Episode #2: There Is No Table

About this episode

The episode discusses the misconception of needing a 'seat at the table' in internal communications and how to effectively influence senior executives.

Communicators long for “a seat at the table.” In this episode of “On the Same Page,” the internal communications podcast, Shel and Steve share their perspectives on this age-old aspiration and discuss the real ways to be consequential and wield influence with senior executives. Links from this episode: 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer Reveals Trust is In Peril As Society Slides from Grievance into Insularity Why Trust Matters More in 2026 (PwC’s Global Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey 2025) Employees Prioritize Organizational Stability Over Feeling Valued at Work for the First Time in a Decade, Perceptyx Research Finds How To Reverse New Record Decline in Employee Trust Employees seek hope, trust from workplace leaders, Gallup finds Raw Transcript Shel Holtz: So Steve, I have a request. This is something that really rubs me the wrong way. I want the internal communications community to stop asking for the seat at the freaking table. Steve Crescenzo: Hey, preach, brother, preach. Shel Holtz: Yeah, you know what they sound like? They sound like the older kids at Thanksgiving. You know, the 13-year-old who says, “Why do I have to sit…

People in this episode

Host: Shel Holtz

Guest: Steve Crescenzo

Topics covered

• internal communications
• influence
• executive communication
• trust
• organizational stability

Keywords

• internal communications
• executive influence
• trust
• organizational stability
• employee trust

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Edelman, PwC, Perceptyx, Gallup

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