Tag: Ronnie Feldman

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Creativity and Compliance

Creativity and Compliance: Reinventing Compliance: Lauren Thal on Improv, Humor, and Approachable Messaging at Tolmar

Tom Fox and co-host Ronnie Feldman interview Lauren Thal, VP of Compliance at mid-size pharma company Tolmar, about building an in-house compliance program after external partners previously ran it.

Lauren describes her background in healthcare compliance and earlier consulting at Ernst & Young and Navigant and explains why Tolmar’s legal/compliance team used improv training at a retreat to strengthen soft skills, bonding, and collaboration in a remote, cross-location environment. They discuss how exercises like “Red Ball” and role-playing highlight communication styles, active listening, adaptability, and managing competing priorities, helping compliance partner with the business without appearing “finger-waggy” or like the “police.” Lauren also explains her training/communications strategy using short, playful compliance videos on topics such as Speak Up and Code of Conduct to disarm fear, increase attention and recall, and encourage engagement, offering practical ideas for deployment and emphasizing that humor reinforces rather than undermines compliance messages.

Key highlights:

  • Lauren’s Compliance Journey
  • Why Improv at Retreat
  • Red Ball and Styles
  • Partnering Without Fear
  • Handling the Chaos
  • Business Feedback and Impact
  • Advice to Sell the Idea

Resources:

Ronnie

Lauren Thal

On LinkedIn 

Tom

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Creativity and Compliance is a multiple-award-winning podcast and was recently honored as one of the Top 35 Podcasts on Creativity by Feedspot.

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Creativity and Compliance

Creativity and Compliance: Compliance 6-Pack: Part 3 – An Attitude of Gratitude

Tom and Ronnie continue their six-part series highlighting the role of improv in compliance.  This series links improv lessons to corporate compliance and some of the key tools and strategies Ronnie has brought from his former world of improv to the corporate compliance communications realm. In today’s Improv & Compliance Lesson 3, they focus on ” an attitude of gratitude,” which means being grateful for information shared, postponing judgment, and dropping personal agendas to fully commit to what others contribute.

Ronnie explains how judgment on stage (of oneself or a scene partner) harms listening, support, and collaboration, while a silent “thank you” helps create openness and leads to more thoughtful responses. They connect this to corporate compliance, urging teams to resist judging employees who ask repeated questions (e.g., gifts and entertainment) and instead be welcoming, even when the ultimate answer is no. Feldman notes improv skills are practicable, references Viola Spolin’s action-driven approach to building intention, and recommends institutionalizing gratitude in reporting channels by thanking reporters, clarifying next steps, and reinforcing psychological safety.

Resources:

Ronnie

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Creativity and Compliance is a multiple-award-winning podcast and was recently honored as one of the Top 35 Podcasts on Creativity by Feedspot.

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Creativity and Compliance

Creativity and Compliance – Crowdsourcing Compliance: Creative Strategies for Engaging Employees

Where does creativity fit into compliance? In more places than you think. Problem-solving, accountability, communication, and connection – they all take creativity. Join Tom Fox and Ronnie Feldman on the award-winning Creativity and Compliance. Ronnie’s company, Learning and Entertainment, utilizes the entertainment devices that people use to consume information in their everyday, non-work lives, and applies it to important topics around compliance and ethics. It is not only about being funny. It is about changing the tone of your compliance communications and messaging to make your compliance program, policies, and resources more accessible.

In this episode, Tom and Ronnie discuss innovative ways to tap into the collective intelligence of employees through crowdsourcing. They explore how creative methods can be used to promote an ethical workplace, including employee contests, mascots, and fun engagement activities. They highlight examples such as compliance trading cards, privacy promotions with pets, cocktail-themed compliance policies, and internal lip-syncing videos. They also discuss using internal podcasts to enhance corporate culture and the importance of creating a culture of trust where employees feel heard and engaged.

Key highlights:

  • Crowdsourcing Compliance: An Innovative Approach
  • Creative Examples of Employee Engagement
  • Building a Culture of Trust
  • Fun and Cost-Effective Compliance Strategies
  • The Power of Internal Podcasts

Resources:

Ronnie

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Creativity and Compliance was recently honored as one of the Top 35 Podcasts on Creativity by Feedspot.

