Communicate to Influence in Chicago

One of my favorite parts of my work is the opportunity to learn alongside leaders.

Recently, I had the privilege of spending a day in Chicago with Decker Communications, co-facilitating our Communicate to Influence program. It was one of those days that reminds me why I love this work so much.

We gathered with over 70 leaders from a variety of experiences, and perspectives, yet we all shared a common challenge: in a world overflowing with information, how do we communicate in ways that truly connect?

Information is constantly pushing out - Emails. Presentations. Texts. Teams messages. AI-generated content. Reports. Dashboards. Notifications.

But communication? Communication gets through.

It invites understanding instead of simply transmitting information. It builds trust. It creates connection. It moves people from hearing words to embracing ideas.

Throughout the day, we explored executive presence, influence, and intentional communication - but perhaps the greatest learning came from one another. Every leader brought experiences, questions, and insights that enriched the conversation, reminding me that the best learning environments are coolest and collaborative ones!

I'm grateful to Decker Communications for the opportunity to continue partnering in this work and to every leader who showed up with curiosity, vulnerability, and a willingness to grow.

Because at the end of the day, the goal isn't simply to communicate more. It's to communicate in ways that matter. Here’s a little video travel log of the time together: