Get to know Steve and Cindy Crescenzo – internal communications gurus, IABC corporate sponsors, world travelers and foodies
Please give a warm welcome to Steve and Cindy Crescenzo of Crescenzo Communications. They are the newest corporate sponsors of IABC Chicago. Their specialty is internal communications and measurement. They love what they do!
Steve’s major in college was journalism. He adores writing and speaking. That lead him to a job with Ragan Communications where he wrote, edited and published their newsletter, and eventually became the editorial director. Shortly thereafter, he began his speaking career with Ragan Consulting and that lead him to start Crescenzo Communications. He loved the speaking engagements but wasn’t a good business manager. Receipts and invoices were kept in a shoebox. He needed to help. Enter Cindy …
Cindy and Steve were dating when he started Crescenzo Communications. Cindy’s background is in marketing. She worked for the League of Chicago Theatres and Chicago Symphony Orchestra where she measured audience research. She was ready for a change and knew Steve needed help. She took Steve’s shoebox of receipts and invoices and took charge of the business end of things. Today she not only works behind the scenes to run the business but also conducts communications audits and shares best practices about measurement.
Please take a few minutes to learn more about Steve, Cindy and Crescenzo Communications. Feel free to contact them with additional questions or to inquire about the services they offer.
What’s the secret sauce for making internal communications successful?
“We have a mantra … make important communications interesting and make it about people. So much of the content that communicators must relay isn’t that interesting … HR updates, organizational announcements, leadership messages, and mission and vision. When you take the ‘corporate’ out of corporate communications and make it about people, they’ll listen. When they listen, they’re more productive and feel like they have skin in the game. They want to be part of the organization.
Communications is critical to keeping a company alive. It must be measured so that you know what to stop, start and continue communicating. Once you know that, you can communicate less and do it better!”
How has internal communications changed since the start of the pandemic?
“Leaders realize that they can’t go back to the old ways of working. They want to be human, approachable and more transparent. They’re more willing to try new ways to communicate to their teams … short videos, employee-focused intranets, less formal all-hands meetings. They also realize that they can get their message across without a PowerPoint presentation. It’s also okay to adapt to the environment where they’re working. Sometimes dogs, rabbits and kids bounce around in the background. It’s humanizing and relatable to employees.”
What do you do for fun when you aren’t busy helping organizations rethink how they communicate to employees?
“Well, before Covid we loved to travel. We’ve been lucky in that our work has taken us all over the world . . . Australia, New Zealand, Rio, and all over Europe and Canada. Obviously, that isn’t happening right now! Luckily, we actually like each other, so the quarantine has not been too bad. We both love food and wine, and love to cook together. But we are ready to get back on the road again!”
Please join IABC Chicago, and Steve and Cindy on Thursday, March 18 for a learning session about measurement. Cindy will share how to create powerful dashboards that show the value your communications bring to your organization. Sign up today!