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Creativity and Compliance

Creativity and Compliance – Reinventing Compliance with Creativity: The Acteon I-Care Code

Where does creativity fit into compliance? In more places than you think. Problem-solving, accountability, communication, and connection—they all take creativity. Join Tom Fox and Ronnie Feldman on the award-winning Creativity and Compliance. Ronnie’s company, Learning and Entertainment, leverages the entertainment devices people use to consume information in their daily lives and applies this approach to important topics such as compliance and ethics. It is not only about being funny. It involves adjusting the tone of your compliance communications and messaging to make your compliance program, policies, and resources more accessible.

Today, Ronnie takes a solo turn as host to Diana Whitney and Jason Blue, both from Acteon, to discuss their innovative approach to revamping their compliance program. With a new ownership structure emphasizing compliance, they created the I-Care Code. Through a creative rebranding effort featuring mascots Connie Compliance and Easy Breezy, the I-Care Code encompasses key values of integrity, compliance, accountability, respect, and ethics. By leveraging videos, interactive sessions, and a global roadshow, they successfully boosted employee engagement and speak-up cases, demonstrating the power of creativity in compliance.

Key highlights:

  • The Need for a New Compliance Approach
  • Introducing the I-Care Code
  • Creating Engaging Compliance Characters
  • Launching the I-Care Code: Roadshow and Global Engagement
  • Success Stories and Metrics
  • Advice for Implementing Creative Compliance

Resources:

Ronnie

Tom

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Creativity and Compliance was recently honored as one of the Top 35 Podcasts on Creativity by Feedspot.

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Creativity and Compliance

Creativity and Compliance – Nourish Your Audience: A New Approach to Compliance Training

Where does creativity fit into compliance? In more places than you think. Problem-solving, accountability, communication, and connection – they all take creativity. Join Tom Fox and Ronnie Feldman on the award-winning Creativity and Compliance. Ronnie’s company, Learnings and Entertainment, leverages the entertainment devices people use to consume information in their everyday, non-work lives and applies them to important topics related to compliance and ethics. It’s not just about being funny. It’s about changing the tone of your compliance communications and messaging to make your compliance program, policies, and resources more accessible and engaging.

In this episode, Tom and Ronnie discuss the balance between evidencing compliance training and ensuring its effectiveness through employee engagement. Ronnie expresses concerns about the focus on measurement to the detriment of engagement. He emphasizes the need for training that is engaging, short, and relevant to influence behavior and mitigate risk truly. They suggest approaches to create a compliance program that combines engagement with measurement, including regular and interesting communications, as well as more targeted training. The podcast also explores how to make a compliance calendar and the importance of adjusting content to reflect current events and practical considerations.

Key highlights:

  • The Debate: Evidence vs. Engagement in Training
  • The Importance of Nourishing Your Audience
  • Strategies for Effective Compliance Training
  • Addressing Compliance Fatigue
  • Mapping Out a Compliance Program

Resources: 

Ronnie

  • Learnings & Entertainments (Website)
  • Compliance Confessions – inspired by “Mean Tweets,” these 90-second commercials address misconceptions and excuses to promote a speak up culture and the E&C team as positive and helpful.
  • E&C Training Jams – a soulful singer banters with ethics & compliance explaining policies, sharing examples, and debunking excuses. 
  • Tales from the Hotline – Real speak-up-themed stories about workplace behavior gone wrong.
  • Workplace Tonight Show! – E&C meets SNL Weekend Update, explaining corporate risk topics and why employees should care.
  • 60-Second Communication & Awareness Shorts – A variety of short, customizable, music and multimedia, quick-hitter “commercials” promoting integrity, compliance, speaking up, and the E&C team as helpful advisors and coaches.
  • Custom Live & Digital Programing – Custom creative programming that balances the seriousness of the subject matter with a more engaging delivery. After all, you can’t bore people into learning.

 Tom

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Creativity and Compliance was recently honored as one of the Top 35 Podcasts on Creativity by Feedspot.

