Dine-Around Program At-A-Glance Full Schedule Track Descriptions

 

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American Solutions for Business

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 28

4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Opening Keynote Speaker
Networking Skills: Extreme Fun - Extreme Payoff
Communicating is about connecting. Plan to connect like crazy in this practical, fun, interactive, up-on-your-feet session. Networking is much more than meetin’ and greetin.’ If you’re employed, are your own boss, have more business than you can handle, are shy as a stump or have a Ph.D. in working the room, you’ll benefit from this session.

You’ll use these tips immediately to squeeze extreme value from the conference.

Karen Susman, Speaker, Author, Coach, Karen Susman & Associates. For 25 years, Denver’s Ms. Susman has worked with thousands of high achievers to maximize their professional and personal lives. She speaks and coaches on communication, humor and life balance. Former adjunct professor at Regis University and president of  Colorado Authors’ League, Ms. Susman has published four guidebooks on Networking, Humor, Building Community Involvement and Time Management. The Wall Street Journal has cited Ms. Susman as a networking expert. Visit karensusman.com.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29

8:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.

Breakfast & Keynote Speaker
He Speaks, She Speaks. What Different Things They Say.
The number of women entering the workplace today exceeds that of any other time in American history. Women are here to stay and sometimes both sexes feel the clash of styles. During these uncertain economic times, most organizations have their eye on the bottom line, and much attention is paid to training an efficient workforce. But how many organizations train their members to be fluent in gender communication? This session provides hands-on communication skills that enable us to be more effective with men and women. You’ll learn about issues such as:

Audrey Nelson, Ph.D., University of Colorado at Boulder. Dr. Nelson is an internationally recognized trainer, keynote speaker and consultant. She specializes in gender communication, conflict management, dealing with difficult people, communication skills, and sexual harassment and discrimination. Her award-winning research is cited in several books and her professional achievements  include a “Woman of the Year” designation by Business and Professional Women/USA. Dr. Nelson’s professional background includes 10 years teaching in the Department of Communication at the University of Colorado, Boulder where she won the “Teaching Excellence” award. For 30 years she has trained and consulted for a wide variety of government and Fortune 50 companies such as Xcel Energy, PricewaterhouseCoopers, American Board of Trial Attorneys, HP, IBM, Upjohn Pharmaceuticals, Pentax, the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Department of Justice.

9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

Calculating the ROI on Your Communications
Measuring the effectiveness of communication isn’t enough anymore.  Senior management is asking for more direct correlation of the money spent on communication with the business outcomes resulting from it—how it increases revenue or reduces expenses. In this session, you will learn how to plan communications in a way that ties to behavior change. Ms. Sinickas will share examples of how other organizations—including government entities—have calculated the return on investment (ROI) for both internal and external communication.

Angela Sinickas, ABC, IABC Fellow, President of Sinickas Communications, Inc. Sinickas Communications has been helping organizations plan and measure successful communications for over eight years. Ms. Sinicka’s prolific publications and speaking engagements in 24 countries have made her name synonymous with practical measurement of organizational communication. She is the author of the manual “How to Measure Your Communication Programs,” a regular columnist for Melcrum’s Strategic Communication Management magazine and on the editorial boards of two professional journals. Her work has been recognized with 15 IABC Gold Quills, including two for her website, which offers over 100 articles on measurement. Visit sinicom.com.

Remodeling Your Intranet
The Global IT Communications group of Johnson & Johnson developed a new intranet portal, based on Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007, to serve as an enterprise-wide communications vehicle for IT information. This presentation will cover lessons learned from the project, including:

Patricia Crowley, Portal and e-Communications Manager, Johnson & Johnson. Ms. Crowley has an extensive background in information technology, including the development and management of portals, and the selection of application development and collaborative computing tools. She was responsible for the development of a new enterprise IT portal that is utilized by more than 4,000 IT professionals across 200 Johnson & Johnson companies. She currently serves as co-chair of the corporate chapter of J&J’s Women’s Leadership Initiative and is a “Champion” for the company’s IT Leadership Development Program where she recruits top talent from the Stevens Institute of Technology.

