EE Voice

Felicity Barber, founder of Thoughtful Communications, has penned speeches and spearheaded executive communications for some of the world's most prominent financial institutions, including BlackRock, the Federal Reserve and Lloyds of London. Through her extensive experience, Felicity has discovered that storytelling—or as she calls it, "spinning a good yarn"—is one of the most effective ways to convey complex topics. In this episode, Felicity shares how humor and openness can transform executive communications. She emphasizes the power of authenticity in storytelling to deliver key messages. "A story gives a speech a really nice sense of completeness," Felicity explains. "Adding an anecdote, or anything that humanizes the leader delivering the message, is a powerful way to connect with audiences." This engaging conversation delves into the challenges of executive communication, such as building trust with leaders and delivering strategic feedback. Felicity's insights on honest communication and setting the right expectations offer valuable guidance for anyone looking to advance in their executive comms career.Continue Reading → The post EPISODE #78: CRAFTING STORIES THAT RESONATE – FELICITY BARBER ON EXECUTIVE COMMS appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Let’s debunk a myth today: managing up isn't about sucking up. In our second installment of “In Your Corner,” our career coaching segment, Sharon and I dive deep into what it really means to "manage up" and why it's a critical skill for communicators. Managing up effectively is about making your indispensability known—creating a symbiotic relationship that helps support your career as well as enhances your team's success. We discuss: How understanding and aligning with your boss’s expectations and communication styles can dramatically improve your work relationship Practical examples from our real-life scenarios where managing up influenced workplace dynamics Tips on how to be proactive, such as sending weekly recaps to your boss to outline achievements and upcoming goals Think of managing up as more than a career skill – it’s an essential partnership strategy that boosts both your growth and that of your leaders. Curious to see how this can support your professional interactions? Tune in for a deeper dive.Continue Reading → The post EPISODE #77: IN YOUR CORNER – MASTERING MANAGING UP appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Let's face it: The world of internal communications is anything but boring. If you're anything like us, the thrill of navigating through ever-changing landscapes -- like hybrid work, AI and channel management, to name a few -- is what gets you up in the morning. That's why we're diving into the big picture of what's shaking up our field and the cool trends that are shaping our work in 2024. In this episode, we’ll replay a Poppulo webinar, “Employee Trends for 2024,” featuring insights from Mark Dollins, President of North Star Communications Consulting, Ashley Tobin, Poppulo's Director of Customer Success and Sharon McIntosh. Continue Reading → The post EPISODE #76: POPPULO WEBINAR REPLAY – UNLOCKING 2024 IC TRENDS appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

“Let’s be careful out there.”  The line made famous by Hill Street Blues’ Sgt. Phil Esterhaus holds up 40 years later – just ask crisis expert Andy Gilman. In addition to his formal title – President and CEO of CommCore Consulting Group – Andy is the standard-bearer for communicators tasked with navigating sensitive issues.  In his fifth appearance on EE Voice, Andy joins us to take a look at the state of things in 2024 and advises us to prepare, prepare, prepare for potential crises. He urges communicators to “get the checklist going” and identify the events that may impact businesses and their employees in the near-term future.  “I might take a whiteboard,” Andy suggests. “And put on the whiteboard, ‘What has happened to our organization in the past year?’ ‘What's happened to our sister and brother organizations?’ ‘What's happened to society at large?’ Then do the comparison and ask, ‘Okay, what are we ready for?’” Continue Reading → The post EPISODE #75: GETTING READY FOR 2024 — CRISIS EXPERT ANDY GILMAN RETURNS appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Our work as communicators is always evolving – there’s no finish line to cross or book to close. And, because of that, many of us are guilty of forgetting to take time to reflect on lessons learned and consider how our work is changing. This year felt especially frenetic. The evolution of generative AI may have been the first talking point in many of our conversations, but that doesn’t come close to telling the whole story. Luckily, Sharon and I were able to discuss many of the industry’s hot topics with a few of the best minds in comms – highlighted in this episode. Here are some of our favorite insights featured on EE Voice in 2023.Continue Reading → The post EPISODE #74: OUR BEST EXPERT ADVICE FROM 2023 appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

