# 171: How to Build Trust & Get Buy-In Through Brilliant Employee Communication (with Nik Nawaaz)

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/hr-coffee-time-4106816/171-how-to-build-trust-get-buy-in-through-brilliant-employee-communication-with-nik-nawaaz
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/hr-coffee-time-4106816/171-how-to-build-trust-get-buy-in-through-brilliant-employee-communication-with-nik-nawaaz.md
Podcast: [HR Coffee Time](https://stenobird.com/podcast/hr-coffee-time-4106816)
Published: 2026-05-22T05:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.brightskycareercoaching.co.uk/hr-coffee-time-podcast/171
Audio file: https://op3.dev/e/episodes.captivate.fm/episode/bb343ef4-ed0a-4ee1-b7c7-d77b763cb2dd.mp3
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Duration seconds: 2125

## Resource

You can design the best HR strategy, introduce brilliant benefits, or roll out an important change - but if people do not understand it, engage with it, or take action, none of it matters. That is why employee communication sits right at the heart of your impact in HR. In this episode of HR Coffee Time, Fay is joined by Nik Nawaaz, Head of Employee Communications at Barnett Waddingham (now part of Howden) to unpack exactly how HR professionals can communicate in a way that builds trust, gets buy-in, and encourages people to take action - whether that is using their benefits, completing an engagement survey, preparing for a performance review, or navigating organisational change. With over 20 years of experience in employee communications, Nik shares practical, immediately actionable advice — no jargon, no fluff. In This Episode, You’ll Learn: Why employee communication is the “connective tissue” of an organisation Why HR can sometimes feel like a faceless department - and how to change that The common mistake HR professionals make when writing employee communications Why your message needs to answer “So what?” within the first few seconds How to shift from explaining features to showing benefits Why phrases like “HR is pleased to announce” or “Please be advised” can stop people engaging How to make your communication feel more human, conversational and direct Why reading your message aloud can help you spot corporate language How to use Microsoft Word’s read-aloud feature to improve scripts and written communication Why a one-size-fits-all approach rarely works for benefits communication How to tailor messages for different groups and generations in your workforce Why line managers are so important when you want messages to land How a simple manager toolkit can make co…

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