Color Makes the World Go BUY®
Color is your competitive edge. Can you afford to ignore it? In this session Ms. Roggow, a nationally recognized expert on branding, marketing strategy and color psychology, discusses the impacts of color in your business. She will show you what messages specific colors communicate, and explore effective vs. non-effective use of color in advertising. Color captivates. Color motivates. Color sells. Color is your competitive edge. Why? Because, Color makes the world go BUY!®

Diane Roggow, CEO, Market Illumination. Market Illumination develops tools, training and market information to support the brand-building efforts of marketing professionals. The company offers a variety of brand-development products and services, including the online Branding Insight Tool™, an affordable, in-depth alternative to traditional assessments. In 2007, Color Makes the World Go BUY®, a new DVD, was launched to help businesses use color as a strategic tool to connect with customers and boost sales. Visit marketillumination.com.

Words: Don’t Go Storytelling Without Them
This informative discussion will be about finding and using the right words to convey the right story. The discussion leader will share thoughts on structure in telling memorable and repeatable stories. You’ll have the opportunity to:

Connie Eckard, ABC, Ph.D., Fellow. Mr. Eckard is a writer, editor and mentor who has spent his professional career chronicling employee innovations in providing workplace solutions. He has served IABC since its inception. He has been an officer and headed committees at the chapter, district and international levels. He initiated the Chapter Leadership Institute and has received the IABC Chairman’s Award. His writing has appeared in many professional journals. Mr. Eckard has been a communication leader, advisor and teacher in the public, government and education sectors. He was senior public affairs counsel in the U.S. Air Force Reserve and retired as a colonel. He was listed in the first edition of Who’s Who in the Media and Communications.


10:45 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.

Get Out of Your Way and Grow Your Business
Starting a business is a cake walk compared to the challenges of growing a successful business. And one of the biggest challenges for CEOs and managers is finding a language of growth that will help every employee cultivate a successful company. This presentation will have you looking at business growth with new eyes and provide information you can use the next day in your business. In this interactive session, you will learn about:

Laurie Taylor, President, FlashPoint! Ms. Taylor was founder and partner in a marketing communications company in Boulder that grew from two employees to over 100 employees and up to $12 million in sales. As a business growth specialist, Ms. Taylor has talked to over 1,400 CEOs in the past year, helping them understand how growth impacts their business. With her experience and a unique growth model entitled The 7 Stages of Growth, Ms. Taylor works with solo-preneurs and business owners to understand how to successfully navigate their own growth curve.

Corporate Social Responsibility: How to Behave in a Flat World
Successful Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) starts at home. With local communities becoming global, your primary CSR audience these days is your staff. Employees are your relationship managers. Their active involvement is what makes the difference between authentic corporate citizenship and lip-service. This presentation will be based on research for the book on international communication Ms. Cambie is currently writing for the UK publisher, Kogan Page. It will give you useful ideas for promoting CSR programs to your staff at home and around the world. New approaches to CSR and corporate giving are surfacing every day from emerging economies like China and Brazil. You will be encouraged to look beyond the Western world for new creative approaches to the triple bottom line, using your employees’ cultural and relational awareness.

Silvia Cambie, Director, Chanda Communications.  Chanda Communications is a UK-based consultancy specializing in leadership communication, branding, social media and training. An experienced cross-cultural communicator and certified coach, Ms. Cambie began her career as a correspondent from Eastern Europe for several leading British and German business publications. She covered post-communist economic reforms and worked as a communicator and lobbyist for international trade associations. Ms. Cambie serves on IABC’s International Executive Board and is immediate past-president of IABC Europe/Middle East. She is also regional director for Europe for The International Alliance for Women (TIAW). Ms. Cambie speaks five languages and writes regularly on cross-cultural issues on her blog, XCulture: chandacom-xculture.com.

Beyond Usable Websites: Persuading Your Customers to Go with the Flow
Traditional usability focuses on ease-of-use factors such as learnability, efficiency, memorability and satisfaction. It asks questions such as: Can people navigate the site? Can they find the content that they need? But once they’ve found the information, are your customers actually clicking where you want them to? Are they noticing important content? Or overlooking it? Do your designs connect with your users and engage them? In this session we will delve into the emotional layer of the User Experience and find out how the elements of persuasion, emotion and trust impact site usage and decision making.  We will discuss how you can design your site to grab users’ attention and increase their momentum towards the next step. Finally, we’ll explore what questions you should ask to evaluate how well your site reflects the aspirations of your customers.