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Creativity and Compliance

Creativity and Compliance – Overcoming Conservatism in Compliance Education with Creativity

Where does creativity fit into compliance? In more places than you think. Problem-solving, accountability, communication, and connection – they all take creativity. Join Tom Fox and Ronnie Feldman on Creativity and Compliance, part of the award-winning Compliance Podcast Network.

Ronnie’s company, Learnings and Entertainment, utilizes the entertainment devices people use to consume information in their everyday, non-work lives and applies it to important topics around compliance and ethics. It is not only about being funny. It is about changing the tone of your compliance communications and messaging to make your compliance program, policies, and resources more accessible.

In this episode of Creativity and Compliance, Tom Fox and Ronnie Feldman tackle the challenge of integrating creative, engaging methods into compliance training within conservative institutions. Drawing examples from financial giants, they discuss how these organizations have successfully implemented entertaining and effective training strategies. Addressing common concerns such as risk aversion, cost, and effectiveness, the hosts advocate for shorter, more frequent, and varied training formats. They highlight that creativity in compliance training not only captures attention but also enhances engagement and memory retention. The episode concludes with a call to action for compliance professionals to consider what they have to lose by trying new approaches.

Key highlights:

  • Overcoming Conservatism in Creative Compliance
  • Addressing Risk-Averse Concerns
  • Short, Fun, and Frequent Training
  • Variety in Compliance Training
  • User Experience and Engagement

Resources: 

Ronnie

  • Compliance Confessions – inspired by “Mean Tweets,” these 90-second commercials address misconceptions and excuses to promote speak-up culture and the E&C team as positive and helpful.
  • E&C Training Jams – a soulful singer banters about ethics & compliance, explaining policies, sharing examples, and debunking excuses. 
  • Tales from the Hotline – Real speak-up-themed stories about workplace behavior gone wrong.
  • Workplace Tonight Show! E&C meets SNL Weekend Update to explain corporate risk topics and why employees should care.
  • 60-Second Communication & Awareness Shorts – A variety of short, customizable, music and multimedia, quick-hitter “commercials” promoting integrity, compliance, speaking up, and the E&C team as helpful advisors and coaches.
  • Custom Live & Digital Programing – Custom creative programming that balances the seriousness of the subject matter with a more engaging delivery. After all, you can’t bore people into learning.

 Tom

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Facebook

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Creativity and Compliance was recently honored as one of the Top 35 Podcasts on Creativity by Feedspot.

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Creativity and Compliance

Creativity and Compliance – Bringing Joy to Compliance: A Conversation with Virginia MacSuibhne

Where does creativity fit into compliance? In more places than you think. Problem-solving, accountability, communication, and connection – they all take creativity. Join Tom Fox and Ronnie Feldman on Creativity and Compliance, part of the award-winning Compliance Podcast Network.

Ronnie’s company, Learnings, and Entertainment, utilizes the entertainment devices people use to consume information in their everyday, non-work lives and apply it to important topics around compliance and ethics. It is not only about being funny. It is about changing the tone of your compliance communications and messaging to make your compliance program, policies, and resources more accessible. In this episode of Creativity and Compliance, Tom Fox and Ronnie Feldman are joined by Virginia MacSuibhne, former Chief Compliance Officer for Roche and Agilent Technologies.

Virginia shares her unique approach to making compliance accessible, engaging, and fun. Emphasizing the importance of a personal brand, she discusses her philosophy of authenticity and how it translates into creating clear, actionable, and enjoyable guidance. Her unconventional methods, including using infographics, breaking down complex policies, and injecting humor and personal interests, have significantly impacted employee engagement and compliance culture.

Virginia highlights the critical role of user experience (UX) in compliance, urging practitioners to rethink their policies and communication strategies. She shares anecdotes of her creative initiatives, such as wearing a unicorn costume to training sessions, integrating compliance messages into existing training programs, and making hotline experiences as user-friendly as possible. Her mantra, ‘What makes you weird makes you wonderful,’ encourages compliance professionals to bring their unique selves to their work to foster a more approachable and effective compliance environment.

