HYATT REGENCY, CHICAGO
Change and confusion are constant in the modern business landscape. Executive orders, shifting regulations, geopolitical upheavals, rapidly evolving market pressures: these are all opportunities for skilled communicators to step up and serve as advisors to the C-suite, interpreting complexities and translating them into sound strategies.
Join us for this Executive Forum, co-located at the Employee Communications & Culture Conference, to exchange ideas and insights with your peers and steady your organization during this fast-moving time.
For strategic communicators charged with making sense of the regulatory, compliance and reputational issues of your organization, this Forum is a must-attend. You’ll gain practical solutions drawn from real-world scenarios, network and exchange best practices with peers, and create a 100-day plan to help guide your organization decisively and effectively. You’ll leave equipped with the insights and tools you need to advise executives, champion transparent messaging, and maintain unity during times of intense volatility.
Join us on Wednesday, April 9th from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. CT for this executive gathering.
Whether you’re orchestrating responses to legislation, guiding executives through restructuring, or safeguarding company culture under unprecedented pressures, our expert-led discussions will help position you as the trusted strategist your organization needs.
AGENDA
Our facilitator joins the stage by reflecting on the biggest challenges internal communicators have faced this quarter—and the key strategies to use to emerge stronger. From sudden policy shifts and evolving regulations to the heightened need for trusted messengers, we’ll unpack the primary threats to corporate stability. We’ll discuss how to measure impact, showcasing the ROI of strategic communication initiatives that bolster leadership buy-in, and real-world case studies that will impact your 2025 strategies.
Facilitator-Led Peer-to-Peer Discussion
Reflect on the major shifts, policy updates, and disruptive events that have emerged. Participants will compare notes and strategies they have used to communicate sudden changes—especially related to executive orders or new regulations—while maintaining credibility and transparency within their organization. You’ll share wins, missteps, and solutions, and learn from your peers under a Chatham House Rules environment.
Sit back and recharge while listening to this candid fireside conversation between a senior-level comms leader and Ragan’s CEO, Diane Schwartz. You’ll learn how they achieved trusted messenger status, balanced expectations from their leadership, and aligned cultural considerations with corporate goals. Gain firsthand insights into soothing workforce anxieties during transitions—plus practical advice for driving engagement and buy-in.
Our speaker will share the practical and tactical frameworks that will keep you one step ahead. Learn how to become proactive in the face of sudden policy shifts or organizational disruptions. These practical methods will help every communicator identify potential resistance points early, insuring you can remain credible and maintain momentum when decisions must be made at breakneck speed. Plus: a discussion on how to prioritize which crises require a response, and which can safely remain off-radar.
In this session, a brand-side comms leader will discuss frameworks for evaluating emerging challenges, guiding you on when to take urgent action, when to observe cautiously, and how to create effective, comms-specific strategies. You'll walk away ready to counsel leadership, protect your workforce, and champion transparency in any regulatory climate. Bring your burning questions: there will be time for Q&A.
We’ll conclude the event with a tabletop exercise. You’ll map out an action plan that solidifies your status as a critical voice at the leadership table, and develop future-ready strategies and milestones for the quarter ahead, ensuring your organization can thrive—and you in it—even amid uncertainty. You’ll learn strategies for building a crisis/reputation management plan, determining reputation protocols, and proactive vs reactive responses. Walk away with confidence, a practical roadmap, and the tools needed to keep your workforce united, engaged, and prepared for what’s next.
Facilitator-Led Peer-to-Peer Discussion
This final roundtable discussion, with our returning facilitator, will focus on quantifying the success of your communications strategies. Discuss best practices for setting KPIs that ladder up to leadership and highlight ROI. Share your real-world experiences, best practices, and tips on continuous improvement.
Top reasons to attend this executive forum:
- Lead change, crisis and cultural initiatives to keep your workforce united and inspired.
- Network with other strategic communicators and hear how they’re leading through uncertainty
- Knowledge-share with peers in a Chatham House Rules setting that encourages open and honest discussions.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
- Trusted Messenger Status: How to position yourself as a critical voice in high-level decision-making and how to become the go-to communicator capable of clarifying complex regulatory or operational changes.
- Strategic Crisis Response: The agile communication frameworks that work, no matter how sudden the policy shift – and how to identify what needs a reaction.
- Risk Assessment & Mitigation: Techniques for identifying potential roadblocks or resistance points and strategies to address them proactively, maintaining momentum.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: How to bridge silos and coordinate with HR, Legal and Operations on sensitive policy decisions.
- Employee Engagement Tactics: Best practices for soothing anxieties and bolstering morale during organizational transitions.
- Peer-to-Peer Knowledge Share: Collaborative roundtable discussions providing real-world, actionable takeaways from your fellow leaders’ experiences and best practices.
- Cultural Considerations: Insights into how organizational culture, values, and norms can accelerate—or hinder—change initiatives, and methods for aligning culture with new goals.
- Measurable Impact: Using data-driven insights to demonstrate the ROI of communication strategies to justify resource allocation.
- Future-Ready Organizations: How to develop lasting strategies that will keep your organization nimble, even amidst unrelenting political and economic changes.
| Rates | |
|---|---|
| Registration | $795 |
| Nonprofit/Gov/Edu Registration | $795 |
| Ragan Insider Registration | $795 |
WONDERING IF YOU SHOULD ATTEND?
Here’s what past attendees are saying about Ragan Events!
For communications professionals seeking tangible, actionable takeaways, Ragan events are the gold standard.
This event provided me with creative insights and a sense of kinship with the comms community. I returned to work with new tools and a refreshed sense of purpose.
This was an informative, fast-paced, fun conference full of timely topics and great speakers. I haven't stopped telling my team about all the insights I learned.
Great conference with timely and relevant topics for today’s work environment. The networking opportunity is perfect to share and learn from each other.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
This forum is exclusively for senior-level communicators and above. All registrants are carefully vetted to ensure their experience aligns with fellow delegates.
You can’t afford to miss this if you work in:
Human Resources • Employee Engagement • Corporate Communication • Employee Communications • Internal Communications • Executive Communications • Culture • Total Rewards • Public Relations • Change Management • Employee Experience • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
CService@Ragan.com or by calling 800-878-5331.