April McGee, M.S., CUA, Human Factors International. Ms. McGee is a project director and course instructor at Human Factors International. With more than 21 years of usability experience, her expertise includes user interface design, usability testing, systems engineering, data gathering, task flow re-engineering, detailed screen design and expert reviews. Ms. McGee holds a U.S. patent for the design of a user interface for an award-winning voice/data/video collaboration system. She’s worked in diverse business and government agencies. Her clients include American Express, Centers for Disease Control, Nextel, Mercedes-Benz, Social Security Administration, Disney and McGraw-Hill.

Communication Challenges in Incident Response Situations: A Department of Defense Perspective
During Hurricane Katrina, USNORTHCOM coordinated the active-duty public affairs efforts for the largest military deployment and humanitarian mission that the United States had seen since the Civil War. In this presentation, you’ll find out what it took to overcome the PR challenges this Department of Defense organization had in countering an environment where public opinion and media coverage had already set a negative tone.  Also, come to get an inside peek into the communication strategies that led to a successful comeback during the 2007 California wild fires.

Michael Perini, ABC, Director of Public Affairs, Headquarters North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM).  Mr. Perini advises and supports the NORAD and USNORTHCOM commander. In addition, he makes timely and accurate information available so the public, government leaders and news media may understand NORAD’s aerospace warning and aerospace defense missions and USNORTHCOM’s homeland defense and defense support of civil authorities missions.  Mr. Perini served more than 30 years in the U. S. Air Force before retiring as a colonel in 2002.


Noon – 2:00 p.m.

Silver Quill Luncheon & Keynote Speaker
Seven Summits of Mountaineering & Life: Extreme Communications from the "Top of the World"
To adventurers, the allure is like no other—the chance to stand atop the highest point in the world: 29,035 feet of rock and ice that soar past the clouds and into the heavens. So it’s no wonder that reaching the summit of Mt. Everest is a lifelong quest for intrepid explorers. Recently one of those adventurers, Dr. Hickey, a nursing professor at the University of South Carolina, gazed down on the frozen earth from that highest point, and fulfilled his quest to be the first nurse in the world to stand atop the highest mountain on each continent. Despite temperatures exceeding 40° below zero, and winds that froze tissue within seconds, Dr. Hickey maintained the “highest blog in the world” as he dialogued for over two months with 500 people from 20 different countries. His story details travel, adventure, risk-taking, commitment and of course, Extreme Communication.

Patrick Hickey, Ph.D., University of South Carolina. Dr. Hickey, doesn’t just walk the walk. When it comes to trying to make an impact on the issue of South Carolina’s critical nursing shortage, he climbs. All the way, in fact, to the top of Mount Everest. Dr. Hickey, a clinical assistant professor of nursing at the University of South Carolina, reached the summit May 23, 2007, culminating nearly two months of on-site preparation, climbing and altitude adjustment. Everest was the last climb Dr. Hickey made of the highest peaks on each of the seven continents. He was featured by several national news sources as he used his climbing venue to raise money for the College of Nursing’s Summit Scholarship. Dr. Hickey’s worldwide experiences have taught him about the necessity of working and communicating with diverse and rich cultures around the world.


2:15 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.

The Power of a Balanced Communication Team
It’s easy to find fabulous writers, great webmasters or savvy media reps, but how do you find balanced communicators?  That is, communicators with a strong mix of communication skills who can work well with customers—from the help desk to the CEO. And then how do you create a team of “do-it-all” communicators that meets the needs of the organization? There’s power in balance for the leader, the communicator and the customer. Whether you’re managing a department or searching for more skill balance in your own career, in this session you’ll learn how to:

