Dayana Kibilds

I'm doing last-minute prep for #DevLearn before I hop on my flight to Vegas at 7 p.m. tonight. Are any #Toronto peeps on that Porter flight?! I'm super excited about Mike Taylor and my workshop tomorrow. There's a lot of talk about how #AI is mainly used to create more content. Well, we aren't doing that! We are using these beautiful tools to help us create a strategy. And then, we talk about #RepurposingContent instead of adding more and more stuff that no one needs. All in the framework of marketing, of course. I'm also excited about the morning buzz on Wednesday. These are by far my favourite sessions. Informal conversations about #Marketing and #LnD? What's not to like?! Come with your questions. And on Thursday, we will tell you about the five things you want to steal from marketing! Who else will be at DevLearn? What are you looking forward to the most? #Conference #Learning Ardent

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What is stopping you from going to in-person events? Work-from-home inertia? Not aware of events? Our student research shows the best way to remove barriers is to 'go with a friend'. If that is the case, ask a co-worker or pal. It IS uncomfortable attending when you don't know anybody. HOWEVER, look at all these wonderful people I met and now have in network! So fun to hear everyone's story. #networking #jobsuccess #AIinmarketing

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"There's an association for everything" - something you have probably heard me say 100x over the last 10 years. But....it's true 🙌. If you haven't engaged with your industry association, I encourage you to look for ways to do it - join, volunteer, take advantage of their professional development opportunities...there is likely endless opportunities you are missing out on to become more deeply entrenched in your work and to make meaningful connections! Your industry association is likely doing all of the BIG work to elevate the community you work in, to champion the impact your work has, to advocate for and future proof your profession 💪. Joining the team at The Canadian Marketing Association recently has been an endless joy - while I've always been impressed with the hard and meaningful work they do in the space, I'm even more blown away seeing it up close! If you are: - A student in marketing: there is endless free resources available through our CMA NXT platform that will help support your career journey. Be sure to check if your school is a CMA member...if so, your school email will get you a free CMA membership and access to all benefits! - A post-secondary institution: joining as a member of The CMA gives all of your staff + your students access to benefits! - A company with a marketing team (big or small!): you can join the CMA to give ALL of your employees access to our endless resources, training and development opportunities (become a chartered marketer!), member discounts and more. - An individual who is currently in transition: there might be an opportunity for you to join as an individual member! You can learn more on our website here:

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The Globe and Mail interviewed me on why consumers are switching from calling customer care to self-service and the strategy of omnichannel communications. Check the full article here: https://lnkd.in/gmM8CqBX

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So back in 2017, quite literally on a dare, a team of 6 people decided to run FWD50 in Ottawa. I did NOT have "be a free library of hundreds of public sector innovation talks" on my Bingo card. But here we are. Since 2020, we've also been recording, captioning, and publishing our talks. In 2023, our best-attended workshop happened online—with over 850 participants. If you're wondering how AI might impact your job in the public sector, you should watch it. It's called "How to use AI tools for your work in government," from our amazing partners at Apolitical. https://lnkd.in/eeZ5gspA AI is transforming the public service, and this just one of many talks full of practical knowledge about service design thinking, AI, team culture, data privacy, and more. Did I mention this was free? In 7 years, FWD50 has become not just an event where the people building tomorrow’s government go to learn, connect, and recharge; it's also become a great community (I got to see some of them on recent trips to DC, San Francisco, and London!) Anyway, new drop. #ai #machinelearning #publicservice #FWD50 #digitalgovernment

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I led a Personal Branding Workshop with Buffalo Niagara Partnership - BN360 and shared this ChatGPT Prompt to help develop your content strategy on LinkedIn ✨💖. Copy and paste my Content Pillar Prompt: You are a LinkedIn content creation and growth expert. I am [insert your personal brand statement and descriptions]. First, develop a list of content pillars and review them with me. Once I agree on the content pillars, develop a content planning calendar template for LinkedIn posts and articles over the next quarter. The template should include themes based on industry events, holidays, and trending topics in [Your Industry]. Also, suggest a posting frequency that balances visibility with audience engagement, considering the best times and days to post. I want you to create a content calendar using this framework: T = TEACH ME H = HELP ME I = INSPIRE ME S = SHOW ME Each day of the week should have a different content pillar focus and should be repeated throughout the month. Take a deep breath and work on this problem step-by-step.

