Transcript

Welcome to C Talks. I'm your host, Sandeep Paloor. My guest for today is Sakshi Talwar's head of communications at LinkedIn India. Sakshi, welcome to Sea Talks. Thank you for having me, Sandeep. Wonderful. Sakshi, You know, quickly jumping right in. You've had such an illustrious career so far. You've basically spent time in newsrooms, boardrooms and brand wardrooms. Now, how is this breadth of experience shaped the way you actually build your strategy? It's a very interesting. Way of how you position the journey because yes, I did start out as an ANM reporter and I moved on to cover crime and politics and then from there I moved to come. So a very different journey, but it's there are a lot of similarities as well like, you know I was chasing truths in newsroom, but now I'm shaping narratives in boardrooms. But you know one thing that stayed constant like because we we understand them in both scenarios, every story has an impact. So what's really stayed constant for me is. This storytelling with accountability, I think that's something that was ingrained in me very, very early on. And that sort of really helped shape me as a comps professional because I've seen narratives from so many vantage points and I just don't look at what is the story we want to tell, but why does it matter? Who is it serving? How will it be remembered? And now that's the key difference between when we are looking at a short term. Would reach to like from a two or two formal long term trust. So I think that's what overall my journey has really taught me. Wow, you know, from newsroom to boardroom, no easy jump. And you've been a reporter. You said crime. I mean, that's that's two extremes, right. So I'm sure a ton of learnings there. Thank you for sharing quickly. Actually, if you look at, you know, from report, let's go back to reporting days right now. What lessons, what lessons from those days hold true even today for you and actually design A communication strategy because you know what reporting is, you know it needs a different mindset, different strategy for sure, and head of communication, LinkedIn or different setup altogether. So what has stayed with you from reporting days? You know, honestly, like a lot of what I do now comes from those years in the field, but I would say I've, I've written down the three lessons that still guide me, which is clarity, speed with accuracy and deep listening. Like I, I vote, I, I go through these because these were so important and why they've stayed with me from journalism to comms. But his first is clarity, right? I remember once as a cover reporter, I file a story on the new telecom policy and my editor edit and he's like, can you explain this? To me like how you would explain it to your grandmother and I just couldn't do it it took me such a long time to rework that story but that lesson has stuck with me and it still holds true today like you see many leaders say the same thing because if people cannot understand it quickly they won't engage It was it was true for a new story and it's still true today in any comps that we do so that was a very big lesson and that still states so the second is speed with accuracy you know because. In a newsroom, especially covering the beats that I was covering, if you're late, the story is dead. Yeah. And if you're wrong, your credibility is dead, you know? So that's the balance that you have to maintain. And it's, it's tough, but like, that's what you need to do in comms as well because things move at such fast speed in the companies that we work in. So. And the third lesson that's guiding me still is listening because I really feel that listening is half the job as the reporter. The best stories have come to me when I was listening deeply. And even in coms like, you know, the best strategies emerge when we are listening to what our customers want or what our employees are saying or what the what the journalists or the reporters or the media really are saying. So again, it's clarity, speed with accuracy and deep listening. I feel that three things from journalism days which still hold true for gods. Wow, truly profound suction. In fact, everything is relevant to all of us, trust me, because any job we do, those things are the key tenets and and hearing from you from a com strategy perspective, it's truly profound. Thanks. Thanks for sharing that. Switching gears, if you look at AI has become central to everything we do today, right? It's become part of every communication tool. I'm sure a lot of tools are used in your teams and you use that as well. So it's integral part of those tools now from content creation to analytics. To an audience, right? There are tools available for you, you know, How should one reimagine their day in the life at work as a calm strategist so that they can stay relevant in this new age of AI? What's your take on that? No, that's very interesting because the more and more that I have been using, I have realized that what are AI leaders are saying is absolutely true. AI is an assistant. It's it's your copilot, it's an amplifier. What it is not is a replacement. You know, it's a fantastic tool that helps you surface insights faster. It helps me draft content and sometimes even helps predict what will land, you know, but the why behind the comms, it's still must come from human judgment because we, we've seen that even in our. In in the skills on the rise list that LinkedIn does, that soft skills like your authenticity, empathy, judgment, these can never be outsourced to a tool. And these are things that I can never automate. So you know, like I usually often say that let AI do the heavy lifting, which is what you mentioned that which is data in your drafts and your analytics, but let humans do the heavy feeling, which is your tone, your narrative, your relationship building because that balance is what will keep communication trusted. In our more increasingly AI world. So so well said Sakshi in fact, I was listening to a podcast where Vinod Khosla and Sam Altman were talking and the question was asked of how will I look in 2035. Simon response was you know, AI let's take education AI will do a lot of tutoring etcetera. But I still would love to meet a teacher next day morning because that's where that sense of belonging feeling and the fact that you know there is emotions involved. Yeah, I can't do that was his reflection quickly strategy. So I'm sure as a. As a head of communications, you basically would probably, you know, a time inherit a COM strategy which your peers would have done or somebody would have done that. You know, how do you decide what stays right, what changes, what stops, what stays? What's your approach there? Interesting, you know, because it's it's always easy to write a strategy from scratch. Then you inherit one because we will say that inheriting a strategy is like being handed 1/2 written press release. Like you just can't scrap it. You have to make it work right. So like, so I've built like this at three question framework, which honestly is Sandeep. I feel is it's it's I feel it's universal. It can apply to everyone, whether you're a rookie comms professional or a senior leader in a boardroom. So it's a keep stop. Or change or add like so it's to keep, stop, add, I would say so. So whenever you have something which is already, which is somebody else's, but you still want to