HR Storytelling Is Changing. Audrey Tells Us What Comes Next | SHRM'26

[00:00:00] I think that there's a lot of focus on the industry on what like enterprise grade businesses are doing with AI and you know there's a story of the little guy getting forgotten. You don't have the best tools so you're dealing with kind of mediocre tools because people don't be able to serve that community. For the last several years like it seems like the smaller businesses are always where a lot of the jobs are getting added and the bigger ones of course are sometimes shrinking.

[00:00:21] In a year from now it might be like we might be talking about our experiences of our you know first experiences of actual AI co-workers and some of the challenges that. A number of HR clients and things like that and you've been in the game for a while.

[00:00:46] I think what was interesting for me as a recovery PR person is storytelling. Like y'all know storytelling and messaging better than most people out there so what's been your experience? Especially in the HR storytelling. I honestly think the biggest thing I do is try to find stories I can relate to because you know it works out that I have kind of come up through HR tech PR.

[00:01:13] You know at first I was the entry-level employee trying to find stories to pitch that I related to and you know I think it was interesting talking to the VPs I would work with and different people that you had been a while since they were entry-level and talking through some of the fluff of like what really is someone fresh out of college in that stage of life. Right. And what they're doing and what we actually want and need out of our jobs. Well it's making like for your clients it's making it hit land. Yes, exactly.

[00:01:43] And if we're talking over their head nobody wins there. We want to make sure that that that they understand and again there could be an early stage career all the way somebody's been in the industry for 20 something years or whatever. One piece of advice life advice you haven't asked but I'll just do some unsolicited advice. I'll take it. Don't get out of work tech. Don't get out of HR tech. Stay in the industry. I won't plan to. It's been fun for about a decade and I've been enjoying it.

[00:02:10] It's one of those deals the more you think the more you know the influencers the more you know the bloggers the podcasters all of that stuff the more you know especially from an earned media perspective. It's just it's an easy call. It's an easy email though because you know so many different people and again this is all about getting that story in a place where people can consume it. Right. Yeah, absolutely. So what what type of stories you think are interesting from an I solve perspective.

[00:02:37] Like what are we what are we trying to I mean the press release this today was about Claude and and drop it. Yeah, the cool stuff that's going on there. Absolutely. Well, I think that's actually a great place to start. I think it's interesting. You know the kind of smaller to mid market customers that I solve serves because you know, I think that there's a lot of focus on the industry on what like enterprise grade businesses are doing with AI.

[00:03:04] And you know, there's a story of the little guy getting forgotten, but it's interesting when a company comes out with an AI solution that's putting you know some of the best technology in the hands of you know, like a hundred person manufacturing company or 50 person home health care company. They get they get left behind. They do all the time. I mean all the time certain industries that I saw that serves also get left behind. So it's kind of a double whammy be a size of company that just you don't have integrate.

[00:03:32] You don't have the best tools. So you're dealing with kind of mediocre tools because people don't be able to serve that community. That's one of the things I love about I saw is the market that they serve and the level of customers. We're going to have some large customers too. Of course. Yeah, but by and large, they built it one brick and a tongue. Yeah, absolutely. And I think it's interesting. It's you know, a very important part of the workforce because it's the biggest part of the workforce.

[00:04:00] Like, you know, like I the triangle 100% like I'm always stocking the Bureau of Labor Statistics job support every month like thinking of stories way to make it relate to my clients. And for the last several years, like it seems like the smaller businesses are always where a lot of the jobs are getting added and the bigger ones, of course, are sometimes shrinking. So, you know, we need the if we need the best technology, which is my company to my company is like, you know, about 250 employees. So we're also kind of in that sweet spot. Are you are you global?

[00:04:30] We are. Yeah, we we have a I knew you had a good domestic. Yeah, obviously a great domestic presence, but I didn't know if you. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, we have a London office, which is a lot of fun because I get to get to talk to a lot of people in the UK every day, which I wouldn't mind that during the summer. But other other times. No, not that's that's I wouldn't want to be there. Just I'm not a cold weather person. All right. So if we fast forward a year, what do you think? What's up a stories?

[00:04:59] Do you think HR is consuming or they want to consume or you want them to consume? I think right now there's a lot of stories around which, you know, something that I solve just put out a bold claim on how they're solving is managing agents. I think that a year from now, we're probably going to be doing a lot of the looking for the proof on how that's been working. Right, right, right. Is that the workforce capital management part? Yes. Yeah, that's the new set.

[00:05:27] So employees and agents kind of treating everybody, putting them all in the same spot, learning. A hundred percent. I love that. Yeah. Like my company, we've been rolling out a lot of different, you know, kind of co-pilots to all the different functions of a PR agency. You know, we're definitely experimenting with it. Yep. And we're seeing some early results, but I think, you know, in a year from now, it might be like, we might be talking about our experiences of our, you know, first experiences of afterl.

[00:05:53] AI co-workers and some of the challenges that focus. Okay. So I spent a little bit of time in my life with ER and I could get a press release soup to nuts. I could get it done in 15 minutes. What's the fastest you've got to do press release stuff? I am a little slower than you. I think I tend to spin my wheels. I like, I love it. I love a synonym. I love a synonym.

[00:06:20] I always think I do about, I think 30 minutes was probably, but 15 is good. I'm maybe that's my new challenge. Oh yeah. Maybe my plane ride home. I'll try to write five of them. I would actually just set a timer and just go. What's the bit and just go write the quotes and any of the approval process is a completely different thing. Yep. However, I could write it 15 minutes. That's awesome. Yeah. I think I need, yeah. I think the timer is when the only way I can kind of get out of the synonym. 100%. 100%.

[00:06:49] Because if you don't, can you work on it for 30 minutes or could you work on it for an hour? Could you work on it two days? 100%. Yes. Especially because other people are going to want to say something slightly different. Everyone wants to get their voice in. So I used to call it fingerprints. Yeah. So the client wants to put their fingerprints on stuff and also internally. So internally, especially when I was at Ogilvy, nine levels up, everyone wants to put their fingerprints on it. I'm like, yeah. So this is just a game of me banging this out. Yep. Okay. I can do that. I can play this game.

[00:07:17] I mean, I love that y'all rep. I saw it. I absolutely love that y'all rep because it's a good match for y'all for your firm. Yeah, absolutely. It's a good match for them. So thank you for coming on the podcast. Carver got some time schooling us.