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🖱️Embrace Digital Accessibility: Stay Compliant and Inclusive🖱️ Changes to Digital Accessibility Laws will impact businesses across Canada. I'm honored to be a guest speaker at the upcoming Candor Diversity Group events in Alberta, Canada, on NeuroDiversity and Digital Accessibility Laws. I'll discuss how these laws impact Canadian businesses and what changes you can implement to your digital presence, like your website and content, to comply with the Accessibility Canada Act and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. 🖱️Understand the Impact: Learn how new Digital Accessibility Laws affect your business. 🖱️Implement Changes: Discover actionable steps to make your digital presence compliant. 🖱️Join the Conversation: Attend our events to stay ahead of the curve. Interested in making your company compliant with the upcoming changes to accessibility laws in Canada? 📅 Register now for the September 25th #Edmonton session: (Jhttps://lnkd.in/geCtU_eX) 📅 Register now for the September 26th #Calgary session:(ohttps://lnkd.in/g9yD2YNx) Don't miss out! Secure your spot today and ensure your business stays compliant and inclusive. #DigitalAccessibility #InclusionMatters #AccessibilityForAll Luis Antonio Diaz Geoff Bykes

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WEBINAR TODAY: Going back to school while having a full-time job can seem difficult to imagine... That's why Collège LaSalle, Montréal's online training programs are designed for those with a busy schedule. With courses offered in the evening, 100% online, and a concept that allows learners to study at their own pace, going back to school can be part of the solution if you are considering reorienting your career! 💻 This webinar will give you all the details about LaSalle College's online training programs and their concept adapted to the needs of busy professionals! #LaSalleCollege #webinar #onlinetraining #backtoschool #continuingeducation

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"You have to have a website." That was the cry. Whether you were Joe's Pizza or a huge multi-national company. A gas station brand in Canada hired our ad agency to build them a website. This is before mobile. Before location. It was an online brochure about how awesome they were – because you have to have a website. It was the first marketing tactic that you had to have. If someone said to Joe's Pizza or Petro Canada that "you have to have outdoor" the people would say something about the marketing mix and maybe it was good, but you dpn't have to have outdoor. You have to have a website. This made it different. it wasn't a marketing tactic anymore. It was like a sign out front. A thing for marketing, but different. Like the sign out front, it was ignored once the website was made. If it was higher ed, it is refreshed every time a new president was hired. "We need a new sign," they essentially said to impose their imprint on the brand. Having a marketing tactic that you had to have meant it was easy to get the next ones. You have to be on Facebook. You have to be on Twitter. You have to be on YouTube. You have to be on TikTok. You have to be on BlueSky. We have social media managers – we don't have outdoor media managers. What is the point? Websites are marketing tactics. If the tactic is wrong, then so is the website. Joe's Pizza only needs a menu online with hours. That's it. Your institution of higher education doesn't need 100 Facebook Pages. It isn't helping. We need to simplify marketing. It is out of control.

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Good content from the BDC filling an important knowledge gap.

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Coming up with a business idea is easy. But that’s just the beginning. Turning that idea into reality takes investment, relentless effort to find customers, and unwavering dedication to deliver services that truly benefit your clients. This is the behind-the-scenes hustle that often goes unnoticed. The public only gets to see the polished end result and assume it was effortless. It's not. If it were easy, everyone would do it. When I envisioned THE DOPE BOX, many told me it was a fantastic idea. Thankfully, I had supportive friends in the industry that encouraged me to explore it further. But to truly bring the idea to life, I needed the unwavering support of my family. My wife and daughter volunteer their time, juggling their regular jobs and sacrificing their free time to help build the business. They turn our house upside down for a week to sort, pack and ship 300 boxes for Retailers across Ontario. Take a look at the video below to see the dedication and hard work they put in. I wanted to share this story to highlight the immense effort required to make a business succeed. Maybe one day, we’ll be able to hire people to handle the packaging, but until then, it’s all about the sweat equity from my family to keep the business running. A year from now, when the business is thriving; only we will remember the journey and the sacrifices we made. Others will say we are lucky to have our own business. Entrepreneurship is not easy, but I wouldn’t have it any other way! Here’s to all the entrepreneurs who grind day and night to make their dreams come true! And to the clients that believe in us to give us this opportunity. OCS Ontario Cannabis Store #entrepreneurship #cannabis #cannabisindustry

