FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Kimberly Egan
Director of Marketing
Ragan Communications / PR Daily
[email protected]
Ragan Announces Keynote Speakers for 2026 Future of Communications Conference
Shira Lazar of What’s Trending and Dr. Marcus Collins of the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business will headline the November event in Austin, Texas
CHICAGO, Ill. (Sept. 23, 2026) — Ragan Communications today announced the keynote speakers for its 2026 Future of Communications Conference, taking place Nov. 11-13 at the Hyatt Regency Austin in Austin, Texas, during Communications Week.
Shira Lazar, founder of What’s Trending, will open the conference with “Think Like a Creator: Thriving at the Intersection of AI, Trust and the Future of Communications.” The session will examine how executives are becoming creators, employees are becoming publishers and brands are competing for attention across a new media ecosystem. Lazar will argue that communicators need more than AI tools to keep pace — they need a creator mindset built on curiosity, experimentation, authenticity and trust. Drawing on her work at the intersection of creators, technology and digital culture, she will address why corporate work is becoming a creator space, how AI is reshaping media and the future of work, and what communicators must do now to stay relevant.
Dr. Marcus Collins, professor at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, will deliver “Being Real: The Human Voice in an AI World.” As AI takes on more writing and messaging tasks, Collins will show communicators how to preserve authenticity while still adopting AI tools across their organizations. He will cover the authenticity gap that causes audiences to quickly detect messaging that lacks originality or human perspective, and what brands lose when efficiency replaces empathy; how communicators can apply newsroom instincts to AI-assisted content and executive messaging; and how the smartest communicators are measuring trust, resonance and influence in a world flooded with AI content.
The keynotes join a previously announced speaker lineup that includes communications leaders from IBM, Reddit, Samsung Electronics America, United Airlines, State Farm and more. The conference brings together communications, PR, internal communications, executive communications and marketing leaders for three days of practical learning on AI, reputation, leadership and the future of the profession.
Registration is now open. For additional information, the latest agenda and speaker updates, visit ragan.com/store/future-of-communications-conference.
About Ragan Communications and PR Daily
Ragan Communications has been delivering trusted news, training and intelligence for more than 60 years to internal and external communicators, HR professionals and business leaders. Its daily news sites, PRDaily.com and Ragan.com, are read by more than 600,000 internal and external communicators monthly. Ragan’s Communications Leadership Council is one of the fastest-growing membership groups for communications executives, and its conferences, webinars and workshops are attended by more than 5,000 communicators a year. Ragan Training is the leading learning portal among communicators, offering more than 800 hours of training and development for communicators. Ragan is also the producer of Communications Week, which is held each November. Headquartered in Chicago, with team members spanning the country and loyal customers worldwide. Visit us at ragan.com
