In the news: Zumwald featured in ‘Iconic Brands’ series by IABC Greater Cincinnati

CINCINNATI, Ohio, Sept. 30, 2020 – Teresa Zumwald of Zumwald & Company was featured in the “Relevant in a Complex World” video series produced by IABC Greater Cincinnati highlighting long-standing brands in the Cincinnati and Dayton area.

Zumwald, who is CEO, speechwriter and storyteller at her firm, was interviewed by Jackiedra Wilson, president of IABC Greater Cincinnati.

According to IABC, “Teresa brings a different perspective to our goal of highlighting long-standing brands having owned her own business for 30-plus years. Teresa shares the story of how she started her business, why innovation is important for business and why communicators should seize this moment to spark new ideas for their organizations or even venture out on their own.”

When Wilson asked Zumwald about the challenges of owning a business, Zumwald talked about the need to figure out “how to drive your own business so that it doesn’t drive you.”

She also said small business owners need to protect their time “because that’s all you have to sell is your time. If you don’t work, you don’t get paid, so time is a precious commodity for a small business owner.”

Wilson wanted to know how the coronavirus pandemic has changed Zumwald’s business, established in 1989.

“Speeches are going virtual, and clients need a lot of help with these,” Zumwald said. “I’ve seen a lot of clients who typically are perhaps pretty comfortable on a stage be a little less comfortable in front of a little tiny camera lens on their computer. So I’ve had a lot of clients reach out for help with that.”

Of course, Zumwald said, some of the same strong principles of communication for in-person speeches also apply to virtual speeches.

“You’ve got to have a strong message, and you’ve got to have something to say. Helping clients figure out what that is, and how that storyline is going to go, so that their speech is engaging and continues to attract the attention of the audience is super-important. Communicators have never been more needed in that regard.”

Zumwald also said communicators have an opportunity right now to step into a strategic adviser role to help leaders connect with their remote workforces and other remote audiences.

Instead of being order takers, she said, “We need to be the ones thinking strategically about what leaders need, and we need to do this before they even ask us for whatever it is they need. We need to be doing this kind of thinking offline. So if you act like an outside consultant, and recommend a path for your leaders, it’s going to go a long way. Don’t wait to be asked, and don’t wait to be told.”

Watch the 12-minute video below.