EE Voice – Détails, épisodes et analyse

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.
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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.
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The post EPISODE #77: IN YOUR CORNER – MASTERING MANAGING UP appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is here, and no one is less surprised than Shel Holtz.

So many of us know Shel from his 40-plus years as a consultant, speaker, blogger, author, and co-founder of the FIR Podcast Network, but it is his fascination with emerging technologies that make him the ideal person to discuss AI models like ChatGPT.

“Mark my words,” Shel wrote in 2016, “Bots are coming to the workplace, to media relations, to public relations. They are coming just as surely as the web was going to completely disrupt the way communications was done a quarter century ago.”

Now, with his prediction a reality, Shel joins our podcast to urge communicators to embrace AI tools, rather than fear being replaced by them. To Shel, learning how to properly – and ethically – use AI is becoming an essential skill and can help us generate ideas, overcome writers block, teach writing, and save time.
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The post EPISODE #68: SHEL HOLTZ – EMBRACING CHATGPT FOR INTERNAL COMMS appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

In our first episode of the year, we look to unpack what’s going on and what lies ahead for communicators in 2023. To us, there’s no one better suited to discuss the present and future of executive communication than David Murray.

In addition to being an expert communicator and accomplished author, David is the Executive Director of the Executive Communication Council, the head of the Professional Speechwriters Association, and he also pens the popular communications blog, “Writing Boots.” We’re thrilled to have him back on EE Voice.

During our conversation, David jests that this is “the only interesting time” in executive communication and, while we’ll happily grant our friend some room for hyperbole, the reality is that we have absolutely reached an inflection point. Tune in as David discusses the unprecedented spotlight on – and access to – executives, an increasingly influential workforce, emerging AI technology, and how communicators can plan accordingly. (Tune in for the terrific storytelling; stay for the great advice.)
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The post EPISODE #67: DAVID MURRAY – WHAT’S AHEAD FOR EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATION appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

As we prepare to take a brief pause for the holidays – and hope you do, too! – we’ll first take a moment to reflect on the challenges we faced this year: increasingly passionate employee bases; global, domestic, and online uncertainty; developing data and communication methods; and the many other factors that contributed to the year that was for internal communicators in 2022.

In looking back, we’re happy to continue our holiday tradition of a year-end roundup episode: one podcast with highlights from our 2022 conversations, in just a few minutes. Here are some of the top insights from this year’s slate of IC experts.
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The post EPISODE #66: OUR BEST IC EXPERT ADVICE FROM 2022 appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

What is it they say about “the best laid plans?"

In this episode of the EE Voice podcast, we are joined by Caleb Gardner to discuss his new book – No Point B – and how leaders must embrace change and use effective communication in the face of developing technology, social activism, and other key elements in today’s tranformational world.

“All leadership has to be change leadership,” Caleb told us. “Because we just have so much inbound, so much new data, so much going on in the world that we're going to have to be constantly asking our people to think differently -- and we're not prepared to ask them to have that level of mental flexibility.”
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The post EPISODE #65: AUTHOR CALEB GARDNER – ALL LEADERSHIP IS CHANGE LEADERSHIP appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Sometimes it pays to be a little paranoid. Crisis management expert and friend of the EE Voice podcast, Andy Gilman, returns to discuss the importance of preparedness and heightened awareness when it comes to cyber-attacks, the top potential crisis for almost any organization.

In our conversation, Andy illustrates the key role of communications in company-wide cybersecurity initiatives, which he calls “the ultimate cross-functional teamwork.”

“Figure out what resources are out there, then get smart yourself and get your employees smarter,” he says. “You want them to be aware and spot something. Again, we don't know we're doing a good job until something bad happens, so every day we're doing it is another day where the organization can function as normal.”

For helpful resources for communicators, visit the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency.

For more on Andy and CommCore Consulting Group, head to https://www.commcoreconsulting.com/.
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The post EPISODE #64: NOT IF, BUT WHEN – CRISIS EXPERT ANDY GILMAN ON PREPARING FOR A CYBERATTACK appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court overturned the 1973 Roe v Wade ruling that had legalized abortion nationwide.

Immediately following the announcement, several companies – including Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Lyft, Dick’s Sporting Goods and JPMorgan Chase – announced that they were offering to cover travel costs for employees who must travel out of state for abortions. This clearly has implications for communicators who are facing the need to respond to their internal and external audiences.

We reached out to Robin Fretwell Wilson, a law professor at the University of Illinois and an expert on healthcare law. (You can read Robin’s full impressive bio here.)

“There’s a bramble of issues in [any] direction that you move,” says Robin.

Among the questions we discussed on this episode:

• Possible legal implications for companies who are reimbursing travel costs for employees who must leave their home states for abortions
• How the ruling could set up a type of “arms race” between the red and blue states
• What key messages communicators should keep in mind when advising their executives
• Several legal issues that may arise down the road – and companies and communicators may not have even yet considered

Send this episode over to your legal partner – and begin that scenario planning. More is clearly to come on this issue.

Other resources:

• Read the Reuters article, “Legal clashes await U.S. companies covering workers’ abortion costs,” where Robin was interviewed.
• Business Insider is keeping an updated list of company reactions to the ruling.
• The Society of Human Resources has pulled together a comprehensive resource on navigating Roe v Wade in the Workplace

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We’re back after a brief hiatus and are ecstatic to be joined by author, internal communications leader, and our "welcome rebel” Mike Klein.

Principal of Changing the Terms and Senior Strategic Advisor for Sparrow Connected, Mike has made it his personal mission to challenge the status quo and advance the effectiveness of internal communications. His recently published e-book, “Employee Engagement or BUSINESS IMPACT? It's Time To Choose,” takes on the current state of employee engagement and identifies six levers to engage better performance.
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The post Episode #62: Mike Klein: Challenging Our Traditional Approach to Employee Engagement appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

How can we help? As the world reacts to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, companies must decide how their actions – or inactions – can answer that pivotal question. (Note: Jeffrey Sonnenfeld of the Yale School of Management updates a list of companies daily "that have curtailed operations as well as those that remain.") 

In today’s abridged EE Voice clip, Sharon and I cover key points including employee safety in affected areas, corporate donations and the importance of proceeding together with empathy. 

Take a listen, and please let us know if you'd like to share your experiences with our community. We welcome the conversation.
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