Gladius Communications

"Excited to share that…” How many times have you read that same old hook on a LinkedIn post? While generative AI content is easy to churn out with minimal adjustments, it frequently ends up blending into the pool of generic words and fails to achieve its intended impact. Explore our latest blog post by Max Morelli, which emphasizes the importance of combining AI with communication expertise to craft authentic and engaging content that drives meaningful business results. Looking to differentiate your content in the sea of generic AI? Let’s talk! #artificialintelligence #contentstrategy #strategiccommunications

It's always fun to see a former colleague being recognized for their success, but this Axios profile of Cristal Downing comes with the added bonus of an absolutely SPOT-ON description of what we do as strategic communicators distilled down to where Eleanor Hawkins' 5-year-old would understand it! 1. Reputation protector: "I am responsible, along with my team, for protecting, defending and elevating the company's brand, its reputation and its profile." 2. Culture shaper: "We are responsible for helping to shape and create a more favorable operating environment for the company." 3. Truth teller: "We serve as the conscience of the company and that means that [we] bring to the table all of the expertise across corporate affairs, but within limits from an objective perspective. So we have the responsibility and the opportunity to be the truth tellers and ensuring that we are always aligned with our values, our principles and our moral compass." 4. Mitigator: "There is an element of risk and we also are expected to help the company identify, mitigate or eliminate it where possible and certainly navigate it effectively and more successfully." 5. Narrative builder: "We have the pleasure, the privilege, the responsibility to share news about this company ... and we do that through really powerful and profound storytelling."

Effective communication strategies can significantly enhance M&A integration by fostering engagement and minimizing risk throughout the transition.

Zhuzhing up your communications with a little lighthearted #humor can make your message more likable, credible, and trustworthy and help build camaraderie and consensus with your audiences. It can also help your narrative stand out and make it more memorable. Ragan Communications and PR Daily have demonstrated that humor can help CEOs and other leaders better navigate the challenges of today’s evolving corporate culture, and a growing number of #marketing, #communications, #advertising, #HR, and even #design professionals — including Sasha Jovanovic, Paige Cohen, Decca Design, and Really Good Emails — are advising folks to inject a little humor into everyday communications like OOO messages too. And while cheeky OOO messages aren’t a novel idea, the continued cultural appetite for authenticity — in social media, #CorporateCommunications, marketing, advertising, and more — is breathing new life into the trend, which last seems to have gained traction around 2018 and ebbed again around 2021. Given that context, would you be willing to deviate from the same-old, same-old? Sound off below, or — better yet — share a whimsical OOO message that you’d consider using. ⬇️ Sources: https://rebrand.ly/45k6vrd https://rebrand.ly/3bd8uge https://rebrand.ly/i1wsbs0 https://rebrand.ly/5r4gyph https://rebrand.ly/31rvz5f

We're thrilled to announce that Kristen Weidenmuller and Katie Blixt—two of our team members who've helped build Gladius from its earliest days—have both been promoted to Vice President, effective August 1st. This promotion reflects their leadership of key client accounts and their roles in charting the growth and strategy for the company's future! Congratulations to these two absolute rock stars!

Did you know that glossophobia, or fear of public speaking, remains one of the most common fears? 🎤 Even seasoned professionals can feel anxious when presenting. However, expert coaching, training, and preparedness can dramatically improve a leader's presentation skills, confidence and impact. Effective coaching identifies areas for improvement and provides personalized strategies to enhance delivery, optimize visuals, and boost audience engagement. Leaders who master these skills connect better with their audience, convey messages effectively, and inspire action. Great presenters aren't born – they're made through coaching, dedication and practice. Want to amplify your presentation skills? Check out these 5 quick tips: https://lnkd.in/gNB7yh-A

Strategy and communication go together like peanut butter and jelly, movies and popcorn, and sunshine and pool days.   Having a well-planned, thorough strategy isn’t effective if employees don’t understand it. On the flip side, a thorough, dynamic communication rollout isn’t effective without a strong strategy to communicate.   Our Gladius team member, Kristen Weidenmuller, shares her recent experience partnering with one of our clients to ensure their strategy effectively executes its goal.   “Having a strategy is essential but engraining it into the realities of your everyday operations is what makes it successful. By prioritizing, aligning with values, thoughtfully delivering, and consistently integrating the strategy, we ensure it doesn't just exist on paper—it drives real results.”   #strategy #strategycommunications #internalcommunications https://lnkd.in/e4NYKup7

In the complex landscape of small to mid-sized business mergers and acquisitions, strategic communication at all deal stages is an essential tool to aid successful outcomes. We’ve teamed up with our partner DueDilio to share practical insights on how communication enables SMBs to mitigate non-financial risk and create upside in acquisitions. Check out the Knowledge Center now for actionable tips and advice! https://lnkd.in/eWeWcYu8 #MergersAndAcquisitions #smallbusiness #strategiccommunications

In your last virtual meeting, did you have your camera on or off? How about your mic — muted or unmuted? Turns out, both questions can give insights into employee engagement and satisfaction. According to a recent study in Harvard Business Review: • Both camera enablement and participation rates show strong correlations with retention. • Employees who left the company within a year enabled their cameras only 18.4% of the time in small group meetings. • Numbers rose to 32.5% for those who remained with the company. Yet on the flip side, "Zoom Fatigue" is real, and studies have also shown that feeling free to turn off your camera can boost mental health. Ultimately, this is just another piece of data when it comes to employee engagement and internal communications. As the amount of meetings in the average organization continues to increase, they can often be one of the biggest barriers to workers' feelings of productivity. Ultimately, it's not about the camera. Companies should use meeting insights as one piece of the puzzle, informing a broader employee engagement strategy.

Without purposeful alignment to an organization's most important business priorities, communication can miss the mark and become siloed or ineffective. Business leaders need strategic communication advisors who understand the business and employ proven communication practices as a tool to fulfill concrete, data-driven goals. Savvy strategic comms advisors help business leaders focus on outcomes - not outputs - by: • Deeply understanding and aligning communications to financial and operational goals • Designing integrated strategies to influence positive change or transformation • Measuring quantifiable impacts on metrics like revenue, engagement, or reputation Is your communication impacting business outcomes? If not, consider utilizing tested communication expertise rooted in business sense. #strategiccommunications #problemsolving #positiveimpact