Effective communication is at the heart of so many successful projects, relationships, and endeavors. Given its magical ability to make things happen, we thought it would be helpful to bring some of the best communicators we know together to share their stories and insights around how they developed their ability to communicate effectively.
Angélique Jamail
I have long been an observer of my environment. Both of my parents are intelligent, gracious people whose interactions with the world I was able to witness from an early age. My father is classically extroverted as well, making him often comfortable in large groups; this is lucky, considering he had a very public-facing career. I inherited my father’s extroversion and learned during my upbringing how to manage conflict, how to think quickly on my feet, and how to be attuned to the needs of others. Add to this my training as a writer to be a careful observer of the world around me, and it wasn’t a stretch to recognize how to communicate effectively. Read more>>
Dre Lopez
By paying attention to my surroundings, to people, their reactions, the quiet ones and the loud ones. By listening, truly listening. It’s extremely important in all social settings and every kind of relationship to communicate well. Patience within communicating is also extremely important. Sometimes you have to adapt how you communicate from one situation/individual to the next. That requires patience for them and for yourself. Communicating effectively is also something that continues to evolve and change through life, so you have to be committed to still learn as you go, remove things that don’t work anymore and stay humble to know that you will still be wrong at times and it’s ok to learn new approaches to communicating. Read more>>
Suzie Strosin
As a casting director, effective communication is at the heart of everything I do. It stems from my passion for connecting with people and understanding their stories. I’ve always been naturally curious, which allows me to ask meaningful questions and truly listen to the answers. Over time, working with diverse personalities—from talent to producers—has taught me how to adapt my communication style to fit a variety of situations. Read more>>
Sandi Wissinger
When I was a junior in college, I took a professional acting class at a studio near my college, the Actors Workshop of South Florida, with a woman named Jane Kelly. She was quite intimidating and quite accomplished in her field of acting, singing and dancing since the age of 9. She had this way of telling you the truth straight up, as you sat in the chair in the spotlight of the blackbox with all the other students staring at you. In fact, she was all about “getting to the truth,” which is the essence of acting, and what keeps you working. Read more>>
Caroline Taicher
I grew up in a family of entrepreneurs. My grandmother was a designer, and my grandfather put himself through podiatry school. Together they started a women’s shoe company with comfortable, while beautiful, designs in their garage. Over time, with hard work, it grew to become a huge success, ending up on the New York Stock Exchange! “Other family members were also part of the effort. I can remember being about four years old and hearing family members having lively discussions about the best way to achieve a particular goal. My family, being very strongly opinionated people, I quickly began to realize that good communication was vital to moving a company or any kind of group effort forward. Read more>>
Esteban “esco” Gutierrez
My ability to communicate effectively has come from many chapters in my life.
With a name like Esteban Gutierrez, I found myself introducing myself and re-introducing myself when I met people. The experience of having a unique name coupled with growing up at the counter of my father‘s deli was the beginning of communication skills. Read more>>
Alison Robinson
In February 2025, I will debut my first-ever novel, Shadowless. It’s the first in a three-book young adult fantasy series called the Shadowless Saga. I sat down to write this story six years ago. I was 32, having just given birth to my first and only child. A character had been bouncing around my head for over a year and in an effort to get it to shut up, I put my first chapter to pen. That had the opposite effect. Instead of quieting, the character got louder and invited friends. It didn’t take long to realize that I had a potential book series rattling around my head. So, I began the tricky task of balancing early motherhood and writing. Read more>>
Sardis Disla
Through my experiences in nightlife I have learned that effective communication is everything. From the moment you meet someone new in the club to your social media presence, communicating what you are seeking and seek from others will take you where you need to go. For me, there is a delicate balance between over-sharing and being real with people, both in person and online. I understand why some people may not want to share personal content online, but I felt that it was important for me to open up for people to understand where I’m coming from and understand my intentions in a scene that is so fleeting and often fragile. Before I started curating events and DJing my social media presence was slightly stand-offish. Read more>>
Judie Nuskey
My ability to communicate effectively has been shaped by a combination of education, professional experience, and intentional growth. Earning a degree in Communication Studies from West Chester University provided me with a solid foundation, and returning to college as an adult allowed me to fully engage in discussions and learn to connect with diverse audiences. As Director of Operations at Advanced Driver Training Services (ADTS), I work closely with clients and stakeholders to develop impactful safety programs, which has sharpened my ability to listen, adapt, and present solutions clearly. Read more>>
Serafina Valentine
I developed my ability to communicate effectively through a combination of experience, self-awareness, and continuous learning. Early on in my career, I recognized that communication is the key to building strong relationships, whether with clients, colleagues, or partners. I learned that it’s not just about conveying information but also about listening to the needs, goals, and emotions of others. Read more>>
Meghan Saito
My first career was working as a registered nurse in the cardiac intensive care unit. I witnessed many tragic, stressful, intense medical experiences for patients and their families on a daily basis. Quickly as a new nurse I realized that communicating clearly, honestly, and compassionately made a tremendous difference in the patients experience. Learning to communicate really hard topics, literally life or death decisions, helped me to hone these skills. As I progressed in my career as a Nurse Practitioner I was thankful for the bedside experiences as this allowed my transition to a Provider much easier. Read more>>
Jeff Luth
Back in high school, I was the president of our Forensics Society, which included debate and speech. Participating in this club allowed me to cultivate my ability to think clearly, synthesize information and persuasively articulate my position. I built on this foundation during my early career in corporate finance, when I served as an interface between my clients and our bank’s leadership, who approved multi-million dollar loan requests. Read more>>
