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http://iabcstl.org/2012/09/tools-of-a-digital-storyteller-how-ksdk%e2%80%99s-one-man-broadcasting-army-brings-home-news-from-around-the-world/
An unforeseen work conflict for our featured speaker, Casey Nolan of KSDK, requires that we cancel this month’s IABC professional development luncheon, “Tools of a Digital Storyteller,” scheduled for September 27.
Thank you to those of you who signed up for the presentation. Please know that IABC is committed to reliably bringing you high-value professional development opportunities every month and will continue to do so. We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your understanding. Our registration site will refund registration fees in the coming days.
What next? Please join us on October 25 at Center of Clayton for “A Pinterest-ing Panel: How St. Louis Companies Are Using Pinterest to Tell Their Brand Story.” You’ll learn practical strategies for using the fastest-growing social network in history to move your business forward. Hope to see you there!
http://iabcstl.org/2012/09/bold-steps-in-connecting-pr-and-wikipedia/
by Neville Hobson, ABC
Whenever you look up something online, the chances are good that the results of your search will include information about your topic on Wikipedia.
“The free encyclopedia anyone can edit” was founded in 2001. Today, it’s the sixth most visited website in the world, according to Alexa, and has become the largest and most popular general reference work on the Internet with an estimated 365 million readers worldwide.
While the English-language Wikipedia may be the biggest work, there are editions of Wikipedia in 285 languages. Collectively, Wikipedia contains 22 million articles (more than 4 million of them in English), created and edited by more than 100,000 active contributors worldwide.
Such superlatives add to one’s sense of the scope and scale of Wikipedia, which is far deeper and greater than most people realize. And while Wikipedia is described as something anyone can edit, the reality of doing that is a challenge for many communicators.
http://iabcstl.org/2012/09/are-the-days-of-heading-into-the-office-numbered/
by Michael Dziak
In the emerging ”distributed” or “digital” workplace, the physical place for work will certainly remain important, but it won’t necessarily be used by every person every day. In the distributed workplace, you have the flexibility to work from just about anywhere.
This is not a new phenomenon. How often have you found yourself tweeting from your iPad, fine-tuning a presentation in a hotel room, knocking out a project from your home office, or even videoconferencing with a colleague from your smartphone? While many of us have been practicing distributed work for years, we are clearly entering into new territory. Mastering the skills required to work in the digital workplace is becoming a game changer in terms of getting promoted and securing new positions.
http://iabcstl.org/2012/08/strategic-creative-communication-seminar/
Empower yourself with a practical, field-tested, four-step system
This one-day workshop with popular IABC speakers Steve Crescenzo and Cindy Crescenzo gives you all of the tools you need to be a leader in strategic communication. Walk away with a big picture plan, the how-to tactics and tangible take-aways you need. New media, social integration, changing demographics, shifting corporate cultures, global challenges, the constant need to stay ahead and on top—all of these factors are driving a massive shift in how organizations communicate to each and every audience – from employees to communities to the world at large. This one-day workshop gives you all of the tools you need to be a leader in strategic communication. Walk away with a big picture plan, the how-to tactics and tangible take-aways you need.
Who Should Attend
Whether you’re communicating with employees, targeted audiences or the general public, this seminar gives you powerful strategies for smart communication.
What You’ll Learn
· Develop the right research
· Build your communication plan
· Design strong tactics
· Key in on the best channels to optimize your message
· Measure your outcomes
· Build a package that makes you shine
· New media, social integration, changing demographics, shifting corporate cultures, global challenges, the constant need to stay ahead and on top… (it’s exhausting!)
Get the power you need with a practical, field-tested, four-step system that gives you all of the right tools to stay focused, on the right track and in the lead.
Address for the event:
Hyatt Place Kansas City Airport
7600 N.W. 97th Terrace
Kansas City, MO 64153
PH: 816-891-0871 / FX: 816-891-3436
www.hyattplace.com
Click here for more information or to register.
http://www.iabc.com/sec/
http://iabcstl.org/2012/08/engaging-a-community-a-case-study-of-monsanto%e2%80%99s-stl-grown-campaign/
Doing good is also good for business. In today’s cultural environment, corporate social responsibility is no longer an option; it’s a must. Engaging the local community promotes a company’s mission, energizes employees and increases brand awareness. IABC invites you to learn how one of St. Louis’s leading companies used an innovative communications campaign to highlight and accelerate community engagement.
Join us on Thursday, August 23, as Jessica Simmons, marketing communications lead, and her colleagues from Monsanto discuss the company’s overall CSR strategy and take us inside the company’s “STL Grown” campaign. Launched in 2011, STL Grown blends employee volunteerism, community engagement and corporate philanthropy into a multi-channel campaign throughout St. Louis. The Monsanto team will share the communication strategies, tactics and measurement that have made the campaign such a success.
About the Campaign
Monsanto’s “STL Grown” is an initiative that aims to boost both the city and its spirit of volunteerism by awarding grants of as much as $15,000 to area schools and non-profits. It also features Monsanto employees that volunteer in the community.
