Be Active Workshops: International Best Practice
Wednesday, September 17th, 2008Take the opportunity to learn from two highly experienced, leading international communicators - Barbara Gibson, International Chair of the IABC, and Adrian Cropley, Director on the IABC International Executive Board presenting two workshops on Wednesday 29 October 2008.
Register by 3 October for the special EARLY BIRD deal! Check out the workshop details (the when, where and cost) on the registration page … Click here to register
Details about the workshop content and the presenters’ backgrounds follow.
SESSION 1: TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL: FROM TACTICAL TO STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION – BARBARA GIBSON
You’ve mastered the various tools of communication. You can produce newsletters, intranets, emails, employee meetings, press releases, and events with one hand tied behind your back (and your CEO breathing down your neck). But no matter how good the tactical work, if you’re not working from a well-built strategic communication plan, you’re not as effective as you should or could be. It’s time to take your communication to the next level.
This practical, hands-on session will take you through the step-by-step process for creating a strategic communication plan that will make a real difference to your organisation.
You’ll learn how to:
- Discover the real issues that your communication plan should address (treat the disease, not just the symptoms)
- Ensure that your communication plan is aligned with business objectives
- Gain executive buy-in for the communication plan
- Define and understand your audiences
- Set the right strategic objectives and design tactical plans to achieve them
- Measure the right things (even on a tiny budget).
About Barbara Gibson
Barbara heads London based independent consultancy SpokesComm, providing both strategic communication planning and media spokesperson development. An American transplant to the UK with more than 20 years’ experience in corporate communication and public relations, she has worked with leading companies worldwide.
An active IABC member since 1989, Barbara has served in volunteer leadership roles at every level of the association. She is a past president of both the Central Florida and UK chapters, past Region Chair for IABC Europe and Middle East, and served on the International Executive Board for 3 years prior to becoming international Chair of IABC in June 2008.
Check out Barbara’s focus for the year: The four “Is” of IABC.
SESSION 2: CUTTING THROUGH THE COMMUNICATION NOISE – ADRIAN CROPLEY
Effective communication is often espoused, but does anyone really understand what it is, or are we just creating noise. We are so eager to be heard that in fact we start shouting! Not literally but through the messages we send via one media or another. Things like email have become a problem in organizations today and the dialogue has stopped happening within teams because of overload. But imagine if we could cut through the noise and be heard, what a difference it would make in terms of mutual understanding and shared knowledge?
- What creates noise in our communication?
- How do we break through the noise of communication to be heard?
- Why is effective communication important? what are the steps (4Ms)
- What does effective communication look like
- What are the challenges in your workplace (a little Audience interaction)
About Adrian Cropley
Adrian is the Principal for Cropley Communications, Melbourne. Australia and has over 20 years’ communication experience in the private and public sectors. Adrian has been in roles from HR Management, Change and Organizational Development Manager to heading up corporate Internal Communications.
Adrian works with a variety of clients on change and internal communication strategies and programs. He is also an executive coach for a number of commercial and government organisations. He is a sought after facilitator, lecturer, coach and has spoken right across the globe at various, conferences and forums. He is widely published with a numbers of articles appearing in industry magazines globally.
Adrian is currently a Director on the International Executive board of IABC and has held a number of voluntary roles. He was named IABC’s Volunteer Chapter Leader of the year 2008 and has been instrumental in the growth and development of Chapters across the Asia/Pacific Region.