Everything Speaks

Robert L. Dilenschneider formed The Dilenschneider Group in October 1991. Prior to forming his own firm, Mr. Dilenschneider served as president and chief executive officer of Hill and Knowlton, Inc. from 1986 to 1991.

He has counseled major corporations, professional groups, trade associations and educational institutions, and has assisted clients in dealings with regulatory agencies, labor unions, consumer groups and minorities, among others.

Mr. Dilenschneider has authored 17 books — including the best-selling Power and Influence, A Briefing for Leaders, On Power, The Critical 14 Years of Your Professional Life, Moses: C.E.O — and The Critical 2nd Phase of your Professional Life. Most recently, he published 50 Plus!—Critical Career Decisions for the Rest of Your Life.

Mr. Dilenschneider started in public relations in 1967 in New York, shortly after receiving an M.A. in journalism from Ohio State University, and a B.A. from the University of Notre Dame.

What you will learn in this episode:

• How the constant changes in our society impact the ways we communicate
• How Robert's book, The Public Relations Handbook, helps PR professionals navigate the 2020's and beyond
• The role of corporations in our society, and what that implies for communicators within these corporations
• What the scope of work looks like for a PR professional today, and how we can learn to adapt
• Why we use measurements in PR, and what Robert views as the most important thing to measure
• What is "pay to play" content, and why do PR professionals have to be careful about how they approach it
• Robert's advice for those looking to get into PR as a career

Resources:

• Website: robertldilenschneider.com
• Robert's book: The Public Relations Handbook

Dina Denham Smith knows what it takes to make it in changing environments – we can all use her wisdom right now! Dina is the founder and owner of Cognitas, an executive and team coaching firm. Her clients include premier brands such as Adobe, Netflix, PwC, Gap, Dropbox, Stripe, and numerous high-growth start-ups. She specializes in helping her clients lead and thrive in fast-paced, constantly changing, and uncertain environments.

Earlier in her career, Dina was a management consultant with PwC and led numerous teams and projects to help companies scale and implement large-scale strategic change. Following that, she held executive-level positions at both a digital marketing agency and a private equity firm.

In her coaching practice, Dina helps leaders and teams solve their most pressing challenges, enhance their effectiveness, and capitalize on untapped opportunities.

Dina is a regular contributor to HBR, Fast Company, and Forbes, writing about leadership and strategies for high performance.

What you will learn in this episode:

• How to recover from making a mistake at work
• The difference between intent and impact – and why it matters in an apology
• Why it's essential to ask for feedback when making amends
• How to communicate with a colleague who says "yes" but means "no"
• Why what you say is just as important as how you say it
• How to respectfully say "no" to your boss

Resources:

• Website: https://www.dinadsmith.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dina-denham-smith-11699/
• Twitter: @DinaDSmith

Joel Schwartberg is a presentation skills ninja who shares his incredible experience and expertise generously for a wide range of organizations and companies. Currently Senior Director of Strategic and Executive Communications for a major U.S. nonprofit, Joel Schwartzberg teaches effective presentation techniques to clients including American Express, State Farm Insurance, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Comedy Central, and the Brennan Center for Justice. Joel's books include The Language of Leadership and Get to the Point! and his articles appear in Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, CNBC, and Toastmaster Magazine. A frequent conference presenter and workshop leader, Joel is also a former National Champion competitive public speaker who was inducted into the National Forensic Association Hall of Fame. Follow him on Twitter @TheJoelTruth or contact him at www.joelschwartzberg.net

What you will learn in this episode:

• 3 Tips for how to effectively participate in a video call
• How raising your volume increases your positive impression
• The importance of knowing the point you want to make and reverse-engineering your presentation to center around it
• Why you should always aim to make an impact with your communications
• The power of words, and tactics you can use to appear more confident and competent
• Why you should consistently build your communication around what your audience needs to hear rather than what you want to say

Resources:

• Website: https://www.joelschwartzberg.net
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joelbschwartzberg/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joelschwartzberg/
• Book: Get To the Point
• Book: The Language of Leadership
• Twitter: @TheJoelTruth

Tiffany Castagno is CEO & Founder of CEPHR, LLC, an HR Consultancy Firm in Pittsburgh, PA. Their mission includes supporting Start-ups and Non-profits through focused partnering. They assist in building out their client's programs, processes, policies, procedures, and infrastructures to develop a strong employer brand and culture.

