CultivatED Marketer Ep. 50 — From Radio to Public Safety: What Every Marketing Professional Can Learn About Trust, Storytelling, and Career Reinvention with Colleen Powell

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This file was generated by Descript
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Cultivated Marketer, episode 50, From
Radio Mornings to Public Safety: A
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Career Built on Continual Learning.
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What if one of the most transferable
skills in communications or marketing
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isn't a tool or a tactic, but the instinct
to read a room, hold an audience, and
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pivot into listening and learning?
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Our next guest shares her journey
from radio DJ to bureau chief
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All right.
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Julie, Matt wasn't with us for
this interview, and boy, he's-
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He's gonna be bummed
he missed it, actually.
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He is going to be bummed particularly
because we spent a little bit of
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time talking about master's programs
and a little bit of hard school
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kind of retooling- Yeah … so
from an academic standpoint.
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Our guest this time is the
strategic communications bureau
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chief at the Iowa Department of
Public Safety, Colleen Powell.
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And there was a lot from really
interesting career transition there
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to being… Think about radio.
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I equate radio hosts in some
level as celebrity, you know,
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you got a performer gene.
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Yeah.
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You got to be on, high energy.
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High energy, on, performer gene, to
helping protect and serve community.
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What a fascinating career journey.
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And what was really cool too is at
the beginning of it, she led with her
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heart of hearts is around storytelling.
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Yes.
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So, and she talked about where she sees
that manifesting from a storytelling
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standpoint is community trust, there
were several themes of that, of this
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episode, but maintaining and establishing
trust and credibility, which a lot of
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marketing and communication professionals
can relate to and they aspire to.
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That's one of the key themes
folks will take away from this.
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Yeah.
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I think her emphasis on building
trust and seeing that as one of
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the major reasons she exists and
the mission of the department as a
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whole is just building trust with
citizens, and I think that's amazing.
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And I think that's so key because as
marketers and communicators, we will
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constantly advocate for the role that
communications and marketing plays
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in an organization and a business.
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You need us to help you build
that trust with your audience.
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And so in the case of Department of
Public Safety for Iowa, it is, their
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citizens, it's the community, it's the
people that live there and pay taxes.
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I absolutely loved how much she emphasized
that and talked about the importance
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of building trust with the very people
they are there to serve and protect.
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And the building blocks of establishing
that trust, and again, something else
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that I think should resonate with our
audience is I'm gonna admit, I'm one
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of those folks, we whine about just
maintaining consistency and accurate
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information from a branding standpoint,
but in her role, it's mission critical.
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If you don't do that,
people's lives are at stake.
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Absolutely.
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If you don't maintain the things we
whine about, I whine about- … right?
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'cause we're not selling enough widgets.
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For her, people's lives are at
stake, and I found that really
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fascinating, some of the guardrails
they put in and some of the things
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that they do to maintain- inaccurate
information and, that consistency too.
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That was another, another big thing.
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Yeah, this is gonna be a good episode.
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I think it's gonna be really helpful
for especially two groups of people.
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If you are new, like maybe you're in
college or you've just graduated, you're
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trying to decide what kind of marketing
communications career you wanna go into,
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this is a great interview because we'll
talk about a 180 career shift from one
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type of communications to a completely
different type of communications.
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But two, if you're someone who is really
considering a career pivot, Colleen
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is gonna tell you exactly what you
should do, and it's not, "Do these
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three things," and then da, da, da, da.
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She just tells you one really simple
thing, and I promise you, you can do it.
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Yeah.
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and what I love about that too was on
the latter part about the things you do,
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she was super honest about it as well.
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Mm-hmm.
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Just saying, "This is what you're gonna
get out of it, and this is not what
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you're gonna get out of it." And as
somebody who's done his CliftonStrengths
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and learner as one of his top five she
echoes that notion of retooling is a,
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not a one-time event, but a continual
thing, which is, what feeds you and me
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on keeping doing this show with Matt.
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So, it's like continual
learning is definitely here.
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And with that, we'll let you all get to
that continual learning and experience
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this episode with Colleen Powell from
the Iowa Department of Public Safety.
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Welcome to Cultivated Marketer, where we
talk marketing professional development
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so your garden of opportunity grows.
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This is Brent Bowen.
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And I'm Julie Messon.
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And Matt is on post-college graduation
assignment in Europe, right, Julie?
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That's correct.
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He is flying high across the ocean.
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I don't know if he's trying to avoid
the Kansas City World Cup stuff, or
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if he's trying to just get closer
to where soccer is a bigger deal.
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I don't know, but he's not here.
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He is not here.
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, he's overseas, and I'm surprised
he's not at IABC Worlds Conference.
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I think he was rolled off the board
this year, and he said, "You know what?
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I'm not on the board.
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I don't have to go to
the conference this year.
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I'm gonna go take family vacation."
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So all the power to Matt and enjoying
a little time away with his family.
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That Matt will be super geeked,
I know, to listen to this episode
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once he gets the opportunity.
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And so we won't keep you from our guest.
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Our guest is the Strategic
Communications Bureau Chief at The
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Iowa Department of Public Safety.
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She leads a bureau of three that serves
as the communication resource for
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13 divisions and bureaus, overseeing
everything from a lot of my stuff that
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I love, digital web content, social
media, it's on the earned side, press
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releases, media relations, graphic
design, and something you and I don't
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deal with, Julie, open records requests.
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Nope, we definitely do not,
and I'm thankful for that.
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So we- thankful for that as well.
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So we'll get i- we'll get into that,
but before she found her home in public
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service, our guest spent 22 years, 22
years co-hosting a radio morning show,
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which means she's done a little of this,
and she knows better than most what it
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takes to connect with an audience, hold
people's attention, and communicate under
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pressure, and communicate under pressure.
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She's living proof that the skills
that make a great communicator don't
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expire when the format changes.
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Colleen Powell, welcome to the show.
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Oh, man, thanks for being here.
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That's a heck of an introduction.
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When you guys put it like that the- … I
feel the pressure to perform here.
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But thank you for having me.
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Well, listen, I think I feel a little
bit of the pressure because as a
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kid that grew up in Iowa, I remember
hearing your voice on the radio when
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I would drive to Des Moines for work.
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So I thought, "Oh man, I have to get my
radio voice on," 'cause we're interviewing
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someone who has actual radio experience.
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So I'll try and live up.
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Yeah, you guys sound good.
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You're meeting the marks.
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You sound good.
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Thank you.
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Well, I get to dive into this
interview with you, Colleen.
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I love asking our guests where
they came from when it comes
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to their communications career.
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So talk to me about, as Brent said, 22
years in radio, that's a really long time.
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That's not a small thing.
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that's a career.
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So how did you get started in the
field of communications, and what was
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it that made you take the leap into
public service from your radio career?
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And also as a side, was it terrifying?
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Just a little bit.
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Like so many people, it started in high
school on the speech and debate team.
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There was a category
called radio speaking.
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I don't know if that resonates with
either of you or anyone who's listening.
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But I competed while in high school and
got a lot of attention did really well
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and thought, " maybe there's something
here for me." So I majored in radio, TV
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in college, and eventually landed at a
radio group in Springfield, Illinois.
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And when I was initially in Springfield,
I was doing both the morning show, I was
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the news chick on Steve and Joey in the
morning on an oldies station, and then
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I was also selling advertising- you
know, to businesses in the community.
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And at one point I just
thought,, I love this work.
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I love doing the morning show.
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I wanna do it full time, 'cause I
was kind of burning it at both ends.
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So I ended up in Des Moines and
had a tremendous amount of fun
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with Ken and Kurt in the morning.
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A lot of laughs learned a lot.
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But at some point along the
way, I realized, the radio
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industry is just changing a lot.
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There's so many other ways that
people can get entertainment, and so
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I kinda saw the writing on the wall
in that it wasn't gonna be something
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I was gonna be able to retire into.
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So I went back to take some classes at
the local junior college specifically
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digital marketing and strategic
communications to hopefully set myself
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up with some hard skills, knowing that
at some point I would wanna transition.
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And so in 2022, my contract came up and
I just thought I'm not gonna re-sign.
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And so , I mean, I left
radio with really no plans.
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So as far as getting in specifically,
to public service, I didn't
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know this was gonna be my path.
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But when I was interviewing
in different, for different
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opportunities, I thought Gosh
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I interviewed with initially within
DPS, our highway safety office, and
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their mission is ultimately, through
partnerships, lower the rate of death
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and serious injury on Iowa roads.
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And I was like, of all the things I can
sell and I can be a part of storytelling,
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why not, saving lives and trying to
influence driver behavior so people
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make better decisions behind the wheel?
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That's something I can kinda
sink my teeth into, and so I was
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excited about that opportunity.