Key highlights:

  • Virginia’s Philosophy on Compliance
  • Creating an Engaging Compliance Program
  • Simplifying Policies and Procedures
  • Innovative Training and Communication Techniques
  • Overcoming Pushback and Building a Business Case

Resources:

Virginia MacSuibhne on LinkedIn

Ronnie:

  • Learnings & Entertainments (Website)
  • Compliance Confessions – inspired by “Mean Tweets,” these 90-second commercials address misconceptions and excuses to promote speak-up culture and the E&C team as positive and helpful.
  • E&C Training Jams – a soulful singer banters with ethics & compliance, explaining policies, sharing examples, and debunking excuses. 
  • Tales from the Hotline – Real speak up-themed stories about workplace behavior gone wrong.
  • Workplace Tonight Show! – E&C meets SNL Weekend Update, explaining corporate risk topics and why employees should care.
  • 60-Second Communication & Awareness Shorts – A variety of short, customizable, music and multimedia, quick-hitter “commercials” promoting integrity, compliance, speaking up, and the E&C team as helpful advisors and coaches.
  • Custom Live & Digital Programing – Custom creative programming that balances the seriousness of the subject matter with a more engaging delivery. After all, you can’t bore people into learning.

Tom

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Creativity and Compliance was recently honored as one of the Top 35 Podcasts on Creativity by Feedspot.

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Creativity and Compliance

Creativity and Compliance – Innovating Ethics: Creativity in Corporate Compliance with Katie Lawler

Where does creativity fit into compliance? In more places than you think. Problem-solving, accountability, communication, and connection—they all take creativity. Join Tom Fox and Ronnie Feldman on Creativity and Compliance, part of the award-winning Compliance Podcast Network.

Ronnie’s company, Learnings, and Entertainment, utilizes the entertainment devices people use to consume information in their everyday, non-work lives and applies it to important topics around compliance and ethics. It is not only about being funny. It is about changing the tone of your compliance communications and messaging to make your compliance program, policies, and resources more accessible. In this episode of Creativity and Compliance, Tom Fox and Ronnie Feldman are joined by Katie Lawler, EVP and Global Chief Ethics Officer at U.S. Bank.

They deeply dive into the importance of creativity in corporate ethics programs, particularly how innovative approaches help engage employees and drive behavior change. Katie shares insights on embedding ethics into daily operations, discussing successful initiatives like the ‘Ethics RideShare’ video series and ‘Ethics Mythbusters.’ They highlight balancing creativity with budget constraints, leveraging internal communication channels, and humanizing the ethics office to foster a more approachable environment. Tune in to discover actionable tips for making your compliance programs more engaging and effective.

Key highlights:

  • The Value of Creativity in Ethics Programs
  • Ethics Rideshare: A Creative Initiative
  • Humanizing Leadership During the Pandemic
  • Ethics Mythbusters: Debunking Common Misconceptions

Resources:

Katie Lawler on LinkedIn

 Ronnie

  • Compliance Confessions – inspired by “Mean Tweets,” these 90-second commercials address misconceptions and excuses to promote speak-up culture and the E&C team as positive and helpful.
  • E&C Training Jams – a soulful singer banters with ethics & compliance, explaining policies, sharing examples, and debunking excuses. 
  • Tales from the Hotline – Real speak-up-themed stories about workplace behavior gone wrong.
  • Workplace Tonight Show! – E&C meets SNL Weekend Update, explaining corporate risk topics and why employees should care.
  • 60-Second Communication & Awareness Shorts – A variety of short, customizable, music and multimedia, quick-hitter “commercials” promoting integrity, compliance, speaking up, and the E&C team as helpful advisors and coaches.
  • Custom Live & Digital Programing – Custom creative programming that balances the seriousness of the subject matter with a more engaging delivery. After all, you can’t bore people into learning.

 Tom

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Facebook

YouTube

Twitter

LinkedIn

Creativity and Compliance was recently honored as one of the Top 35 Podcasts on Creativity by Feedspot.

Categories
Creativity and Compliance

Creativity and Compliance – Adding Spice to Compliance Programs

Where does creativity fit into compliance? In more places than you think. Problem-solving, accountability, communication, and connection—they all take creativity. Join Tom Fox and Ronnie Feldman on Creativity and Compliance, part of the award-winning Compliance Podcast Network.

