Learning from Others: Stand Up Meetings and Invited Guests

Photo: The Amplify Team with John Zubak

Every so often, someone says something in a meeting that stays with you.

It might be a reminder to listen more carefully, lead with more humanness, ask better questions, or look at a challenge from a different angle. At Amplify, these moments have become part of how we grow as a team.

Our stand up meetings are often where we align as a team on projects, deadlines, and priorities. But they have also become something more: a space to hear from people outside our day-to-day work and learn from the way they think, lead, question, and make decisions.

That matters in communications.

Our work is shaped by people: clients, communities, partners, media, stakeholders, and the audiences we are trying to reach. To do it well, we must stay open, understand different points of view, and keep listening, even when the process feels familiar.

Over the past year, our invited guests have brought that kind of perspective into the room.

• John Ramsay, COO of Active Care, spoke about leadership and what it means to guide a large organization with clarity, care, and humanness.

• John Zubak joined us to talk about AI and how new tools are changing the way people work, create, and communicate.

• Tiffany Christianson shared her process and offered a look at how strong systems, habits, and clear thinking can help move ideas into action.

• Cheryl Waddell, Communications Manager for Forest Professionals BC, spoke about empowerment, leadership, and professional growth.

• Irene Johnson, Councillor for Esk’etemc First Nation, joined us ahead of the Moose Hide Campaign to speak about supporting the empowerment of Indigenous women, and the importance of respect, safety, and allyship.

• Pat Matthews from My Cariboo Now reminded us that good storytelling starts with listening, paying attention, and understanding the person behind the story.

• Most recently, Kristen Holliday from Castanet shared her perspective on journalism, media relationships, press releases, and how newsrooms are changing in the age of AI.

Each conversation brought something different. Some gave us practical advice. Some challenged how we think. Others reminded us of the responsibility that comes with telling stories, building relationships, and communicating on behalf of others.

Together, they reflect that a core part of Amplify’s culture is that we learn by staying curious:

not only through formal training or internal processes, but through conversation, questions, and hearing from people who bring different experiences, judgments, and lived perspectives to the table.

For our team, these sessions are not separate from the work. They shape how we think about leadership, storytelling, technology, media, community, and trust.

They also remind us that good communications practice is not built in isolation. Rather, it grows through listening, reflection, and a willingness to keep learning from the people around us.

That is the real value of learning from others.

It keeps us grounded, curious, and connected to the human side of the work.