Tiffany is extremely passionate about cultivating the evolution of the HR profession toward new strategic heights. She has practiced Human Resources for 14 years and enjoys volunteering her time in the Community.

Tiffany is also a co-author of Can a Zebra Change Its Stripes?, a children's book in the series Bruno's Amazing Adventures. In addition to running a super successful business, one of Tiffany's missions is to change the world, one child at a time.

What you will learn in this episode:

• How bringing your authentic self to work increases your performance
• The unintended message leaders convey when they do not allow employees to express their emotions in the workplace
• What beneficial environment leaders cultivate when they provide employees space to express themselves emotionally
• How allowing employees to express themselves improves productivity
• How human resources can use their position to empower and maximize human potential
• What the future of work looks like in a post-pandemic world

Resources:

• Website: https://www.cephrconsulting.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cephrllc
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffanycastagno/
• Twitter: @castagno_tmc

Elizabeth Bachman is THE go-to person for advanced level training in Speaking, Presentation Skills, Sales, and Leadership.

With a lifetime spent perfecting the art of presenting, she helps high-level clients master a message that brings the funding they need, the allies they want, and the recognition they deserve.

A nationally and internationally sought-after speaker and strategist in Silicon Valley, Elizabeth works with leaders and influencers who need to become concise and compelling presenters. She helps them present as smart, down-to-earth, friendly, and even funny – while still being taken seriously.

Elizabeth is also the host of the international podcast: Speakers Who Get Results, where she interviews experts on presentation skills, leadership, visibility, and cross-cultural communication.

Having spent over 30 years directing such luminaries as Luciano Pavarotti & Placido Domingo in more than 50 operas around the world, Elizabeth brings a wealth of tools to help business professionals become respected presenters. Fluent in 5 languages, she brings her global experience to her clients.

What you will learn in this episode:

• How the glass ceiling affects women in business, and the skills you need to overcome it
• Valuable tips for addressing a language barrier when speaking or presenting
• Elizabeth's advice for giving a memorable and engaging speech
• How Elizabeth takes communications from "boring to bravo"
• The difference between single-focused and multi-focused people, and how it impacts women in particular
• Why it's helpful for women to have allies in the room, and how we can work to help each other be heard

Resources:

• Website: https://elizabethbachman.com/podcast/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StrategicSpeakingForResults
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethbachman/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/StrategicSpkg4

As the Chief Content Officer for Double Forte, Liz combines her PR, marketing and writing skills to counsel clients on their content and social media strategies and to maintain the editorial calendar and voice for the agency. Over the years she has worked as the Vice President of Marketing for an international flooring company and led media and communications programs for a range of clients from Fortune 100 companies to early-stage startups in the technology, consumer and professional services industries.

An award-winning writer, Liz is the author of two books about the challenges of working women balancing career and caregiving. She is also active in the influencer community: Liz runs an online community with thousands of members, and her first blog was named one of the Best Blogs for Women by Fortune Magazine several years in a row. Liz is active in her community and serves on her town's Finance and Warrant Committee. She is also committed to supporting other women and co-founded both SheStarts, an organization for women entrepreneurs, as well as Women In Democracy-Dedham, a non-partisan group that seeks to engage more women in local politics.