A year ago, many communicators were unsure if generative artificial intelligence was going to have staying power in our industry. There have been supporters, detractors and plenty of folks who simply haven’t been able to wrap their heads around the technology. So, with accessible and evolving AI a reality, we’re left asking, “Now what?” “This is an opportunity to learn-and-lead versus wait-and-wonder,” our friend and colleague Mark Dollins says of AI in comms on this episode of EE Voice. Mark and his team at North Star Communications Consulting recently collaborated with the University of Missouri  School of Journalism to research and publish “Artificial Intelligence & the Communicator,” a fantastic whitepaper that delves into the big opportunity and bigger feelings tied to the use of AI within employee communications.Continue Reading → The post EPISODE #73: “A MIX OF UTILITY AND FEAR” – MARK DOLLINS ON AI IN COMMS appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Introducing “In Your Corner” In boxing, competitors head to their stools in the fighter’s corner for one-minute respites between rounds. They try to catch their breath, have cuts tended to and receive instruction from their trainers, or “cornermen.” A good cornerman builds relationships with their competitors; they are reliable, identify any changing variables and build strategies geared toward competitors’ strengths. As an avid fan of boxing, my aim is to provide similar guidance to coaching clients looking to navigate their careers. During episodes of “In Your Corner,” Sharon Phillips and I will delve into some challenges suggested by their communications colleagues and discuss how we can respond positively. This Episode: Navigating Imposter Syndrome Whether you’re presenting on an unfamiliar topic, writing a speech for a demanding executive or issuing a statement on a hot-button issue, a little self-doubt can go a long way. Confidence may waver, but does that mean we don’t belong? After recording and publishing more than 70 episodes of the EE Voice podcast, we have met some of the brightest, hardest working people in communications – and even the most accomplished industry leaders can experience something called imposter syndrome.Continue Reading → The post #72: Introducing “in your corner”: Imposter Syndrome appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

The best communicators are versatile; they proactively seek out opportunities to meet audiences and develop creative ways to deliver messages. Some of our greatest successes come when we recognize that one-size may not fit-all, leading us to develop new methods to reach unique sets of stakeholders. Few understand these challenges more than Kristi Munno, who leads a full slate of communications initiatives for Ozinga, a fifth-generation family-owned company in the construction materials industry. Here’s how Kristi and team transformed their Town Hall meetings to be sure that each of Ozinga’s employees had the chance to participate -- and how her team helped showcase frontline operations. The challenge: More than half of Ozinga’s nearly 2,000 employees are considered frontline workers and do not have access to a company email addresses, creating obstacles when it comes to distributing internal communications.Continue Reading → The post EPISODE #71: KRISTI MUNNO ON REACHING FRONTLINE BY REINVENTING OZINGA TOWN HALLS appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

So much of our time as communicators is spent navigating uncharted territory – handling crises, adapting to emerging technology, etc. – that it’s easy to forget to take time to reflect. We recently received a great reminder to do just that from our friend and former Sears colleague, Barbara Rozgonyi. A pioneer of digital communications and the leader of CoryWest Media, Barbara joined us to discuss the current popularity of retro culture and how lessons from the past can help shape how we work moving forward. “It's just really gives you a feeling that what was cool is still cool,” Barbara said. “I was looking at some of the projects we worked on together – and the groundwork that we laid back then may seem nostalgic, but it's super relevant for today.”Continue Reading → The post EPISODE #70: WHAT’S OLD IS NEW AGAIN WITH BARBARA ROZGONYI appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

As communicators, we are often at our best while functioning as trusted advisors to executives, colleagues and other key business stakeholders. But trust isn’t gained overnight. How do you build trust for the long-term? Enter Jason Anthoine, the managing founder and “head honcho” of Audacity, a communications consultancy that helps companies inform, involve and inspire their employees by immersing themselves in businesses and absorbing as much as possible, from balance sheets and organizational goals to day-to-day operations. “We will never be able to understand what their world is like unless we insert ourselves into it,” Jason told us. “We're here to understand you better so we can give you more of what you want and, more importantly, less of what you don't want.”Continue Reading → The post EPISODE #69: JASON ANTHOINE ON BECOMING A COMMS TRUSTED ADVISOR appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.