Elin Nozewski

Convinced this makes or breaks success for talent at every level. Self-awareness should be at the top of the list for CEO and executive competencies— it changes how you engage and interact with everything and everyone around you.

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Comms Pros know - more than most - words matter. But sometimes, we use language that undermines our value. In-house stakeholders aren’t “clients.”  → We’re shoulder-to-shoulder partners. P&L centers shouldn't be called “The Business.”  → We're part of the business, not a subordinate function. Reinforcing an "us'" and "them" mindset is a disservice: It positions us as a less strategic function and makes us less effective. Ultimately, our job is to protect & promote brands and reputations. - Our roles are critical. - Our opinions are essential  - Our voices / expertise truly matter. We're Strategic Partners, not Service Providers.

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It could be time to lead with internal communications. I recently attended an Axios Communicators event in Washington, D.C., "Navigating an AI-Driven Election," to learn what's on the mind of top corporate communicators. Through interviews conducted by Eleanor Hawkins, right, of Axios Communicators, we heard from industry experts like Dani Dudeck, left, Instacart's chief corporate affairs officer; Deisha Barnett (UPS president, global communications); Sabastian V. Niles (Salesforce president & chief legal officer); and Ron Bonjean (co-founder, ROKK Solutions). In keeping with Axios smart brevity style, here's a quick hit on what's on their minds: ☑ Employees First: UPS banned the term "employee communications." No longer treated as a separate function with siloed messages directed at them, UPS takes advantage of the power and external reach of their 500,000 employees. Barnett said not all UPS messages are shared through PR, advertising or social media channels, "but reaching our employee base is a lever we always pull." Instacart places a similar priority on honest and open employee communications. ☑ Be Deliberate on Social Issues: Follow a well-defined process for addressing social issues, not a knee-jerk "we need to fire out a statement by the CEO." If it's a go, the statement needs to align with your values and core stakeholders. "If you're a bagel shop you should comment on food security, not Roe v. Wade," Bonjean said. ☑ AI Playground: UPS created a protected environment called the "AI Playground" where their communications team can explore AI tools and techniques, including using AI to predict media coverage based on press releases. Try this: Once your press release draft is completed, drop it into AI and ask "What news story would Axios (or media outlet of your choice) likely write using this information?" TL;DR Summary: Take a new look at internal communications and maybe even lead with it. AI is here to stay, but be strategic and intentional with it. Focus on tone and explore the risks of commenting - or remaining silent - on social issues, but use a process, not a conversation with the CEO. #AI #internalcommunications #PR #publicrelations

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One of the great challenges I have faced in my #publicrelations career is to hear, "we don't sell to the public so we don't need community relations." Tell that to your #brand if you have a crisis. This article has some great tips on building effective community relations. https://lnkd.in/d7iizvip

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Here's a question I got this week and I'm not sure I really have an answer. "Which companies are considered best-in-class when it comes to internal communications? This is likely a tough one to answer given that the proof is internally facing and not directly visible like social media and marketing, but are there any particular companies or organizations that come to mind in terms of who’s leading the pack/ getting it right with what they share, how they share it and who they serve?" To my wise network - what companies come to mind when you think of best-in-class internal comms?

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Chapter 2 of my new book, "WOKE: A Cultural Competence Guide for Communicators," includes A Basic Guide to Public Relations, which offers an overview of the practice of PR. Available now on Amazon! 2. A BASIC GUIDE TO PUBLIC RELATIONS In our modern world, effective communications are key. As organizations and individuals navigate the dynamic landscapes of our interconnected lives, public relations have become a critical element that helps shape perceptions, nurture relationships, and drive visibility, leading to success. Public Relations is the art and craft of managing internal and external communications between an organization, its stakeholders, and the media. A well-crafted and executed public relations plan can establish credibility, build trust, and maintain a positive reputation. https://lnkd.in/gCAHTsP8

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🚨 Ever feel like we're in a forever crisis? Hotwire's Joanne Denyeau and my new friend Lauren Condoluci are digging in and sharing their insights in a webinar you won't want to miss to help you learn: 📝 how to rewrite the comms playbook to embrace disruption, challenge conventions, and deliver meaningful messages Join the free webinar on May 16th, "Focus Amidst the Frenzy: Communications Strategies in a State of Forever Crisis", to explore scenario planning and crisis management for our current 🌎. Embrace the uncertainty & secure your spot ↙ https://lnkd.in/ekk94Hmi #webinar #innovation #CrisisComms #PR #comms

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#communications pro survey: What prevents us from writing well more often? One thing I’ve recently relearned is allowing our writing to be overly influenced by what can get approved, rather than what will effectively communicate with the audience, is a misstep. To be sure, few of us can simply ignore our approval chains. But, as with many aspects of life, finding balance between often contradictory perspectives is what brings success. What do you think?

