What’s it take to be named Communicator of the Year?

So what does it take to become Communicator of the Year? We find out from ⁠Wendy Aguilar⁠ with the Sacramento Fire Department, who received one of CAPIO’s highest honors at the recent conference in Monterey.

Hint: be open to crazy ideas

Link: Sacramento Fire Department TikTok

In this episode, you’ll hear:

A snippet of Wendy’s acceptance speech (1:14)

Who is Wendy Aguilar? (2:27)

Where did she put her award? (3:40)

What is Wendy passionate about? (4:24)

How did she come up with the idea for her award-winning video series? (5:04)

Why, as storytellers, we should “go for it” (7:20)

How to get people to resonate with your story (8:42)

How to make your stories connect with your community (11:15)

What does Wendy’s job entail? (14:38)

What is it like to work for a fire department? (15:50)

What’s the difference between a fire engine and a fire truck? Learning new lingo (18:50)

Why did she choose a career as a PIO? (19:50)

How does she balance “putting out fires” vs. planning communications? (22:00)

Lessons Wendy has learned at Sac Fire (23:00)

How has CAPIO benefited Wendy’s career? (24:18)