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<![CDATA[ELI NATINSKY PORTFOLIO - Blog]]>Sun, 01 Mar 2026 22:11:49 -0800Weebly<![CDATA[New Post Coming Soon!]]>Sun, 01 Mar 2026 03:16:49 GMThttps://www.elinatinsky.com/blog/new-post-coming-soon

]]><![CDATA[Catalyst 2025: The Must-Reads, Must-Listens, and Can’t Miss Takeaways]]>Wed, 24 Dec 2025 20:51:16 GMThttps://www.elinatinsky.com/blog/catalyst-2025-the-must-reads-must-listens-and-cant-miss-takeaways

Note: A year-end roundup highlighting the best of IABC Catalyst was recently published, featuring many fascinating and insightful stories from 2026. I wanted to share it with you. As a member of the IABC DC Metro board, I enjoy passing along best-practice perspectives from across the communications industry.

This year brought change to the communication profession, from the growing role of AI to evolving expectations around culture and leadership. Communicators were asked to adapt, clarify, and lead through complexity. Throughout 2025, authors and thought leaders across the IABC community shared their experiences, strategies, and perspectives, helping peers navigate these challenges and shape the way the profession works today.

]]><![CDATA[Drawing the Line: What Communications Is — And Isn’t]]>Thu, 30 Oct 2025 21:57:07 GMThttps://www.elinatinsky.com/blog/drawing-the-line-what-communications-is-and-isnt

Note: Recently featured in Catalyst, the flagship publication of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), this article argues that communications teams should clearly define and defend their strategic role. As a board member of the IABC DC Metro chapter, I’m proud to share the latest ideas and best practices driving excellence in communications.

Drawing the Line: What Communications Is — And Isn’t
By Tanya Pikula

Most communications professionals know the feeling: you’re looped in late, after the decisions are made, the strategy is set, and now it’s time for a press release, a slide deck, and a social plan. We’ve long advocated for earlier involvement, and rightly so. Our work shapes how something is understood and received, which means we need a seat at the table from the start.

But just as importantly, we need to be clear about what communications doesn’t own.

We are responsible for the corporate voice and channels. And while we can support more individual or program-specific content, we do so as strategic partners, not as owners. When those boundaries blur, roles get distorted, expectations drift, and the work suffers on all sides.

]]><![CDATA[Telling Your Story: Five Tips from First Idea to Final Draft]]>Sun, 28 Sep 2025 23:24:30 GMThttps://www.elinatinsky.com/blog/telling-your-story-five-tips-from-first-idea-to-final-draft

Note: This piece was written by my colleague, Jill Marquardt. It originally appeared on the IABC DC Metro website. I’m a board member of IABC DC, and I enjoy sharing comms best practices. IABC serves professionals in the field of business communication, bringing together the profession’s collective disciplines.

Telling Your Story: Five Tips from First Idea to Final Draft
By Jill Marquardt

Bylines, blog posts, profiles, listicles — articles today take many names and forms. But they all share a few things in common: They tell a story, whether it’s about your organization, a new product or service, or a point of view. And they’re competing for attention in a crowded digital landscape.

How can you stop the scroll and communicate your message in a way that sticks? And how do you get there in the drafting process?

Here are a few thoughts from the Garfinkel + Associates writing team, who grapples with this challenge every day.

1. Start at the finish line

Articulate what success looks like. For thought leadership, this could involve a certain number of views, citations, and shares, with low bounce rates. For sales and fundraising, measure how well the piece moves the needle from clicks to cash.

Consider value from the other side as well. Readers seek many things: new information, fresh takes, helpful tips, entertainment. (Never underestimate the power of being a light pause in someone’s heavy workload.) Have a clear picture before you begin.

]]><![CDATA[AI Can Make Us Better Thinkers, If We Let It]]>Mon, 01 Sep 2025 01:17:41 GMThttps://www.elinatinsky.com/blog/ai-can-make-us-better-thinkers-if-we-let-it

Note: This article on AI was recently published in Catalyst, the official publication of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). This is the second article I've shared about AI — a topic that's especially relevant and widely discussed as of late. As a board member of the IABC DC Metro chapter, I regularly pass along insights and best practices in the comms field.

AI Can Make Us Better Thinkers, If We Let It
By Tanya Pikula

In an age of unpredictable technological advancement — so fast that even experts struggle to forecast five years ahead — the arrival and rise of generative AI have been truly seismic. I remember the first time I used ChatGPT. Like so many others, I was astonished. It pulled together a travel itinerary in seconds that would have taken me hours to research. It offered social media posts, email drafts, and creative content ideas, all with startling fluency and immediacy. It was hard not to feel dwarfed by it.

In communications, where language is the core product, the sensation of being overshadowed is especially acute. We’ve always relied on our ability to distill complexity into clarity. Suddenly, here was a machine that could articulate things more quickly and, often, more cleanly. Yes, it made mistakes. Yes, its output needed editing. Still, its speed and coherence left many of us wondering, “Where does this leave me?”

That question lingered, but, as I began experimenting with AI more regularly, my perspective started to shift. What began as simple, low-stakes tasks — proofreading, drafting itineraries, brainstorming titles — soon evolved into something more meaningful. I started using AI to stretch my thinking, stress test arguments, and clarify expression. Rather than feeling diminished, I felt empowered. Perhaps most significantly, I found myself with more mental space to think deeply and creatively.

]]><![CDATA[Why Change Comms Fall Flat, and How Communication Can Turn It Around]]>Thu, 31 Jul 2025 21:37:02 GMThttps://www.elinatinsky.com/blog/why-change-comms-fall-flat-and-how-communication-can-turn-it-around

Note: I enjoyed this recent piece in IABC Catalyst, the official publication of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC).

