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For years, we’ve been talking about upgrading the communications function – or at least modernizing it, bringing comms into parity with their Marketing colleagues. Embracing technology is the most visible part of this journey. But what good is technology – project management tools, social media management tools, intelligence and analytics software, email automation, and now Generative AI – without the people to drive it? You can’t conquer the frontier of CommsTech without capable pioneers. In this episode of The Trending Communicator, host Dan Nestle reconnects with award-winning strategic communications leader and all-around CommsTech pioneer Megan DiSciullo, Senior Managing Director of US and Mexico Communications for PwC. Megan shares her extensive experience in communications, her journey from Edelman to PwC, and her insights on ethically integrating technology, particularly Generative AI, into corporate communications.
Join us as Megan shares her journey from the ground up in the world of strategic communications as she and Dan explore the transformative role of generative AI and CommsTech in today’s corporate landscape. From her early days at Edelman to her ever-expanding remit at PwC, Megan has consistently been at the forefront of innovation, advocating for the ethical use of AI while enhancing strategic communications across the board.
This episode delves deep into how AI is reshaping the way we think about internal and external communications, the importance of ethical frameworks, and the potential of AI to streamline operations and create a more dynamic corporate environment. Megan’s insights provide invaluable lessons on embracing change, leveraging technology for enhanced communication strategies, following an ethics-first approach, and AI’s critical role in driving corporate narratives forward.
Whether you’re a communications novice or a seasoned professional, this episode offers a treasure of knowledge and inspiration, showcasing how embracing technological advancements can significantly elevate your strategic communication efforts. Don’t miss out on this insightful exploration of AI’s impact on the future of corporate communications and how you can be part of this evolution in the industry.
Listen in and hear about…
- The evolving role of communicators in shaping internal culture and driving organizational change
- Strategies for integrating AI into corporate communications and the importance of secure, enterprise-specific tools
- How ethical considerations and policy development are important in AI deployment to maintain trust and data security
- AI’s impact on productivity and efficiency, freeing up communicators to focus on higher-level strategic activities
- The necessity for ongoing learning and adaptation within the communications field to leverage new technologies like AI
- The collaborative approach required to implement AI across various organizational functions effectively
- The potential of AI to democratize learning and innovation within organizations, fostering an environment of continuous improvement and engagement
Notable Quotes On the Value of Kindness in Business:
“One of my mentors told me early on, Megan, always be direct, so people know where you stand and there’s no misinterpretation. But always be kind, because you never know when you will need people or just, this is a business of teaming. And so, you know, people want to work with people who are kind.”
— Megan DiSciullo [00:08:43 → 00:09:05]
On the Role of Data in Communications:
“Data is the ultimate neutralizer. Whether the data is coming from the comms team, the marketing team, or from our client insights team. The data is telling us key insights about our audience that we need to know.”
— Megan DiSciullo [00:27:19 → 00:27:35]
On the Importance of Change Management:
“It makes for sometimes an uphill battle. And that’s where change management culture change really needs to happen. And there’s no amount of money, I think, that you can put down on the value of pilots and tests and stuff to kind of use that data and sort of show examples and gain permission and gain buy in over time.”
— Dan Nestle [00:31:15 → 00:31:35]
On the Importance of Change Management:
“If you put out, even if it’s a tech product that’s in the 1.0 version and it’s not a good experience, you’ve lost people. So it doesn’t matter how many times you communicate about it if the experience isn’t great, especially in today’s world where people have little appetite and little patience.”
— Megan DiSciullo [00:35:22 → 00:35:42]
On the Role of AI in Enhancing Productivity:
“Once you understand, okay, all prompting, and this is what it is, and this is what it means. That’s that kind of first initial wall to get through with the user with the AI partner. And once they get through that wall, then it’s about, oh, my goodness, I’m going to save all this time.”
— Dan Nestle [00:45:39 → 00:46:00]
On the Future of AI in Communications:
“I see Gen AI, at least in its current function and form, to be a productivity and efficiency tool. There is still a need for really great counsel, really great crisis management skills, really great relationship building skills, really great dot connecting skills.”
— Megan DiSciullo [00:48:39 → 00:48:55]
On the Future of Communications:
“AI is an enabler with that, of course, because a lot of the fundamental tasks that people associate with typical traditional comms can be essentially handed over to, at least at the first level, to these brilliant, co creative, co intelligent platforms, and then brought back to the human to make sure that it’s all good to go, but it saves a lot of time, much more productive.”
— Dan Nestle [01:02:13 → 01:02:35]
On the Evolution of the Communications Profession:
“I started faxing press releases. I am so far from a fax machine and loving it. But I’m now learning the next skill, and in ten years, I’m going to learn something that we haven’t even started to think about. And that is the beauty of this profession.”
— Megan DiSciullo [01:04:47 → 01:05:00]
Resources and Links
Dan Nestle
Megan DiSciullo
Timestamped key moments from this episode (as generated by Flowsend.ai)
00:00:01: Introduction and Welcome
00:01:41: Megan DiSciullo Joins the Conversation
00:02:19: Early Career and First Impressions
00:03:21: Transition from Edelman to PwC
00:04:22: Predictive Analytics Project
00:05:25: First Meeting with Megan
00:06:08: Megan’s Reaction to Predictive Analytics
00:08:43: Megan’s Philosophy on Kindness and Teaming
00:10:16: Importance of Kindness in Business
00:11:06: Megan’s Career Journey
00:12:07: Early Interest in Purpose and Ethics
00:13:09: Work with Business Roundtable Post-Katrina
00:14:10: Transition to PwC and Building Internal Change
00:15:12: Merging Internal and External Communications
00:16:14: Introduction to Comtech
00:17:15: Commtech vs. Commstech
00:19:41: Data and Analytics in Communications
00:21:13: Building the Tech Stack
00:22:15: Embedding Technology into Workflows
00:23:17: Audience-Centric Approach
00:24:05: Partnership Between Marketing and Communications
00:27:19: Navigating Conflicts Between Teams
00:30:13: Change Management and Culture Change
00:32:16: Integrating Marketing and Communications
00:33:22: Expanding Teams and Data Science
00:35:26: Importance of Pilots and Feedback
00:37:33: AI Implementation and Upskilling
00:39:21: Team Effort in AI Training
00:40:31: Hands-On Training and Gamification
00:42:02: Democratization of Learning
00:43:03: Bespoke Tools for Marketing and Comms
00:45:07: Mass Personalization with GenAI
00:47:12: Empowering Teams with AI
00:48:39: Encouraging Innovation and Experimentation
00:50:49: Framing AI as a Co-Intelligence
00:54:46: Ethical Implications of AI
00:57:02: Building Trust in AI
00:59:15: Transparency and Validation in AI
01:00:43: Future Focus for Communicators
01:02:13: Role of Communicators in Culture Building
01:03:53: Embracing Curiosity and Learning
01:04:48: Final Thoughts and Farewell
(Notes co-created by Humans and a variety of AI helpers, including Fireflies.ai and Flowsend.ai)