Tracy Harlow, Director of Communications, ConocoPhillips. Ms. Harlow has managed a team of communication employees and contractors aligned with the businesses she supports. Her 15 years of experience in the telecommunications, health insurance and energy industries has helped her build a balanced communications skill set and garner more than 25 IABC and PRSA awards, including Communications Professional of the Year from IABC Tulsa in 2004. She also volunteers as co-chair of the community leadership program in Bartlesville, Okla., and serves on the boards of IABC Tulsa, Ray of Hope Advocacy Center and Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Wake Me Up When the Data is Over: Making an Impact Through Stories
Need an effective way to capture distracted employees’ attention and have them accurately recall what you told them? Do you need to quickly and successfully communicate complex ideas, inspire people to change an old attitude or embrace the future? Stories can help you and your organization achieve these outcomes in addition to double-digit growth, significant reductions in turnover and considerable improvements in employee engagement. Learn what distinguishes stories from examples and case studies, and what makes stories more effective than other forms of communication. Listen to examples of how stories have been effectively used to:

Lori Silverman, Owner, Partners for Progress. Ms. Silverman is a business strategist, keynote speaker and author, and the owner of a successful management consulting firm.  For more than 20 years, she has worked with organizations in various industries on implementing significant changes and creating viable long-term strategies to increase their success. She has also appeared on more than 50 radio and TV shows to talk about using stories to achieve tangible business results, and has authored numerous articles and books including Critical Shift and Stories Trainers Tell. Her latest book, Wake Me Up When the Data Is Over: How Organizations Use Stories to Drive Results, debuted in the top 100 books on Amazon in October 2006. Visit partnersforprogress.com. 

CEM Meets IMC: When Does Customer Experience Management Blend with Integrated Marketing Communications?
Customer Experience Management (CEM) and Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC)—two concepts that have been around since the ‘90’s, but only recently have we figured out how to make them work together for greater profits. We now know that what customers feel about their experience with your company is more important than your products or services. And, we know that customers—not companies—drive marketing communication. These two ideas have powerful implications for every organization. What can companies do to maximize the benefits of CEM and IMC? In this session, Dr. Patti will:

Charles Patti, Ph.D., University of Denver. Dr. Patti has had a broad and deep career in industry and academic life. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois and has been on the faculties of Arizona State University (head of the advertising program), the University of Hartford (Associate Dean and Director of the Institute of Distance Learning), Queensland University of Technology (Brisbane, Australia where he was Head of the School of Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations), and the University of Denver where he heads the graduate programs in IMC and Customer Experience Management.  Dr. Patti also holds academic appointments in Malaysia and Singapore, and has been a visiting professor at universities around the world. He has an active profile in the industry through consulting, boards, collaborations, corporate training and expert witness assignments.

Social Media Relations: Pitching Reporters Who Blog
Ditch that lame news release. Scrap that meaningless press conference. In an attention-deficit world, communicators need new tools to connect with journalists who are busier than ever. Reporters are filing stories in print, online and video—and then supplementing that coverage with blogs, podcasts and interactive chats. If you want to get your stories told, you have to communicate the same way they do. In this session, Mr. Ylisela will show you how the new tools—and some of the old ones—will help you connect with journalists working in a social media, multimedia world.  You’ll learn how to:

Jim Ylisela, President, Ragan Consulting. Mr. Ylisela is an experienced teacher and award-winning writer. He taught journalism in the graduate school at Northwestern University’s Medill School for 13 years. An accomplished journalist, Mr. Ylisela has written for newspapers, magazines and television, and served as consulting editor at The Chicago Reporter, an investigative monthly, for 10 years. More than 1,500 communicators have attended his “Advanced Writing & Editing” workshop, which he teaches with Mark Ragan. His new workshop, with Steve Crescenzo, is called “Advanced Internal Communications.”

3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Bridging the Cultural Divide in Global Communications
There are numerous examples of international cultural disasters due to arrogance and ineptitude. They occur in all areas of business including strategy, marketing and management. A key to avoiding blunders and boosting success is effective communication. The tricky thing is that respectful communication varies by culture. Learn tips and techniques to master cross-cultural opportunities and to get it right the first time.