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IMPORTANT REMINDER for Comms Consulting Collective folks: You might have noticed that most of our group posts / content do NOT show up in your main feed on LinkedIn. A lot of people are missing key updates and opportunities because of this issue. In order to make sure you see what's being posted to our group (including referrals - we've already had a handful of those posted in the first few weeks!), you'll need to take an extra step: You can either change your LinkedIn account settings to get ALL notifications from the group (instructions here: https://lnkd.in/gMWgBfhy). Then you'll be prompted to see what's new on the group page. OR you can bookmark the group page (https://lnkd.in/gYN_fE7F) and set a weekly (or daily!) calendar reminder to manually check the page and browse. If you don't take one of these steps, you'll miss out on the great insights, tips and opportunities from your fellow consultants! Just a friendly PSA for our group members. 🤓

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“I just need a few key messages that I should hit.” It’s a common request that every communications pro has encountered many times ahead of a media interview. And if you’re anything like me, you roll your eyes. Why? Because key messages are fine and good, but only if they are used to form a broader narrative. More often than not, they’re seen as a license to be repetitive, robotic and focused only on your own outcome. Brute-forcing key messages down a reporter’s throat doesn’t help them do their job. Media opportunities are a two way street - you give value, share expertise and contextualize whatever you’re talking about in exchange for the profile the media outlet can give you and your business. The best and only way to respect this duality is to shape a simple and memorable story which contains the messages you want to hit, and which shows instead of telling why what you’re discussing is important and meaningful. I used to keep a folder of video clips that could’ve been titled “when key messages go wrong” - often depicting some hapless executive or politician stumbling through a repeated response straight from the message sheet he or she was handed. They universally looked silly and unprepared, and the interview did nothing but undermine trust and damage the speaker’s reputation. Next time, before the camera starts rolling, think about a story instead of a key message. Your brand will thank you.

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Many B2B executives have very little understanding of how to use #CorporateCommunications to drive business results. At best, they have some vague notion that getting media coverage, winning #awards and communicating clearly and consistently with stakeholders is a good thing. But those things (and everything else the comms team does) are only valuable if there is a clear understanding of the stakeholder perception and behavior shifts you want to drive. "They need to know we exist/how great we are" are not good enough answers. Here are the questions to ask your Sales, Customer Support, Marketing, Partner/Biz Dev and Corporate Communications teams if you want to improve the impact comms has on the business: » "What is the key means by which prospects come to understand they have a problem that we can help them solve?" » "What one thing do our prospects need to understand to help spur them to evaluate our solution?" » "What does the purchase decision making process for our prospects look like and where would we benefit most from influencing/changing that process?" » "What negative perception prevents prospects/customers from engaging more fully with us?" » "What motivates our customers to consider upgrading/expanding their relationship with us?" » "What one thing do our partners need to know to motivate them to sell our solution?" » "Who are the most trusted sources of information for each of our audiences?" Without answers to these questions, your corporate communications team is shooting blind. Corp Comm pros - What else would you add?

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📣 Quick PSA for all business leaders: if a member of your comms team isn’t part of your executive meetings, you’re missing out on a big opportunity that can significantly impact your bottom line and overall success. Let me break it down for you ⬇ ✅ When your comms team attends executive meetings, they gain direct insight into your business goals. This helps them craft strategies that support these objectives, ensuring everyone’s efforts are aligned and focused. ✅ With a clear understanding of your goals, your comms team can create messages that resonate with your target audiences. This drives engagement and action, leading to more effective marketing campaigns and stronger brand positioning. ✅ Being in the loop from the start allows your comms team to anticipate potential communication challenges and develop proactive solutions. This prevents miscommunications that could otherwise derail business efforts and harm your reputation. ✅ Aligned communication strategies result in a coherent and compelling brand message, strengthening your brand’s reputation. (In case you didn't know...a strong reputation attracts customers, investors, and top talent!) ✅ Clear, aligned communication helps employees understand how their roles contribute to the company’s success. This sense of purpose boosts engagement, morale, and productivity. Engaged employees are more loyal and motivated, reducing turnover rates. ✅ Consistent and strategic communication ensures customers receive a unified message, enhancing their trust and loyalty. This can increase customer retention, sales, and market share. By prioritizing strategic communication alignment, you enhance your brand’s reputation and employee engagement, improve customer relations, and improve overall business performance. 🌟

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Why do we do PR? Well, I would answer it's because trust and confidence among all audiences is at historic lows—an avg of 28%. With low/no trust, there is no commerce, there are no deals and business GRINDS to a halt. So, THAT is why we do PR. https://lnkd.in/g9M-_JQ4 #publicrelations, #pr, #trust, #credibility

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This is very true. Can’t be concerned to speak the truth and advise when there is risk - the lens of a strategic #communicator is different from other functions or roles. #Reputation #PublicRelations #Storyteller

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One of the hottest topics in comms at the moment..is your organisation ready? Learn from the experts on how to prepare in this upcoming webinar. #cybercrisis

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MULTIPLE CITIES

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CEOs—surround yourself with truth tellers. Make sure your head of comms is one of them. Heads of comms—Be brave enough to tell the truth. Especially when the stakes are high. It’s a critical part of the job. Right now, playing out in real time, we are seeing how vital it is to speak truth to power, for those in power to not be surrounded only by “yes people,” and for leaders to be humble enough to listen.

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🥵 Hot take: Comms people make the best dinner guests. 🍽️ That’s it, that’s the post. - we know “enough to be dangerous” about a lot of different (sometimes random) topics - we like to talk, but more importantly, we like to listen - we’re just a bit weird (but weird is the new cool if you ask me) So, who’s hosting the next dinner party? #communications #pr #hottake

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