Storytelling for Internal Communications: Full Schedule

Discover innovative ways to use social, video, and mobile to drive employee engagement, involvement, and collaboration across your organization
Venue, Pricing, & Registration Information

9:15am

Rescuing Rhinos: How to Get Your Entire Workforce Involved in Telling Your Organization’s Story - SAN DIEGO ZOO GLOBAL

Northern White Rhinos are functionally extinct. But, at San Diego Zoo Global, we have hope. Every single employee at every level knows their role in rescuing rhinos from the brink of extinction--whether they work in conservation science or a retail operation. Keeping the story alive is critical to success.

Learn how San Diego Zoo Global got their entire workforce involved in storytelling to communicate the importance of their rescue mission, including tips you can use to:

Create a culture to support your vision
Recognize the importance of honoring every employee’s contribution
Reach hearts for your mission
Develop stories that all stakeholders can share

Becky Lynn, Director of Human Resources / Employee Communications
San Diego Zoo Global

Speakers

Becky Lynn

Director of Human Resources / Employee Communications, San Diego Zoo Global

Becky Lynn has had a long career with San Diego Zoo Global. She is passionate about communication, managing all aspects of internal communication for the 3,000 employees at the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park and around the world, as well as 2,000 volunteers. She edits award-winning... Read More →

Wednesday September 25, 2019 9:15am - 9:50am
Westin Peachtree Plaza 210 Peachtree Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30303

General Session Case-Study

9:50am

Unleashing Storytelling: Empowering Teams to Communicate through Podcasts - Johnson & Johnson

Speakers

Ruben Dario Taborda

Strategic Customer Group, Hospital and Distributor Supply Chain Solutions, Johnson & Johnson

Ruben Taborda is Senior Director, Supply Chain customer solutions, where he is responsible for development and deployment of solutions that improve the efficiency and experience of Hospital and Distributor customers to help achieve the Triple Aim. Ruben was previously Enterprise Customer... Read More →

Wednesday September 25, 2019 9:50am - 10:20am
Westin Peachtree Plaza 210 Peachtree Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30303

General Session Case-Study

10:40am

Crafting Meaningful & Effective Communications Among Teams Through Storytelling - CITI

Elevating the conversation between senior leadership and their teams is the overarching goal of every internal communication professional. Sometimes internal messages can fall flat, or even get ignored as they arrive in email inboxes.

Learn new storytelling approaches to increase engagement, including how to:

Capture and keep the attention of employees

Humanize content allowing employees to have an emotional connection with what they’re reading or watching
Incorporate images and videos when communicating lengthy information
Generate stories from your employees
Develop videos, without a large team or resources, that are impactful, engaging, and informative
Increase two-way conversations between leaders and teams

Viveca M. Woods, VP, Employee & Client Communications Lead
CITI

Speakers

Viveca M. Woods

VP, Employee & Client Communications Lead, Citi

A corporate storyteller, Viveca M. Woods, leverages internal communications to align with leadership objectives and business goals. At Citi, Woods is the VP of Employee and Client Communications lead for the USRBM Segments and Customer Engagement team. In her role, she strategically... Read More →

Wednesday September 25, 2019 10:40am - 11:15am
Westin Peachtree Plaza 210 Peachtree Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30303

General Session Case-Study

1:35pm

Telling Stories Through Photos, Even if You Are Not a Photographer - WORLD WILDLIFE FUND

You don’t need expensive photography equipment and advanced photography skills to capture photographs that tell a story. You can take excellent, narrative-driven photos with smartphones and use them in your internal communications channels to capture attention and tell stories that your audience will absorb quicker than reading an article or even skimming a paragraph.

Learn how to incorporate visual storytelling into your communication channels, including how to:

Take improved photos, using your smartphone
Capture attention and boost employee engagement

Keith Arnold, Deputy Director of Internal Communications
World Wildlife Fund

Speakers

Keith Arnold

Deputy Director of Internal Communications, World Wildlife Fund

Keith Arnold is deputy director of internal communications at World Wildlife Fund, where he oversees employee communications, staff meetings and events. He also serves as the organization’s lead staff photographer. He has been at WWF since 2016. Before joining WWF, Keith served... Read More →

Wednesday September 25, 2019 1:35pm - 2:15pm
Westin Peachtree Plaza 210 Peachtree Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30303

General Session Case-Study

2:15pm

Storytelling for the Head, Heart and Hands — How To Turn Employees Into Heroes - PEPSICO

This highly engaging session will tell the story of how PepsiCo created a multi-year, multi-platform, $110 million “Ignited” campaign to invest in 40,000 front-line employees, harness the power of storytelling, and turn around a lagging business.

