• The most common issue I see is that companies underestimate the importance of communication during difficult times or times of change. Change and transformation demand clear and thoughtful communications by audience to make sure employees and the market are not left behind.

• Resources also continue to be a challenge when it comes to communications within companies. Internal teams are often too stretched and cannot cover critical areas of the business. And while there is benefit in historical knowledge around language or wording that companies, sometimes it is better to have new ways of expressing strategies, restructuring, reorganization, etc.

My first step is always to listen carefully to the challenges at hand and probe to arrive at a common and agreed-to objective. I then speak to a number of key stakeholders to get a balanced and more informed understanding, and then outline a strategy and approach to addressing the opportunity. I always take a very hands-on approach—speaking to people directly, asking questions, writing, editing, and coaching executives and teams.

It really depends on the type of work, the complexity (or not), and the duration or time commitment required. In every case, a scope of work will outline key deliverables, timeframes, and reporting cadence. I want to make sure that you are getting the value that you invest in and will work with you should you have budget limitations.

I work with both scenarios depending on the scope of the project and type of work.

In some cases, especially for specific kinds of work, I will occasionally bring in colleagues from an established network of specialists. For example, as part of individual or team digital profile building, we will consider a number of LinkedIn and other platforms who are familiar with the algorithms and can maximize results as part of the overall program. In cases where a client may not have design capabilities, we will also leverage a number of trusted designers. This would all be transparently detailed in the SOW.