COVID-19 continues to be a major theme and headline. As an internal communicator, it is now time for you to find, prepare, and share positive stories of your organization and employees.
See how your peers from leading organizations are finding stories of resilience, providing hope, boosting morale, and using storytelling techniques to keep employees informed. Discover practical tips to help you:
Shift gears and accept “the new normal.”
Coach your executives in the new environment
Understand the two kinds of information employees need right now
Build an employee engagement metric: mobile, web and email
Merge technology with traditional methods to transform culture and engagement
Give your employees a voice and let their culture be heard
Cultivate compelling stories and communications using design thinking
Use video to highlight different departments and c-suite executives to engage all employees
Break down silos and build trust
Build community in employees during times of change
and more!
“So proud of our partners at Advanced Learning Institute who seamlessly transitioned from in-person conferences to virtual learning experiences in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. What’s amazing is how they’ve been able to hold true to their value proposition to bring together industry leaders and subject matter experts in intimate settings to share valuable experience and best practices to help attendees generate new practical solutions for real business problems.”
Owner + Chief Storyteller
Experience Willow
“This was my first ALI Conference today and I loved it. Thank you for hosting! Hope to attend more in the future!.”
Virtual Attendee - Communications Specialist
sPower
“Keep up the great work! I always get good information from you. When I implement your suggestions, the feedback is always well-received!”
Virtual Attendee - Communications Professional
Benefits of Attending this Virtual Conference
Join your peers for interactive discussions designed to provide you with solutions for your most pressing challenges.
Meet 20+ communications professionals face-to-face while remaining safe
2 information-packed days–attend both or choose one
1 track learning environment
Case studies, panels, and interactive hands-on breakout sessions
Access to presentations and recording post-conference
Certificate of attendance for CEU’s
Networking list to continue the conversation after the training ends
Content from leading organizations, consultants, and visionaries delivered to you wherever you are and available to access and share with colleagues later
Guaranteed extensive, how-to instructions that you can use immediately
Opportunity to ask questions to speakers and peers in real-time
This isn’t a passive experience! You will be encouraged to weigh in with poll questions, engage via chat throughout the event, and turn on your camera and sound during group breakout sessions.
Who Should Attend
This conference has been researched with and designed for Directors, Managers, Vice Presidents, Specialists, Officers, Leaders and Consultants who are working in:
Employee Engagement
Employee Communications
Global Communications
Employer Branding
Corporate Communications
Human Resources
Internal Communications
Employee Communications
Organizational Development
Global Communications
Brand Communications
Intranet Content & Communications
What People are Saying
There were so many nuggets & strong takeaways I am excited to bring back to my workplace! This won’t be my last time taking advantage of [ALI Conferences]!
Communications & Publications Manager
TN Comptroller of the Treasury
Good variety. Attendees and speakers very knowledgeable and passionate about what they do. Left with a great deal of applicable knowledge. Would definitely attend again! Loved the format.
User Experience Design
Mayo Clinic
These are people just like me! It was great to network and share ideas.
Manager, Internal Communications & Events
Pet Supplies Plus
Learn more about ALI Conferences
Learn more about our services, conferences, trainings, and how you can connect with us.
Welcome to ALI's Storytelling for Internal Communications Virtual Conference.
We'll go over a few details to maximize your virtual experience before we kick things off.
10:05 am - 10:25 am
Welcome + Speed Networking
Jason Anthoine, Managing Founder | Audacity
Welcome to ALI Conferences's Storytelling for Internal Communications conference! In this fast-paced forum you'll get to know your fellow peers, their biggest challenges, and a few fun facts.
10:25 am - 10:45 am
How to Foster Community and Drive Engagement During Social Distancing with an at Home Variety Show - UC Berkeley
Patrick Holmes, Executive Director of Communications & Marketing | UC Berkeley
Discover how UC Berkeley took a variety show format and used it to drive employee engagement early on during the pandemic. Learn what they did and a bit of you can do it too. You'll hear tips from how to film, edit, source content, and what to consider when thinking about something similar for your own organization.
10:50 am - 11:10 am
People With Purpose = Passion
Cody Loveland, Digital & Culture Consultant
Connecting minds and hearts through by sharing stories and experiences
How to use social media, email and other tools to foster conversation
Effective meetings help to maximize your message
11:15 am - 11:55 am
A Step-by-Step Process to Link Your Communications to Organizational Strategy and Measure Its Impact
Angela Sinickas, CEO | Sinickas Communications, Inc.
It’s hard to connect our work with our organization’s desired results unless we plan our communication strategies from the beginning to help deliver those results. This workshop will give you an easy-to-follow, step-by-step process to connect communication to business goals—and then prove the value of the communication.
Specifically, in this session, you will learn the difference between communicating about an organizational strategy and communicating in a way that actually fulfills the strategy—sometimes without even mentioning the strategy itself.