L. Bonita Patterson, President, Polaris Consulting Group. Ms. Patterson is the author of Communication Under Fire: How To Talk When Things Heat Up; Emotional Intelligence in Action: Training and Coaching Activities for Leaders and Managers, and numerous articles on business and leadership issues. Her company provides keynotes, executive coaching, consultation, facilitation, workshops and management retreats to improve bottom line results by aligning behaviors with strategic business intent. She works with a broad array of clients in the areas of communications, emotional intelligence, leadership and team development, diversity and strategic planning. Ms. Patterson’s work experience includes over 20 years in management and leadership with IBM, Vice President of a leadership development company, and Division Manager of Training and Development for the U.S. Department of Energy nuclear weapons plant closure project at Rocky Flats.

Secrets of Top Performers: Engaging Employees & Building Shareholder Value
In three major studies since 2003, Watson Wyatt has surveyed more than 750 companies to examine the relationship between an organization’s employee communication practices and its business performance. The survey responses tell us that top-performing organizations do things differently than their lower-performing peers. In this interactive presentation, audience members will have an opportunity to complete a brief effectiveness quiz to see how they measure up to the high performers. We will identify the best practices that offer the greatest potential for increasing communication effectiveness based on the findings of the 2007/2008 Communication ROI Study.

Kathryn Yates, Communication Global Practice Director, Watson Wyatt.  With more than 25 years in communication and operations management, Ms. Yates is accomplished in all aspects of employee communication and change management across various industries. She has particular expertise in helping organizations develop strategies and programs that build productive employee-employer relationships.  At Watson Wyatt, Ms. Yates led a global team in developing the firm’s comprehensive change management methodology, now used internationally to help clients successfully implement change.  She also led the team that launched the ground-breaking Communication ROI Study, which helps clients connect effective communication practices to financial results. Ms. Yates holds a B.A. in Communications from Pennsylvania State University and graduated from the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program. She is past president of the Council of Communication Management.

Brand from the Inside
For an organization, engaging employees in the company’s mission, strategy and brand promise can be a challenge. But success can’t happen on the outside unless connections happen on the inside. Brand from the Inside will review, in detail, the essential steps to emotionally connect employees to the brand promise an organization makes to its customers. You will learn, step by step, how to create a value proposition to articulate what you offer employees; how to package that value proposition into a compelling and creative employer brand; and how to market that employer brand to recruit, retain and engage employees.

Mark Schumann, ABC, Principal, Towers Perrin. Celebrating his 30th year as a member of IABC, Mr. Schumann is a Principal and Communication Consultant for Towers Perrin, and the Managing Principal of the firm’s office in Houston. From 1998 through 2004, Mr. Schumann served as the leader of the firm’s Global Communication business. He recently co-authored Brand from the Inside with Libby Sartain, and is currently working on a second book with Ms. Sartain, Brand for Talent. Mr. Schumann is the winner of 15 Gold Quill Awards, and is a former Communicator of the Year of Houston and Dallas. He is currently a member of the IABC International Executive Board, a position he also filled in the 1980’s.

The Business of Politics
This presentation will discuss the common interests we all have in a changing political environment during a change in leadership of the executive branch of government. How will the major shift in 2008 policy in the White House affect the country?  This question will be discussed as well as the importance of relationships, both business and personal, from the view of a political strategist.

Andy Boian, President, dovetail solutions. Mr. Boian has been involved in business development, corporate communications and political affairs for over 15 years.  His company, dovetail solutions, is a marketing and communications firm focusing on brand building, positioning, public relations and strategic community investment. With a Master’s degree in Public Policy, Mr. Boian is also a part-time professor of political science both at the University of Colorado at Boulder and Metropolitan State College of Denver, where he was named Favorite Professor in 2003 and 2006. He is active in politics, having worked on his first campaign at the age of 18.  Since 1991, Mr. Boian has worked with political candidates such as President Bill Clinton, Senator John Edwards, Colorado Governor Bill Ritter, Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, and many, many more. In 2000, he was elected to the Democratic National Committee—the youngest person from Colorado to ever hold that position. Mr. Boian is currently doing PR for the Democratic National Convention in Denver through Chairman Dean’s office in Washington, DC, as well as an acting Advisor for John Edwards One America Pact.


Tuesday, September 30

8:15 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.

