#WeLeadComms: Jenny Barkan

Toronto-based organizational effectiveness coach and IABC World Conference speaker Jenny Barkan is today’s #WeLeadComms honoree.

Jenny specializes in leadership development, systems thinking and and employee experience. With a background in law and psychology, she brings a practical, science-informed lens to how people think, behave, and especially how they react under pressure. She trained at Erickson Coaching International Institute and is a member of the International Coaching Federation.

Jenny works with leaders navigating complex, high-stakes environments, helping them translate behavioural science into everyday leadership and communication practices that actually work, not just sound good in a slide deck. She is a strong advocate for science-based coaching and regularly integrates insights from neuroscience into her workshops, facilitation, and coaching. She is also the author of “Lazy” Leadership, a newly published book that guides overwhelmed leaders to achieve better results with less friction and fewer unnecessary complications.

In her spare time, she is a devoted dog mom, a bit of a bookworm and a skating enthusiast.

At the IABC World Conference 2026, Jenny will lead a session titled The Human Side of Disruption: Communicating Through Change Trauma.

Because let’s be honest, disruption is no longer an event. It is the background noise of modern organizations. While strategies and structures keep evolving, far less attention is paid to what repeated change actually does to people.

This session introduces the concept of “change trauma,” the cumulative psychological impact of ongoing organizational upheaval. When people operate in a prolonged state of uncertainty, their brains shift into threat mode. In that state, even well-crafted messages can land as risk rather than reassurance.

Drawing on neuroscience and real-world leadership experience, Jenny will explore how communicators can recognize when their audience is operating from fear instead of curiosity and what to do about it. Attendees will learn how to adjust tone, timing, and transparency to reduce defensiveness, rebuild trust, and avoid unintentionally making things worse.

The session also integrates a strong diversity, equity, and inclusion lens, acknowledging that disruption is not experienced equally and that communication must reflect that reality to be effective.

This is not about polishing messages. It is about rethinking communication as a system that either stabilizes people through change or gradually erodes their ability to cope with it.

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#WeLeadComms is a partnership between IABC and Strategic.

The communicator’s role is evolving, and IABC World Conference is where we’ll explore what’s next.

Join a global network of communication professionals 14-16 June in Toronto for practical insights, peer learning, and new ideas you can take back to your organization. https://wc.iabc.com/.