You will also be provided with a step-by-step process for engaging your executive management in communication planning in a way that feels like other, logical business processes they are comfortable with, including:
Determining which stakeholder groups are most important in helping to achieve a particular goal
Identifying the ideal behaviors for each stakeholder group to reach the goal
Discovering through informal research which knowledge and attitude messages are contributing to the current (incorrect) behaviors and which messages would better motivate the ideal behaviors
Choosing the best channels for the ideal knowledge and attitude messages
Setting measurable objectives for the messages and channels
Developing measures that will connect your communications with achievement of the ideal behaviors and organizational goals
12:00 pm - 12:15 pm
Using Fun Work From Home Videos to Boost Employee Morale in Times of Uncertainty - The Christian Broadcasting Network
Dayna Lovelady, Digital Communications Specialist II | The Christian Broadcasting Network
Discover first hand how to:
Plan video content that tells a story while building community and boosting employee morale
Drive employee engagement during the creative process
Share engagement results with leadership to influence culture
12:25 pm - 1:00 pm
Lunch Break - Sessions Resume at 1:00pm
No need to shut down the meeting - just turn your camera off and shut off your audio, we'll have everyone moved to the waiting room.
Take this time to unwind and digest what you've heard so far.
We will welcome everyone back and resume sessions at 1:00 p.m.
1:00 pm - 1:20 pm
Fostering a Storytelling Culture Together - Skill Scout
Elena Valentine, CEO | Skill Scout
Creating a storytelling culture within an organization is one way to foster engagement and drive results. Discover practical tips to successfull harness the power or storytelling within your organization.
1:25 pm - 1:45 pm
Fireside Chat: Storytelling and Internal Communications During a Pandemic
During this candid conversation hear how a seasoned professional has taken on internal communications and harnessed the power of storytelling during 2020.
1:50 pm - 2:10 pm
The Elements of Persuasion: Three Principles That Will Strengthen Any Appeal - Writing With Clarity
Ken O’Quinn, Writing Coach | Writing With Clarity
When a message or speech influences its audience, we often attribute the effect to the communicator’s charisma and leadership skills. But could it be something else?
Communicators who successfully influence people rely on principles of behavioral psychology that govern how people act, make decisions and change their minds.
The early philosophers recognized what made a message persuasive. Aristotle, who founded the art of rhetoric, says that a persuasive message has three critical elements: ethos (the credibility of the speaker), logos (the strength of the argument) and pathos (the communicator’s ability to emotionally move an audience).
Leave equipped to transform your writing and utilize the elements of persuasion.
2:15 pm - 2:55 pm
Interactive Session: How to Become Unforgettable - Building a Personal Brand and Story that’s True to You - Monaco Branding and Creative
Greg Monaco, Brand Consultant | Monaco Branding and Creative
Remember that book you couldn't put down? That movie you didn’t want to end? Great storytelling is a skill that directly accesses the part of our brain that is built for recall. And the principles of storytelling are the same principles behind the brands we know and love. Why couldn’t those principles also be a part of your personal brand?
Hear about the latest tools required to move and inspire your employers, co-workers, staff—even yourself—with a clear, concise, and engaging personal brand story. In this session, you’ll learn to transcend “brand fog”—vague positioning and generic messaging—and unlock the power of your personal brand story by accessing newfound freedoms, directional possibilities and a natural urgency to create, including how:
Understanding brand as story, and the power within it
Recognizing that you are your #1 client—your personal brand will outlast your job
Aligning your personal brand story with your values and vision
Seeing why a personal brand story is relevant in any vocational context
Understanding how to build your unique story
Presenting yourself with new clarity and confidence
2:55 pm - 3:00 pm
Close of Day One
Jason Anthoine, Managing Founder | Audacity
Any questions or comments about today's agenda - email maryrose@aliconferences.com
We will see you at 10:00 CST for tomorrow's sessions.
General Session Day 2 - 09/25/2020
10:00 am - 10:30 am
Day Two Welcome + Chairperson's Address
Jason Anthoine, Managing Founder | Audacity
10:35 am - 10:55 am
No Going Back: 5 Ways Employee Communication Changed Forever
Steve Crescenzo, CEO | Crescenzo Communications
COVID-19 continues to be in the headlines and the forefront of many stories. Internal communications will never be the same and how you pivot during this time will have lasting effect on your employees.
Leave this fast paced session with answers to help you:
Sift gears and accept “the new normal”
Coach your executives in this new environment
Identify the two kinds of information employees need right now
11:00 am - 11:20 am
Customer Adoption Program: Driving Organizational Change, Saving Money and Making People Smile
Michelle Gebhart, Customer Adoption Program Manager | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
John Martin, Team Lead, Office of Mission Support Communications | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Does your organization have trouble getting employees to use new technology? You buy a new tool, roll it out, make sure it works reliably, and… no one uses it. This is a common problem across private and public sectors. At the US Environmental Protection Agency, we faced similar challenges after transitioning to Office 365. We wanted employees to embrace new ways of doing business and position EPA to discontinue support for legacy and redundant technology.