Why Consider Accreditation? The Value and Benefits of Getting Your ABC
In this day of focus on ROI, business results and success measurement of communication activities—all good things—little time is left for the average communicator to consider those questions burning in the back of the mind:

Mr. Deas proposes answers to those questions from an often overlooked source: IABC’s Accreditation Program. Speaking from his own experience, he dispels misconceptions about accreditation that he himself once held. His journey from skeptic to workshop leader for accreditation is both bittersweet and humorous. This presentation will help you gain confidence to “take the plunge” and give you handy tips to help navigate the swim.

Michael Deas, ABC, Principal, TransGermanica LLC.  A seasoned marketing and corporate communications professional and winner of multiple Gold Quill and Silver Quill awards, Mr. Deas is the voice for global corporations in both English and German, which he speaks and writes fluently. He understands the nuances of cross-cultural communication and excels at keeping communication audience-focused. Prior to managing corporate and marketing communications for CH2M HILL, a global engineering firm, Mr. Deas worked in nonprofit organizations for humanitarian causes overseas. He also ran his own relief organization helping disadvantaged groups of people in Eastern Europe. Mr. Deas has been an Accredited Business Communicator since 2004. He is past president of IABC South Carolina and current Vice President of Professional Development for IABC Colorado.

Your Communications Career and the Four Stages® of Contribution
Your communications career is your responsibility. Period. Whether you are just starting out or at a mid or senior level, what you do and when you do it determine your growth and earnings potential. It cannot be left to chance, luck or even to your boss. This interactive presentation will share a research-driven perspective on how to maximize development opportunities and increase your impact, influence and value to the organization by using the Four Stages® of Contribution model.

Jan Thibodeau, Director of Consulting, Novations Group, Inc. At Novations Group, Ms. Thibodeau assesses client needs and delivers solutions to help them develop competencies and achieve business results. Her clients have included Amgen, Wellpoint, Pfizer, GE Research and many others. Prior to joining Novations, she spent 13 years as principal of JT Communications LLC, a consulting firm providing organizational development and communication solutions, and she served as Corporate Communications Manager at Motorola. Ms. Thibodeau is currently serving as Chair of the IABC Research Foundation and also serves on the IABC Board of Directors.

Millennium Promise - Cause Marketing
The presentation, Millennium Promise - Cause Marketing, will share the “causal capital” approach to philanthropy using the work with Millennium Promise as a launching point. The presentation will paint the consumer giving landscape, make an argument for causal capitalism and describe the Consumer Capital Partners’ (CCP) approach to creating sustained consumer giving to philanthropic endeavors using private sector principles, strategies and tactics. The presentation will share these concepts using the plan and insights from research that has lead to strategies and tactics that will help build the brand for sustainable consumer giving.

Trey Hall, Chief Causal Marketing Officer, Consumer Capital Partners. Mr. Hall is a brand and product development expert, specializing in strategic alignment through the development of brand architectures and marketing plans that magnify those architectures. He has spent the last 20 plus years working on comprehensive brand and product development to optimize their relevance in the consumer marketplace. He has been instrumental in developing unique products, promotions and events to make brands more relevant to specialized consumer groups. Mr. Hall and CCP are now taking these private sector strategies and tactics and applying them to the non-profit world. This “causal capital” approach is designed to create sustained consumer giving in key areas of need around the world.

Preventing the Time Bomb from Exploding
Crisis communication is one of the most sensitive public relations areas. Every action must be thoroughly researched and planned with impeccable accuracy. It is also where PR’s abilities and value to an organization can be most appreciated. Case studies and discussion will be used to examine ways to turn a crisis into an opportunity for your organization. We’ll introduce you to:

John Deveney, ABC, APR, Senior Counsel, Deveney Communication. Mr. Deveney will detail the firm’s unique experiences in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and the advanced crisis planning, tools and tactics that brought about a virtually seamless transition for the firm’s clients. Mr. Deveney will also present a case study of the Tourism Communication and Media Center that the Deveney team established barely three weeks after the storm to manage the 2,000 imbedded journalists in New Orleans and work toward turning the tide of negative images and messages about the city being played out in the global media marketplace.


9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

Being a Strategic Partner
In this program, Mr. Williams will give you ways to advance in your organization so others see you as a strategic business partner. If you want to authentically move forward, then this session will give you scores of ways to do so. You’ll leave with practical, instantly doable tools to apply, but most importantly, it will take you beyond the basics. It will leave you with ways to think about being a strategic partner that can impact everything you do and how you do it—not only in your organization, but in your life.

