EE Voice

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. Here are Shel’s three keys to staying ahead of the curve:

For more:

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 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 first and 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.)

For more on David:

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:

Thanks for tuning in. Sharon and I wish all of our listeners happy holidays and can’t wait to speak with you in 2023!

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.”

The co-founder of management consulting firm 18 Coffees and a former strategist for the Obama White House, Caleb calls upon his experience to examine how leaders can look to their workforces to teach them how to embrace change, meet it head on and give their companies and communities a better future.

Despite all the changes, Caleb remains hopeful, especially when it comes to internal communications influence on effective change management: “If we do this together, we’re going to collectively make this big impact. And people really believe it… and it can be incredibly powerful.”

For more on Caleb, No Point B, and his other work, head to https://calebgardner.com/.

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/.

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:

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

Other resources:

The post #63 – Roe v Wade: Communicators on alert for legal implications appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

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:

In our conversation, Mike delves into ways internal communicators can help drive performance and discusses how he views company culture. “A company’s culture is the extent to which its stated values and purpose vary from its actual values and purpose,” Mike told us. “And the amount of pressure people are put under to maintain that gap.”

For more from Mike:

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.

The post Episode #61: Employee Communications on the Ukraine crisis appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Welcome Victoria Dew, SCMP, Founder and CEO of Dewpoint Communications back to this month’s EE Voice podcast. Victoria joined Sharon and me to discuss Dewpoint’s insights report, “The New Rules of Employee Experience & Communications in 2022.” 

In speaking to dozens of business leaders, Victoria and her team captured and analyzed emerging trends – the themes and trends that will impact the way we work moving forward. 

Some of her key findings included:

In her conversations, Victoria discovered that the importance of listening was chief among leaders’ priorities. “The role of managers listening is a huge theme in this report,” she said. “It came through again and again – we, as communications professionals, understand two-way, symmetrical communication, but what is sometimes a surprise to organizations is that listening is part of communication as much as talking. So, listening is the new talking and action is the new listening.” 

To that end, Victoria also points to the growing importance of striking a balance between increased focus on employee engagement and respecting employee activism. “When I talk about employee journey and personas, one of the behaviors we’re looking for here is that an employee’s experience is strong enough, positive enough,  that they will advocate externally,” she said. “That’s why we want to work with employees pre- and post-employment.” 

For more insights from Victoria, connect with her on LinkedIn. You can download the full report here. 

The post Episode #60: Victoria Dew on the new rules of employee experience appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Whew – what year 2021 was for internal communications. You were overworked but overdelivered – and you did it all (well, most of the time) with passion and enthusiasm. We hope all of you are getting some well-deserved rest and peace as we wind down these final few weeks.

We leave all of you with a final EE Voice gift — one podcast with the best IC ideas and advice from our 2021 guests, in just 20 minutes. Here are highlights of the best insights from the year’s conversations:  

Sharon and I wish all of our listeners happy holidays!

The post EPISODE #59: OUR BEST IC EXPERT ADVICE FROM FROM 2021 appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.