Audible’s Supriya Mimani on the who, what and why of strategic comms

Did you know that a DE&I-focused talent program can transform company culture and affect how organizations think about the employee experience? Audible did just that with its “Next Chapter” Returnship Program which not only changed how it addressed hiring culture but helped set a new industry standard by helping communities in need with new pathways for employee engagement.

The “Next Chapter” Returnship Program offers experienced professionals who are returning to the workforce, after taking at least a year off for caregiving, the opportunity to revamp their skills, update their resumes with new experiences and make new connections with other professionals heading back into the workforce.

Recently, we caught up with Supriya Mimani, director of HR program management at Audible to ask her a few questions about communications. She works to equip Audible’s DE&I and HR teams with content recommendations to engage employees and internal impact groups, curating lists of employee resources, as well as supporting the build out of the organization’s well-being page for listeners to support their wellness goals.

Mimani will be a speaker at Ragan and PR Daily’s upcoming Strategic Communications Conference being held in person at Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, WA October 19-20.

[RELATED: Join us Oct. 19-20 at Microsoft HQ in Redmond, WA for our Strategic Communications Conference]

Ragan: What tips can you share with other professionals looking to communicate more effectively?

Supriya Mimani: Think of who you are communicating the program/initiative/event to and emphasize their involvement in the program: how does it impact them and make their job easier, how can they be involved in a meaningful manner in the program — and the impact of the program on the larger good in the world: how the program impacts the overall organization/industry/talent landscape.

One size often doesn’t fit all. Currently, there are various dimensions of self that people bring to the workplace and any communication drafted needs to factor that in. For instance, what may resonate with leaders in the organization, may not resonate with the masses. What may resonate with Gen Z/Millennial employees may not resonate with the Baby Boomers. Women may find parts of the communication relatable that men may not. Employees working remotely may connect with the comms differently than those working from an office/hub etc. Try to build an inclusive approach to your communication and if needed, create a specific version of it for specific target groups.

How do you stay up to date on the latest in the field? Are there any resources that you find particularly useful?

I read up a lot about what different sections of talent are undergoing, what they value and how any communication we build can be rooted in Allyship. I particularly find the Fortune Broadsheet newsletter and Better Allies Newsletters tremendously helpful. Other than that, periodic research published by McKinsey, Gartner and NYTimes are also very helpful in creating a data-backed approach towards communication.

At this year’s Strategic Communications Conference, you’re headlining a session on where DE&I meets workplace wellness. Can you give our readers a sneak peek on what they can expect to learn?

My sessions will focus on how we used a strong communication strategy to launch a new program at Audible that is rooted in DE&I and workplace wellness. The talk will focus on how to branch out a common communication pitch to different audience groups based on what resonates most with them, to ultimately get the buy-in and commitment needed from diverse stakeholders.

If you’d like to gain new insights and communications strategies for internal comms, public relations and social media, join us at Ragan and PR Daily’s Strategic Communications Conference, where speakers from Walgreens, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft, Pepsico, Facebook and more will share their ideas and success stories. Register today!

Jon Minnick is a conference producer for Ragan and PR Daily. Follow him on LinkedIn.