Joe Williams, Principal, Joe Williams Communications. Mr. Williams is considered one of the profession’s leading thinkers and teachers of strategic thinking, planning and leadership development. His Dialogue in the Desert Workshop was the first and is still the longest running strategic thinking workshop in the field. Mr. Williams spent 10 years with TRW and earlier served on the editorial staff of the Daily American newspaper in Rome, Italy. He holds 13 Gold Quills, scores of chapter awards, more than 100 national awards, and has been a member of the IABC Blue Ribbon Panel. His firm provides cutting-edge research, Face2Face communication training, and strategic planning to companies like McGraw-Hill, MasterCard, Butterfield Bank (Bermuda), Cox Communications, Chevron, MTS Allstream (Canada), General Dynamics and Northeast Utilities, among others. Visit jwcom.com.

From Boomers to Generation Y - Leveraging Online Solutions to Enhance Communications
Generational issues are putting companies through their paces like never before. To make matters worse, with only one worker entering the job market for every three that exit, communicators face insurmountable pressure to enhance engagement, increase productivity and retain talented employees. Dive into this engaging presentation that covers the communications convergence
connecting the generations in a wonderful world of online collaboration and community building. In this unique take on generational communications, you’ll be inspired to:

Steven Green, Founder, PollStream, Inc. Mr. Green is the founder of PollStream Inc., a leading provider of online interactive communications and community building solutions. Mr. Green built PollStream with the intention of helping global companies to effectively engage their employees in measurable, two-way dialogue. With more than seven years of strategic employee communications experience, Mr. Green is recognized as a thought leader in the growing field of online dialogue and social media. With an impressive roster of clients, such as HP, Royal Bank of Canada, eBay, Best Buy, Baker Hughes and International Truck, Mr. Green continues to grow PollStream’s cherished reputation as an innovator of effective online solutions designed to effectively engage, educate and inform employees.

Using Unconventional Marketing Means
Denver-based Chipotle has created a big name for big burritos on a small budget. Some of their competitors spend in four days what Chipotle spends on marketing in a year. It’s taken creative marketing and a strong sense of fun to carve out their share of the restaurant industry. In this session you’ll learn:

Chris Arnold, Public Relations Director, Chipotle. As Public Relations Director at Chipotle, Mr. Arnold oversees all media relations for the big burrito joint nationwide, requiring him to forge and maintain working relationships with the news media, issue worthwhile information regarding Chipotle and its business activities, speak on the record for the company, manage sensitive issues, and, if all else fails, grovel for news coverage. When he’s not schmoozing the media, he assists Chipotle’s community support and philanthropic programs (which contribute more than $1 million annually in cash and in-kind contributions to communities around the country), counsels senior executives, manages a network of about 10 local, regional and national public relations agencies, and directs all of Chipotle’s public relations strategy and programs. Mr. Arnold has 15 years of public relations experience, working for some of the Rocky Mountain Region’s foremost public relations and advertising agencies.

10:45 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.

Change Management & the Role of Communications
This session will focus on some of the lessons Mr. Jolly has learned about change management as a consultant or leader in dozens of transformation initiatives, and more recently as an entrepreneur. Most of the popular theories of change fail to take into account human and organizational realities. We’ve all read the “8 Steps to Organizational Change” and “10 Reasons Why Change Fails” but few theories account for “reality”—in which some people just get tired, some are just not smart enough, some really don’t care and almost everyone makes big mistakes. We'll cover:

Avneet Jolly, Founder and CEO, Insightory Inc. Mr. Jolly has nearly 15 years of management and HR consulting experience. Insightory Inc. runs the leading website for sharing management insights and also provides management consulting services to corporations of all sizes. Until July 2007, Mr. Jolly was the North America Practice Leader for Global Sourcing (Globalization) Consulting at Hewitt Associates. He was responsible for helping clients achieve multi-million dollar efficiencies, or create major new markets through globalization programs. He is a frequent speaker on the topics of global sourcing and change management. He has worked with companies of all sizes, ranging from small 10-person start-ups to the largest companies in the world, including three of the “Fortune 10." Visit insightory.com.

