The Voice

What does the shift to working from home, video calls and virtual events mean for accessibility and inclusion? While some barriers have been eliminated, there are new considerations for managers, event planners and communications professionals to think about. In this month’s episode, strategic designer Jordana Globerman shares accessible approaches to hosting meetings and events. Plus, accessibili...

Setting career goals doesn’t have to be about chasing achievements. It can be about prioritizing work that brings you joy. In this episode, IABC Ottawa member and mentor Benoit Laplante walks us through his process for setting short and long term goals. We also talk about the benefits of career coaching and mentorship programs, whether you’re a senior manager or just starting out. Plus, Volunteer...

In many ways, the pandemic put the communication and marketing industry on fast-forward in 2020. Campaigns are being updated and adapted at twice the speed to keep pace with shifting values, opportunities and uncertainties. In this episode, Media Launch creative director Sharif Virani joins us to share the comms trends he’s observed this year, including his thoughts on the viral video app TikTok,...

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been felt in every aspect of our lives, especially our careers. In this episode of The Voice, digital manager and entrepreneur Amanda Bernardo speaks to us about weighing the risks of switching jobs, finding "the glue" that keeps teams connected, and making a go-of-it when you're just starting out.  Also featured is a lightning round with our Volunteer of th...

The months-long pandemic has had an immense impact, often adversely, on women. Not only have women been hit hard by job loss, but those who have been lucky enough to keep their jobs are struggling to balance child care with professional duties. We speak to entrepreneur, communications expert, IABC member, and mother Caroline Kealey about this.

COVID-19 is changing the way employers think about mental health. In honour of Mental Health Week, we talk to Dr. Bill Howatt, Chief of Research for Workplace Productivity at the Conference Board of Canada, about how the coronavirus is helping to reduce stigma around mental health in the workplace. He shares best practices for checking in with staff, colleagues and what employers can do to connect...

A special report from the PR and marketing firm Edelman suggests people trust their employer on COVID-19 more than any other source. In this episode, we talk to Darcy Walsh, the Senior Vice President and General Manager of Edelman’s Ottawa office, about what people want to see from employers and brands during COVID-19, and how the crisis can serve as a defining moment for companies big and small.

In this episode, we chat with Director of Strategy and Public Affairs at Syntax Strategic, Michelle Coates-Mather, about the fundamentals of crisis communications and how this aspect of the industry is rapidly changing with the demands of social media. Coates-Mather unpacks the steps to mitigate a disaster and uses practical, relevant case studies to do so.

In this episode, the senior government lead at LinkedIn, Jennifer Urbanski, shares her insights on need-to-know marketing and communications trends for 2020. From how to stand out in today's content-saturated world, to the benefits of highlighting your brand or organization's human side, Jennifer's got words of wisdom for comms professionals in the private and public sector.

IABC Ottawa’s The Voice Podcast is BACK! We are incredibly excited to be kicking off 2020 with the relaunch of our podcast covering the multi-faceted world of communications! First up, we’ll be talking strategic communications for engaging a minority government. This episode is a must-listen for those who work in public affairs or government relations or anyone who wants to sound impressive in the...

Sherrilynne Starkie, host of The Voice, facilitated an IABC Ottawa Special Interest Group discussion about the major trends in communications measurement and social media evaluation.  In this members' only event, a dozen communicators came together in the lunchroom at CIRA.  They had a lively conversation which began with goal setting and included tools, analytics and some of the more nuanced aspe...

Sherrilynne Starkie, host of the voice chats with Kelly Rusk , digital director and partner at Banfield , about her recent IABC Gold Quill Award win for a social media campaign for Export Development Canada (EDC).   In this episode we learn how Banfield helped EDC integrate social media into its marketing communication with the Ocean Rodeo campaign.   Kelly explains how social media allowed EDC sp...

Angela Prokopiak , host of  The Voice , chats with two seasoned communications professionals to uncover how they earned a seat at the senior management table, a feat often deemed difficult for those in the communications profession. In this two-part episode, we hear from   Cate Murray , Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of the Stem Cell Network , and   Leah Jurkovic , Director of Comm...