Ronnie’s company, Learnings and Entertainment, utilizes the entertainment devices people use to consume information in their everyday, non-work lives and apply it to important topics around compliance and ethics. It is not only about being funny. It is about changing the tone of your compliance communications and messaging to make your compliance program, policies, and resources more accessible.

In this episode of Creativity and Compliance, Tom Fox and Ronnie Feldman take up the challenge of adding spice to your compliance program and discuss the importance of adding creativity and ‘spice’ to corporate compliance programs. They explore how standard compliance elements like policies, training, and communications often fail to engage employees effectively. By integrating playful, positive, and humorous elements, companies can make their compliance programs more digestible and engaging, leading to better adherence and fewer issues. Examples include short videos, infographics, and interactive games to convey important messages. They emphasize the need for regular, engaging content that employees will look forward to, transforming the compliance department into a trusted, supportive resource.

Key highlights:

  • The Epiphany: Ingredients for Compliance
  • Adding Spice to Compliance Programs
  • Different Ways to Spice Up Compliance
  • Creative Approaches to Compliance Training
  • Engaging and Fun Compliance Strategies

Resources:

Ronnie

  • Learnings & Entertainments (Website)
  • Compliance Confessions – inspired by “Mean Tweets,” these 90-second commercials address misconceptions and excuses to promote speak-up culture and the E&C team as positive and helpful.
  • E&C Training Jams – a soulful singer banters with ethics & compliance, explaining policies, sharing examples, and debunking excuses. 
  • Tales from the Hotline – Real speak-up-themed stories about workplace behavior gone wrong.
  • Workplace Tonight Show! – E&C meets SNL Weekend Update, explaining corporate risk topics and why employees should care.
  • 60-Second Communication & Awareness Shorts – A variety of short, customizable music and multimedia, quick-hitter “commercials” promoting integrity, compliance, speaking up, and the E&C team as helpful advisors and coaches.
  • Custom Live & Digital Programing – Custom creative programming that balances the seriousness of the subject matter with a more engaging delivery. After all, you can’t bore people into learning.

Tom

Instagram

Facebook

YouTube

Twitter

LinkedIn

Creativity and Compliance was recently honored as one of the Top 35 Podcasts on Creativity by Feedspot.

Categories
Creativity and Compliance

Creativity and Compliance – Creative Approaches to Corporate Compliance with Tyson Avery

Where does creativity fit into compliance? In more places than you think. Problem-solving, accountability, communication, and connection – they all take creativity. Join Tom Fox and Ronnie Feldman on Creativity and Compliance, part of the award-winning Compliance Podcast Network.

Ronnie’s company, Learnings, and Entertainment, utilizes the entertainment devices people use to consume information in their everyday, non-work lives and apply it to important topics around compliance and ethics. It is not only about being funny. It is about changing the tone of your compliance communications and messaging to make your compliance program, policies, and resources more accessible. In this episode of Creativity and Compliance, host Tom Fox and Ronnie Feldman are joined by Tyson Avery, the former Chief Ethics Compliance Officer at Starbucks and current Deputy General Counsel and Compliance Officer for Lucid Motors.

They discuss innovative strategies to make ethics and compliance engaging within organizations. Tyson shares insights into how he has leveraged creative methods to make serious compliance topics more relatable and accessible, emphasizing the importance of aligning corporate values with effective compliance programs.

One of the standout moments in the episode is Tyson’s recounting of the ‘Wally Awards,’ a unique initiative aimed at normalizing misconduct reporting and fostering a culture of transparency and trust. Through creative anonymization and employee engagement, the Wally Awards highlighted significant misconduct cases without compromising confidentiality, thereby encouraging ethical behavior across the company. The episode underscores the need for continuous, relatable, and engaging communications to embed compliance into the organizational culture.

Key highlights:

  • The Importance of Creativity in Compliance
  • Making Ethics Relatable
  • The Wally Awards: A Creative Compliance Initiative
  • Building Engagement and Trust
  • Advice for Implementing Creative Compliance

Resources:

Ronnie

Tom

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For more information on the Ethico ROI Calculator and a free White Paper on the ROI of Compliance, click here.