hello! i’m kate
Comms Queen & Fixer
Way and Words was founded by long-time Communications and Marketing executive, Kate Bachman. (Hi! That’s me. I’m Kate.)
After nearly 20 years of working in both agency and in-house B2B environments to build comms functions and lead comms for acquisitions, rebrands, restructures, product launches, and more, I realized how necessary strategic communications is to maintaining and improving performance, driving trust, and capitalizing on ideas.
I built Way & Words to help B2B organizations realize all of the benefits of strategic communications. My approach brings clear audience understanding, disciplined storytelling, and strategies that are executable: Providing both the way and words to be successful through the toughest times in any org’s lifecycle.
I’m also a no BS, type-A fixer who gets things done. I’m addicted to coffee, a lover of literature, and an absolutely feral aunt.
What Exactly is Communications?
Communications is a broad function that, when set up correctly, integrates with almost every department in a business as a strategic advisor and cohesive agent.
How organizations understand the scope off Communications varies greatly and there is a lack of shared language about its function, deliverables, metrics, and overall operations. This can make the idea of building a communications function overwhelming, but by its nature Communications is flexible. It should be strategically designed for an organization’s priorities and needs, evolving as the business does. Way and Words can help you decide and define what that looks like.
Here are some of sub-functions that, generally speaking, fall into the realm of Communications:
- Narrative Development / Storytelling (for brands, products, services, etc.)
- Internal Communications
- Crisis Communications
- Public Relations (This is also a function with different definitions)
- Analyst Relations
- Customer Communications (both on the expansion side and the business necessary/CX side)
- Positioning and Messaging (often shared with Marketing)
- Media Relations (usually falls under Public Relations)
- Thought Leadership / Executive Comms
- Branding / Brand Strategy (shared with Marketing on the visual identity side)
Way and Words’ philosophy is that Communications is chiefly concerned with human beliefs and behaviors, because ultimately those things are what will make or break any function, strategy, or tactic within a business.