Tips for Navigating Corporate Communications Careers

If I had to redo my corporate career, here’s what I’d do differently. I wouldn’t have stayed silent in meetings, waiting for someone to notice my value. I wouldn’t have softened my opinions to make them palatable. I wouldn’t have played small, thinking that hard work speaks for itself. (Spoiler: It doesn’t.) If I could go back, I’d grab the mic, own the stage, and show up like I belonged—because I did. Dear Younger Anna, 1. Take up space. Speak up. Own the room. Every meeting, every panel, every time someone hands you a mic—it’s a stage. Stop waiting to be invited into the conversation. Start leading it. 2. Stop over-explaining yourself. You don’t need to justify your presence. You don’t need to prove you belong. You do. Say what you need to say, then stop. Let the silence do the heavy lifting. 3. Selling yourself isn’t cringey—it’s necessary. Storytelling is sales. And if you’re not selling your ideas, your expertise, or your leadership, someone less qualified but more vocal will (and he did). 4. Play the game—but on your terms. Corporate life has rules. Learn them. Then break the ones that don’t serve you. 5. Take more risks, earlier. The biggest leaps—leaving banking, stepping into storytelling, launching What's Your Story Slam— were the ones that changed everything. The best things happen when you stop waiting and start doing. 6. Build your network. Find your people. The right conversations open the right doors. (Sitting at your desk hoping to be noticed doesn’t.) 7. You’re more than a job title. Your worth isn’t measured in promotions or performance reviews. It’s in the impact you make, the stories you tell, and the people you uplift. Would my younger self listen? Probably not. But if you’re reading this, maybe you will. Love, Wise Anna (who learned these things the hard way) 👉 What’s one piece of advice you’d give your younger self? #Leadership #Storytelling #CareerGrowth

𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲? 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗬𝗼𝘂 When I started as a research analyst in my 20s, I thought my work would speak for itself. It didn’t. Turns out, being good at your job isn’t enough—how you communicate matters just as much. Here’s what I learned the hard way: 𝗜𝗳 𝗬𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗦𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗡𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝗮𝘆 Early on, I stayed quiet in meetings, thinking I needed more experience before contributing. Big mistake. 📌 Fact: People who speak up in the first 10 minutes of a meeting are more likely to be remembered. 📌 My fix? I made it a rule to say at least one relevant thing per meeting—even if it was just a question. 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲, 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗞𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗜𝘁 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁 At first, I either gave too little detail or way too much. Now, I structure my updates like this: 🔹 What I’m working on 🔹 What I need help with 🔹 What’s next This keeps things clear, saves time, and makes me look more in control. 𝗘𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀 & 𝗠𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀: 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗜𝘁 𝗘𝗮𝘀𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 No one has time to read long emails. My golden rule? One glance = instant clarity. ✔ Use bullet points ✔ Keep paragraphs short ✔ Highlight key takeaways Result? Faster replies, less back-and-forth. 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲 Some prefer Slack, some prefer calls, and others like a quick email summary. Adjusting to their style = better alignment & fewer misunderstandings. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹? 𝗔𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 I used to be afraid of asking questions. Now, I realize good questions make you look sharp. Instead of: ❌ "I don’t understand this." Try: ✅ "Could you clarify X so I can align my approach?" Mastering communication isn’t about talking more—it’s about talking smarter. What’s one communication tip that helped you at work? Drop it in the comments! ⬇️ #CorporateLife #CommunicationSkills #CareerGrowth #LessonsFromExperience

