Internal communications is about communicating with an organization’s key stakeholders — employees. If done well, it can drive your organization to achieve top results, even during tough times. In this week's episode, Melissa speaks with Amanda Todd, the Executive Communications Officer at Cisco, about the importance of internal communications.

About Amanda:
Amanda Todd is an Executive Communications Officer to Liz Centoni, Cisco's Chief Strategy Officer and General Manager of Applications at Cisco. Before joining Liz's Executive Communications team, Amanda built and led internal communications programs at Duo Security (now part of Cisco) and at car2go North America. She is a firm believer that the best communications understand people, products and culture - and has a special passion for employee well-being, corporate social responsibility and creating programs that foster a strong sense of purpose and belonging.

Follow Amanda on LinkedIn: amanda-todd-austin

Topics covered:
- Defining internal communications
- Internal communications during a pandemic
- Internal communications in a post-pandemic world
- How to build company culture while working from home
- The measure of "good work"

Actions to take:
- Include employees in your communications plan
- Minimize confusion
- Bring heart into your message
- Acknowledge the "elephant in the room"
- Build in daily opportunities for laughter
- Learn how to listen

Resources mentioned:
- Cisco: https://www.cisco.com/
- Staffbase: https://staffbase.com/en/
- PR Pro Gear: https://www.prgearshop.com/