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I did that for a couple years and then I
ended up working in traffic safety records
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and data, which anybody in marketing knows
you gotta get into the data these days.
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You gotta, know where the stories are
and , how people feel about, the products
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or whatever it is you're selling.
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So I got a little taste of the data,
and then the opportunity came to move
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from the highway safety office within
DPS to the StratCom Bureau, and to
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work with, all of the areas within
the Department of Public Safety.
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Sort of broadening from, protecting and
serving, not just on the roadways, but
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overall in preventable injuries and death.
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I thought, "Oh, that'll be great. Even
more stories." So, that's kind of how I
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ended up here, and I'm really enjoying it.
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I love that you said that's
a story I can sell.
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So I do have to , ask
a really random aside.
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You know when you're driving down the
interstate and you see those, pop-up
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trailer signs that give some kind of
a warning or message about the road?
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Sometimes they're really clever.
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As a communicator, I always wonder,
"Who wrote that copy?" So were
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you writing the copy for any of
that at any point in your role?
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Well, yeah.
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It's funny it was my first week here.
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Those here in Iowa it was called the
Roadside Chat Project and was managed
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by the Department of Transportation,
who our, highway safety office and
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obviously the Iowa State Patrol work
and collaborate with very closely.
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We had a task force.
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We were in the building my very first week
here, and I tracked down one of the guys
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the director of the bureau who kind of
managed that program, and I said, "Listen,
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I know this isn't exactly our thing,
but I would love to be a part of the
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team that puts together these messages."
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And of course, he was like,
"Oh, well, we'll take your
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creativity and your enthusiasm."
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You said, "Please, please come help."
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And so I did sit in on a few of those.
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A ton of work goes into them.
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I think, the DOT had done that
project for maybe 10 years.
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They just recently put it to rest.
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I know nationally there was some
criticism on the signs and whether or
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not, although they were delivering traffic
safety messages, were they distracting?
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I don't know.
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In my mind, when else are you
talking about traffic safety?
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To me, it really connected specifically
the community that they're serving,
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and that project made sense to me.
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But I know it was met with some criticism
and, ultimately they decided to end
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that, but I was a fan I don't know
if everybody was, but I was a fan
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Everything that's produced has a critic
out there somewhere, I think- Yeah
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at this point.
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Even if it's the greatest thing since
sliced bread, it's got- I know … I
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don't like my bread sliced that way.
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I mean, come on.
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We talked about radio, which the
funny thing I just mentioned
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Brad, I was thinking Springfield,
Illinois, the home of the horseshoe.
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Yes, the horseshoe.
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I used to live- yes, if
you've had a horseshoe.
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Yes, you had the- … the toast, the
burger patty, the french fries, and
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then the cheese sauce, if you agree,
was what set every restaurant apart.
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Mm-hmm.
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And it was who had the better cheese
sauce that went over all of it.
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Yeah, the horseshoe is the
delicacy of Springfield, Illinois.
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I spent some time there in grade school,
about five years in grade school.
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And they deep fat fry those
things now, which is gross.
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Wow, the more you know.
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This is new.
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All this is new to me.
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Oh, that's too much.
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I've heard too, yeah, I think
that's too much it's already bad
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enough that they're 3,000 calories.
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Do we really need to make them six?
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Going back to your time in radio,
you know, you're essentially a live
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communicator there, and you talked
about a bit of this transition from,
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spending a couple decades doing
that and some time doing that, and
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then deciding going back to school.
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There's a lot of similarities that
you saw probably in the roles, but
00:13:58.355 --> 00:14:00.044
then also you noted some differences.
00:14:00.384 --> 00:14:03.269
What are some of the skills that
did translate from your time in
00:14:03.269 --> 00:14:05.009
radio to the roles you have now?
00:14:05.409 --> 00:14:09.239
Yeah, I mean, definitely
my, interview skills.
00:14:09.309 --> 00:14:13.199
I spent a lot of time on radio doing
exactly what you guys are doing, bringing
00:14:13.199 --> 00:14:18.031
people in letting them tell their story
and listening and asking questions.
00:14:18.032 --> 00:14:20.730
And , our listeners would call
in, and engaging with them.
00:14:20.830 --> 00:14:22.470
That's helped me quite a bit.
00:14:22.470 --> 00:14:26.550
I spent a lot of time in this job
just, trying to figure out what
00:14:26.550 --> 00:14:28.079
everybody does , and listening.
00:14:28.099 --> 00:14:34.939
I think being relatable and being
vulnerable has also helped me in the role.
00:14:35.079 --> 00:14:39.584
Knowing when , I'm not the smartest person
in the room, and that is often the case.
00:14:39.594 --> 00:14:44.254
You know, I'm there to be a consultant
and listen and give, my level of
00:14:44.254 --> 00:14:47.054
expertise, but there's a lot of
subject matter experts in this
00:14:47.113 --> 00:14:50.383
building, You know, being able to
understand, what they do , and know
00:14:50.383 --> 00:14:52.263
when I'm in over my skis is important.
00:14:52.813 --> 00:14:55.752
I think, , you're not
expected to know everything,
00:14:55.872 --> 00:14:58.885
You do have to know who to
ask So that's been good, and
00:14:58.895 --> 00:15:00.674
all those skills transferred.
00:15:00.674 --> 00:15:04.866
What surprised me about this
work is just the tremendous
00:15:04.866 --> 00:15:06.648
amount of, work being done.
00:15:06.649 --> 00:15:11.305
This building houses the investigative
side and several different specialty
00:15:11.305 --> 00:15:15.725
areas: major crimes, gaming,
narcotics cyber crimes, fire.
00:15:15.795 --> 00:15:19.545
Obviously, the ISP is here, so
their investigations, car crashes,
00:15:19.545 --> 00:15:20.745
and what's happening on our roads.
00:15:21.235 --> 00:15:25.685
We also have several bureaus in the
building, and they're not just doing,
00:15:25.695 --> 00:15:29.305
grant management which was a lot of what
we did in, in the highway safety office.
00:15:29.585 --> 00:15:32.855
But those people also become subject
matter experts in road safety,
00:15:32.855 --> 00:15:37.085
school safety, drug prevention
professional standards, recruitment.
00:15:37.575 --> 00:15:40.645
And all of that is just in an
effort to best manage the grants
00:15:40.655 --> 00:15:42.265
and, distribute that funding.
00:15:42.695 --> 00:15:46.729
On top of all of that, there's,
being familiar with the code of
00:15:46.729 --> 00:15:50.303
federal regulation state code
policies, administrative rules.
00:15:50.333 --> 00:15:52.803
There is just a ton to know.
00:15:53.213 --> 00:15:54.892
It's really overwhelming.
00:15:54.953 --> 00:15:58.125
I'm saying it surprised me and
that's not to diminish of what I had
00:15:58.125 --> 00:16:01.895
previous thought of, public service
and work being done, but it's a lot.
00:16:02.455 --> 00:16:03.895
There's a lot of moving pieces.
00:16:04.154 --> 00:16:04.375
Yeah.
00:16:04.414 --> 00:16:07.925
I'm sure it was eye-opening when you're
moving into that kind of sector when
00:16:07.925 --> 00:16:09.515
you weren't in that sector prior.
00:16:09.515 --> 00:16:13.905
And then from that being a big surprise,
what, from the schooling standpoint,
00:16:13.915 --> 00:16:16.525
really translated well to your new role?
00:16:16.615 --> 00:16:20.095
Going back and getting some of those
hard skills in digital marketing
00:16:20.095 --> 00:16:25.915
and understanding the many different
platforms and how to work 'em, obviously,
00:16:26.245 --> 00:16:30.711
you know, some of the strategic,
planning But even then, you learn it.
00:16:30.721 --> 00:16:33.521
I'm sure you guys know, and anybody
listening, you go to school.
00:16:33.521 --> 00:16:36.611
I have a friend who just finished up
her strategic communications master's,
00:16:36.641 --> 00:16:41.441
and she's like, "The industry changes
so much that by the time they're
00:16:41.451 --> 00:16:44.081
teaching it and they build the
curriculum, there's something new."
00:16:44.321 --> 00:16:47.941
So it's like you really just, you
gotta be in it.\ I mean, it all helps.
00:16:47.941 --> 00:16:49.512
I think it builds your confidence.
00:16:49.552 --> 00:16:52.972
I would say in whatever professional
development you do, whenever there
00:16:52.972 --> 00:16:56.361
are those opportunities, if it builds
your confidence, and you can bring
00:16:56.361 --> 00:16:58.832
a little something to the table
and into work, then that's great.
00:16:58.832 --> 00:17:01.594
But so much of us, relate to
we're learning as we go here,
00:17:01.754 --> 00:17:02.064
yeah.
