Sharon McIntosh, Author at FIR Podcast Network

EPISODE #36: CEO ACTIVISM AND THE ACTIVE ROLE OF COMMUNICATORS

June 1, 2019 by Sharon McIntosh and Sharon Phillips Leave a Comment

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In today’s highly charged sociopolitical environment, corporate leaders can feel the impulse to take a stand just like any of us. They’re only human, after all.

As communicators, it’s our job to help them understand when and how to speak out on issues that live outside the business realm. What are the expectations around CEO activism? What are the ramifications of taking a stand on a highly charged issue? Which CEOs are doing it right?

In this episode of EE Voice, we’ll explore this sensitive topic and the critical role internal communications teams play in keeping their leaders on point, on brand and on a path toward making a truly positive impact.
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Episode #35: Hey, Internal Comms: Marketing needs you

April 17, 2019 by Sharon McIntosh and Sharon Phillips Leave a Comment

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Douglas Spencer knows brand strategy. The former VP Global Brand Management for Thomson Reuters and founder of Boston-based consultancy Spencer Brenneman has spent two decades traversing the globe to work with brands in every sector from financial services to nonprofits.

He has the same advice for all of them: Embrace brand strategy as “your business’ very best friend – part coach, conscience, parent, partner, judge, jury, conductor and station agent.”

The same advice applies to internal communicators. And in this episode of EE Voice, you’ll hear why.

Tune in as we talk with Douglas about the many ways internal comms can support the brand.
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Episode #34: 2019 EDELMAN TRUST BAROMETER: WHY THE EMPLOYER-EMPLOYEE CONTRACT MATTERS MORE THAN EVER

March 11, 2019 by Sharon McIntosh and Sharon Phillips Leave a Comment

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Since 2000, the Edelman Trust Barometer^® has measured attitudes about the state of trust and credibility in business, government, NGOs and the media worldwide.

The annual Edelman survey’s results often confirm, sometimes surprise and always motivate us as internal communicators – and this year is no different. The 2019 report shows profound changes in the perception of employer-employee contracts, a finding that holds special significance for internal communicators.

In this episode of EE Voice, we talk with Tamara Snyder, who heads up Edelman’s Employee Experience Team, about the shift in employee mindsets revealed in their latest report. (Tamara’s a bit of a rock star in our EE Voice podcast world, as this was the third time she’s been on the show.)
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Episode #33: SHEL HOLTZ ON THE SEVEN KEY FORCES SHAPING INTERNAL COMMS

January 30, 2019 by Sharon McIntosh and Sharon Phillips Leave a Comment

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Shel Holtz knows internal communications, and he knows where it’s headed.

A 40-year industry veteran, communications director for Allergan and Mattel, consultant, speaker, blogger, author, fellow of three of the world’s most prominent communications industry associations and, if that weren’t enough, co-founder of the FIR Podcast Network, Shel is something of an expert on the topic.

Who better to kick off our first podcast of 2019? If anyone can predict the future of internal communications, it’s Shel. His crystal ball is one of the most accurate we know.
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Episode #32: STORYTELLING: A CONVERSATION WITH ERIC SCHNURE, FORMER WHITE HOUSE SPEECHWRITER

December 15, 2018 by Sharon McIntosh and Sharon Phillips Leave a Comment

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Eric Schnure is the consummate storyteller. A former White House speechwriter for Vice President Al Gore with 20 years of experience counseling executives on messaging, Eric knows how to tell a great story. He also knows what makes storytelling such a powerful internal comms tool.

We’d gladly spend an afternoon sipping tea (or something stronger) on the porch with Eric, but we settled for a visit to the EE Voice virtual HQ for our last podcast of 2018. Of course, he launched right in with two stories from his White House days (okay, we asked), then reminded us that storytelling is “not just spinning a yarn.”

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Episode #31: Helping leaders connect (via video) in an impossibly connected world

November 13, 2018 by Sharon McIntosh and Sharon Phillips Leave a Comment

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What’s a leader to do in the age of distraction? How does the C-suite stay connected when they’re competing with Twitter for their team’s attention? How do leaders provide authenticity, transparency and directness that employees crave? One word: video.

It’s one of our most provocative topics in internal comms these days, mainly because of the anxiety it often provokes in even the most seasoned leaders. So to explore it, we sat down with Sonia Fiorenza of SocialChorus, a workforce communications platform we’re proud to call a sponsor.
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Episode #30: Keeping calm in the storm: Employee comms during natural disasters

October 10, 2018 by Sharon McIntosh and Sharon Phillips Leave a Comment

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Hurricanes, floods, earthquakes and other natural disasters can wreak havoc on business. They can keep employees out of work, customers and clients in the dark and offices closed for days on end. That’s why it’s so important to have a solid crisis response plan. And the time to start one is now.

With Hurricane Michael and another superstorm season upon us, we wanted to share some lessons learned from a past one – Hurricane Sandy. Because beyond its epic size and cost, Sandy was also an object lesson in crisis communications.
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How to complete a global internal audit in 60 days

July 27, 2018 by Sharon McIntosh and Sharon Phillips Leave a Comment

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Picture this: You work for a US-based Fortune 100 corporation with more employees than the population of Buffalo, N.Y. You’re responsible for communications to hundreds of thousands of employees across the US, Canada, Latin America, Europe, Asia, Middle East, North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Your assignment (should you have any choice but to accept it): Complete a global internal communications audit in 60 days.

In this episode of EE Voice, Sharon Phillips and Sharon McIntosh reflect on how they not only survived a high-pressure global IC audit for PepsiCo (23 focus groups and in-person visits to six countries!) but walked away with valuable new insights into the very thing they were auditing – internal communications. Tune in to hear them relive the journey and the lessons they learned along the way.
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Episode #28: Taking the Crisis out of Crisis Communications

June 6, 2018 by Sharon McIntosh and Sharon Phillips Leave a Comment

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In this era of hyper-alertness about everything from data security to natural disasters, it’s no longer a question of whether you need to develop a crisis communication plan. It’s how to develop one that works. As an employee communication professional, you’re key to this process. So are employees, as is – no surprise here – social media.

The latest episode of EE Voice, Sharon Phillips explores these murky waters with internal comms consultant and author Paul Barton.

Tune in to hear why Paul advocates a proactive approach to crisis communications that includes employees, social media and something he calls “the five Ps.” Tune in to hear more.
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Episode #27: 9 Steps to Coty’s Effective Intranet Strategy: A Beautiful Thing

May 6, 2018 by Sharon McIntosh and Sharon Phillips Leave a Comment

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Change is a given in our global corporate marketplace. As internal communications leaders, it’s our job to keep employees informed and engaged amid a constant state of organizational change. But how do you do that when you’re up against outdated internal infrastructure and a loud, ticking deadline?

In the latest episode of our EE Voice podcast, Sharon Phillips and I spoke with Jim Smith, VP of Internal Communications and Engagement at Coty. In October 2016, Coty merged with Proctor & Gamble, forming the third largest beauty company in the world, with a combined workforce of 20,000 and two very different cultures. Jim joined Coty a week after the merger.
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