I have been in the corporate space now for 3 yrs and here are 5 things I have realized especially as someone early in their career 1. If your role and your position title do not give you credibility, build it in other ways, whether it’s through social media, through social impact initiatives as the firm, taking leadership in terms of community at the firm etc which enables you to create visibility for yourself And when that visibility is consistent in relation to one theme, it’s builds credibility And now the credibility you create at that one place even though unrelated transfers to credibility in other spaces as well (some even if not all) 2. Do not be intimidated by someone’s role or title Have INTENTION and be GENUINE especially when it comes to building relationships with people at the company whether it’s juniors or even senior leaders When you get intimidated, you end up not showing up as yourself but isbtwfa as someone you think you should show up as well and trust me that does no good They are people at the end of the day too and if you are genuine and show curiosity and interest in what they do, ask the right questions and look out for them and support them going out of your way, you have now found yourself not just a connect but a mentor/sponsor But you got to be consistent and showcase gratefulness as well 3. Always under promise and over deliver, it helps build credibility and trust. So if you think you will take 5 days to do something say 7 so if you get it done in 5 it will leave a positive impression Vs you saying 5 and taking 5.5 days etc which can spoil first impressions and thus reputation 4. Be honest and show initiative If you don’t know something say you don’t, instead of pretending to know and then messing it up, there will be a lot of people willing to help you out You don’t need to know everything but you got to show your willingness to learn and showcase initiative in learning 5.Don’t react but respond to feedback I see how a lot of people get offended when given feedback and start becoming defensive and when you do that it’s the worst There may be times where you may not have exactly done something how it’s being said it was done, and while you should not let someone mistreat you but in this case instead of reacting to it and mentioning reasons or clarifying things All that does is in fact is make you seem as someone who who does not take feedback well and react and so instead, always just listen, acknowledge and respond with a plan of action and maybe how you also ready started acting towards it instead of reacting Share with someone who needs to read thiss..Pt2 coming soon #advice #tips #students

Some advice to help you go from Communications order taker to business advisor. The other day I posted about reasons why the Communications function is treated as an order-taker not business advisor at some organizations. But we can’t stop at talking about it. And What can we DO about it? Sorry to say, it’s a long road. But the destination is WORTH it. For you. For your team. For the Communications profession in general. Here are some guidelines to get started: 1. Create a proactive, annual communications strategy that maps to business goals. (This is a post and much more in itself.) 2. Set expectations. Explain how long you need to respond to inbound requests, that you look for the goal and not the tactic. Do this with everyone. Explain that the longer you have, the better the impact. 3. Understand your peers. Meet with them to understand their motivations, goals, priorities, and share yours. If something comes inbound that could have been planned for when creating your annual plan, make sure you note it and investigate the reason. Was it lack of trust? Was it just forgetting or dismissing? Address accordingly. Do not sweep under the rug and move on. 4. Find your advocates and let them be your internal key influencers. Once everyone sees what Communications did for Joe or Julie when acting as business advisor, they'll all want it. 5. Set and KEEP boundaries. Boundaries are flexible, but are generally there to keep you sane. This means saying no. That’s right, say no to things that don't fit with business goals. 6. When at the table on a key issue, show them how you are an advisor using the lens of communications. Focus on implications … the operations impact, the sales impact. Share an alternative approach to meet the goal. 7. If you're not proactively invited to the table to address a key issue, invite yourself. Yes, ask if you can join and why. What's the worse that happens? They say no. So what? At least they’re paying attention to you now. When or if something is decided or a decision is changed after the fact when you weigh in on an implication, it can be pointed at as a reason being at the table is important. What’s simple to us, isn’t simple to others. So we have to MAKE them see Show them what we’re capable of Teach them to treat us as the business advisors we are. Nothing changes without change. Make it happen. Want more? Go back and listen to episode 14 of the Communications Business Advisor™ Podcast. It’s an oldie but a goodie. OR if you’re ready to make change happen but want support because doing it on your own is A LOT … (and not your only option) reach out! Bringing in third-party advisor can help you think through all of these pieces, navigate with you, discuss options, and shoulder some of the weight of planning behind-the-scenes. An agency, a consultant, a coach … someone! Doing it alone is daunting.

Are you feeling like no one is noticing just how hard you're working? Doing great work is essential. But if you're always heads-down, focused solely on execution, you might be unintentionally slowing your career momentum. One common pattern I see in communications professionals is being so immersed in the work that they miss opportunities to connect, contribute strategically, or be seen by decision-makers. It’s not about self-promotion—it’s about visibility, influence, and growth. This week’s microshift: Lift your head. Look around. Engage. - Schedule a 15-minute check-in with a cross-functional partner. - Join a meeting you’re usually not in—but where your insights could add value. - Share a quick win or learning with your team or manager. - Ask a strategic question that shows you're thinking beyond the task. These small actions build your reputation as someone who not only delivers but also leads. They help others see your potential for stretch assignments or promotions. And they remind you that your voice matters beyond the deliverable. Being heads-down isn’t a flaw—it’s often a sign of dedication. But leadership requires more than execution. It requires presence. #MicroshiftMonday #CareerGrowth #LeadershipDevelopment #CommunicationsLeadership #ProfessionalVisibility