Behind the Scenes: Show & Tell at Chime

“Show & Tell at Chime is not just a constant part of our ongoing story, but an important way for Chimers to connect, see the human side of their work, and expand their reach within the organization,” says Chris “CD” Denina (he/him/his), Chime’s Senior Internal Communications Manager.

Today, Show & Tell is a virtual bi-weekly 30-minute company-wide event that helps Chimers showcase their work, connect with a Chime executive, and better understand how everyone’s work is connected across our organization.

CD and Karla Liwanag (she/her/hers), Communications Associate, work with other internal communications and cross-functional partners to bring Show & Tell to life every other week, so we sat down with them to understand why Show & Tell matters as a channel of communication, how they’ve kept the meeting fresh over all these years, and the importance of being human and bending in the face of change when it comes to organizing Show & Tell.

Why we Show & Tell

“At its core, Show & Tell matters because it’s a communication channel for Chimers to share the work they’re doing that contributes to the lives of our members,” Karla explains. “As our most frequent meeting, it’s a critical opportunity for Chimers to socialize their work and learn what others are doing across the organization.”

Karla, CD, and the internal communications team are very clear on the goals of their various channels — which helps them focus on ensuring each channel has the intended impact:

• All-Hands: Companywide meeting held quarterly to offer high-level business updates to get all Chimers aligned on our overall direction.
• Chime Hall: A town hall-style Q&A with leadership seven to eight times a year to ensure Chimers feel informed and connected to our leadership team.
• Show & Tell: A bi-weekly meeting to update Chimers on other teams and their work. It’s also a great way to get to know the executive team since an exec acts as the emcee for the meeting and does a rapid-fire Q&A with attendees at the end.

How we Show & Tell

In preparation for Show & Tell every two weeks, Karla shares a sign-up sheet with Chimers and sends a companywide invitation to get a slot during the meeting. “I encourage people to present at Show & Tell because as Chime has grown, folks can feel disconnected from other departments and lines of work — people are busy!” she says. “It’s such a great way to see the great work other Chimers are doing and celebrate the work we’re doing.”

Karla uses other internal communication channels, like Chime’s internal messaging platform, to motivate folks who might have something interesting to share at Show & Tell.

The event also includes icebreakers on its Slack channel, adding a fun social element and a Member Moment of the Week to highlight a member testimonial, insight, or ways teams contribute to member obsession.

Show & Tell has its own Slack channel that’s used during every meeting — a deliberate choice the team made so that the conversation can outlive the Zoom meeting and everyone can see the archive.

Show & Tell Tip: Opt for a Slack chat over the built-in Zoom chat to have an ongoing conversation (and an archive of everything that’s been shared!).

The Evolution of Show & Tell

As Chime has evolved, so has Show & Tell. Segments have been added and removed — such as shout-outs and new hire introductions — when scalability became an issue. “It’s so important to evolve how you communicate and connect with the company as it changes,” CD says.

Here’s a look at Show & Tell at Chime through the years.

Show & Tell at Chime: A Brief History

2019: Show & Tell started as a weekly standup in our San Francisco office — at the time, our only office — on Fridays at 5 pm to wrap up the week. Our founders would say a few things, and people would share milestones or give shoutouts

From early on, it was established that Show & Tell was about teams sharing their work and everyone having fun together

2020: When the pandemic hit, Show & Tell became a remote meeting on Fridays at noon

2022: Moved to Wednesdays at 11:30 am

For a while, Show & Tell was pre-produced, like a TV show — and called ShowChime — but the production lift proved to be too heavy

2023: Now bi-weekly on Wednesdays live over Zoom, Show & Tell is hosted by an exec and includes at least one team presentation

Show & Tell is still evolving today, and Karla and CD are constantly brainstorming new ways to revamp the meeting in response to feedback, such as exploring new formats and considering changing the length of the meeting. “The beauty of changing Show & Tell in response to Chimer feedback is that something new and exciting is always on the horizon,” Karla says. “Its constant evolution also ensures that we always have an engaged audience.”

The Role of Execs at Show & Tell

From its earliest days as a company-wide standup to today, Show & Tell has always included Chime execs in one way or another, and that’s on purpose. “Pre-pandemic, Chimers saw our execs in the office all the time, but when we went remote, it was harder to connect with execs and other Chimers,” CD explains.

“Having an exec host Show & Tell is a great way for Chimers to get to know execs who lead other departments,” Karla says.

Even though the meeting is only thirty minutes long, it provides Chimers with a bite-sized version of Chime’s culture, including our leadership team.

Keeping Show & Tell human — while always adapting

While Show & Tell has changed a lot over the years, the team has always focused on keeping it as human as possible. “It’s one example of how we bring people together and help them feel like they can acknowledge and celebrate other Chimers who keep our work moving forward,” Karla says. “It’s a lesson in how to take human moments into every meeting by getting to know other Chimers and being accessible to one another.”

For CD, being human is one part of Show & Tell; the other is being flexible. “Show & Tell has provided us with a ground upon which to experiment, improve, and change this channel of communication,” he says. “It gives us a stage where we can try things out to inform better, inspire, and connect Chimers.”

For example, Show & Tell was a testing ground for group icebreakers, which CD and Karla also took to Chime’s All Hands. “There isn’t as much pressure on Show & Tell, so it’s a great way to try things out and bring them to our best-attended and mission-critical meetings, like All Hands,” CD says. “With Show & Tell, we can experiment every other week, which is nice — and we have fun with it, such as with intro music for the different sections, a final countdown song at the end, and puns throughout,” he adds.

In the future, CD and Karla will continue to try new things and evolve Show & Tell, inviting new leaders to host and encourage Chimers who are doing awesome things to share them with the rest of the company.