00:17:02.184 --> 00:17:03.664
It's foundational at best.
00:17:03.664 --> 00:17:07.734
I'm kind of chuckling because I end
up giving a talk on using artificial
00:17:07.734 --> 00:17:12.854
intelligence in the work we're doing right
now, which is on podcasting, and I present
00:17:12.854 --> 00:17:16.424
it probably every other month, and every
two months the presentation changes
00:17:16.503 --> 00:17:18.623
because the world is moving so fast.
00:17:18.693 --> 00:17:19.403
Yeah, yeah.
00:17:19.403 --> 00:17:20.303
So, so, so true.
00:17:20.513 --> 00:17:24.283
It's foundational at best, but , great
to hear that you got that good foundation.
00:17:24.813 --> 00:17:28.533
Our co-host Matt, that is gone today,
when he listens to this he's probably
00:17:28.533 --> 00:17:31.583
gonna be just itching to ask the
questions that he would've loved to ask,
00:17:31.593 --> 00:17:37.053
'cause he is a professional teacher of
marketing communication, so I'm sure he
00:17:37.053 --> 00:17:38.563
would just be nodding along with this.
00:17:38.983 --> 00:17:42.663
I really resonated with that a lot
actually, because this is how I went from
00:17:42.762 --> 00:17:47.374
my, Iowa State world to my KU world, which
I'm still a diehard Cyclone, don't worry.
00:17:47.604 --> 00:17:51.882
But I went to KU because I hit that
same point in my career where I knew
00:17:51.992 --> 00:17:55.402
some stuff within communications, but I
knew there was a lot of things, like PR
00:17:55.402 --> 00:17:57.912
and media relations especially, that I
thought, "I've got to get better at this."
00:17:57.912 --> 00:17:59.501
And so I went back to
school and got my master's.
00:17:59.602 --> 00:18:00.701
That's how I met Matt.
00:18:01.181 --> 00:18:05.211
So I think this is really good advice,
and I'm always encouraging communications
00:18:05.211 --> 00:18:09.271
professionals, you've got to keep
up-leveling, especially in communications,
00:18:09.271 --> 00:18:10.701
because things are changing.
00:18:11.121 --> 00:18:12.911
So let's talk about that.
00:18:12.911 --> 00:18:17.841
As I've said, I spend my weeks pretty
much every day at some point talking to
00:18:17.871 --> 00:18:22.191
a nonprofit communicator, and one of the
things that I've noticed, and I'm talking
00:18:22.191 --> 00:18:25.971
with communications professionals at a
wide variety of career levels, but I end
00:18:25.971 --> 00:18:30.681
up talking with people who've been in
the industry for 10-ish, 15 years, and a
00:18:30.681 --> 00:18:32.471
lot of them are looking to make a pivot.
00:18:32.881 --> 00:18:36.561
Some of them, though, have been in
their career for even longer than that,
00:18:36.581 --> 00:18:40.741
and so I was really encouraged to hear
you talk about making a pivot after
00:18:40.741 --> 00:18:42.421
you'd been doing something for so long.
00:18:42.431 --> 00:18:43.671
You really made a big pivot.
00:18:43.731 --> 00:18:46.341
I mean, radio to strategic
communications at the Department of
00:18:46.341 --> 00:18:48.421
Public Safety, that is a big pivot.
00:18:48.422 --> 00:18:51.329
And so I think kudos to you, one,
for going back to school , as you
00:18:51.329 --> 00:18:52.609
said, learning the hard skills.
00:18:52.639 --> 00:18:54.039
I think that's amazing.
00:18:54.479 --> 00:18:58.549
But what would you say to someone who
is at that tension point in their career
00:18:58.559 --> 00:18:59.889
and they're not really sure what to do?
00:19:00.529 --> 00:19:00.959
Yeah.
00:19:01.179 --> 00:19:01.809
Well, do it.
00:19:02.049 --> 00:19:02.549
Okay.
00:19:02.609 --> 00:19:03.079
Do it.
00:19:04.219 --> 00:19:06.259
Just- … you got, you gotta do it.
00:19:06.809 --> 00:19:10.149
And growth comes when
you are uncomfortable.
00:19:10.209 --> 00:19:14.159
And, I didn't- Come up with
that platitude, but I know we've
00:19:14.159 --> 00:19:15.679
all heard it, and it is true.
00:19:15.779 --> 00:19:21.519
And as much as I would say for me,
the past four years have really
00:19:21.739 --> 00:19:26.449
challenged me and left me at times
with a decent amount of imposter
00:19:26.459 --> 00:19:29.269
syndrome , I'm proud of myself.
00:19:29.759 --> 00:19:33.269
If you had told me five years ago
that, I was gonna be sitting in the
00:19:33.269 --> 00:19:36.719
rooms that I sit in today and doing
the work that I've been doing, I
00:19:36.719 --> 00:19:38.849
would've told you, I can't do that.
00:19:39.329 --> 00:19:45.569
But it is possible, and there are gonna
be, things that you're not necessarily
00:19:45.569 --> 00:19:47.689
comfortable with going into a position.
00:19:47.689 --> 00:19:50.979
I remember my husband telling me initially
when I was looking at jobs, and I'm going
00:19:50.979 --> 00:19:54.459
through the job descriptions and trying
to figure out what might be a good fit,
00:19:54.459 --> 00:19:57.089
and he'd say, "Well, you should apply
for that." And I'm like, "Well, yeah,
00:19:57.089 --> 00:19:59.829
but I don't know if I can do that, What
about this part of the job or this part?"
00:19:59.829 --> 00:20:03.971
And he's like Colleen, if you are
looking at a job description and
00:20:04.261 --> 00:20:07.771
you can check every single box,
then you're overqualified, then you
00:20:07.771 --> 00:20:09.031
should be looking at something else.
00:20:09.261 --> 00:20:12.331
So there is always gonna be
something in that job description
00:20:12.351 --> 00:20:14.111
that it makes you a little nervous.
00:20:14.161 --> 00:20:16.441
But, you know, maybe that's excitement.
00:20:16.551 --> 00:20:19.401
It's not nervous like, "Ew,"
I can't do this." It's nervous
00:20:19.401 --> 00:20:21.281
like, "But what if I can?
00:20:21.291 --> 00:20:24.014
What if I can really grow into this?"
just like we were talking about, there are
00:20:24.014 --> 00:20:26.254
gonna be things that you learn as you go.
00:20:26.514 --> 00:20:30.384
Certainly though as you talked about
too, Brent, if you can get the training
00:20:30.384 --> 00:20:34.324
ahead of time, if it gives you the
confidence to apply, then do that.
00:20:34.344 --> 00:20:37.494
If you need to do that first, but
just know, as we've kinda talked
00:20:37.504 --> 00:20:41.204
about a little bit, there are gonna
be things that are different, and
00:20:41.204 --> 00:20:42.414
you're gonna learn when you get there.
00:20:42.464 --> 00:20:43.704
So I'm glad that I pivoted.
00:20:43.704 --> 00:20:47.404
I'm glad I got over my fears and,
what felt very scary to me and
00:20:47.404 --> 00:20:49.344
uncertain and a lot of what ifs.
00:20:49.783 --> 00:20:53.704
And I'm excited, every day I
learn something and, move forward.
00:20:53.724 --> 00:20:54.534
That's the best you can do.
00:20:55.134 --> 00:20:55.744
Yes.
00:20:56.264 --> 00:20:56.744
Agreed.
00:20:57.514 --> 00:21:03.234
I imagine that learning curve, part
of that was the sector you moved into.
00:21:03.984 --> 00:21:05.733
Public safety communications.
00:21:06.073 --> 00:21:08.147
You were talking about fear
and being uncomfortable.
00:21:08.147 --> 00:21:11.597
I'm sitting here thinking about , where
you're sitting and how I would
00:21:11.597 --> 00:21:15.030
handle that because it's got this
interesting dynamic to it, right?
00:21:15.160 --> 00:21:15.180
Yeah.
00:21:15.180 --> 00:21:16.540
You're serving the public-
00:21:16.760 --> 00:21:17.030
Yeah
00:21:17.080 --> 00:21:21.279
… But at the same time, you're
protecting ongoing information.
00:21:21.334 --> 00:21:22.814
You've got investigations.
00:21:22.814 --> 00:21:25.184
You're managing the
reputation of the department.
00:21:25.263 --> 00:21:28.999
So there's this balancing act that
you have to do, and I maybe have
00:21:28.999 --> 00:21:32.606
too many loose lips that I'm not
sure I would manage that too well.
00:21:32.665 --> 00:21:36.200
So how do you balance that
component of the job day to day
00:21:36.200 --> 00:21:37.940
and as you think about your role?
