The Voice

In the latest episode of The Voice Podcast, IABC Ottawa hosts Anu Sharma and Aishwarya Chauhan engage in a discussion with Shweta Munjal, Chief Communications and CSR Officer at Glenmark Pharmaceuticals. With over 20 years of experience across sectors including tech, retail, FMCG, finance, and healthcare, Shweta brings a wealth of knowledge and a unique cross-sector perspective to the conversation. She shares insights into building impactful communication strategies, leading with empathy, and navigating the fast-paced, ever-evolving communications landscape. From discussing her career journey to unpacking the “three C’s” of effective communication—Clarity, Connection, and Consistency—Shweta offers valuable lessons for professionals at all stages of their careers. She emphasizes the power of story-listening, cultural intelligence, and authenticity, highlighting her favourite campaign, "Built by You”, a purpose-driven initiative centered on employee engagement and the power of authentic storytelling. As she reflects, 'True communication goes beyond messaging—it's about creating real meaning.'" Don’t miss this inspiring and practical conversation that will leave you thinking differently about leadership, empathy, and the future of our field. Listen now on your favourite podcast platform. Tune in now to elevate your communication skills! If you have any questions or feedback, reach out to us at [email protected].

In the latest episode of The Voice Podcast, IABC Ottawa host Anu Sharma explores theevolving world of internal communications with a focus on supporting new Canadianslooking to enhance their communication skills. They are joined by two distinguishedguests: Vaibhav Joshi, a consultant at Crestview Strategy, and Shruti Gupta, anexperienced professional across various industries including technology, software,retail, and First Nations utilities, and an active board member of IABC Manitoba.Together, Vaibhav and Shruti discuss the unique challenges faced by immigrantprofessionals, such as language barriers, cultural nuances, and the geopoliticalinfluences on their work. They also emphasize the importance of networking andmentorship. Shruti highlights the value of research, strategic thinking, and clearstorytelling, while Vaibhav encourages communicators to focus on presentation skills,clear diction, a strong elevator pitch, and simple, jargon-free writing.Listeners will also be introduced to a curated selection of recommended resources,including books, newsletters, blogs, and podcasts, to support their growth at every stageof their careers.Tune in now to elevate your communication skills! If you have any questions orfeedback, reach out to us at [email protected].

Join IABC Ottawa hosts Anu Sharma and Aishwarya Chauhan as they explore the evolving world of internal communications in the latest episode of The Voice Podcast. In this insightful conversation, Wemimo Onikan, an expert with over 13 years of experience in internal and external communications, shares practical strategies for effectively engaging employees, measuring communication success and fostering a connected workplace culture. She highlights combining data-driven insights with qualitative feedback to create meaningful and impactful communication. Wemimo’s rich experience across the non-profit, public and private sectors enables her to offer valuable advice on elevating an organization’s mission through strategic internal communications and employee engagement. Besides, discover useful resources recommended by Wemimo to enhance your skills as a communicator, like Rachel Miller’s Candid Comms Podcast, Craig Smith’s Engage in Internal Comms and Brené Brown’s Dare to Lead audiobook. Listen to the episode filled with actionable tips, leadership lessons and inspiration for those looking to make a meaningful impact in internal communications. Click the link to tune in now! Have questions or feedback? Reach out to us at [email protected]

Join IABC Ottawa as hosts Anu Sharma and Aishwarya Chauhan explore the critical role of Indigenous communications in promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion. Métis leader Elizabeth Bunney, with over 20 years of experience, shares insights on amplifying Indigenous voices, cultural sensitivity, and reconciliation. She also provides a helpful list of Indigenous terminology and recommends Kim Clark's podcast, "Communicate Like You Give A Damn." Tune in for inspiring communication practices and actionable tips for inclusivity. Share your feedback at [email protected].

In this episode, we will explore why inclusive and accessible communication is not just a goal but a transformative journey. We are often immersed in the tangible aspects of our work, from project to project and client to client; the critical elements of ensuring our communication is truly accessible and inclusive can unintentionally take a backseat. This podcast serves as a deliberate pause—an intentional effort to bring these vital considerations to the forefront, encouraging us to make inclusivity an ingrained part of our daily communication practices. We are joined by two inspiring guests making strides towards inclusive communications: Sacha Jackman⁠, Account Manager at Vision2Voice, and ⁠Sajandeep Johal⁠, Accessibility Tester at Indigenous Services Canada.

In today's fast-paced digital world, where people have shorter attention spans, crafting compelling stories is crucial to grab the audience's attention and deliver a lasting message. "The Voice" host Anu Sharma, had the privilege of discussing the art of storytelling with two seasoned industry experts: Emily Thorne, Vice President at Crestview Strategy, and Ashish Manchanda, Senior Group Head at AdFactors PR India.

Discover the future of communications in the latest episode of The Voice from IABC Ottawa. In the episode "Evolving Communications with Emerging Technologies," our host, Anu Sharma, talks to Ross Monaghan and Paroma Datta, who share their insights into the dynamic world of emerging technologies like ChatGPT. In our next episode, we will discuss "Influence and Impact while Mastering the Art of Storytelling" If you have any questions or suggestions for our host, please send an email to [email protected].