The key takeaways you will gain following attending this session include:

The pre-work is THE work: align with your CEO, CHRO, and CFO before doing anything
Your front-line employees are closer to your customers: be a servant leader and listen to them
Make your employees the heroes of their own story: and then shine a light on them with engaging content, targeted distribution, and interactive exchange

Rod Thorn, Senior Director, Communications
PepsiCo

Speakers

Rod Thorn

Senior Director, Communications, PepsiCo

Long before he became a communications executive for PepsiCo, IBM, and Kodak, or founded Thorn Media, Rod Thorn told stories that changed lives—including his own. After growing up in poverty, Rod harnessed the power of storytelling to get a B.A. in Rhetoric and Communications from... Read More →

Wednesday September 25, 2019 2:15pm - 2:50pm
Westin Peachtree Plaza 210 Peachtree Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30303

General Session Case-Study

3:10pm

Heart of the (Subject) Matter: 4 Ways to Breathe New Life Into Old Content and Pump Up Your Readership - BNY MELLON

At BNY Mellon, the intranet was a press release repository that was slowly killing internal communications and employee engagement. By humanizing content through personal storytelling, firstperson narratives and blogging, the bank’s intranet is now a place employees want to go to start their day.

In this session, you’ll learn how to bring your own company stories back to life with specific examples in unique formats. Using the four chambers of the heart as a metaphor, we’ll examine the storytelling journey from the perspective of the six-word story to longer format writing.

Following the presentation, you’ll gain an understanding on how to successfully:

Move your content from story re-telling to real storytelling
Learn specific ways to tell stories that truly engage employees through emotional storytelling
Write digital columns that garner attention and create/build your brand
Learn tips on how to increase engagement through high frequency and newsletters
Put your heart into every piece, so that your stories trend more than your company’s weekly cafeteria menu!

Michael Soloway, VP, Internal Communications Manager
BNY Mellon

Speakers

Michael Soloway

VP, Internal Communications Manager, BNY Mellon

Award-winning marketing and communications executive with a wide variety of expertise including writing, editing, publication and literary management, branding strategy, advertising, graphic and website design, and public relations.Areas of Expertise: Journalism, copywriting, art... Read More →

Wednesday September 25, 2019 3:10pm - 3:45pm
Westin Peachtree Plaza 210 Peachtree Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30303

General Session Case-Study

3:45pm

Defining Moments - How to Use Small Actions that Have a Huge Impact to Drive Both Guest and Employee Engagement. - MGM RESORTS INTERNATIONAL

Discover how MGM Resorts increased awareness amongst leaders on how the small actions they take with both employees and guests have a big impact on perceptions of the company. This resulted in shared stories that highlighted what MGM referred to as“Defining Moments.” As stories about these defining moments were shared, both guest and employee engagement increased along with consistency of service.

In this session, you will learn the value of identifying your own defining moments and how to leverage them through storytelling, including how to:

Understand what a defining moment is and how they can impact a culture
MGM Resorts increased leader awareness of how their actions had big impact
Share stories around your defining moments to drive guest and employee engagement

Michelle DiTondo, SVP, Human Resources
MGM Resorts International

Speakers

Michelle DiTondo

SVP, Human Resources, MGM Resorts International

Michelle DiTondo is the Chief Human Resources Officer for MGM Resorts International where she is currently leading culture transformation and initiatives in employee engagement, internal branding, and talent management for the company’s 88,000 employees. MGM Resorts is a global... Read More →

Wednesday September 25, 2019 3:45pm - 4:20pm
Westin Peachtree Plaza 210 Peachtree Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30303

General Session Case-Study

8:30am

Day 2 Kick off and Chairperson's Address: Using Design Thinking to Cultivate More Compelling Stories - EXPERIENCE WILLOW

From the iPhone to everyday furniture, design thinking has enabled some of the world's most beloved brands like Apple and Ikea to develop intentional, human-centric products. Often used in product and experience development, more marketers and communicators are now incorporating design thinking in the way they approach their initiatives because it helps them be more empathetic when communicating with customers and employees alike.

Do you need help understanding the real needs and desires of your people? Do you find yourself simply communicating facts, features and benefits, instead of crafting compelling stories that move employees? In his short talk, Kevin Finke will break down the why and what behind design thinking. And more importantly, how communicators like you can apply design thinking to your work to help you uncover and tell more authentic, engaging stories.

Kevin Finke, Owner | Chief Storyteller
Experience Willow
CONFERENCE FACILITATOR

Speakers

Kevin Finke

Owner | Chief Storyteller, Experience Willow

You know that kid who never stopped asking why? That was Kevin. And asking why—finding out why something works and how to make it better—still drives him to this day. His contagious curiosity can be found at the heart of the experiences he designs for the world’s most progressive... Read More →

Thursday September 26, 2019 8:30am - 9:15am
Westin Peachtree Plaza 210 Peachtree Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30303

General Session Case-Study

9:15am

Using the Power of Storytelling to Showcase Your Organization's Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion - INVESCO

In 2018, Invesco’s CEO and other senior leaders committed to D&I goals publicly, but internally, the messaging lacked an emotional and personal perspective. Employees at the firm wanted to see evidence that the firm was providing a nurturing environment where everyone can bring their whole self to work and grow in their career. Through internal campaigns, #WomenofInvesco and #InvescoLGBTQ, Invesco was able to demonstrate measurable results in increasing employee engagement.

