Personal pronouns: She / her / hers

Role: communications specialist at MetaBank

Home: Sioux Falls, SD

What lured you into internal communications? What ignited your passion?

As with so many other communications professionals, I didn't find internal communications - IC found me! MetaBank went through quite a bit of merger and acquisition activity, growing our geographic footprint and creating the need for communication strategy. I began filling the need without a job title to match for quite some time. It wasn't long into my new role before I realized my love for internal communication.

My passion for helping others find their purpose found a home in IC by creating clarity, context and community in order for employees to be able to write themselves into MetaBank's mission of Financial Inclusion for All.

What would you say to someone new to the industry?

Be a sponge. There are so many great IC practitioners to learn from so immerse yourself by listening to their podcasts, attending webinars, joining ICology! (Shameless plug, but it's true!)

What do you hope to bring to ICology?

I hope to represent the up-and-coming generation of internal communications professionals. The workplace is shifting and the way work gets done will never be the same. I hope to ask tough questions and challenge the communication status quo.

What’s your one piece of IC career advice?

My number one piece of career advice is to surround yourself with people that you can learn from. As internal communicators, we are asked to create content around all manner of subjects: quarter-end and year-end earnings, IT process changes, project management flow, employee engagement, etc. By having people close to you that you can rely to be subject-matter experts, you can glean their know-how to serve your employees better. And bonus, you'll learn a thing or two along the way!

What words would you use to describe the types of communicators or leaders do you enjoy working with?

In both communicators and leaders, the ability to be consistent and empathetic are non-negotiables. in my book. Choosing consistency builds trust. In a trusting work environment, your people will do their best work because they are psychologically safe, their "fight or flight" isn't engaged. Secondly, the importance of empathy cannot be overstated. As communicators, our super power is the ability to create content that makes people think, "It's not just me," or "I'm not alone." Twenty-twenty required all communicators to be fluent in empathy and share the language with the leaders around them.

What is an IC tool or tactic that you think needs to be canceled?

"The Cascade." To illustrate internal communications to a group of fourth graders recently, I had them play the game telephone where one person whispers a message in the ear of the person next to them until each person has heard the message. As always with telephone, when it came time to reveal what the last student heard, the message was so distorted. So it is with any cascaded corporate messaging. Internal communicators are champions of authenticity and transparency. I say, take the message directly to the people it affects.