Blog Helps Log a Culture Change at Coca-Cola
Discover the power of using a blog to involve leaders and employees in conversation that helped redefine what success is for a 120+-year-old global company and brand. Understand how to prepare leaders and your organization for participation, the steps of implementation, analyzing the results, and seeing the impact in improved employee engagement and performance. Learn how to position and use a blog or any new media vehicles as strategic tools to impact the direction and results of any organization. This case study of The Coca-Cola Company’s short-term Blog Blast will demonstrate new possibilities for leadership of internal communicators in delivering value.

Dianne Culhane. Ms. Culhane is a communications pioneer specializing in collaborative leadership practice and communication for sustainable results.  After 22 years with The Coca-Cola Company, she is now in private practice, helping organizations and corporate clients improve their collaborative leadership. As a member of The Coca-Cola Company’s Top 150 executives, Ms. Culhane co-led the development of the mission and vision goals for the company’s 10-year sustainable growth plan. As Group Director of Global Internal Communications for The Coca-Cola Company, she built the first internal communication department and led its development along the continuum of excellence from one-way communication to an employee engagement model.

Marcus Wade, Global Resource Director, The Coca-Cola Company. Mr. Wade is a 10-year veteran of The Coca-Cola Company and has worked in the communications field for more than 15 years. As Global Resource Director, he most recently served as strategic communications lead for Winning with Our Manifesto—the company’s blueprint and vision for achieving sustained, quality growth by 2015. Mr. Wade has served in various communications capacities during his tenure at Coca-Cola. For the past two years, he has developed and led the company’s Global Internal Communications Network, recognized as a best-in-class center of expertise in the company. The network consists of internal communications professionals in six geographies worldwide.

Sustaining a “Best Places” to Work Culture Through an Acquisition
When a company known as one of the best places in the world to work acquires a high-profile, scandal-ridden company, how does it sustain best company practices, policies and values in the newly acquired workplace? Learn how an integrated Legal, HR, Investor Relations and Communication approach helped restore a previously embattled workforce to a respectful workplace culture.

Andre Armstrong, ABC, CH2M HILL. In a 30-year career, Mr. Armstrong has served in every corporate communication capacity a person can experience at CH2M HILL ranging from internal communications, investor relations, media relations, executive speechwriting, marketing communications, communication management, crisis communication consulting and training. With this background, he serves the company today in a project management capacity as a communication counselor and strategist to both external and internal clients.

Proving PR ROI
We’ve come a long way from the days of showing PR ROI by multiplying column inches by readership. In today’s competitive business environment, communicators need firm metrics to show the value of the work they do. In this session you’ll learn:

Barbara Gibson, ABC, Founder and President, SpokesComm.  Ms. Gibson has more than 18 years of experience in corporate communication, public affairs, public relations, advertising and marketing. An American transplant to the United Kingdom, she has lived in the London area since 2002. Her career is distinguished by more than three dozen professional awards, including an IABC Gold Quill Award of Excellence. Ms. Gibson will serve as the 2008-2009 IABC International Chair. She is a Past-President of the UK Chapter of IABC and Past-Chair of the Europe/Middle East Region. Ms. Gibson is also a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufacture & Commerce (RSA), and a member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR).

Noon – 1:30 p.m.

Closing Luncheon & Keynote Speaker
The Role of Communication in Teaching the Disabled to Ski
Beth Fox, Operations Manager, National Sports Center for the Disabled, Winter Park, Colorado
The National Sports Center for the Disabled (NSCD) began in 1970 as a one-time ski lesson for children with amputations from the Children’s Hospital of Denver. Today, the NSCD is one of the largest outdoor therapeutic recreation agencies in the world. Each year, thousands of children and adults with disabilities take to the ski slopes, mountain trails and golf courses to learn more about sports—and themselves. With specially trained staff and its own adaptive equipment lab, the NSCD teaches a variety of winter and summer sports and activities to individuals with almost any physical, cognitive, emotional or behavioral diagnosis.

The mission of the National Sports Center for the Disabled (NSCD) is to provide quality outdoor sports and therapeutic recreation programs that positively impact the lives of people with physical, cognitive, emotional or behavioral challenges.

 

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