Learn how Invesco harnessed the power of storytelling to level up their engagement campaigns and commitment to diversity & including, including how to:

Take a corporate message and translate it into an emotional connection with your audiences
Generate 2-way dialogue within your employee population
Demonstrate and communicate measurable results

Allyse Denmark, Head of Corporate and Enterprise Internal Communications
Invesco

Speakers

Allyse Denmark

Head of Corporate and Enterprise Internal Communications, Invesco

Allyse Denmark is Head of Corporate and Enterprise Internal Communications. She joined Invesco in 2013 as the head of the global internal communications team. She and her team help keep Invesco's employees informed and engaged on key business topics such as strategic plans, corporate... Read More →

Thursday September 26, 2019 9:15am - 9:50am
Westin Peachtree Plaza 210 Peachtree Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30303

General Session Case-Study

9:50am

Engage, Invest, and Capture – Strategies & Methods to Change Culture, Boost Morale, and Increase Productivity - CITY OF ATLANTA DEPARTMENT OF WATERSHED MANAGEMENT

This highly informative session will assist you in building trust between employees and executive management, and achieve employee commitment utilizing digital trends, and traditional approaches. The City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management is accomplishing this goal with a dedicated team, and support from upper management.

Following this discussion, you’ll gain an understanding on how to successfully:

Increase two-way engagement between your employees and your organization
Expand opportunities for employee recognition with unlimited resources and/or limited budget
Challenge employees to think outside the box to achieve results with the department’s mission, vision, and priorities

William Horton, Internal Communications Manager
City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management

Speakers

William Horton

Internal Communications Manager, City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management

A graduate of Winston-Salem State University in Winston-Salem, N.C., William Horton is an award-winning Public Relations & Multimedia professional with nearly 20 years experience successfully creating and executing communications plans, and creative media campaigns. He is currently... Read More →

Thursday September 26, 2019 9:50am - 10:25am
Westin Peachtree Plaza 210 Peachtree Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30303

General Session Case-Study

11:25am

Weaving together Strategy and Culture to Build Awareness and Create Action - PITNEY BOWES

Culture is famously supposed to eat strategy for breakfast.  For communicators, the real challenge is how to weave the behaviors/actions that exemplify culture into our stories and find ways to influence culture beyond “just posters.”
 

This presentation will provide ideas and tips to create and share culture stories such as CEO messages and highlighting employees who are demonstrating cultural behaviors. 
 

From this session, you will learn about…

Creating campaigns that deliver consistent messages but can pivot based on company need
Keeping a senior executive series fresh and innovative without losing sight of the foundational principles
Making sure your global team is represented in your stories

Kathy Raymond, VP, Internal and Employee Communications
Pitney Bowes

Speakers

Kathy Raymond

VP, Internal and Employee Communications, Pitney Bowes

As the headof internal and employee communications at Pitney Bowes, Kathy's responsible for keeping employees informed and engaged. She and her team are connecting with employees by deliveringstrategic messages, providing leaders withcommunicationssupport, aligning culture stories... Read More →

Thursday September 26, 2019 11:25am - 12:00pm
Westin Peachtree Plaza 210 Peachtree Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30303

General Session Case-Study

12:20pm

Storytelling: Making History Relevant - REYES HOLDINGS

Reyes Holdings was founded in 1976 by brothers Chris and Jude Reyes with a small Schlitz beer distributor in Spartanburg, SC. Today Reyes Holdings is the 11th largest privately-owned company in the United States with revenues in excess of $33B.  Still family owned and operated, Reyes Holdings employs over 32,000 people in 19 countries across the globe.

Learn how they tell their story to employees of all ages, nationalities and demographics – and make it relevant across their diverse portfolio of companies, including how they:

Craft the story for greatest impact
Tell and deliver the story to truly engage audience
Manage and adapt stories for a diverse and multinational workforce

Lisa Cavallaro, Vice President, Corporate Communications
Reyes Holdings

Speakers

Lisa Cavallaro

Vice President, Corporate Communications, Reyes Holdings

Experienced communication leader with a demonstrated history of working across diverse industries. Skilled in Project Management, Event Management, Team Building, and Leadership. Strong media, communication and certified change professional with a Master of Science (MS) focused in... Read More →

Thursday September 26, 2019 12:20pm - 12:55pm
Westin Peachtree Plaza 210 Peachtree Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30303

General Session Case-Study

12:55pm

An Evolving Workforce Experience: The Power of Corporate Storytelling in HR - DELOITTE

Learn how to bridge the gap between business goals and the employee experience using employee insights and corporate storytelling to help HR move beyond administrative communications and begin to craft a cohesive narrative around Total Rewards, compensation, global mobility and beyond.

Melissa Yim, Senior Manager
Deloitte

Abigail Leonard, HR Communications Consultant
Deloitte

Speakers

Abigail Leonard

HR Communications Consultant, Deloitte

Creative, goal-oriented consultant with a history working in Communications, HR, L&D, Recruiting, Total Rewards, Marketing, and Strategy. Experience working with all levels of management, including senior leadership, to brainstorm solutions for strategic HR initiatives. Obtained... Read More →

Melissa Yim

Senior Manager, Deloitte

Thursday September 26, 2019 12:55pm - 1:30pm
Westin Peachtree Plaza 210 Peachtree Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30303

General Session Case-Study