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This is the epitome of unsustainable. This is what causes burnout. This is downright comical. And yet...this is also very familiar. Because this is the average calendar for a lot of Marketing and Communications leaders and executives that I interact with. How did they get to their positions? Partly by working through - and thus implicitly accepting - these types of schedules. I can't even count the number of emails I've received in the wee hours of the night or meetings taken whilst driving somewhere because it's the only time they can talk. I've received requests for weekend meetings and countless emergency schedule changes because of something unexpected at work. And they're not to blame at all. Because it's not only accepted, but often expected in an industry where nothing can realistically be classified as a real emergency. So, can we all agree that it's inequitable for organizations to expect this of any human? And can we all agree that younger generations aren't lazy - they just don't want to sign up for the life they see their parents living? And lastly, can we all agree to slowly - but deliberately - dismantle these inequitable structures by: ➡️ Reframing expectations of ourselves and those we work with/manage? ➡️ Setting and sticking to healthy boundaries? ➡️ Creating narratives and more awareness around this issue in our industry? I'm not expecting anything to change overnight, but we have to start somewhere. ID: A calendar starting from 6AM going all the way to 530PM filled back-to-back with taking care of kids all the way work meetings and emails. There is no room to actually work on tasks until the end of the day. It's a relentless schedule that showcases the reality of trying to balance work and life for a lot of leaders/executives in the Marketing and Communications industry. #JEDI #EDI #DEI #MarketingIndustry #CommunicationsIndustry

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Thought for the week / month / (?) decade (?)....surround yourself with people you love working with and you'll never really "work" a day in your life. Rewind three months ago, I was wrapping up some tenure at Acadia, the folks I sold our digital agency to. This was a fun ride with some amazing folks, and when my earnout ended, I was faced with the classic "what's next?" question. Which frankly is not an easy question to answer. There were two answers to this: 1. The stars had aligned in terms of people and an opportunity for a business I've had on a list for 10 years, and I'll be excited to share more about this near the end of this year / early next as we launch this and get it going. What I can say right now though is this: I haven't had this much fun in years, and it's honestly the combo of a) the people I'm getting to work with, and b) getting to go zero to one again (new things to figure out every day). I cherished my coworkers at Acadia, as well as the founders. They were and are incredible people. But I think I am realizing now that I was doing work that I'd just done for so long that I'd lost the joy, as the problems were all known, and while the results were very strong, I need challenges. I knew this new opportunity would present that, but what was truly unexpected and frankly has been the greatest gift has been the folks I'm getting to do it with. Incredible people. Smart, experienced, funny as hell, and just so kind. 2. Gang, I get to work with some killer clients (digital agencies) helping them unlock growth strategies, whether that's the next chapter of sales for their agency, a path to the next phase for the business (so driving up business value and creating cool options), and here again, I thought this work would be fun and that I'd be able to add some great value, but what I wasn't expecting was again how fantastic the people would be that I'd get to work with, who all seem to quickly be becoming work friends. I was sharing with my wife today about just how much I enjoy the folks I'm working with, and how much joy that brings to my day. The days got busy fast! Which is cool and fun, but they are giving me energy multiplication, and that's really due to the folks I'm fortunate to get to spend them with. I'm 40 next year. I'm not ready to not work. I am a busy body, I love business stuff, and I really, really like people. I love building things together with other awesome people, and I'm just really thankful to have my days full in this way. Work should be this way. We should be able to spend it using our unique wiring and gifts, and using them with others who are a) awesome, b) share our values, and c) bring joy, humor, and positive energy to our lives (while d) accomplishing some killer results, which is important to me quite a bit!!).