00:21:38.340 --> 00:21:41.080
Yeah, I mean, we certainly have
some redundancies in place.
00:21:41.450 --> 00:21:46.538
But, people think that- Strategic
communications is, just about
00:21:46.538 --> 00:21:48.328
protecting the agency's image.
00:21:48.348 --> 00:21:52.558
But we view it as protecting trust.
00:21:52.988 --> 00:21:58.338
We serve the public by sharing accurate
information in a timely fashion.
00:21:58.798 --> 00:22:02.418
Now we're also a state agency, so
sometimes it's just not up to us.
00:22:02.418 --> 00:22:06.488
We get asked to assist in
investigations from local agencies,
00:22:06.488 --> 00:22:09.618
so we also have to collaborate with
their needs and their comfort levels.
00:22:09.638 --> 00:22:12.608
So there's some of that communication
and collaboration that happens.
00:22:12.928 --> 00:22:18.228
But every day we are balancing
transparency with responsibility.
00:22:18.588 --> 00:22:20.918
But those are not, opposing goals,
00:22:21.028 --> 00:22:21.478
mm-hmm.
00:22:21.538 --> 00:22:24.458
It's maintaining the integrity
of investigation and sharing
00:22:24.458 --> 00:22:27.318
the information with the public
are both part of our mission.
00:22:27.728 --> 00:22:32.308
We feel like if people know they can
count on us to be accurate, then even
00:22:32.608 --> 00:22:37.145
when the answer is no further comment
right now that credibility can pay
00:22:37.145 --> 00:22:39.115
dividends when it matters the most.
00:22:39.285 --> 00:22:42.975
To sum that up, accuracy matters more
than speed, and we do have to take
00:22:42.985 --> 00:22:44.755
all those things into consideration.
00:22:45.195 --> 00:22:46.335
We take that seriously.
00:22:46.995 --> 00:22:48.755
So it is a balancing act
00:22:49.155 --> 00:22:53.315
I appreciate the way you frame that too
as more of a complimentary component of
00:22:53.635 --> 00:22:56.136
maintaining the trust of the public too.
00:22:56.216 --> 00:23:00.288
That's interesting distinctions too
from the standpoint as well as time.
00:23:00.288 --> 00:23:02.958
'Cause in this environment in
which we live, people want
00:23:02.958 --> 00:23:04.638
everything immediately, right?
00:23:04.848 --> 00:23:05.278
They do.
00:23:05.357 --> 00:23:08.335
And, half the time, get into the comments.
00:23:08.464 --> 00:23:11.378
Somebody, tends to feel
like they know something.
00:23:11.438 --> 00:23:16.027
That of course leads itself into, , a
whole other realm of, wanting
00:23:16.037 --> 00:23:19.597
to, which I hear a lot especially
in crisis communications, you
00:23:19.597 --> 00:23:20.847
know, to control the narrative.
00:23:20.857 --> 00:23:23.247
But I don't even know how
much of that is possible.
00:23:23.407 --> 00:23:28.137
Yeah, and especially when we really
just wanna put the facts out there.
00:23:28.137 --> 00:23:31.717
It's what do we know at the time,
and what are we comfortable, putting
00:23:31.717 --> 00:23:35.790
out to protect the investigation
and the potential justice systems,
00:23:35.790 --> 00:23:37.330
and those potential ramifications.
00:23:37.340 --> 00:23:37.390
Mm-hmm.
00:23:37.610 --> 00:23:38.920
We have to consider all that.
00:23:38.980 --> 00:23:41.670
So- … you take a deep breath.
00:23:42.970 --> 00:23:43.830
That's really good.
00:23:44.560 --> 00:23:45.449
You take a deep breath, and
00:23:45.449 --> 00:23:49.851
you have to take a deep breath and realize
people are going to think and believe
00:23:49.851 --> 00:23:53.161
what they're- Yeah … going to think
and believe, no matter what you say.
00:23:53.331 --> 00:23:53.541
Yeah.
00:23:53.541 --> 00:23:57.001
That's a lesson I've had to learn
over and over and over again managing
00:23:57.001 --> 00:24:00.441
communications for, for a nonprofit, so.
00:24:01.061 --> 00:24:04.172
At the end of the day, the best
you can hope for is you get the
00:24:04.172 --> 00:24:05.852
benefit of the doubt, right?
00:24:05.962 --> 00:24:10.742
If you've built that trust with the
community that you serve, that when you're
00:24:10.771 --> 00:24:16.862
asking them to be patient with us as we
are also, wanting to do good investigative
00:24:16.862 --> 00:24:20.171
work and figure out what is happening that
they give you the benefit of the doubt.
00:24:20.876 --> 00:24:22.066
And, that's what you hope for.
00:24:22.386 --> 00:24:22.856
Okay.
00:24:22.906 --> 00:24:26.196
I'm gonna pivot a little bit because
this is gonna get a little nitty
00:24:26.196 --> 00:24:29.966
gritty is not the right word, but I
think it's helpful sometimes to do,
00:24:29.966 --> 00:24:32.926
like, a job shadow with our guests
and say, "What does it look like to do
00:24:32.926 --> 00:24:35.216
your job?" So here's a great example.
00:24:35.376 --> 00:24:39.439
The reason I know Colleen is because
I have a brother that works for the
00:24:39.439 --> 00:24:42.509
Department of Public Safety in Iowa,
and so this past year we were all
00:24:42.519 --> 00:24:46.719
together up in Iowa over Thanksgiving,
and something happened, and my brother
00:24:46.719 --> 00:24:48.519
ended up working most of Thanksgiving.
00:24:48.989 --> 00:24:52.715
And he was working on his computer, and
I asked him, , "What are you working
00:24:52.715 --> 00:24:55.545
on?" He's like, we're putting together
the final pieces of a press release."
00:24:55.895 --> 00:24:57.455
Of course, that raised my interest.
00:24:57.455 --> 00:25:00.035
I said, "Wait a minute. You guys
write your own press releases?" And
00:25:00.035 --> 00:25:01.265
he kinda talked me through that.
00:25:01.655 --> 00:25:05.965
But I would love to understand, as much
as you can share, what does that look
00:25:05.965 --> 00:25:09.505
like when you're working with agents on
the ground or there's a case that has
00:25:09.505 --> 00:25:14.475
happened, how do you, at your level,
within your role, how do you get involved
00:25:14.485 --> 00:25:15.855
with that level of press release?
00:25:16.165 --> 00:25:20.865
And then if it's a case where maybe the
media are pushing for more information,
00:25:21.155 --> 00:25:22.465
how do you handle all of that?
00:25:22.515 --> 00:25:25.345
Now, I know that's a little bit of a
two-part question, but you're a good
00:25:25.345 --> 00:25:26.995
communicator, so I trust you to handle it.
00:25:30.065 --> 00:25:30.305
For sure.
00:25:30.305 --> 00:25:31.525
No soft questions here.
00:25:31.525 --> 00:25:32.125
No softballs.
00:25:32.645 --> 00:25:32.995
Okay.
00:25:33.015 --> 00:25:37.355
Well, the first part of your
question, deciding what to say, I
00:25:37.355 --> 00:25:40.945
rely pretty heavily on the subject
matter experts, as I mentioned before.
00:25:40.965 --> 00:25:44.835
And, you know, your brother being an
agent is certainly someone I'm reliant on.
00:25:44.835 --> 00:25:45.795
He knows the details.
00:25:45.795 --> 00:25:47.575
He knows where the investigation is at.
00:25:48.075 --> 00:25:50.874
And so that's an important
piece , I don't know those details.
00:25:50.975 --> 00:25:52.478
And the wording is important.
00:25:52.888 --> 00:25:56.938
And, one thing I've learned
is that saying less isn't the
00:25:56.938 --> 00:25:59.538
same as being less transparent.
00:25:59.638 --> 00:26:03.718
Transparency means being truthful
and clear and not necessarily
00:26:03.718 --> 00:26:05.728
sharing everything immediately.
00:26:06.248 --> 00:26:10.388
Sometimes the most responsible
thing we can say is, "There's no
00:26:10.388 --> 00:26:13.248
further comment at this time."
nothing else is being released.
00:26:13.838 --> 00:26:19.288
And then, as far as being consistent with
that, that comes from having principles
00:26:19.348 --> 00:26:21.978
instead of reacting to pressure, right?
00:26:22.238 --> 00:26:25.618
Whether it's, a high-profile case
or something that is receiving
00:26:25.658 --> 00:26:28.988
just a little bit of attention,
we are asking the same questions.
00:26:29.388 --> 00:26:30.408
Is this accurate?
00:26:30.818 --> 00:26:32.108
Is it confirmed?