To accomplish our goals, we started the Customer Adoption Program. By integrating communications and training into an overall change management strategy, we are succeeding at transforming our workplace. Employees are voluntarilychanging their behavior and adopting new ways of doing business. This presentation includes examples of communication and education pieces that were effective at our agency. We hope our story will benefit change practitioners in other agencies and companies struggling with the same challenges.
Following this session, you will learn:
Guidelines for developing effective communications that people will read and act on.
Examples of how to create big change with few resources.
Positive outcomes that surprised us!
John Martin, Communication Director, Office of Mission U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Michelle Gebhart, Customer Adoption Program Manager
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
11:20 am - 11:40 am
Refresh & Recharge
Take a minute to check email, refill your coffee, & grab a bite to eat.
We'll resume at 12:00 pm.
11:40 am - 12:25 pm
Interactive Session: Taking A Storytelling Approach To Your Internal Communications - Experience Willow
Kevin Finke, Founder & Chief Experience Officer | Experience Willow
Do you have more internal communications challenges than you have time to solve? Learn how to run a Lightning Decision Jam with your team, so you can quickly ideate and prioritize solutions to your most pressing challenges. All you need for this session is a pen and the willingness to be open and creatively expeditious when Kevin says "Go!"
12:25 pm - 12:45 pm
How Employees Can Help You Reach New Audiences - First 5 LA
Gabriel Sanchez, Press Secretary | California Department of Insurance
Organizations make significant investments of time and money on PR efforts to educate the public, the media, potential donors and partners about their work or product. But they often miss one important audience: their own staff.
This session will share
Why it’s critical to think of internal communications in the same breath as your external communications
How employees can help you reach new audiences
Why you should think of everyone in your company as a spokesperson, and how to make the most of this
12:50 pm - 1:00pm
Final Thoughts + Takeaways
Jason Anthoine, Managing Founder | Audacity
As a group share your 'golden nuggets' and what you plan to do first when you return to your office.
1:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Close of Conference - Thank You For Joining Us!
Speakers
Jenny Fasolino VP Internal Communications | Blue Yonder
Dianne Chase President and CEO | Chase Media
Patrick Holmes Executive Director of Communications & Marketing | UC Berkeley
Gabriel Sanchez Press Secretary | California Department of Insurance
Dayna Lovelady Digital Communications Specialist II | The Christian Broadcasting Network
John Martin Team Lead, Office of Mission Support Communications | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Michelle Gebhart Customer Adoption Program Manager | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Greg Monaco Brand Consultant | Monaco Branding and Creative
Ken O'Quinn Writing Coach | Writing With Clarity
Angela Sinickas CEO | Sinickas Communications, Inc.
Jason Anthoine Managing Founder | Audacity
Steve Crescenzo CEO | Crescenzo Communications
Elena Valentine CEO | Skill Scout
What People are Saying
There were so many nuggets & strong takeaways I am excited to bring back to my workplace! This won’t be my last time taking advantage of [ALI Conferences]!
Communications & Publications Manager
TN Comptroller of the Treasury
Good variety. Attendees and speakers very knowledgeable and passionate about what they do. Left with a great deal of applicable knowledge. Would definitely attend again! Loved the format.
User Experience Design
Mayo Clinic
These are people just like me! It was great to network and share ideas.
ALI heard your requests and concerns loud and clear. All fall and winter conferences will be held virtually.
This is your chance to attend this top-rated communications conference from the safety and convenience of your desk: No travel concerns, hotels, or extra costs associated with attending the event live.
This virtual event will still provide the high-quality content, leading speakers, and interactive breakout sessions ALI conferences deliver in person.
Contact Us
Ways to Save
- Alumni Rate: Past ALI conference attendees may use Promo Code "ALUM" to receive the $200 off discounted alumni rate. Contact us if you have questions.
- Non Profit / Government Discount: Contact us to receive your promo code for $200 off.
- Team Discounts: Attend this training with your colleagues. Contact us for promotion codes.
Team of 2 save $200 each, Team of 3 save $300 each, Team of 4 save $400 each
Terms & Conditions:
- Visit our Terms & Conditions for full information about payment, cancellation, postponement, and substitutions.
- Payment by check or invoice option is available on the registration form.
- Payment or proof of payment must be received prior to the start of the meeting.
- No refunds are allowed on virtual conferences. All attendees will receive the event recording and copies of the presentations after the event is held.
Testimonials
"I like the diversity of speakers and industries. Good use of differing levels of budget, engagement, employee size and life stage of communications strategy" - Assoc. Director, Internal Communications, Kellogg School of Management
"Thank you for probably the best conference I have ever attended. It was exceptionally well organized and well-executed. I loved every minute of it. I cannot thank you enough for the info, intelligence, & connections I acquired in a mere 2 days! Fantastic!" - Corporate Communications Manager,Export Development Canada
"Best conference I have been to. Great speakers, great vibe and very well organized" - Director of Employee Communications,Qualcomm