What you will learn in this episode:

• Why context is vital for every aspect of communication
• How context ties into client services and PR
• Tips for keeping context front and center – even in long email chains
• How to utilize context in social media strategy
• The importance of asking "why" as much as possible

Resources:

• Website: https://leecaraher.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leecaraher
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeeCaraher1/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/leecaraher

Leslie Van Every is a marcom maven/writer/crafter extraordinaire/mama/lover of all things vintage except vintage beliefs. With more than 20+ years of marketing communications and writing experience, Leslie is invested in helping teach others the power of the written word. Currently, she's the head of content and communications for Future Family, a company dedicated to helping people afford fertility treatment. As a woman of color whose father was deeply committed to Civil Rights, Leslie picked up the torch and founded Solidarity Sundays; a nationwide activist community started in January 2016 that is still going strong with hundreds of monthly in-person and online meetings.

What you will learn in this episode:

• The importance of clear and consistent messaging in communications
• Leslie's efficient process of getting to a positioning statement
• Why it's essential to incorporate a human element into your content strategy
• Leslie's recommendations that can help anyone getting started in communications become stronger in their craft
• How a background in communications helped Leslie become an effective activist
• Themportance of positioning yourself to be in charge of ordering dessert (pro tip: order everything on the dessert menu)

Resources:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leslievanevery/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/futurefamilyfertility

Debra Roberts, LCSW is an author, conversation expert, trauma consultant, and developer of The Relationship Protocol communication model. Debra's practical approach can be used for interactions from the boardroom to conversations across your kitchen table.

What you will learn in this episode:

• Who Debra Roberts is, and how she uses her background in social work and EMDR therapy to improve communications in the workplace
• How 2020 caused businesses to shift their mindset around mental health in the workplace
• Debra's four steps for managing employee conflict in a compassionate and effective way
• How Debra's outline for effective communication can help people speak in a more thoughtful way
• Debra's two pieces of advice for anyone wanting to become a better communicator today

Resources:

• Website https://www.therelationshipprotocol.com
• The Communication Protocol System: https://www.therelationshipprotocol.com/the-communication-protocol
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheRelationshipProtocol
• Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debra-roberts-99b620b3/

Greg Chiemingo is an experienced communications expert who brings his special blend humor, precision, and prescience to every situation. A 25+ year veteran working with pioneering technologies and platforms, he's been at the edge of innovation for almost his entire career. He led communications for Sega's first online gaming networks, launched Xbox Live for Microsoft, and introduced the world to the first three generations of Microsoft's Surface tablet computer. Since returning to the Bay Area from Seattle in 2016, he's worked with a wide range of startups bringing AI, ML, and edge computing systems to multiple industries. Greg is most excited about AR as a platform to bring more equitable access to technology for people everywhere and change the way people experience our shared world. He has an M.A. from Emerson College in professional writing and B.A. from Rutgers University in English.

What you will learn in this episode:

• How Greg moved through his career and his take on the future of augmented reality technology
• The importance of accessibility in technology and how Greg and his team are challenging the industry to make technology accessible for all audiences
• Greg's opinions on intrusive marketing and how the use of personal data needs to shift
• Why the success of a company is its greatest marketing tool, and how Greg uses this knowledge to recruit top talent

Resources:

• Website: https://lightship.dev/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greg.chiemingo
• Twitter: @gchiemingo
• Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gchiemingo

Laurie Gilbertson is a former New York City sex crimes, organized crime, and homicide prosecutor, television legal analyst, educator, and entrepreneur. As the owner of Tribeca Blue Consulting, she helps professionals communicate with clarity, confidence, and creativity in their public speaking, presentations, trial work, and media appearances.

What you will learn in this episode:

• Laurie Gilbertson's background and how she went from an NYC prosecutor to a business owner and communication consultant
• How Laurie's skills from the courtroom directly translate to essential skills needed in the boardroom
• Laurie's process for taking on new clients and how she sets them up for success
• The importance of storytelling and tips from Laurie on how to be an excellent storyteller
• Laurie's three most important skills she learned as a prosecutor and how you can use them to be an effective communicator

Resources:

• Website: www.tribecablueconsulting.com
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriegilbertson/