Leadership is communicating with clarity, confidence, and a commitment to the audience. SNP team members don’t just understand this, they live it. Coaches and facilitators layer elite communication skills on top of the experiences, hobbies, and communities that are unique to each person. Meet Corey Libow: facilitator, coach, and (self-described!) communication monster. In this conversation, Corey shares his journey from public relations to communications, his passion for people over problems, and what really happens when we start to see communication not just as a skill, but as a way to connect with the most important people in our lives.

SNP: Let’s start with your superhero-style origin story. How did you end up at SNP?

Corey: I was working in Los Angeles in nonprofit and PR, all around the stuff that young Corey loved: movies and music. Yes, even rap journalism. It was a lot of communication work. When I moved back to the Bay Area, I was looking for something similar. That’s when I came across SNP. At first glance, it looked like public relations. They were looking for someone with a strong writing background. But then the job description made it clear: this wasn’t about polishing an external message. It was deeper. Helping others make their truth persuasive (the SNP mission!) and building real connection. I was in.

I started as Chief of Staff to our Co-Founder and former CEO, Maureen Taylor, and I saw right away how invested she was in every single one of her customer relationships. She knew the ins and outs of everything they were doing and helped them solve real problems. Not because the retainer said to do it, but because she was so committed to being of service to those around her. It was inspiring—and it was different.

SNP: You joined with a background in communications and were immediately immersed in SNP’s onboarding program. How did that go? 

Corey: Honestly? Humbling. One of the first things every new hire at SNP does is learn our flagship presentation skills course. The content, the skills, and how to coach the skills. The final capstone is teaching each module in front of the entire company. Not a problem! I’d been presenting for years, so I thought I’d crush it! And then, of course, I stumbled. That’s when I realized: this work is about more than confidence. It’s about a commitment to the skills and the discipline to actually practice them…constantly and consistently. 

Onboarding also lets you understand what our customers feel like when we ask them to come up to the front of the room and practice a skill. They’ve been leading, presenting and communicating for ten, twenty, thirty years. And now we’re asking them to practice a new approach! It’s uncomfortable. But it’s also not about doing it right or doing it wrong. It’s about just trying something, seeing what it looks like, gauging the impact. Then you get this kind of freedom when you realize it actually has nothing to do with you, and everything to do with the audience. 

All participants leave the workshop as communication monsters: they start noticing all of the skills in their day-to-day, watching how others communicate and what resonates as an audience member. They’re good monsters. Communication monsters. 

SNP: We do a lot of work with technology customers, those who are leading innovation for the entire world. But you also remind us that we are working with people…why is that important to reiterate?

Corey: Because people want to connect with people, wherever they are on the planet. They want to be able to communicate in a way that has impact and is inspiring. Whether you’re an engineer or a VP of HR, you’re solving problems, but you’re solving those problems through and with other people. We get into their content – what they do, what motivates them – and they then engage more fully with our skills. Their energy changes, and everything clicks. I never imagined I’d like working in technology as much as movies, but to be able to connect, engage, and inspire with these leaders: that blew my mind.

There is also this medium that we’re on right now [Riverside.fm]. We got to this remote–hybrid–in-person working world through some unbelievable circumstances. The silver lining: I so appreciate this technology! Having real, honest conversations with people in Boston, Dublin, or Morocco. We can so easily connect with people. Now, it’s our collective responsibility to get better at how we communicate with these video platforms. 

SNP: You’ve said these skills are not just about how you show up in a meeting—it’s how you show up in the world. Including some of the most important people in your life…

Corey: I love talking about what I do with my Nana [Corey’s Bay Area-based grandmother]! She doesn’t know the difference between a CRM system and cloud storage—some of the content I may have worked on that day—but she gets communication. When I tell her I help people give feedback or share their story better, she lights up. 

And now I have the discipline to really listen to her. She’s got stories and stories and stories, and all I do is edit back, and she can just keep going. If another family member comes in with a closed question, I immediately jump in. “No, no, no, we are not there yet! I had no idea we were going to talk about this ranch in Australia and World War II. So we’re following her wherever she’s taking the story.”

Corey continues to write his own story, working with interesting leaders, to help them connect with the most important audience: their people. His passion for this work is contagious, whether you’re having a conversation with him or participating in a class. He shows us that great communication comes from commitment, discipline, practice—and an authentic enthusiasm for people. 

Want to learn more about SNP Communications’ Presentation Skills curriculum? Get in touch at info@snpnet.com.