Can you juggle? If you're a communications pro today, you'd better learn how. Just when you think you've got a good rhythm going, someone tosses you another responsibility. Maybe it's a new social platform. Maybe it's a cultural shift that changes how your audience thinks. Maybe it's AI lighting everything on fire. But you can handle it.

In this episode of The Trending Communicator, host Dan Nestle sits down with Abenaa (Abby) Hayes, founder and CEO of Elysee Consulting, who's been perfecting this professional juggling act for over two decades, helping executives and organizations navigate inclusion and social impact communications without losing their footing. She doesn't just help companies say the right things; she helps them figure out how to authentically live their values in a fractured landscape where performative statements can and do backfire often.

What happens when the inclusion specialist walks out of the room? Ask American Eagle about their Sydney Sweeney campaign. Or better yet, listen as Abby breaks down why having the right people in the room matters more than ever, and why those people shouldn't be treated like cops, but as strategic advisors who help you achieve what you actually want to achieve. This conversation goes way beyond the DEI acronym to explore what it really means to show up authentically when everyone's watching, everyone's got an opinion, and the stakes keep getting higher.

Listen in and hear about...

• Why "showing up" means more than just posting something and walking away


• How the fractured media landscape requires meeting audiences where they actually are (hint: it's not always the New York Times)


• The real reason former journalists are becoming PR's secret weapon


• Why AI literacy isn't optional anymore—the people who know AI are coming for your job


• How to navigate inclusion without becoming the content police


• The American Eagle case study and what happens when brainstorms escape into the wild


• Why curiosity might be your only real competitive advantage

Notable Quotes

On the Importance of Inclusion: "To me that's ultimately what it's about. And if I just look at the demographics, both of the US and globally, like we're truly operating in a multicultural and multiethnic world." - Abenaa Hayes [11:40 → 12:02 ]

On the Evolution of Media Relations: "Media relations is no longer the be all end all in terms of not only driving awareness but cultivating credibility. Right. You've got to take literally like a multi step approach in order to drive ultimately what I call brand engagement." - Abenaa Hayes [36:20 → 37:15 ]

On AI Literacy: "If you're really looking to future proof a career, your competency and know how to navigate everything that's coming, you have to actually understand how to use it and also be fluent in it." - Abenaa Hayes [50:03 → 51:50 ]

On AI in Communication: "My contention is that none of this is going to take your job because your job itself is going to be so much different that if you lose your job, it's kind of on you." - Dan Nestle [56:41 → 57:41 ]

Resources and Links

Dan Nestle

Inquisitive Communications | Website

The Trending Communicator | Website

Communications Trends from Trending Communicators | Dan Nestle's Substack

Dan Nestle | LinkedIn

Abenaa (Abby) Hayes

Elysee Consulting | Website

Abenaa Hayes | LinkedIn

Timestamps

0:00 Intro: Juggling priorities as communicators

5:30 Abena Hayes: Navigating inclusion and social impact

11:39 The importance of authentic inclusion efforts

18:02 Media relations in a fractured landscape

25:01 Storytelling's role in effective communication

31:38 AI literacy and its impact on careers

38:15 The future of communications jobs

44:26 Generative AI and earned media strategies

50:02 Critical thinking in the age of AI

54:39 AI as a tool, not a replacement

1:00:36 The evolving role of communications professionals

1:06:32 Curiosity as a key skill for communicators

(Notes co-created by Human Dan, Claude, and  Flowsend.ai )

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