make it your own. So what are what's the first thing is that? What is it that's working? What is it that's driving your business impact? You always keep it because there has to be something good in the strategy of inherited, right? So you first focus on that. Then is that what is your noise versus the signal like meaning like what is just an activity without a tangible? Outcome so you immediately stop it because there are so many things written in the strategy, right. But the third thing is what is missing to support where the business is headed. So that makes you a little forward-looking. So you add or you change that. So I know it's just a very simple key stop change strategy, but trust me, like if we are focused on these three questions, they actually help us make those strategies into something that are driving impact and not just noise and it's it's. It's easier said than done, but like, it's a muscle that we build over time and it's been really helpful. I really feel that everyone should try it out. No, no, well said, well said. I think this is this is again, practice, right? End of the day, there's no once it's fits all. So it's how you look at every single instance and apply this theory. So thanks for sharing that Sakshi quickly leadership, I think you being head of communications LinkedIn now. There are some principles you gathered in newsroom, some in your boardroom right now. What principles have stayed right through for you, constant for you, right through your journey so far? I heard you say that being in The Newsroom, specially when you're a rookie reporter, it really humbles you. So I have to say that for me, leadership was never about your off charts or your reporting lines because it's, it's always been about how you bring others along on your journey, you know, or like how you shape or shared vision, because in The Newsroom you're only as good as your last story. Like a hierarchy would never protect you if it's the quality of your story that would, you know, So that really taught me to treat. Everyone equally, whether it was a junior reporter or your news editor, this is one thing because you're as good as your last story. And I carry that into columns. So leadership for me is about creating a collective impact so that people across the team, they feel that they're working towards something bigger than themselves. And I know that that keeps me motivated. So of course that that's something that will keep others motivated as well. So that's sort of my leadership philosophy. Wonderful. I think, trust me, this is a true master collection communication, honestly. Thank you so much for sharing that talent, right? I'm sure you have a team now with AI on a fast trail. Each of us have to evolve, reimagine our day in the life at work, right? So how to develop talent now? You want them to be thinkers, strategists, than you know, just executors, right? So what's your approach towards developing talent in this age of AI? You know so. Interestingly, it's, it's like about how I have been developed as well. So a lot of it's through personal learnings also. So one thing that I've learned, you know, that the toughest and the most important question and cons is also the shortest and the simplest, which is the So what, you know, it's something that we that I learned here at LinkedIn and I never really truly understood what it really meant. But now when my team comes to me with an idea or a draft plan, I'll ask them, So what? So what does this mean for the business or what value does it create for our members? Also, what would the headline be for journalists or this tomorrow, you know, so asking this. So what forces them to move from just a tactical mindset to a more strategic mindset of thinking, you know, like I and I've kept like a story for this one thing because when I was when I was just thinking about it and I was like, you know, when once I asked my editor because I was covering crime and I got this tip and I was like, should I chase this tip and my edit distance answer for a long time. So he just looked at me and said, but why does it matter? So I gave him some. With such speed and he's like, no, but why does it really matter? It was so frustrating because I just couldn't think beyond why it mattered to me. You know, I couldn't think why it mattered to everybody else. And what really helped me was building. You know, I actually consciously build that muscle to see that why it matters to my audience like who are were actually the ultimate consumers of my story, right. So that's what I tried to do the same for my team. I I learned this that way and I thought it was so powerful because it stayed today. So this is what I like encouraged them. To see beyond then why does it matter whatever you're doing? Why does it matter to the people that you're actually creating this for? Wow, you know these are life lessons Sakshi, right? So I think we always say first 5-6 years of formative years, what we learn that time stays with us and of course, if it everything is an experience there. So I think you bringing from reporting days back to you know, the brand strategy right now is truly profound. Awesome, awesome. This is great. Perfect. Now my final question, honestly, this is my most favorite questions actually, which is what is your superpower as Sakshi Talwar? You know, I struggled so much with this to think, to think of your own superpower because you know, I, I'd like to say adaptability, but you know, that has to be a baseline superpower for any comms professional today because you know how fast our world changes, right? Like you would walk into the office with one plan and then like you have a crisis hit at 10 AM and like it's, and usually on a weekend. But what I'd say that's has that's unique to me that I've looked like. My my personal superpower is because I have had the advantage of learning and seeing from both sides of the coin. You know, like I'd like to call it the headline in the fine print because as a journalist, I was trained to chase headlines because something that captures everyone attentions. But as the comps professional, I've learned that fine print is just as important. It's the context, it's the nuances, it's the smaller, finer details because these are the things that can actually build or break trust, you know, So I would, I would say that my superpower. Really is being able to see both sides at the same time. Wow. Wow that's fascinating. This is a love it. Trust me, in the last 1213 minutes I learned a lot. I've been very candid here. Truly the way you think, bringing your life experiences, life lessons into the boardrooms. This is known as in a master class on communication. Thank you so much for sharing honestly. Ohh, thank you so much, Sandeep. And I just truly want to end because I, I really didn't think that earlier. Like what, what is it that I can say that people already don't know? But then I realized that when you draw from your past experiences, that is that's so valuable because it they still work for me and when I work with the team, it still works for them, you know, so it's just extrapolating that. So thank you for like actually making me think deeply and seeing what that really created that impact. So thank you. No, thank you for joining me. And in fact, the very premise of. He talks is to surface such stories actually, and thank you so much coming my show today.