David Bowman and Jarbas Horst speak with Alex Peers, Intranet Content Manager at DLA Piper, about transforming corporate communications through storytelling on SharePoint. Alex manages the intranet for 7000 people across multiple countries at the global law firm, turning what could be dry corporate content into engaging human stories.
Alex explains how DLA Piper moved beyond traditional corporate jargon 18 months ago by applying external storytelling techniques internally. The team operates like a news desk, creating compelling content about colleagues from a German partner who referees Bundesliga matches to a lawyer who appeared on the Swedish version of Survivor. This approach has significantly improved engagement rates while subtly reinforcing company values without forcing vision statements down people's throats.
Key topics covered:
[00:00] Intro
[02:07] SharePoint Migration to Cloud Strategy
[03:25] Internet as Central Hub for 7000 Employees
[04:16] Human-Centered Storytelling Approach Transforms Corporate Communications
[05:50] Swedish Survivor Story Hooks Employees
[07:32] Building a Collaborative News Desk Team
[08:52] Managing Global Audience Across Multiple Regions
[11:12] Flexible Tools Enable Quick Response Changes
[12:25] Relationship-Based Feedback Over Forms
[15:52] Balancing Compliance with People-Oriented Culture
[18:12] Automated Content Management Reduces Manual Work
[20:46] Power BI Dashboard Transforms Analytics
[25:32] Microsoft 365 Integration Benefits
[28:10] AI Copilot Empowers Non-Technical Users
[30:53] Future Vision Beyond Browser-Based Intranets
[34:05] Always Be a Student Mindset
The conversation explores balancing global content needs with local office requirements, using Power Automate for content governance, and measuring success through relationships rather than just analytics. Alex shares insights on preparing for AI agents and the future where intranets may not require traditional web browsers at all.
