Katie Kennedy

Communications professionals should ask questions, including: 🙋🏻‍♀️What is the strategy? 🙋🏻What are the objectives? 🙋🏽‍♂️How does this apply to the business strategy? 🙋🏼‍♂️How does the request fit into the business goals? 🙋🏽‍♀️How does this fit with my priorities and my responsibilities?

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SAN FRANCISCO

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1 Comment

"We're too small to do internal comms." 🤨 I have actually had someone say this to me in a business setting. It's possible my eye-roll was heard all the way down the hallway. → NO company is too small for internal comms. → NO organization is too small for internal comms. → NO team is too small for internal comms. Communication isn't just something you 𝗱𝗼 as a leader—it's the foundation of everything your team does. 💥 It drives alignment. 💥 It creates psychological safety. 💥 It empowers your people. 💥 It builds trust and transparency. 💥 It fosters belonging and engagement. So tell me again how you're "too small" for internal comms? (Spoiler alert: you're not.) 🚨 Here's a truth bomb: If you think internal communications doesn't matter, what you're really saying is that you don't value your employees enough to keep them informed and engaged. Yeah. Your employees should be your TOP priority audience. Yes, even before your customers, your investors, the media, or industry analysts. Because here's the thing—without engaged, informed, and empowered employees, you won't be able to impress any of those other audiences for very long. It's really that simple. ✊ Does your organization invest enough in employee communications?

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⚠️ Comms Pros: I need your help! ⚠️ I'm speaking to a group of up-and-coming communicators about a career in corporate communications. I'd like to create a leave-behind with some top advice from those who have blazed a trail in communications. Can you help? 🙏 If you have 2 minutes to complete the below survey, I'd be hugely appreciative. It's just ONE question, plus a couple qualifiers (industry, title, etc.)… Link to Survey: https://lnkd.in/dj97Nzgj Thanks so much! You totally rock 👊 #corporatecommunications #branding #mediarelations #pr #pragency #communications #internalcommunications #executivecommunications

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As a woman running a small internal comms business, one of the most impactful decisions I’ve made was joining Chief, a powerful network of executive women. When I joined Chief four-and-a-half years ago, just weeks into the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, I took a financial leap. As a small business owner, it wasn't easy to justify investing in myself—especially when every dollar counted. But that decision changed the trajectory of both my business and my leadership journey. Here’s why it was worth every cent: 🤝 A strong community I found myself surrounded by like-minded leaders, all deeply committed to supporting one another through the highs and lows of business leadership. 💡 Expert guidance: My coaching group has been a lifeline during the most challenging moments of my career. Our monthly meet-ups are my recharge—a place to problem-solve and push forward with renewed energy. 📈 Continuous growth: Through thought-provoking discussions and learning opportunities, Chief has equipped me to stay ahead of leadership trends and industry shifts. Chief isn't just a network; it’s a transformative space where women leaders build each other up and exchange hard-earned wisdom. The power of having senior women who truly understand your challenges—and who are ready to help you rise above them—cannot be overstated. To all the women entrepreneurs and leaders reading this: This is your reminder to find your tribe, invest in yourself, and build a community that propels you forward. 💜 A huge thank you to the women I’ve met and continue to learn from—you’ve been invaluable in this journey: Michelle Tenzyk, NACD.DC, Lisa Matson, Wendy Prager, Martha Jeifetz, Katie Skibinski, Felecia Webb, Jennifer Haid, CFA, FSA, Sandra Denton, Tricia Norton.

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9 Comments

DENVER

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Question for the communications pros out there: Do you think the job market is finally improving? The past 24 months have been 𝘣𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘢𝘭 for comms professionals, and now I’m hearing mixed signals about where things stand. Here’s the general vibe I’m getting: 🙂 More roles are popping up for specific comms roles, especially internal comms and analyst relations. 🫠 PR, social media, and content are still facing cuts across the board (and the open roles are few and far between). 🫠  Senior-level comms positions are seriously scarce or non-existent. Is this matching what you’re seeing out there?

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Another truth nugget about gatekeeping and Internal Comms: Keep your audience and key messages in mind, and advocate for them. Not every bit of feedback should be implemented because doing so fractures and dilutes your message. But be prepared to justify (nicely) why you're not incorporating input and close the loop so people don't angrily ask you why their edit wasn't included in the final communication. If they understand your reasoning, they're more likely to respect your communications judgment.

