We’ll kick off the event by “meeting” and connecting with your peers from across the globe. You'll have this opportunity to discuss challenges and solutions with your peers and share common experiences as we all navigate dramatic change.

Many people—from students to CEOs—give speeches and presentations, but few make meaningful points. Why? Because most communicators don’t know their points. They don’t even know what a point is, often confusing it with a topic, theme, or title. Real points are arguments that explicitly propose avenues leading to valuable impact. Not having a real point renders expressions pointless, and being pointless is by far the biggest cause of rambling, audience disconnection, and communication epic fail.

This session provides actionable tips, insight, and exercises that help professionals identify and effectively convey their key points—both in-person and virtually—whether they’re giving a speech to a hundred conference attendees or a weekly report to a dozen colleagues.

You will learn how to:

• Identify, hone, and effectively “sell” a point
• Avoid destructive presentation habits and replace them with effective tactics
• Use volume, and pauses to enhance points
• Elevate points and presence on Zoom and other virtual meeting platforms
• Start and finish a communication with confidence and impact

Let’s be honest -- the premise that we can ever perfectly capture the voice of our executive is a flawed one. As executive communications professionals, we’re switching between topics, contexts, and even leaders themselves. Then, there’s the fact that -- at least for the foreseeable future -- we write with and for humans, who are constantly learning, changing, and evolving (and so is their voice). So while capturing a voice is always work in progress, there are ways we can make it easier and build trust faster. In this session, we’ll cover 6 lessons for channeling our executive, including:

• Writing how they talk -- when they don’t think you’re listening
• Crafting speeches for the person, not the process
• Beating the common causes of writer’s block (hint: never start with a blank page)

The pandemic has reshaped how companies, and their leaders, communicate. As one CEO said: “I think this has changed things forever. I don’t think there is any going back.” Today’s leaders are embracing a new way of communicating: more relaxed, transparent, and non-corporate. BUT . . .. they need our help. Professional communicators need to step up and be advisors, coaches, and partners with company leadership.

This session will show you how to:

• Convince leaders to ditch the script and embrace a more conversational style
• Tell transparent, compelling stories
• Build a connection between leaders and employees … no matter where they work
• Incorporate empathy and emotion in executive communications

You’ll have the opportunity to discuss best practices and find solutions from peers in smaller group settings.

Whatever your company's communications plans and goals were entering 2020, Covid-19 smashed them to bits. In an instant, the old rules no longer applied, forcing executives and communications professionals to navigate a new and uncertain terrain. Those who succeeded found their leadership voice far above the chaos of the moment.

In this session, you'll learn:

• How to establish your leadership voice in uncertain times
• How to set up your leaders and executives for success
• Redefining your mission in mission-driven organizations
• Lessons learned from Covid-19 and how to apply them moving forward

From pandemics to plane crashes, disappointments to disasters, speechwriters are often called upon to craft the words that deliver heartbreaking news. History is packed with examples of sad news delivered skillfully and of tragedies conveyed callously. Together, we’ll explore what to do and what to avoid.

In this session, you’ll learn:

• How to write speeches that deliver sad or disappointing news compassionately and effectively
• The reason so many speakers fail at doing so (and how to help them avoid it)
• The unexpected personal effect of writing emotionally charged speeches

Hear from top communications professionals who can provide tips to address your greatest challenges. You’ll learn how to write better speeches, work with your executive, and reach broader audiences.

More panelists to be announced soon!

As a group, you will share your 'golden nuggets' and summarize tips on what to do when you return to your office.