I serve on the IABC DC Metro chapter board, and I often post content espousing best practices in the communications field. The purpose of IABC is: “Use the power of communication to deepen understanding, inspire action, and transform our worlds.”

When AI Speaks for You: Navigating Brand Voice in the Age of Synthetic Messaging
By Soumik Roy

Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer just a tool in the communicator’s kit, it’s increasingly a co-author, a voice actor, and, in some cases, the face of the brand. From automated blog posts to AI-generated videos and synthetic voices on podcasts, we are witnessing a quiet revolution in how brands express themselves. The shift is efficient, scalable, and fraught with reputational risk.

While generative AI promises speed and content scale, it also invites new questions about trust, authorship, and the thin line between automation and authenticity. Brands that once prided themselves on human connection are now flirting with tools that generate thousands of words or images without a single person involved in the creative process.

For communication professionals, especially those responsible for brand reputation, the rise of AI-generated messaging poses a fundamental challenge: How do we ensure our brand voice remains credible, consistent, and human, even when AI is doing much of the talking?

]]><![CDATA[How to Expand Your Video Production Reach Without a Huge Budget]]>Sat, 31 May 2025 19:59:55 GMThttps://www.elinatinsky.com/blog/how-to-expand-your-video-production-reach-without-a-huge-budget

Note: This piece was written by my colleague, Sue O'Hora. It originally appeared on the website for her company, Rising Night Productions. Rising Night is a video production company based in Washington, DC.

How to Expand Your Video Production Reach Without a Huge Budget
By Sue O'Hora

Imagine being able to fill your organization’s website or social media feed with quality video content filmed wherever a good story exists. Now imagine being able to do that without dedicating a ton of manpower or a huge budget to the effort. The right producer can handle 75% of the work for you, offering creative guidance, experienced crews anywhere they’re needed, and post production services. I call my approach “Video Production Anywhere,” and it’s allowed me to cover stories in locations as varied as Denver, Nashville, Portland (Maine and Oregon), California, Alabama, and Paris.

Whether you’re trying to capture interviews with executives who will all be in one place for a conference, or you’re sharing stories from an organization with a large geographic footprint, this approach to video production is a cost-effective way to create high-quality videos.

It relies on three components:
☑️ A producer to plan and oversee the production
☑️ A trusted source for experienced crews wherever needed
☑️ An exceptional team of post-production professionals

]]><![CDATA[IABC DC Metro Hosts Podcasting Expert Doug Downs]]>Thu, 03 Apr 2025 19:24:13 GMThttps://www.elinatinsky.com/blog/iabc-dc-metro-hosts-podcasting-expert-doug-downs

Note: I wrote this piece for IABC DC Metro, and it originally appeared on its website. I serve on the chapter’s board as communications coordinator. The vision of IABC is: “professional communication at the heart of every organization.”

IABC DC Metro Hosts Podcasting Expert Doug Downs
By Eli Natinsky

Thank you to Doug Downs, president of Stories and Strategies, for leading “Why Most Podcasts Fail (And How Yours Can Succeed)” in March for IABC DC Metro.

Doug is a podcast producer specializing in podcast development, analytics, and marketing. His company, Stories and Strategies, makes professional podcasts and videos for clients worldwide.

“The fortune seekers of our time in podcasting dig into microphones,” said Doug, comparing these communicators to the miners of the California gold rush. “They start their podcasts with grand visions of instant success only to quit before they find their first real audience. The ones who keep going, who refine their craft and improve their message and persist even when the numbers aren’t there are the ones who will find what everyone else is searching for.”

]]><![CDATA[In Between Roles? Here’s How to Stay Productive, Organized, and Ready for What’s Next]]>Thu, 06 Mar 2025 23:22:07 GMThttps://www.elinatinsky.com/blog/in-between-roles-heres-how-to-stay-productive-organized-and-ready-for-whats-next

Note: I want to share this piece by my colleague, Carlanda Jones. She originally wrote it for IABC DC Metro, and I serve on the chapter board. The International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) is a membership-based organization that connects communicators around the world.

In Between Roles? Here’s How to Stay Productive, Organized, and Ready for What’s Next
By Carlanda Jones

Periods between roles can be challenging but are also an opportunity to reflect, regroup, and grow. This time can be used to strengthen your professional skills, expand your network, and reinforce your readiness for your next career move.

Whether you’re looking to level up in your career or pivot in a new direction, here are some practical ways to stay productive, connected, and confident during this time.

]]><![CDATA[2024 Catalyst Rewind: This Year’s Top Articles, Podcasts, and Webinars]]>Tue, 31 Dec 2024 22:38:23 GMThttps://www.elinatinsky.com/blog/2024-catalyst-rewind-this-years-top-articles-podcasts-and-webinars

Note: There was so much outstanding content in IABC Catalyst this year that I had to share “2024 Catalyst Rewind: This Year’s Top Articles, Podcasts, and Webinars.”

I serve on the IABC DC Metro board. The International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) enables a global network of communicators working in diverse industries and disciplines to identify, share, and apply the world's best communication practices.

2024 Catalyst Rewind: This Year’s Top Articles, Podcasts, and Webinars
By IABC Staff

As 2024 wraps up, we’re celebrating the standout contributors and content that made Catalyst a must-visit source for comms professionals. From thought-provoking articles on ethics, accessibility, and AI to podcasts on brand-building and the future of comms, this year’s contributors have inspired and empowered communicators around the globe.

Whether you’re catching up on lessons from IABC World Conference or exploring LinkedIn strategies to grow your business, these top picks highlight some of the year’s best ideas.
Let’s revisit the content that shaped and supported our profession in 2024.

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