Meeting fees:
$30 – members
$40 – nonmembers
$20 – students
When:
Thursday, August 23, 2012
11:30 a.m. – Registration and networking
12-1:30 p.m. – Program
Where:
Hilton St. Louis Frontenac
1335 South Lindbergh Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63131
Registration is now closed. Please contact us at info@iabcstl.org for cancellations or late registration opportunities.
http://iabcstl.org/2012/08/how-to-launch-an-internal-video-sharing-program/
by Paolo Tosolini
Today, communicators have so many options to choose from when delivering messages to their internal audiences. Email and web pages have been the norm for years, constituting the traditional “push” and “pull” communication models. But as technology has become more affordable and easier to use, online video has emerged as a dominant employee communication medium.
Organizations should embrace online video for internal communications for many reasons. Here are some of the lessons I learned during my tenure at Microsoft, where I had the opportunity to launch and manage the company internal video-sharing platform called Academy Mobile.
http://iabcstl.org/2012/08/grassroots-video-emerges-as-an-effective-employee-engagement-tool-2/
by Ron Hess
It was a flash mob of sorts, creating a sea of blue. Adorned in blue T-shirts, 100 employees at SAS headquarters, near Raleigh, North Carolina, gathered for a quick, impromptu video shoot.
The goal: to visually show employee pride for the launch of the company’s innovative new Visual Analytics software package. The method: direct employees to form a human “V” and “A” and, on cue, flash colorful posters while shouting, “We are Visual Analytics.” Then the crowd morphed into the letters S-A-S and shouted, “We are SAS!”
The technology: a handheld camera operated by a member of the corporate employee communication team. The result: a simple, one-minute, rapidly edited video posted on the company intranet that generated lots of buzz, thousands of hits, and feelings of pride and belonging among SAS employees worldwide.
SAS, widely recognized as one of the best global companies to work for, is one of a growing number of organizations that strategically use video to engage and involve employees. “Video has the power to reach beyond the screen to connect with people,” says Lisa Arney, internal communications manager at SAS, and a former TV news producer for local stations in South Carolina and Florida. “An effective video can convey feeling, emotion, and tell a powerful story that persuades, informs, builds pride or creates a sense of belonging—all factors that contribute to employee engagement.”
http://iabcstl.org/2012/07/earn-a-free-year-of-iabc-membership-in-august/
The following is from Lee Anne Snedeker, Sr. Vice President, Global Membership Development at IABC headquarters.
Just a reminder that August is Member-Get-A-Member month at IABC. You’ll get three free months of membership for each new member you bring in…up to a full year at no charge (complete rules below). The promotion will begin on 1 August 2012 and run through the end of the month.
Now is the time to spread the word about IABC to:
-Colleagues at your current or past organizations
-Friends in the same field from your alma mater
-People you’ve met through other professional events or activities
Just four rules to get your extra months of membership:
1. The new member must identify you in one of the following ways:
-For mailed, faxed and online enrollments: Write the referring member’s first and last name and chapter (or region if he or she is a member-at-large) on the application form
-For phoned enrollments: Mention the referring member’s first and last name and chapter (or region if he or she is a member-at-large)
In other words, your name must be provided at the same time the check or credit card number is received to be eligible. We cannot apply credit if your name isn’t mentioned, so please be sure it is. We want you to benefit from your efforts!
2. The new member must not have been an IABC member since April 1, 2012.
3. The limit for this promotion is four members, which would provide you with a full year of membership at no charge. For members who already have lifetime membership (e.g., 500 Club members), you can donate your free months to the member of your choice, even the member you referred!
4. The new member must be a professional member (not a student member), although recruiting members can be any type.
Thanks for your help, and your continued membership in IABC.
http://iabcstl.org/2012/07/is-integration-the-missing-ingredient-in-today%e2%80%99s-pr-strategy/
by Johnny McGinley
An organization’s annual public relations strategy tends to be seen as a glossy document, yet these types of documents often remind me of the phrase “all that glistens isn’t gold.” Now I know you may be thinking at this point that this is another one of those articles about how PR strategies are nothing more than glossy documents, right? I believe quite the opposite is true.
The annual PR strategy certainly aids in an organization’s strategic planning process and indeed is now something of a time-honored tradition in the PR world. But the strategy needs to be continually revised and reimagined. Specifically, there is one vital ingredient to the PR strategy document that is often missing: integration.
http://iabcstl.org/2012/07/8-benefits-of-using-video-to-communicate-with-employees/
by Lawson Cox
Most business leaders will acknowledge that employees are among their most vital company assets. Unless employees are well trained, informed and engaged, a company or organization will not perform at its best. Internal communicators know that their role is to help meet business goals by giving employees the information they need to further the mission of the company or organization.
As an internal communicator, there are many media you can use to reach employees. Video can be an important and effective component in your employee communication mix. Whether you are an experienced video veteran or new to the video world, here are several benefits video can offer when you need to reach your employees.