The Business Communicators

How can businesses reinvent themselves to ensure long-term success while retaining top-tier talent? Deb Coviello, Founder of Illumination Partners, joins The Business Communicators for a conversation on transforming corporate communications strategies heading into 2022 and the insights needed to equip effective and build leaders.

Then, the podcast breaks down the TIME Magazine’s person of the year, and the list of candidates that Elon Musk topped. Was he deserving, or were other candidates snubbed? The show closes by breaking down the biggest marketing and communications trends of the year – and what to expect heading into 2022.

Music Credit: Smoke (with Lostboycrow) – Feather 

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In the digital media era, data and design are integral tools to effectively engage and captivate your audience through storytelling. On the latest episode of The Business Communicators, Ben Worthen, CEO of Message Lab, joins the podcast to share insights into crafting content and creating experiences that empower communications and marketing professionals to tell stories that people actually want to hear.

Then, Austin and Thomas breakdown the controversy surrounding Vishal Garg, CEO of the digital mortgage firm Better.com, who recently fired 900 employees during a Zoom call that went viral and made headlines worldwide. UPDATE: As of Dec. 10, Garg is taking time off from the company while it conducts a “leadership and cultural assessment,” according to an email to employees from the board of directors.

Music Credit: Smoke (with Lostboycrow) – Feather 

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What is fearless, inclusive leadership in the workplace? It’s about being bold, courageous, and transparent about creating a culture where people feel like they belong and can thrive. And, it starts with having an open mind. 

 

In the past 18 months, organizations have restructured their diversity and inclusion programs in the wake of rallying cries for leaders and companies to take a stand about environmental and social issues. Simply take a closer look at how marginalized groups are hired and promoted and according to the 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer -- the need to rebuild trust with their employees and the communities in which they work is paramount.

 

Brian McComak, founder and CEO of the consulting firm Hummingbird Humanity, joins The Business Communicators to discuss how leaders can evolve by being transparent and committed to creating a safe space for people through a human-centered work culture where real representation matters.

Music Credit: Smoke (with Lostboycrow) – Feather 

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For decades, businesses have exhausted billions of dollars and spent countless hours developing strategies to increase employee engagement, decrease burnout, and improve productivity. And yet, most workplaces still—to put it bluntly—suck. The reason? The corporate world has always been driven primarily by results, so leaders are not hard-pressed to actually change their ways. 

S. Chris Edmonds and Mark S. Babbitt, co-authors of Good Comes First, join The Business Communicators for a conversation on why for today’s blended workforce and future generations, this old-school corporate approach of profit and productivity above all else is no longer acceptable. Nor should it be, especially as organizations frame their return-to-work strategies with the intention of bringing their likely-reluctant workforce back into the office.

Music Credit: Smoke (with Lostboycrow) – Feather 

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Following the initial recording of this episode of The Business Communicators, tragedy struck in Houston hours later on Friday, Nov. 5, as eight people died at Grammy-nominated artist Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival in a mass casualty event. Austin and Thomas open the podcast by discussing what went wrong and how the crisis response was botched by event promoters.

Then, the show breaks down Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers quarterback, handling of his first media interview following his COVID-19 diagnosis. Hint: It did not go well. Find out why Rodgers exclusive interview with The Pat McAfee Show backfired and what communications professionals and business leaders can learn from “friendly” conversations with the media.

The podcast closes with election talk – and why polling data is becoming increasingly unreliable.

Music Credit: Smoke (with Lostboycrow) – Feather 

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High-stress situations. We all know them, but how do we thrive under pressure and use it to our advantage? Dane Jensen, CEO at Third Factor and an instructor at Queen’s University and the University of North Carolina, joins The Business Communicators to share how some of our highest-pressure moments and what we do in those moments have a major impact on the trajectory of the rest of our lives.