Angela Prokopiak , host of  The Voice , chats with two seasoned communications professionals to uncover how they earned a seat at the senior management table, a feat often deemed difficult for those in the communications profession. In this two-part episode, we hear from   Cate Murray , Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of the Stem Cell Network , and   Leah Jurkovic , Director of Comm...

Sherrilynne Starkie , host of The Voice, chats with Annie Marsolais, BDC’s marcoms vice president following her recent presentation to IABC Ottawa .  In this episode, we learn how BDC – Canada’s only bank devoted exclusively to entrepreneurs – is transforming perceptions about its brand.   Annie walks us through the why, who, what and how of BDC’s complete brand overhaul, which began in October 20...

Host Sherrilynne Starkie volunteers as Professional Development Director, IABC Canada East Region and invited Priya Bates to attend a recent meeting to discuss member engagement and engagement strategies generally.  Priya is an award-winning professional communicator and president of Inner Strength Communication . Her practice focuses strategic internal communication, engagement, branding and tran...

Host Sherrilynne Starkie sits down with Terry Fallis, Canadian author and founder of Thornley Fallis Communications to talk about how he manages two successful, yet demanding, careers.  Terry, a two-time winner of the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour, is the award-winning author of six national bestsellers, including his most recent, One Brother Shy .  Along with Joseph Thornley, he founded Thornl...

Host Sherrilynne Starkie visited MARCOM 2017 in Ottawa a couple of weeks ago to capture some of the presentations and speak to presenters. MARCOM is Canada’s only marketing and communications conference developed exclusively for the non-profit and public sectors and for several years IABC Ottawa has partnered with MARCOM to bring its professional development opportunities to our members and our co...

Jody Brian, a PR graduate from Mount Saint Vincent University, enjoyed an illustrious and varied communications career spanning 18+ years, during which time she worked in the private, non-profit and government sectors for organizations including Nortel and Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, and departments such as International Trade and Correctional Service of Canada within the federal governmen...

IABC Ottawa has a strong focus on professional development for our community, our members and our volunteers and our board members are some of our most dedicated volunteers. Catherine Fair, a business coach from Rhapsody Strategies, visited a recent board meeting for a short session on goal setting and collaboration, two key areas for the volunteer boards.  The Voice’s host Sherrilynne Starkie was...

IABC Ottawa held an event at which representatives from six Canadian organizations talked about how they were planning to celebrate Canada’s 150th. Each speaker presented a short case study on the national campaign they were responsible for and then went into detail about how they were building creative heritage campaigns, how they came up with innovative ideas and more. If you couldn’t make the e...

Join Sherrilynne Starkie in Dallas, Texas as she attends the IABC 2017 Leadership Institute!  Ginger D. Homan, Treasurer of IABC, presents ideas for the organizations’ mission, vision, purpose and values statements. And, Sherrilynne catches up with Sara Taylor, regional chair of IABC Canada East, and Jennifer Wah, IABC Fellow and chair of IABC Canada West, to discuss the roles of regional boards a...

If Algonquin College is a small city, Cheryl Jensen is the Mayor. Past president of IABC Ottawa and host Sherrilynne Starkie sits down with Scott Anderson, Director of Marketing, Communications and External Relations and Cheryl Jensen, CEO of Algonquin College in an “Ask Me Anything” segment. At a recent IABC Ottawa senior communicators event, Sherrilynne led a round table discussion where Cheryl...

Hacking Health is a global network nowadays. It all started in Montreal a mere five years ago and grew out of a desire to put patients at the centre of health innovations, using technology as a lever. But like many non-profit organizations, attracting the right knowledge base within the volunteer ranks remains a challenge, and for whatever reason, attracting communications support is particularly...

ONTRACK LIVE is a unique video presentation created by Intact Insurance to share with its employees its third-quarter financial results and priorities in its five geographic regions.  Host, Sherrilynne Starkie and Karin Basaraba and Jim Jackson from Intact Insurance discuss how they turned ONTRACK LIVE into a Gold Quill award-winning internal communication management. Kim Basaraba and Jim Jackson...