EE Voice

EE Voice

By Sharon McIntosh and Sharon PhillipsNewsTechnologyNews CommentaryBusiness News
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EE Voice episodes

  • EPISODE #25: BRING ON THE STRATEGY
    It’s spring, and the Sharons are finally on the same continent. Fresh from a month in Southeast Asia, my co-host Sharon Phillips was struck by the warmth and grace of the people she met in Thailand and Cambodia. Their ability to slow down and thoughtfully engage her in a conversation was a refreshing change of pace.
    It’s also a good reminder of how often we Americans fall into the trap of “seat-of-the-pants” communication. Yes, we’re communicating, but are we also listening?
    In this episode, we explore this topic, delving into:

    * What it means to be a strong strategic communicator and why it’s so vital
    * How to break the cycle of reactive, non-strategic communications
    * How to speak the language of leadership (hint: KPIs are your friends)

    And here’s another reason to pay attention to the role of internal communications in corporate America: 87% of IC directors expect budgets to increase this year. We share this and some other stats from the IC experts at Poppulo.
    If you’ve set a goal to become a more strategic and more effective internal communicator, we hope you’ll listen in.
    29 min
  • Episode #24: Three Trends to Watch (or watch out for) in 2018

    Talk about pressure.

    Our guest this month, Jeff Herrington, has written two murder mystery books, conducted countless writing workshops and served as a consultant for 20+ years to companies worldwide. Plus, he’s a good friend, a writing coach and a current coworker. So I wanted to get this podcast right.

    Fortunately, Jeff and I had a great conversation about upcoming trends that communicators should either watch – or watch out for – in 2018. These include:

    • How the #metoo movement will expand into emotional harassment and affect our workspace and communications
    • Why “how to” videos will become the norm
    • The possible emergence of alternative employee communications sites on social media (Yikes!)

      • Jeff has a wealth of information and insights to share, so I hope you’ll listen in.

      Links we reference:

      • Home Depot’s how-to videos
      • Jeff’s recommended book, iGen, by Jean Twenge
      • How you can reach Jeff — at his site, Jeff Herrington Communications

        •  

        PS: Sharon Phillips was traveling during this recording, but she’ll be back next month. We missed you, SJP!

        The post Episode #24: Three Trends to Watch (or watch out for) in 2018 appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

        25 min
      • Episode #24: Three Trends to Watch (or watch out for) in 2018
        Talk about pressure.
        Our guest this month, Jeff Herrington, has written two murder mystery books, conducted countless writing workshops and served as a consultant for 20+ years to companies worldwide. Plus, he’s a good friend, a writing coach and a current coworker. So I wanted to get this podcast right.
        Fortunately, Jeff and I had a great conversation about upcoming trends that communicators should either watch – or watch out for – in 2018. These include:

        * How the #metoo movement will expand into emotional harassment and affect our workspace and communications
        * Why “how to” videos will become the norm
        * The possible emergence of alternative employee communications sites on social media (Yikes!)

        Jeff has a wealth of information and insights to share, so I hope you’ll listen in.
        Links we reference:

        * Home Depot’s how-to videos
        * Jeff’s recommended book, iGen, by Jean Twenge
        * How you can reach Jeff — at his site, Jeff Herrington Communications

         
        PS: Sharon Phillips was traveling during this recording, but she’ll be back next month. We missed you, SJP!
        25 min
      • Episode #23: The best of EE Voice: Looking back (and ahead) on our top six IC tips

        Our listener and friend Laura Field had a terrific suggestion: Pull our top guest tips into one podcast.

        So here it is.

        It was tough choosing since Sharon and I had so many edifying interviews over our past 22 episodes. But looking back, these were our favorites. Just some of the tips we discuss:

        • Mark Dollins on how internal communicators can influence their senior leaders;
        • Tamara Snyder on the importance of employee engagement;
        • Stephanie Bickel on the Shine Theory;
        • Andy Gilman on how to use current crises to inform your future ones;
        • Smiley Poswolski on surrounding yourself with believers;
        • And Ethan McCarty on mirroring your internal strategies with your own team.

          • We have some excellent guests coming in 2018, so please subscribe, share and let us know if you’d like to address any topics related to employee communications — and how to engage your employees.

          PS: Sharon and I would like to take a moment to thank all of our EE Voice guests and wish everyone a happy holiday and Happy New Year.

          The post Episode #23: The best of EE Voice: Looking back (and ahead) on our top six IC tips appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

          31 min
        • Episode #23: The best of EE Voice: Looking back (and ahead) on our top six IC tips
          Our listener and friend Laura Field had a terrific suggestion: Pull our top guest tips into one podcast.
          So here it is.
          It was tough choosing since Sharon and I had so many edifying interviews over our past 22 episodes. But looking back, these were our favorites. Just some of the tips we discuss:

          * Mark Dollins on how internal communicators can influence their senior leaders;
          * Tamara Snyder on the importance of employee engagement;
          * Stephanie Bickel on the Shine Theory;
          * Andy Gilman on how to use current crises to inform your future ones;
          * Smiley Poswolski on surrounding yourself with believers;
          * And Ethan McCarty on mirroring your internal strategies with your own team.