Hailed by Entrepreneur as one of the top virtual speakers of 2020, Jensen shares insights on how business leaders, NAVY Seals and Paralympic athletes utilize pressure to increase their performance and how HR and the corporate world can do the same.  

Then, Austin, Hattie and Thomas discuss CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s announcement that the social media giant is renaming its company Meta. What does this mean for the company moving forward, and what lessons can Meta learn from other corporate rebrands?

The show closes with a discussion on 11-year NBA veteran Enes Kanter and his public outcry against Chinese President Xi Jinping, calling him an 'insecure tyrant, and Nike’s failure to call out slave labor in the world’s largest country.

Music Credit: Smoke (with Lostboycrow) – Feather 

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The Pandemic. The Great Resignation. Contentious societal and political issues. The challenges we face create unprecedented stress on individuals and families which can seep into the work environment.

Ethan McCarty, the founder and CEO of Integral, joins The Business Communicators for a discussion on the company’s latest employee activation index (download the report here). McCarty shares insights on how organizations are building more inclusive cultures, why employers need to treat their employees like customers, the biggest challenges facing employers in a post-COVID world, and more.

Music Credit: Smoke (with Lostboycrow) – Feather 

EPISODE SPONSOR: From now until Nov 12, renew your IABC membership or join IABC and make the commitment to learning, connecting, and having the resources you need for years to come. The code IABC21 provides a 20% discount on international dues to anyone who renews their membership. For more information, visit IABCHouston.com.

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Has your employee communications strategy effectively adapted over the past 18 months? If not, how can it improve moving forward? In the season four premiere of The Business Communicators, Houston Methodist Hospital’s Stefanie Asin and LyondellBasell’s Monica Silva join the podcast to share best practices and tips for communicating and engaging employees with compassion and transparency as we emerge in a post-COVID world.

Then, Austin, Hattie, and Thomas close the show by discussing the long-term implications of the Facebook outage, the importance of small businesses owning their own channels, and the allegations from whistleblower Frances Haugen.

Music Credit: Smoke (with Lostboycrow) – Feather 

EPISODE SPONSOR: From now until Nov. 12, renew your IABC membership or join IABC and make the commitment to learning, connecting, and having the resources you need for years to come. The code IABC21 provides a 20% discount on international dues to anyone who renews their membership. For more information, visit IABCHouston.com.

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Editor’s Note: This episode marks the end of season three of the podcast. Season four will debut in fall 2021. Be sure to follow The Business Communicators on social media during the summer months and join the crew for special bonus live episodes.

As CEO of Ragan Communications, Diane Schwartz leads a company that has become a trusted resource for the PR and corporate communications industry for more than five decades. She joins The Business Communicators to share insight on the state of communications in 2021, why communicators aren’t given a seat the c-suite table, and whether certification programs through IABC and PRSA can truly elevate your career.

To close out the season, Austin, Thomas, and Hattie discuss their season three highlights, and why soccer icon Cristiano Ronaldo’s press conference snub cost Coca Cola more than $4 billion in market capital.

Music Credit: Smoke (with Lostboycrow) – Feather 

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Diana Doukas is the Manager for Economic Impact for U.S. Policy Programs at Facebook where she works with the company’s policy goals and how the platform can empower small businesses. She joins Austin Staton and Hattie Horn on The Business Communicators for an in-depth conversation on her role at Facebook, how the company has created tools to facilitate small business development, lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, and thetechnology that is here to stay in a post-COVID world.

Doukas also shares her insights on the evolving digital media landscape and the ongoing fight to combat the spread of misinformation and bad actors on the platform.

Prior to joining Facebook in 2019, Doukas served as Director of the White House Business Council for President Obama, where she worked closely with business leaders from Fortune 500 companies as well as small and medium enterprises, and as White House Liaison to the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Music Credit: Smoke (with Lostboycrow) – Feather 

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FACEBOOK RESOURCES
Giving Small Businesses the Tools to Succeed on Facebook

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