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Today kicks off National Hurricane Week and storm season. No matter where you live, the Generac Hurricane Preparedness Guide give you and your family thoughtful tips. #HurricaneSeason #HurricanePreparednessGuide #ThePowerOfGenerac

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REMOTE

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3 Comments

56% of Chief Communications Officers now report directly to the CEO, a 34-point increase since last year... The latest Axios Communicators by Eleanor Hawkins is worth a quick read. ✔️ Today’s CCOs are expected to be "T-shaped" leaders, balancing broad enterprise knowledge with specialized communication expertise. ✔️ Functional expertise is table stakes, but financial acumen, problem-solving, diplomacy, and agility are differentiators. ✔️ It's great to see the increasing recognition of communicators as strategic business partners. We must continually learn new skills and up the collective game of our profession.

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When you use email to invite more than four attendees to a meeting, use bcc to avoid the dreaded "Reply all" that inevitably bombards all the participants. Instead, include the list of invitees at the bottom of the message, so everyone knows who else willl be there. #email #bestpractices

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🤔 I have found a common struggle in corporate communications is managing consistent messaging across multiple channels during times of organizational change. 🙃 If your organization is going through a merger, acquisition, restructuring, or leadership change, the internal and external communication must be aligned to avoid confusion and misinformation. I have seen internal teams fail to ensure employees, stakeholders, and the public are all receiving the same key messages. ✅ It's always a good idea to BEGIN your project with a unified communication plan to ensure consistent messaging for all stakeholders: inside the company and those in the public. This is where I can help! 💡Train your team on ways to adapt messaging for different audiences (employees vs. external stakeholders). 💡Create a crisis management framework to handle potential negative reactions or confusion. 💡Ensure updates and feedback loops are maintained throughout the transition. 👓 Working with me allows you to focus on the change itself while leaving the complexity of communication in expert hands. ----- Hi, I’m 📢𝗟𝗮𝘂𝗿𝗮 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻. I help leaders navigate change using 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀. When you have a transformational project happening, I can plan an 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 to excite your team so they can 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲. Don’t let fear of the unknown take your team in the wrong direction – let’s chat, 𝗜 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽!

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1 in 2 employees are thinking of leaving their company, at least amongst recent Gallup survey respondents. Could this be true at your company? Could it be a favorite coworker? Could it be you? Not surprisingly, compensation matters. But this article highlights other important findings - employee engagement with company culture AND with coworkers are critical. 21% of employees who took the survey stated that more positive interactions with colleagues could have helped prevent their departure! #employeeengagement #worklife #employeeexperience

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Trust and transparency are built through consistency, not perfection. That has to start internally & your comms team has to live this core value. Why? ⤵️ PR often helps lead the charge in mobilizing the internal and external distribution of your message, so it’s helpful for communications pros to be honest with themselves on where they themselves might be the issues. Been there. We can all improve. Recognizing when you’ve skewed towards the “bad” examples from sports PR below -- and then working to quickly shift back to the fix -- is how you grow, sustain or rebuild trust. Small shifts in approach can dramatically improve team effectiveness.

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Are you extra? I'm good with that. For even more insights on the Communications field (PR, Internal, Executive, PA, etc.) sign up for the emails I send out to the select group of Comms. pros who who want to level up as Communications professionals and leaders. If you're a fit for these exclusive insights, you probably already follow me on LinkedIn and might listen to my podcast. You most certainly love this crazy, deeply frustrating, and highly rewarding field we're in. You want to stay in the field and continue to grow your career . . . without losing your sanity or burning out in the meantime. So if this is you . . . you're "extra" and getting the Level Up: Be Extra emails might be perfect for you. We're starting with extra content on topics that we address first in the Communications Business Advisor podcast - often with additional context around it and thoughts from others in the field. Tomorrow, we're addressing Strategic Communications Planning. Sign up today if you want free access to these insights. Timeliness matters (like everything else in comms.). Level Up: Be Extra https://lnkd.in/dpAxfT3S

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A divided America can also cause division among employees. A group of businesswomen talk about this topic today, and these are some of the key thoughts we came away with. #divided #employee #engagement #leadership #corporate https://lnkd.in/gQyfKtHJ

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2 Comments

What does a corporate communications director at a professional services company dress up for Halloween - an Oxford comma. The Associated Press is part of my costume. As with all punctuation, clarity is the biggest rule. When developing communications - either internally or externally - clarity is key and thinking of your various publics is essential … and that’s what folks in public relations, corporate communications do. When we are editing and take out that Oxford comma, it isn’t you - it’s us. Clarity is key.

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Hello, internal comms friends -- let’s be heard. Grab a coffee, get cozy, and take the Gallagher State of the Sector survey. It’s one of those definitive sources on how Internal Comms and Employee Experience are progressing, and I’m curious how certain trends are moving. That’s why I’d love as many IC voices as possible in the report. Do it for you, and do it for us 💪 https://lnkd.in/excBcGE6 #employeeexperience #internalcommunication #internalcomms #employeeengagement #stateofthesector #survey Gallagher – Employee Experience & Communication Local Wisdom Why Does It Feel So Wrong To Be Human At Work?

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