          We have some excellent guests coming in 2018, so please subscribe, share and let us know if you’d like to address any topics related to employee communications — and how to engage your employees.
          PS: Sharon and I would like to take a moment to thank all of our EE Voice guests and wish everyone a happy holiday and Happy New Year.
          31 min
        • Episode #22 – Should We Stop Measuring Internal Comms? – With Bloomberg’s Ethan McCarty

          Ethan McCarty can freak you out, particularly if you’re an internal communications professional. For example, he recently wrote a blog entitled, “Don’t Measure Internal Communications.”

          Wait … what?

          And when I heard him speak at a Poppulo conference last summer, I knew he’d be a terrific EE Voice guest. Because he’s doing some definitively measurable work as Global Head of Employee and Innovation Communications for Bloomberg. He didn’t disappoint.

          Some of the arresting topics we discuss:

          • Internal communications vs. employee communications
          • How to balance transparency and integrity
          • The importance of measuring behaviors over awareness
          • The need for agility in digital transformations (and why Ethan is SCRUM-certified)
          • Why we might want to look at a three-month plan instead of a three-year plan

            • And much more.

            You can follow Ethan on Twitter, @ethanmcc, and read his blog, where he writes “intermittently but with gusto” at www.ethanmccarty.com.

            The post Episode #22 – Should We Stop Measuring Internal Comms? – With Bloomberg’s Ethan McCarty appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

            39 min
          • Episode #22 – Should We Stop Measuring Internal Comms? – With Bloomberg’s Ethan McCarty

            Ethan McCarty can freak you out, particularly if you’re an internal communications professional. For example, he recently wrote a blog entitled, “Don’t Measure Internal Communications.”
            Wait … what?
            And when I heard him speak at a Poppulo conference last summer, I knew he’d be a terrific EE Voice guest. Because he’s doing some definitively measurable work as Global Head of Employee and Innovation Communications for Bloomberg. He didn’t disappoint.
            Some of the arresting topics we discuss:

            * Internal communications vs. employee communications
            * How to balance transparency and integrity
            * The importance of measuring behaviors over awareness
            * The need for agility in digital transformations (and why Ethan is SCRUM-certified)
            * Why we might want to look at a three-month plan instead of a three-year plan

            And much more.
            You can follow Ethan on Twitter, @ethanmcc, and read his blog, where he writes “intermittently but with gusto” at www.ethanmccarty.com.
            39 min
          • Episode #21 – Your change management playbook – with DuPont’s Mark Dollins

            If you work in employee communications, chances are you’re experiencing and communicating change in your organization. Want a master playbook on change management – in less than 30 minutes of your time? Well, here it is.

            This month, we are delighted to welcome Mark Dollins, our former boss and now head of Executive and Global Employee Communications for DuPont, where among other duties he is tasked with driving change management communications for the enterprise. He also managed the employee communication for DuPont’s “mega-merger” with Dow. This year his team earned IABC Gold Quills and a PRSA Silver Anvil award for change management, employee engagement and employee communications.

            Just some of the topics we discuss:

            • How Mark and his team communicated during the merger of DuPont and Dow, which recently closed on Sept. 1
            • Current and new vehicles to engage employees during the change
            • How leadership/manager communication was key to success
            • How he measured success – and elevated the employee communications role with leadership

              • And, of course, much more. Please take a listen, and let us know what you think.

              The post Episode #21 – Your change management playbook – with DuPont’s Mark Dollins appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

              32 min
            • Episode #21 – Your change management playbook – with DuPont’s Mark Dollins
              If you work in employee communications, chances are you’re experiencing and communicating change in your organization. Want a master playbook on change management – in less than 30 minutes of your time? Well, here it is.
              This month, we are delighted to welcome Mark Dollins, our former boss and now head of Executive and Global Employee Communications for DuPont, where among other duties he is tasked with driving change management communications for the enterprise. He also managed the employee communication for DuPont’s “mega-merger” with Dow. This year his team earned IABC Gold Quills and a PRSA Silver Anvil award for change management, employee engagement and employee communications.
              Just some of the topics we discuss:

              * How Mark and his team communicated during the merger of DuPont and Dow, which recently closed on Sept. 1
              * Current and new vehicles to engage employees during the change
              * How leadership/manager communication was key to success
              * How he measured success – and elevated the employee communications role with leadership

              And, of course, much more. Please take a listen, and let us know what you think.
              32 min
            • Episode #20: Taking the Mystery Out of Digital Measurement

              Hard to believe, but we made it to podcast #20! (Sharon and I want to thank all of our listeners for sticking with us this far.) In this episode, we talk to David Cronin, chief technology officer of DevFacto, about how we can better measure our digital communications.

              David is co-founder of DevFacto, a Canadian-based consulting firm focused on improving human connection through personalized software. David is focused on defining the company’s service offerings, evaluating emerging technologies and working with organizations to inspire transformation.

              His passion for technology and human connection helped shape DevFacto’s first product, Sparrow, a new mobile communications channel that helps communicators engage employees and measure communications effectiveness in their organization.

              In this episode, we discuss:

              • How DevFacto develops its positive company culture, focused on transparency;
              • How mobile is changing the way we communicate and consume news internally;
              • New ways that mobile and digital communications can be measured;
              • And much more.

                • Please take a listen, and, as always, we welcome your feedback.

                The post Episode #20: Taking the Mystery Out of Digital Measurement appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

                20 min

              About EE Voice

              From the publisher's feed

              Exploring the world of employee engagement through the lens of internal communications with Sharon McIntosh and Sharon Phillips