Have you considered taking the leap from consultant to entrepreneur? Join us for a radically honest discussion about the fears, potential challenges and benefits to becoming your own boss, with IABC Ottawa’s own past President, Kelly Rusk of Kelly Rusk Consulting. You won’t want to miss this episode full of insights on how to prepare for taking the leap with a glimpse into what a future of owning your own business could look like through her journey.

Let’s talk government relations (GR). A lot has changed since our last GR episode in 2019, so it’s high time to revisit this sector. In this episode, we discuss changes within the sector due to COVID-19, and the evolution of what work looks like for GR professionals and stakeholders. Joined by Megan Buttle, President of the Government Relations Institute of Canada (GRIC), this is an episode with transferrable tactics you don’t want to miss.

What is ChatGPT? It's an Artificial intelligence (AI) language bot that can answer all your questions in a conversational tone. While still a fairly new tool, ChatGPT is taking over the internet with its communication abilities and demonstration of technological advancement. In this episode, we talk to Samuel Chen, the head of marketing at Fullintel, about how he’s using Chat GPT as a brainstorming tool for communications work. We talk about what it can do, what it can’t, and what communications professionals should keep in mind if they’re incorporating ChatGPT into their work. If you're a comms professional or curious about technology and where it's headed, this is definitely an episode for you!

In this year's first episode we sat down with long-time IABC member, Gold Quill judge, and Wavemakers Co-founder Krista Pawley to talk about the Metaverse and how to leverage it. Krista is a communications professional with more than 20 years of experience and a background that has taken her across sectors, industries, and timezones. Grab your headphones, keys, or workout gear and strap in for a discussion about the Wavemakers program, the Metaverse, or as Krista describes it - The next evolution of the internet.

It's a podcast about podcasting! - Join us as we go behind the scenes of podcast creation with former The Voice host and industry expert Sherrilynne Starkie. As a well-seasoned podcaster and social media specialist, Sherrilynne provides valuable insights on podcasting best practices, faux pas, and continuously evolving technologies. In a market full of opportunity, Sherilynne guides us in how to harness the powerful, economical, and easy-to-produce content engine that is podcasting.

Kicking off this season on a high note we take a deep dive into how you can stay competitive in an industry that is growing and forever evolving. Whether you are new to the industry or a seasoned professional you won’t want to miss this alluring conversation with Darian Kovacs, Founder of Jelly Digital Marketing & PR, and Founder of Jelly Academy. As well as Jelly Academy’s Operations Manager, Chris Penner as we discuss some finer details about what hiring managers need to meet employer demands and how simply upskilling or reskilling will take your digital marketing career to the next level.

Argyle, one of Canada’s largest communications firms, added an Ottawa location to its list of offices this year. In this episode, President and CEO Daniel Tisch joins us to talk about the company’s expansion, communicating in a time of decreased public trust, and leadership. Plus, volunteer of the month Megha Jha joins us for the lightning round and shares her goal for the summer.

Hybrid events can offer the best of both worlds by accommodating virtual and in-person needs. But they also create new challenges and opportunities for communications professionals and organizers. In this episode, we talk to Samantha White and Lisa Hewston of Invest Ottawa about their experience running hybrid events at Bayview Yards. Hear their advice on how to know when a hybrid event is the right fit, and how to make sure yours runs smoothly.

In this episode, we talk to government relations and communications leader Kristina Martin about how and when to make the decision to become your own boss. Kristina shares how she went about launching her new PR firm, Kit PR, and offers advice to anyone thinking about becoming an entrepreneur in the communications industry. Plus, volunteer of the month Pricilia Kabengele explains what she loves about IABC Ottawa’s mentorship program in the lightning round.

Whether you are starting your communications career as a recent graduate or switching into your first communications role as the next step in your career, there are some key skills that can help you along the way. In this episode, early-career professional Erica Principe and digital marketing professor Karen Kavanagh join us for a joint interview about how to get started in the communications industry. We talk about confidence, balancing technical and soft skills, and what early-career professionals have to offer. Plus, Erica sticks around for a lightning-round segment and shares her tips for managing stress.

Did your organization, business or school create a diversity, equity and inclusion committee recently? In Episode 135, host Sherry Aske asks how communicators can keep the conversation going. Sherry is joined by Pamela Bishop-Byers, a strategic communicator and member of IABC Toronto’s Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA) Committee. Pamela shares personal experiences of questioning the status quo, what inclusive communication looks like, and what organizations and individual communicators can do to keep raising the bar. Plus, volunteer of the month Patrick Burke tells us about why he recommends the Edelman Trust Barometer as a go-to communications resource in this episode’s Lightning Round.

Hootsuite’s Head of Content Sarah Dawley joins us to talk about the social media trends you need to know to plan your 2022 strategy. Hear how social media is expanding beyond the marketing department and advice for how to get buy-in for your next social strategy. Plus, the Lightning Round is back! Volunteer of the month Dozie Anyaegbuna joins us to share his favourite communications resource.

On the latest episode of The Voice, Sherry Aske talks with National Gallery of Canada corporate relations officers Chelsea Osmond and Dina Groulx, as they explain how an innovative collaboration with IKEA Ottawa helped the Gallery engage new families and visitors during the COVID-19 pandemic and bring thousands of people back through its doors. Check out the Gallery’s Rembrandt-inspired living room at IKEA.