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Ever felt the sting of constructive feedback? Here’s why it’s worth it. At first, feedback can sting. Sometimes, it's pretty bad. But with time, this initial sting can turn into valuable growth—if you apply what you learn. Not improving and staying the same? Now that deeply hurts. It hurts your career, the quality of your work, honestly all aspects of your life. I'd rather have temporary discomfort than be the same person. Here's a recent experience I had with my business partner. I gave a presentation on reporting and he pulled me aside afterward. He didn't sugar coat it. "If you want to play with the best, you need to improve your presentation skills. I'm sorry but you aren't there yet. I'd recommend you look into Toastmasters to help you improve." That stung. It stung because I did the best with current abilities and what I thought "good" was. Afterward, I took action and looked around for local Toastmasters clubs. I've been going for a month and have improved at speaking more clearly, gathering my thoughts, and removing filler words. It's a gift to have those around you who are willing to be honest with you and help you improve. Don’t shoot the messenger; they're helping you become a better version of yourself. What is a piece of feedback you've received recently that made you change for the better? #growth #growthmindset #feedback #positivefeedback

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Curious about Connecting Tech Workers & Tech Employers in the Waterloo Region? Come to the Communitech Future of Work & Learning Peer to Peer virtual meeting next Friday, October 18 from 12-1 pm. RSVP from link in comments. Tech employers are looking for skilled talent to build their businesses. Tech workers, especially younger ones, are trying to break into the industry. Sometimes tech employers and tech workers struggle to connect. Who and what bridges the gap between them? Hear insights on what tech companies want in employees from Uvaro co-founder Sheila Fung, M.Ed. Uvaro designs and delivers workforce development programming. They collaborated with Canadian organizations on upskilling programs, Grow with Clean Tech (Boundless Accelerator) and Secure Coding and Digital Transformation (WatSPEED at the University of Waterloo). There will be time for Q&A with our presenters and to interact with other P2P members. Join others in the Waterloo Region and beyond interested in the future of work and learning. This friendly, informal group is open to tech founders and staff, educators, government leaders, HR and employment professionals etc. Together we will explore how the landscape of work and learning in Canada is changing and ways in which we as individuals, organizations, academic institutions, and governments can adapt. At P2P meetups, members will share insights and best practices to crosspollinate learnings from one domain to another. #techfounders #upskilling #reskilling #futureofwork #futureoflearning

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https://lnkd.in/gUJaP8_J Engagement is a key and multifaceted issue requiring different approaches to improve. Interactive content that also merges reality and theory can trigger a stronger connection for students to the content. This is one example for a history lesson.

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Barriers to Accessibility in Public Spaces: Findings from the 2022 Canadian Survey on Disability From by Huda Akef, Carrly McDiarmid, Marysa Vachon, Diana Simionescu, Stuart Morris and Youssef Hachouch, at Statistics Canada | Statistique Canada- "This study uses the 2022 Canadian Survey on Disability to explore the experiences of barriers to accessibility in public spaces among persons with disabilities aged 15 years and over. More closely examining the barriers encountered by persons with disabilities as they navigate their environments is important in furthering progress towards an accessible and inclusive Canada. The descriptive statistics show that over half of persons with disabilities experience barriers in public spaces and that the proportion experiencing barriers in this domain varies by disability-related and sociodemographic characteristics. When multiple factors are taken into account using multivariate techniques, many of these characteristics continued to be significantly associated with experiencing barriers in public spaces. Disability-related factors independently associated with higher odds of experiencing barriers included having more severe disabilities, having unmet needs for disability supports and having unmet needs for help with everyday activities. In terms of sociodemographic factors, the odds of experiencing barriers to accessibility in public spaces increased with age and were higher among women, 2SLGBTQ+ persons and those residing in medium or large urban population centres." #AccessibilityInTheNews #Canada Fable Debra Ruh Alwar Pillai Tanner Gers Billion Strong Kate Kalcevich Mike Gifford, CPWA Jennifer Chadwick, CPACC, CUA

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If you know me, you know I’m super passionate about DEIBCA. You know I do a lot of advocacy work, primarily within the 2SLGBTQIA+ community space. You know I co-founded Case IQ ‘s DEIBCA committee, Belongify, of which I’m a Co-Chair. You know I’m all about rippling change throughout every interaction you have. As we wrap up the year and prepare to flip the calendar into 2025, many organizations are either looking to enhance their DEIBCA commitments and work, or they’re cutting funding from those initiatives in an effort to maintain fiscal responsibility. While this webinar focuses mainly on higher education campuses and their DEIBCA work, the learnings can be scaled and applied to any organization in any market sector. 🗓️ Come join us next week for this informative discussion, and set your organization up for DEIBCA success in the coming new year. (Oh ya, if those aren’t enough reasons to join, how about one more: I moderated the panel discussion. So ya, there’s that. ☺️ ☺️ )

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