🎥 Internal Communications Introductions: Meet Butler Rondeno
Director, Executive and Internal Communications at Salesforce
About Butler
Butler Rondeno has managed employee and executive communications at Salesforce for the Technology organization for over four years.
Butler is a seasoned internal communications professional with more than 20 years of experience in his field. His mission is to connect employees to companies, products, and leaders through effective communications strategies.
Previous employers and clients include RMS, SunPower, Pacific Gas & Electric Company, and Gap, Inc. A native of New Orleans, Butler has been passionate about writing since childhood. When he's not working, he enjoys traveling, meditating, Pilates, and music.
What sparked your professional path into Internal and Executive Communications?
I graduated with a degree in communications, but my path to my career wasn't a direct one. As a child, I always liked to write and tell stories. I wrote my first story at the age of three. I wrote and produced my first play in the 7th grade. When I graduated from college, I always asked for writing assignments at every job because I like to write. I didn't really know what my career would look like as a writer, but I wanted to continue to exercise that muscle.
Nine years into my professional career, I was working on a team that was being relocated to another part of the country. I was told to relocate with the job or take a severance package. I opted to take the severance package because I really liked living in the Bay Area. As I was helping the team to transition, I saw a new job opening with the same department that was relocating my team. The role was a culmination of everything I had done up to that point in my career. It was a job in Internal Communications!
As I looked at the job description, I realized I didn’t have direct experience with this title, but everything I've done up to this point had prepared me for this role. I applied for the job, and I did something very unusual for me when I went into the interview. I took control of the interview. When the interviewers focused on my lack of direct internal communications experience, I said, "Here's my relevant experience." Where there were gaps, I said, "I'm not familiar with that, but I learn fast. Here's my plan."
Interestingly enough, they offered me the position, and that began my career in Internal Communications! I’m tracking towards 20 years in the field, and it has been very rewarding.
How do you describe internal and exec communications to others?
My career mission is to make sure that I connect employees to the company, its products, and the leadership team through writing, global meetings and events, and video production.
I'm responsible for managing the flow of company information to employees. I make sure employees have access to the latest business information, tools, and resources to enhance their livelihood as employees and for retention. I'm also the bridge between executives and employees.
What is one project you are particularly proud to have accomplished?
There was a project that I had no experience with, but it sparked a creativity channel within me that now has taken on a life of its own! About ten years ago, I was working with a client, and there was a video project that she thought was going south fast. She asked me to make an assessment, which I gave to her. When I shared my perspective, she asked, “How do you feel about producing this video?” I said that I've never done a project like this before, but if you're willing to take the risk, I am!
So, I managed the project, a video teaching employees how to interact with customers and enhance the customer experience. But, I felt like we needed to add something different and special to it. We found a customer that had a bad experience with the company and asked them to talk about how they turned it around.
As we were producing this video, it was a very emotional experience. Picture this -- we’re on the set, and a lot of emotional feelings came up between the customer and the employee that helped the customer navigate the situation. As a result, we produced this great video and a training guide that went along with it. The project was well-received at the company and also won an industry award. But it was something that I'm so proud of because it sparked a creative channel within me to produce videos.
Now, I'm producing videos all the time. I'm always looking for the element that will give that emotional spark -- that component that will resonate with employees or with whoever the audience is to focus on the heart of the issue. As I produce every video, I always revert to that experience with that first video.
Here is my process:
I start with the objectives -- what am I trying to get out of it. Based on that, I put together a storyline.
I write the script. I also secure the talent to be in the video.
I find the music.
To make the magic happen, I partner with a high-caliber production team to produce heartwarming videos.
What are the skills that are most important for someone to succeed in Internal Communications?
There are four skills that I want to highlight. I talk to my team about these all the time! It's listening, advocacy, voice and tone, and flexibility. With listening, you have to not only actively listen but also look for visual cues. When you listen, you get to the core of the issue, and then you can develop a communications plan based on that.
What I mean by advocacy is that when I show up to a meeting with the executives, I show up with “my employee hat.” Now, I also keep my hat on as an executive, but I remember as these messages are flowing from the executive team to employees to ask: are we speaking on the topics that employees want to hear about or giving them information where we build a relationship of trust with the leadership team?
For voice and tone, it means understanding what's happening with the company and what's happening in the world -- then using the right voice and tone to resonate with your audience. If I'm trying to promote something fun and engaging, I have to use that voice when I write the communication or promote it through talking points. At the same time, it’s making sure that when I’m writing for an executive, I capture their authentic voice and not make it my own. By working this way, their messages resonate with employees over the long term.
Finally, it’s flexibility for two reasons! When you work on a communications project, the nature of getting information changes so much. It goes through the approval process and getting the right people to weigh in on it. Ultimately, where you start may not necessarily be how it needs to evolve, so being flexible and knowing that the first version will change will help you build a better product in the long run.
It's also important to have flexibility in your day! I often tell people that you sometimes have ten things that you want to do on your checklist when you come into work. Still, depending on what may have happened the night before with the business or in the industry, you may have to wipe all of that stuff off of your desk and focus on a new priority. You need to continuously prioritize to get the most important thing done throughout the day!
How have you learned to capture the executive voice to make sure it’s authentic?
There are two things that I recommend doing to capture an executive’s voice. The first is to engage with them as much as I can in an informal setting -- that could mean being in a meeting or just having a conversation with them. When you have a conversation with an executive in an informal setting, they start to give you phrases and terminology that, when heard over time, you get to know their voice and can incorporate it into their communications.
I also watch recorded videos -- so either a presentation they've done with customers or a team meeting like an all-hands meeting. By listening to what they say in those meetings, you will get a series of words or phrases that they like to use as part of their personality. With both of these, it will feel like an executive actually sat down and wrote it.
Most employees know that people behind the scenes help, but I want them to know that there is a partnership. Even if I ghost-write a piece, the executive is involved in the process because I don't want to lose their authentic voice.
How do you continue learning about the field of Internal Communications?
My biggest recommendation is to keep in touch with internal communications professionals. I have a group of colleagues that I meet with informally to talk about what people are experiencing in their companies. At the beginning of Covid-19, there was a lot of this -- finding out how our companies responded to certain situations.
I belong to a LinkedIn group called Internal Communications Best Practices, where I like to see what people are talking about and participate in conversations. I am also a part of the IABC networking organization. They host great seminars and webinars to keep you up-to-date with the latest trends in communications.
I used to work for an organization called ROI Communication, and I have a couple of check-ins with them informally and formally. As consultants, they know what's happening in terms of the latest trends and what they are learning from clients. Having those conversations to leverage best practices can help you to keep up-to-date on the latest trends in what's happening in your industry and beyond.