00:26:32.158 --> 00:26:33.338
That's a big piece of it.
00:26:33.728 --> 00:26:36.898
Could releasing it harm the investigation?
00:26:37.358 --> 00:26:39.578
Could it affect the
victims or the families?
00:26:39.598 --> 00:26:42.628
Could it create problems
later in the judicial process?
00:26:42.647 --> 00:26:45.426
Those considerations
really drive our decisions.
00:26:45.796 --> 00:26:49.466
It's not who's asking or how loudly
they're asking, how many times we're
00:26:49.466 --> 00:26:50.816
getting requests throughout the day.
00:26:51.186 --> 00:26:56.716
We don't negotiate facts against
deadlines, so we just try
00:26:56.726 --> 00:26:58.076
to be consistent about that.
00:26:58.155 --> 00:27:02.438
And, I think the example there is,
sometimes you could roll up on a
00:27:02.438 --> 00:27:05.058
scene and think you know the details.
00:27:05.058 --> 00:27:08.808
You think it seems obvious who's the
victim here, who's the perpetrator.
00:27:09.118 --> 00:27:15.178
But if you make those labels in the
press release, and then the investigation
00:27:15.178 --> 00:27:19.438
continues and you find out, well, maybe
that wasn't the victim, it turns out
00:27:19.468 --> 00:27:23.868
that was the perpetrator, and, that
person was, killed in self-defense
00:27:23.868 --> 00:27:27.448
or whatever had transpired, if we've
already put out a press release with
00:27:27.458 --> 00:27:29.027
those kind of labels, that's problematic.
00:27:29.087 --> 00:27:34.256
That's public record, and that's gonna
come back, possibly during the trial.
00:27:34.606 --> 00:27:36.966
we wanna be sure and accurate
about what we're putting out.
00:27:37.466 --> 00:27:41.186
I have a feeling a lot of communications
professionals listening to this, although
00:27:41.186 --> 00:27:46.516
we worry about sending emails with typos
or posting things, I don't think we have
00:27:46.516 --> 00:27:51.306
this level of, oh, my word, if I get this
wrong, this could be real problematic
00:27:52.064 --> 00:27:53.314
It's a tough learning curve.
00:27:53.315 --> 00:27:57.484
I'm sure a lot of the people listening
can relate to this, tend to look at
00:27:58.084 --> 00:27:59.514
especially strategic communications.
00:27:59.524 --> 00:28:01.344
You're thinking strategically about it.
00:28:01.344 --> 00:28:02.453
You wanna be proactive.
00:28:02.454 --> 00:28:03.656
"How do I get in front of this?
00:28:03.716 --> 00:28:05.989
How do we, get the right
storyline out there?
00:28:05.989 --> 00:28:09.017
How do we control this?" And thinking
of all those things it's a very
00:28:09.017 --> 00:28:16.117
delicate dance of yes, what can we put
out how can we deliver that but also,
00:28:16.837 --> 00:28:20.457
you know, protective of the process.
It just is a real balancing act, and
00:28:20.457 --> 00:28:24.297
I've learned to be more patient with
it all and not quite so reactive or
00:28:24.297 --> 00:28:25.921
feeling like, "Oh we gotta do something.
00:28:25.921 --> 00:28:29.849
We gotta say something." cause if you
think about it, what we're appealing
00:28:29.849 --> 00:28:34.009
to is most of the time just curiosity.
00:28:34.509 --> 00:28:37.789
it's very rarely that there
is a real public threat.
00:28:37.889 --> 00:28:40.439
Like, never it's an
incident that happened.
00:28:40.439 --> 00:28:42.459
It's, controlled or it's done.
00:28:42.459 --> 00:28:43.949
We see no reason for public threat.
00:28:44.019 --> 00:28:48.279
And so it's really just people's
curiosity, and how much do we
00:28:48.279 --> 00:28:49.899
wanna risk to appease that?
00:28:50.489 --> 00:28:53.999
What you framed there sounds a
lot like the traditional types of
00:28:53.999 --> 00:28:57.859
requests or the traditional types of
communication that you would handle.
00:28:58.099 --> 00:29:02.109
You acknowledged when you were career
transitioning and thinking about the
00:29:02.109 --> 00:29:06.409
landscape of radio that the world
was changing from a media standpoint.
00:29:06.409 --> 00:29:11.549
And so one of the things that Julie
and I imagine that you probably get are
00:29:11.549 --> 00:29:19.499
some abnormal requests now in the form
of true crime podcasts, true crime TV.
00:29:19.579 --> 00:29:19.689
Yeah.
00:29:19.689 --> 00:29:21.589
They're at the height of
their- Yeah … popularity.
00:29:21.919 --> 00:29:25.479
I'm not gonna lie, this may be
the only episode of any of the
00:29:25.479 --> 00:29:29.074
podcasts that I do of this that
my wife will actually listen to.
00:29:30.550 --> 00:29:32.722
Is she a true crime podcasts, aficionado?
00:29:33.062 --> 00:29:36.532
Her favorite one is My Favorite
Murder, which is funny.
00:29:36.532 --> 00:29:38.932
I've not heard of that., oh, their
tagline is, "Stay sexy and don't
00:29:38.932 --> 00:29:42.171
get murdered." so they're at
their height of their popularity.
00:29:42.172 --> 00:29:45.629
How often do you get requests
from, true crime podcasts and
00:29:45.629 --> 00:29:48.467
managing those are probably more
complicated than it sounds, right?
00:29:48.487 --> 00:29:49.657
Just based on what you just shared.
00:29:50.767 --> 00:29:51.317
Yeah, we do.
00:29:51.317 --> 00:29:53.707
We get a lot of those people
that are very curious.
00:29:53.806 --> 00:29:58.196
And, anybody, obviously you guys,
professionals, spend a lot of time
00:29:58.196 --> 00:30:03.475
creating a very quality product, but I'm
sure you know anybody can do a podcast.
00:30:03.496 --> 00:30:05.513
There's all kinds of podcasts out there.
00:30:05.523 --> 00:30:06.923
, it's pretty saturated.
00:30:06.923 --> 00:30:10.863
So, you know, when I talk with friends
about this, they're surprised to learn
00:30:10.873 --> 00:30:16.273
that, participating in a documentary
or podcast or television program isn't
00:30:16.793 --> 00:30:18.553
always as simple as just saying yes.
00:30:18.583 --> 00:30:21.963
'Cause those stories can often involve
victims- Mm-hmm … surviving family
00:30:21.963 --> 00:30:26.863
members, witnesses cases that may still
have legal implications even years later.
00:30:27.143 --> 00:30:31.113
So even after a case is
closed, words matter.
00:30:31.353 --> 00:30:35.123
Information that gets shared out of
context or if there's a misstatement
00:30:35.163 --> 00:30:39.463
or details that weren't part of the
official record can create confusion,
00:30:39.483 --> 00:30:42.492
they can raise questions, they can
have these unintended consequences.
00:30:42.492 --> 00:30:45.056
We just have to be very thoughtful
about how we participate and ensure
00:30:45.056 --> 00:30:49.216
that we're honoring the facts and,
respecting everyone that is involved.
00:30:49.616 --> 00:30:52.559
'Cause, we, can obviously appreciate
the public's interest and the incredible
00:30:52.559 --> 00:30:57.159
work that our investigators are doing,
and they are doing awesome work.
00:30:57.618 --> 00:31:01.396
But our first responsibility is always
the integrity of the case and to
00:31:01.396 --> 00:31:03.036
the people that are impacted by it.
00:31:03.396 --> 00:31:05.056
Telling a compelling story's important.
00:31:05.056 --> 00:31:05.746
I'll be the first one.
00:31:05.746 --> 00:31:07.436
I'm an advocate of a good story.
00:31:07.486 --> 00:31:10.086
So for me, I'm like, "Oh, this is
a great way to showcase all the
00:31:10.086 --> 00:31:11.526
wonderful work that we're doing."
00:31:11.976 --> 00:31:15.979
But telling it accurately and responsibly
is really, the most important part.
00:31:16.219 --> 00:31:18.449
So we have to tread lightly there.
00:31:18.779 --> 00:31:20.299
Tread lightly is the key in here.
00:31:20.359 --> 00:31:20.559
Yeah.
00:31:21.069 --> 00:31:21.359
Yeah.
00:31:21.659 --> 00:31:23.269
I did, how many times have I said that?
00:31:23.269 --> 00:31:24.209
Have I said that a lot?
00:31:24.239 --> 00:31:24.529
Sorry.
00:31:24.559 --> 00:31:24.759
No.
00:31:26.711 --> 00:31:28.621
I'm hearing it even if you
don't say those exact words.
00:31:28.621 --> 00:31:29.841
I'm hearing tread lightly.
