered content tools to enhanced analytics for measuring employee engagement, Staffbase demonstrated how the right tech tools deliver solutions tailored to the evolving needs of the IC community, including:
- The Great Consolidation: Too many tools create confusion. Staffbase brings email, intranet, mobile, and key integrations into one place — so comms are simpler, faster, and more consistent.
- Email that works harder: Staffbase Email is now part of Studio, with smart targeting, AI writing help, and built-in analytics. It’s everything you need to send clear, effective messages — at scale.
- A better user experience: We’ve refreshed the look and feel of Staffbase with a cleaner design, real-time previews, and improved search — so it’s easier to create and easier to use.
- Trust starts with leaders: Employees want to hear from the people they know. Staffbase helps managers and team leads show up with digests, video updates, and aligned messaging.
- Smarter campaigns are coming: New tools help you plan, launch, and measure campaigns in one place — so you can move from one-off messages to strategic storytelling.
Read all about it — and how Staffbase is serving interval communicators.
Celebrating excellence: The VOICES Virtual 2025 Awards
To conclude a wonderful day of insights, the event wrapped up with the much-anticipated VOICES Awards 2025, led by Staffbase’s Dave Maffei, GM of the Americas, and Tara Walker, Senior Director of Customer Success at Staffbase. This celebration recognized organizations that have made a significant impact through internal communications.
While exploring solutions to comms elephants was challenging, the biggest obstacle of the evening was narrowing down the finalists to four outstanding winners. Although there were many worthy applicants to choose from, here’s who took home the four awards of the night:
Best Launch Strategy: Eventbrite
When Eventbrite launched their new intranet Backstage, they didn’t just unveil a tool — they orchestrated a cultural moment. The campaign was timed with a company-wide rebrand and featured leadership endorsements, a scavenger hunt, and a naming contest that reflected the DNA of their live events. The result? A jaw-dropping 97% employee registration rate in the first 30 days and engagement metrics that shattered industry benchmarks.
As one of their customer success managers exclaimed, “I WOULD GIVE THIS 10 STARS IF I COULD.” This wasn’t just a launch. It was a showstopper.
Best Content Formats: IKEA
IKEA won over judges and peers alike with their Co-worker Reporter Program, where six IKEA employees transformed into internal influencers. Each month, they share stories from their units through peer-created video content, bringing creativity, authenticity, and connection to the forefront.
The result? A surge in engagement, stronger community bonds, and a platform that’s as uniquely IKEA as their famous meatballs. It’s content that moves people — not just metrics.
Best Inspirational Project: XPERI
The team at XPERI earned their moment with “Twas the Night Before R&R Week” — an AI-powered claymation video that felt like a warm hug across screens. Designed to uplift and inspire ahead of their company-wide rest and recharge week, the campaign delivered a 55% email open rate and a flood of heartfelt employee feedback.
This wasn’t just a message of appreciation — it was a story that employees felt. A perfect blend of creativity, innovation, and empathy.
Better Business Impact: Stanley Black & Decker
Facing the sunset of their previous internal comms platform, Stanley Black & Decker acted fast. In just 70 days — during the holiday season, no less — they launched Staffbase and achieved a 61% registration rate in just 10 days.
But they didn’t stop there. Their approach drove measurable impact in alignment, clarity, and cost savings during a major organizational transformation. It was internal communications as a strategic lever — clear, bold, and boardroom-ready.
VOICES Virtual 2025 wrap-up — Looking ahead to VOICES 2026
As VOICES Virtual 2025 came to a close, one thing was clear: the internal communications industry is evolving. However, we’re confident communicators are ready to tackle the challenges ahead. The conversations sparked at this year’s event were both bold and necessary — and it’s evident they’ll continue to shape the future of workplace communication long after the final session ended.
Missed the event? Follow us on YouTube and LinkedIn to discover more of the insights from VOICES 2025. You’ll also discover plenty of trending internal communications discussions on our blog, and through the You’ve Got Comms! newsletter.
Lastly, don’t forget to mark your calendars soon — VOICES 2026 is already in the works. We promise it will be just as spectacular and invigorating as this year’s event. Stay tuned for more information — but the good news is that you can already sign up now for VOICES Virtual 2026 from Staffbase!
In the meantime, we invite you to check out the Aspire to Inspire Podcast. You’ll hear more insights from industry leaders shaping the ever-evolving communications landscape.
Thanks for joining us in making this an unforgettable event for internal communicators!