00:31:30.711 --> 00:31:31.001
Yeah.
00:31:31.221 --> 00:31:34.204
Could you share with us potentially
even like in a month, how many
00:31:34.204 --> 00:31:35.884
requests you might get of that nature?
00:31:36.094 --> 00:31:39.704
Well, we will get particular
podcasters who will submit,
00:31:39.705 --> 00:31:41.476
multiple requests in one request.
00:31:41.476 --> 00:31:43.576
They're looking at,
several different cases.
00:31:43.596 --> 00:31:48.846
But, something came through from maybe
Dateline even just a couple weeks ago.
00:31:48.846 --> 00:31:52.756
We get some of the bigger television
shows, we get the podcasts.
00:31:52.756 --> 00:31:53.066
Mm-hmm.
00:31:53.066 --> 00:31:57.856
I'm sure your favorite true crime podcast
has contacted us about something, so.
00:31:58.016 --> 00:31:58.286
Sure.
00:31:58.286 --> 00:31:59.979
I mean, at least daily.
00:31:59.989 --> 00:32:02.879
And are they coming to you
or are they coming to agents?
00:32:02.898 --> 00:32:03.746
And do the agents who get them-
00:32:03.746 --> 00:32:07.046
They come in through a records
request, through an Iowa
00:32:07.046 --> 00:32:08.296
open records request, yeah.
00:32:08.526 --> 00:32:09.596
Records request.
00:32:09.656 --> 00:32:09.996
Okay.
00:32:10.876 --> 00:32:12.236
It's not my genre.
00:32:12.255 --> 00:32:15.963
I like a good story like the next
person, so if I get su- Brent's
00:32:16.473 --> 00:32:17.223
backtracking.
00:32:17.333 --> 00:32:19.113
He's like, "I don't wanna
be labeled as one of those."
00:32:20.711 --> 00:32:22.701
If I get sucked in, I
get sucked into them.
00:32:22.701 --> 00:32:23.861
I just don't seek them out.
00:32:23.871 --> 00:32:23.891
Yeah.
00:32:23.901 --> 00:32:27.481
Like, they're folks that
that's all they do, so yes.
00:32:27.841 --> 00:32:28.671
I know they're junkies.
00:32:28.671 --> 00:32:32.328
Listen, I'll never forget this was
several years ago, I came home and
00:32:32.338 --> 00:32:35.851
my husband was catching, I can't
remember which one of the television
00:32:35.851 --> 00:32:38.421
shows it was, but the story was
about… And you guys, might, this
00:32:38.421 --> 00:32:39.531
happened in your neck of the woods.
00:32:39.551 --> 00:32:40.461
it might've been St. Louis.
00:32:40.521 --> 00:32:40.831
I'm sorry.
00:32:40.841 --> 00:32:41.821
It might've been St. Louis.
00:32:41.971 --> 00:32:47.291
A radio morning show personality
was killed by her husband, who
00:32:47.321 --> 00:32:52.421
is a firefighter, and my husband
is also a part-time firefighter.
00:32:52.741 --> 00:32:56.211
So when I walked in and, like, he's
watching this show, and I kind of,
00:32:56.301 --> 00:32:59.631
caught what he was watching, and I
thought, "Are you, are you taking notes?
00:32:59.751 --> 00:33:03.482
Like, what is happening here?" a
little too close to home, but- Yeah.
00:33:03.822 --> 00:33:05.172
I mean, everybody likes them, you know.
00:33:05.202 --> 00:33:05.922
You get sucked in.
00:33:06.352 --> 00:33:09.968
All sorts of curious things happen
in those, so yeah, , it's compelling.
00:33:09.968 --> 00:33:11.108
Human nature's compelling.
00:33:12.108 --> 00:33:15.476
Well, speaking of record requests, I
wanna talk a little bit more about that.
00:33:15.486 --> 00:33:19.226
So you do work in a field of
communications that is very unique.
00:33:19.416 --> 00:33:19.646
Yeah.
00:33:19.696 --> 00:33:21.946
We just talked about
the true crime requests.
00:33:22.006 --> 00:33:25.526
What about the other kind of
requests that come in to your office?
00:33:25.556 --> 00:33:28.846
Can you walk us through how
you actually handle that?
00:33:28.896 --> 00:33:31.116
How does your team manage
the volume, all of that?
00:33:31.776 --> 00:33:37.766
Yeah, I mean, we were talking just now
about one piece of that, but we have legal
00:33:37.806 --> 00:33:42.676
obligations under Iowa's open records
law and Chapter 22, to provide access
00:33:42.676 --> 00:33:48.826
to public records while also, protecting
information that is confidential by law.
00:33:49.416 --> 00:33:55.466
So, you know, what it means in
practice is that every request
00:33:55.466 --> 00:33:56.756
requires careful review.
00:33:56.776 --> 00:33:58.216
We spend a lot of time reviewing them.
00:33:58.216 --> 00:34:03.096
We work closely with the subject matter
experts and legal counsel to determine
00:34:03.096 --> 00:34:07.016
what records are responsive, what
information can be released, and whether
00:34:07.026 --> 00:34:11.300
there are some statutory protections that
require certain information be redacted.
00:34:11.320 --> 00:34:14.370
That all kind of falls within our bureau.
00:34:14.410 --> 00:34:17.187
But like I said, we do work
closely with our legal counsel.
00:34:17.627 --> 00:34:21.166
And so we're balancing
transparency and responsibility.
00:34:21.486 --> 00:34:26.906
I suppose, been another theme of
this, our goal is to provide access
00:34:26.906 --> 00:34:30.476
to public information in a timely and
professional manner while ensuring
00:34:30.476 --> 00:34:33.566
we're complying with the law and
protecting sensitive information.
00:34:33.916 --> 00:34:37.936
So it's really detailed work, but
it's part of maintaining that public
00:34:37.936 --> 00:34:39.820
trust, and it is an obligation.
00:34:40.340 --> 00:34:45.050
It seems like one of those things that if
the department didn't view communications
00:34:45.080 --> 00:34:48.150
as a strategic function, that is my
mantra about communications, that
00:34:48.150 --> 00:34:52.630
communications is a strategic function of
an organization, not a service department.
00:34:53.180 --> 00:34:56.990
And so I think it could be really easy
for the department to say, "Oh, records
00:34:56.990 --> 00:34:59.870
requests, we just, that's just an admin
thing. Just have someone filter those
00:34:59.920 --> 00:35:03.278
and, you know, dole them out." I love
that that funnels through your office.
00:35:04.108 --> 00:35:04.538
Yeah.
00:35:04.737 --> 00:35:05.017
Yeah.
00:35:05.018 --> 00:35:08.515
Because we will also get our media
requests will come in through records
00:35:08.515 --> 00:35:12.441
requests if they're, looking to build
a story and trying to better understand
00:35:12.841 --> 00:35:14.711
whatever it is that they're looking into.
00:35:14.790 --> 00:35:16.352
So we look at all of them very closely.
00:35:16.882 --> 00:35:20.076
And then we also, want to be responsive,
that's the other side of it, in
00:35:20.076 --> 00:35:21.726
a timely fashion the best we can.
00:35:21.726 --> 00:35:23.916
Some of them are very detailed,
and they're gonna take a lot
00:35:23.916 --> 00:35:24.736
of work and a lot of time.
00:35:24.736 --> 00:35:27.246
Some of them require a lot of
redaction before we can send them out.
00:35:27.425 --> 00:35:28.084
So , it depends.
00:35:28.463 --> 00:35:32.438
And, at the end of the day, we
don't decide what should or shouldn't
00:35:32.488 --> 00:35:34.838
be public based on who is asking.
00:35:34.838 --> 00:35:36.688
We apply the law consistently.
00:35:37.238 --> 00:35:38.458
That's an important piece of it.
00:35:38.888 --> 00:35:42.528
There's another theme, consistency
transparency, and tread lightly.
00:35:42.558 --> 00:35:44.866
Those are the three themes
of this episode, Colleen.
00:35:45.236 --> 00:35:47.535
Yeah, accuracy and public trust too.
00:35:47.556 --> 00:35:50.801
That was a nice lead-in to the
next question, Colleen, because,
00:35:50.801 --> 00:35:52.484
you've got a team of three.
00:35:52.594 --> 00:35:56.624
You're managing 20 social media
handles, seven divisions, six
00:35:56.644 --> 00:36:00.454
bureaus, complex content operation.
00:36:00.455 --> 00:36:04.841
A lot of folks could learn some
things from the way you all probably
00:36:04.841 --> 00:36:07.371
handle and think about governance.
00:36:07.371 --> 00:36:09.051
We just talked about consistency.
00:36:09.051 --> 00:36:11.821
You've got to manage
accuracy through all this.
00:36:12.301 --> 00:36:16.854
How are you managing that accuracy and
even just most of us are just trying
00:36:16.854 --> 00:36:21.204
to manage a consistent brand voice
across all those channels, let alone
00:36:21.444 --> 00:36:25.621
accurate information and maintaining
that trust across all those channels.
00:36:25.622 --> 00:36:26.561
How do you guys do that?
00:36:27.511 --> 00:36:32.048
I guess I should preface this by saying,
I, don't know if this is the best model.
00:36:32.048 --> 00:36:36.638
I'm about six months into this, and
we're always reassessing and evaluating.
00:36:37.048 --> 00:36:41.118
So for right now, that
is, what we're looking at.
00:36:41.218 --> 00:36:44.568
Again, I lean into those subject
matter experts, and we do have
00:36:44.578 --> 00:36:48.988
different experts managing some of
the pages of the different divisions
00:36:48.988 --> 00:36:50.498
and bureaus and their channels.
00:36:51.018 --> 00:36:55.838
When I came into this position, I
did see an opportunity to get us all
00:36:55.848 --> 00:37:00.128
together and meeting monthly so that
we could talk about the content.
00:37:00.208 --> 00:37:01.028
We can collaborate.
00:37:01.028 --> 00:37:02.558
We can talk about the policies.
00:37:02.588 --> 00:37:05.428
I mean, we do have, the state
has a social media policy.
00:37:05.428 --> 00:37:07.147
We have a social media policy.
00:37:07.167 --> 00:37:08.860
Is everybody real familiar with that?
00:37:09.080 --> 00:37:11.288
Are we all operating within those rails?
00:37:11.298 --> 00:37:15.477
So getting us all together on a monthly
basis, I think has helped quite a bit to
00:37:15.516 --> 00:37:18.946
make sure that we're all on the same page
and also really getting people thinking
00:37:18.946 --> 00:37:23.136
about, why do you have this channel, like
all of us do in marketing communications.
00:37:23.175 --> 00:37:24.372
I know we tell people that.
00:37:24.372 --> 00:37:26.111
You know, before you start
all these social channels,
00:37:26.132 --> 00:37:26.852
what do you want with this?
00:37:26.932 --> 00:37:27.922
What's your goal here?
00:37:28.192 --> 00:37:31.043
And that even when you're posting or
you're, putting something out on X or
00:37:31.043 --> 00:37:34.033
LinkedIn or wherever you're at, what
do you want people to do with it?
00:37:34.263 --> 00:37:35.623
Who's the audience for this?
00:37:35.673 --> 00:37:39.033
And that's different depending
on the division or the bureau
00:37:39.113 --> 00:37:40.423
whose channel you're looking at.
00:37:40.663 --> 00:37:43.033
Some of them are very public-facing,
like the Iowa State Patrol
00:37:43.033 --> 00:37:44.323
has over 200,000 followers.
00:37:44.323 --> 00:37:46.813
That's managed by the
Iowa State Patrol PIO.
00:37:46.813 --> 00:37:49.493
Him and I work closely together,
and he comes into those meetings.
00:37:49.493 --> 00:37:50.573
He's always looking for ideas.
00:37:50.953 --> 00:37:53.913
Some of our other ones, like the
Highway Safety Office and where I
00:37:53.923 --> 00:37:56.293
used to be when I initially came to
the building, we've got a lot more
00:37:56.313 --> 00:37:58.443
stakeholders and traffic safety advocates.
00:37:58.693 --> 00:38:00.443
That content looks different.
00:38:00.733 --> 00:38:06.345
Me being able to be a resource and someone
to, bring ideas to the table and get
00:38:06.405 --> 00:38:10.255
people thinking strategically about social
media because most of these people they're
00:38:10.405 --> 00:38:12.565
not communications marketing specialists.
00:38:12.565 --> 00:38:13.515
They're special agents.
00:38:13.515 --> 00:38:15.944
They're troopers,
they're program planners.
00:38:15.944 --> 00:38:18.852
And so as much as I can be a resource
in bringing those people together,
00:38:18.852 --> 00:38:20.162
I think has been very helpful.
00:38:20.732 --> 00:38:24.812
Even just bringing it down to
the rudimentary component of it,
00:38:24.812 --> 00:38:28.421
like you said, is what do you
want these folks to think or do?
00:38:28.441 --> 00:38:29.988
What's the purpose and goal here?
00:38:29.989 --> 00:38:32.775
Those good grounding questions,
particularly if that's not
00:38:32.775 --> 00:38:35.615
where their headspace generally
goes or typically goes.
00:38:36.295 --> 00:38:40.335
And anyone in your audience who has walked
into, a job or position where you have
00:38:40.345 --> 00:38:42.765
multiple product lines can relate to this.
00:38:43.095 --> 00:38:45.335
How are we telling all these stories?
00:38:45.335 --> 00:38:46.975
Do we really need different channels?
00:38:46.985 --> 00:38:48.985
Sometimes you do, and I guess it depends.
00:38:49.315 --> 00:38:53.915
Or can we put this all under one channel
and just use little bits and pieces?
00:38:53.915 --> 00:38:56.395
I know as someone who manages
specifically the Iowa Department
00:38:56.395 --> 00:38:59.455
of Public Safety's channels, I'm
like, " we're just made up of the
00:38:59.455 --> 00:39:00.885
divisions and bureaus underneath us.
00:39:00.895 --> 00:39:03.405
So if all of you have independent
pages, I don't have a lot to
00:39:03.405 --> 00:39:05.415
post." Like, where's my content?
00:39:05.415 --> 00:39:05.875
Mm-hmm.
00:39:07.355 --> 00:39:07.835
So anyway.
00:39:08.005 --> 00:39:10.365
You're the one having to get super
creative in the storytelling.
00:39:12.345 --> 00:39:13.975
I'm like, "You are my story." Yeah,
00:39:14.935 --> 00:39:15.195
exactly.
00:39:15.555 --> 00:39:16.325
Yeah, yeah.
00:39:16.715 --> 00:39:18.205
You're like, "Let me tell your story."
00:39:18.555 --> 00:39:19.615
Dateline just called.
00:39:19.615 --> 00:39:20.915
Let me get back to them, right?
00:39:24.174 --> 00:39:24.654
Okay.
00:39:24.655 --> 00:39:29.136
Everything you've talked through today,
I'm just amazed that it's just you, a
00:39:29.136 --> 00:39:31.086
graphic designer, and a records custodian.
00:39:31.086 --> 00:39:31.536
Is that correct?
00:39:31.696 --> 00:39:31.726
Yes.
00:39:32.376 --> 00:39:37.130
But you're supporting 13 divisions,
so my nonprofit communicators who
00:39:37.130 --> 00:39:39.450
are listening to this, they will
resonate with this because most of
00:39:39.450 --> 00:39:42.030
the nonprofit communicators I work
with are teams of one, which I got to
00:39:42.030 --> 00:39:45.380
say, public service and nonprofits,
there's a lot of similarities, but- Yeah
00:39:45.690 --> 00:39:46.590
different outcomes.
00:39:46.910 --> 00:39:48.360
What does that look like for you?
00:39:48.390 --> 00:39:53.110
How do you prioritize the important
things and the strategic goals when
00:39:53.110 --> 00:39:55.730
everything probably feels really
urgent, especially in your line of work?
00:39:56.040 --> 00:39:59.862
I think what's been very helpful
when I came in we talked about what
00:39:59.862 --> 00:40:03.902
are the goals of our bureau, and
sort of broke down those silos.
00:40:03.922 --> 00:40:09.512
While we all have very specific skill
sets we know what needs to happen and
00:40:09.522 --> 00:40:11.352
what we would consider to be a success.
00:40:11.382 --> 00:40:14.972
And breaking down some of those
silos and making sure that there
00:40:14.972 --> 00:40:18.282
are redundancies even amongst the
three of us has been pretty critical.
00:40:18.802 --> 00:40:24.412
And bringing my graphic designer into some
of the website content or, even just some
00:40:24.412 --> 00:40:30.522
of the social media posting and scheduling
so that if I'm gone for two weeks there's
00:40:30.522 --> 00:40:31.922
someone else who can pick up that slack.
00:40:31.932 --> 00:40:33.092
And the same for me.
00:40:33.122 --> 00:40:37.742
I have to know, although I don't live day
in, day out in the world of our records
00:40:37.742 --> 00:40:41.422
requests, I have to know, what are her
pain points, and how can I help her?
00:40:41.422 --> 00:40:43.012
Is it a process that's not working out?
00:40:43.012 --> 00:40:46.452
So we're just regularly touching
base, and I think it's been helpful
00:40:46.472 --> 00:40:50.581
to, you know, operate more as a
bureau than just being siloed.
00:40:50.582 --> 00:40:53.741
I'm just the supervisor, and she's
just the graphic designer, and
00:40:53.741 --> 00:40:55.091
she's just the records custodian.
00:40:55.091 --> 00:40:55.371
You know?
00:40:56.381 --> 00:40:57.581
We're sharing the work.
00:40:58.241 --> 00:41:01.941
Well, you've clearly established that
nobody's just anything, and you're not
00:41:01.941 --> 00:41:04.218
just one thing, in this conversation.
00:41:04.337 --> 00:41:08.542
It's a great lead-in to our, newish
segment that we've got here, and
00:41:08.672 --> 00:41:10.011
we're hoping you'll play along.
00:41:10.012 --> 00:41:12.661
We're gonna alternate here,
Julie and I. We've got four
00:41:12.661 --> 00:41:15.011
quick questions for you, okay?
00:41:15.470 --> 00:41:19.508
And the first one goes back to
your past life as well as today.
00:41:19.528 --> 00:41:22.928
We're gonna have you juxtapose
your past life to today.
00:41:23.168 --> 00:41:25.508
Radio or podcast, which
is harder to do well?
00:41:26.652 --> 00:41:29.155
The podcast, n-no doubt
it's hard to cut through.
00:41:29.165 --> 00:41:33.795
It's not easy to produce, and you don't
have the immediate audience engagement.
00:41:34.155 --> 00:41:36.455
You know, you guys, when you're
judging the success of a particular
00:41:36.455 --> 00:41:37.905
episode, see it on the back end.
00:41:38.335 --> 00:41:41.205
You know, in radio, we knew if a
topic wasn't hitting 'cause the
00:41:41.205 --> 00:41:44.815
phones weren't ringing, so we
could pivot and, make a change.
00:41:45.044 --> 00:41:46.611
Podcasts they don't have that luxury.
00:41:46.941 --> 00:41:48.480
Yeah, a little more asynchronous.
00:41:48.500 --> 00:41:52.946
And like you said, when the pandemic
happened, we went from about a million
00:41:52.946 --> 00:41:56.286
podcasts, you're talking about saturation,
from a million to three million.
00:41:56.305 --> 00:41:59.583
So there's all your records
requests , that's when you saw
00:41:59.583 --> 00:42:02.913
that bump , that saw that bump.
00:42:02.913 --> 00:42:03.083
Yes.
00:42:05.363 --> 00:42:09.190
I would like it noted that The Cultivated
Marketer started right before the
00:42:09.190 --> 00:42:10.740
pandemic, even though I was not involved.
00:42:10.740 --> 00:42:11.630
I can't take credit for that.
00:42:11.630 --> 00:42:12.720
I was not on the show then.
00:42:12.730 --> 00:42:15.640
But good job, Brett and Matt,
for starting that before.
00:42:15.970 --> 00:42:17.780
You were cool before it was cool, right?
00:42:17.780 --> 00:42:18.260
That's right.
00:42:18.270 --> 00:42:19.120
Very forward-thinking.
00:42:19.120 --> 00:42:19.860
Very forward-thinking.
00:42:20.110 --> 00:42:23.470
Okay, what is one communication
skill every marketer should
00:42:23.470 --> 00:42:25.240
steal from law enforcement?
00:42:25.450 --> 00:42:26.580
Pun intended, right?
00:42:30.117 --> 00:42:31.107
Asking questions.
00:42:31.397 --> 00:42:35.397
I mean, you know law enforcement
"Do you know why I pulled you over?
00:42:36.017 --> 00:42:40.027
Do you know why we called you in
to talk? Have you had anything to
00:42:40.027 --> 00:42:42.134
drink?" so asking a lot of questions.
00:42:42.524 --> 00:42:46.034
Can I ask that question before meetings,
"Have you had anything to drink?"
00:42:49.164 --> 00:42:51.244
I might take that one from
law enforcement, right?
00:42:52.724 --> 00:42:56.004
I would ask, "Did you read the
agenda before our meeting?"
00:42:56.114 --> 00:42:57.274
That's what I'd want to ask.
00:42:59.204 --> 00:43:02.924
Well, speaking of things to drink,
okay, you're marketers fuel.
00:43:03.064 --> 00:43:06.704
Is it coffee, press conferences, or chaos?
00:43:08.052 --> 00:43:08.772
This was tough.
00:43:08.822 --> 00:43:10.671
This one's a tough one
'cause I love coffee.
00:43:10.672 --> 00:43:12.295
But I lean into chaos.
00:43:12.395 --> 00:43:18.153
Chaos gives me an opportunity to
be a calm voice and to bring some
00:43:18.323 --> 00:43:21.033
level-headedness and some reason,
and I feel like that's a good day.
00:43:21.403 --> 00:43:21.683
Yeah.
00:43:21.703 --> 00:43:23.603
And earlier you said just breathe, right?
00:43:23.733 --> 00:43:24.213
Just breathe.
00:43:24.213 --> 00:43:25.333
There was the just breathe.
00:43:25.853 --> 00:43:26.343
Just breathe.
00:43:26.693 --> 00:43:27.103
Excellent words.
00:43:27.153 --> 00:43:27.423
Yeah.
00:43:28.083 --> 00:43:30.653
She reminds me of our
past guest, Amy Whitfield.
00:43:30.693 --> 00:43:34.013
We had her on to talk about crisis
communications, and she's the same way.
00:43:34.023 --> 00:43:37.093
She said, "My heart hates when
I'm being brought into a crisis,
00:43:37.173 --> 00:43:40.043
but my head loves it," because she
loves being the one that can help
00:43:40.043 --> 00:43:41.733
bring order- Yeah … out of chaos.
00:43:41.753 --> 00:43:43.633
So you guys are a unique breed.
00:43:43.703 --> 00:43:46.233
I do not have this gene that you
have, Colleen, but I'm glad you do.
00:43:46.503 --> 00:43:49.015
Well, I'll have to listen to her
podcast the people who work in
00:43:49.076 --> 00:43:50.647
crisis communications fascinate me.
00:43:50.647 --> 00:43:52.907
I've always found that
industry very interesting.
00:43:53.367 --> 00:43:53.807
Same.
00:43:53.867 --> 00:43:55.037
All right, last question.
00:43:55.037 --> 00:43:57.967
What's one word, and you had
several, I think I counted
00:43:57.967 --> 00:43:59.617
three, Brent added two more.
00:43:59.897 --> 00:44:03.407
You had, like, five words that you
used throughout our conversation.
00:44:03.407 --> 00:44:05.607
What's one word every
communicator should lead with?
00:44:05.987 --> 00:44:06.567
Why.
00:44:07.057 --> 00:44:07.377
Hmm.
00:44:07.697 --> 00:44:08.677
You gotta find the why.
00:44:09.417 --> 00:44:10.817
Purpose, purpose, purpose.
00:44:10.817 --> 00:44:11.647
I love it.
00:44:12.167 --> 00:44:14.577
Colleen, you've been so
gracious with your time.
00:44:14.577 --> 00:44:16.266
We've really enjoyed this.
00:44:16.286 --> 00:44:19.190
Spent a lot of time last summer
in the roads of Iowa, leading
00:44:19.190 --> 00:44:21.850
myself to Des Moines, many
different trips from Kansas City.
00:44:22.260 --> 00:44:26.350
Anything else you'd like to mention that
we may have missed in this conversation?
00:44:26.889 --> 00:44:30.423
, I appreciate the opportunity
to share the perspective of the
00:44:30.423 --> 00:44:33.854
Department of Public Safety and, as
a law enforcement agency and, the
00:44:33.905 --> 00:44:37.170
way that we look at communications
and building that relationship
00:44:37.170 --> 00:44:38.170
with the communities we serve.
00:44:39.110 --> 00:44:39.860
No, that's great.
00:44:40.090 --> 00:44:43.960
Colleen, thanks so much for joining us,
sharing a bit about your career journey,
00:44:44.340 --> 00:44:48.510
and you know, peek behind the curtain
of a sector not a lot of folks in our
00:44:48.510 --> 00:44:50.210
industry probably get to see every day.
00:44:50.480 --> 00:44:51.570
Really appreciate the time.
00:44:51.880 --> 00:44:52.640
Great, thank you.
00:44:53.050 --> 00:44:55.950
All right, everybody, you can learn
more about the Iowa Department
00:44:55.950 --> 00:45:00.510
of Public Safety at dps.iowa.gov.
00:45:00.510 --> 00:45:02.930
Again, that's dps.iowa.gov.
00:45:03.170 --> 00:45:07.700
We'll have more notes and background
in the show notes for this episode.