IABC Be Heard Weblog

“They” say that God does not give you more than you can handle and that coming through challenging times only makes you stronger. Must be true because here I stand a year later having survived as president of the IABC Houston Chapter. But I didn’t just survive, I thrived, as did our entire board and I think our chapter did too during a year filled with hurricanes, fire and a down economy. I am so grateful for having such as great board team to work with. It was a year in which we laughed, we cried, we drank (just a little) as we worked to make our chapter stronger. We also learned a lot. I share with you some of the nuggets of wisdom.

Be flexible. Our first two board meetings had to be rescheduled due to hurricane warnings. Conducting business through email saved the day.

Be resourceful. When the big one–Hurricane Ike–hit, our beloved Brennan’s burned to the ground. Not to mention we were all reeling from the storm in our personal lives, we had to quickly come up with a venue for the chapter’s monthly meetings. “Why not try a different venue each month, sort of a tour of Houston restaurants,” said Pam McConathy, VP of Professional Development. We thought it was a great idea. We could hit different parts of the city and maybe attract some members who couldn’t make it downtown. After about the third new venue Pam had to coordinate, she said, “Who’s idea was this anyway?” We quickly realized the value of having one set location knowing that you wouldn’t have to renegotiate the set up and menu each month. But I have to say, the chapter supported us on this one as we still averaged 40 to 50 attendees at each monthly program. We experienced a cozy gathering at Escalante’s, survived the smoke at an outdoor barbecue at Goode Company and wondered when lunch would be served at the House of Blues. That was a little embarrassing since we had 80 people in attendance to hear the IABC International Chair Barbara Gibson, ABC, speak. But she was most gracious and the HOB made up for it by throwing us a happy hour with FREE drinks and food and offering those in attendance a three-month membership to their exclusive Foundation Room. We now have found a home for a while at Maggiano’s.

Be innovative. We introduced some new types of programming. When Dr. Richard Murray, UH political analysis guru, couldn’t speak at our September luncheon because of Hurricane Ike, we rescheduled him for an evening presentation in December. It was an informal gathering of appetizers and analysis of the just-held presidential election. We offered a brown bag FREE Webinar that was well received. Members had selected the topic through a Be Heard Poll, a new means of hearing what members want. We also sponsored a branding breakfast workshop in collaboration with PRSA and look to partner with other organizations in the coming year. In fact our third year of sponsoring a nonprofit communications workshop with the United Way was again a hit with the two organizations splitting a net revenue of about $4,000, and we look forward to continuing this relationship.

Be willing to step up. When Mayor Bill White spoke at our July meeting, he challenged us to reach out to the community and champion the use of social media. We accepted the challenge and thanks to Steve Parker and Suzy Hartgrove, formed the Social Media Task Force to work with civic groups on social media training. The task force, now under the leadership of Elaine Krause and Sandra Fernandez recently completed the first training session. We’ll be hearing more about this meeting and the task force’s plans for the coming year on this blog site.

Be understanding. When the economy went south, we decided on a price freeze for attending monthly luncheons, held several networking happy hours, offered a free Webinar and kept the prices for entering the Bronze Quill competition and attending the event at 2008 rates. We also had some great membership drive promotions thanks to Robin Leeder, the board’s official “fun” ambassador. The recent promotion of joining or renewing members receiving certificates to attend two monthly luncheons at no cost was hugely successful. Throughout the year when many associations are seeing a decline in membership, IABC Houston has remained steady at about 325 members. Watch for more promos in the fall.

Be supportive. The board was proud to see the progress of building a student chapter at the University of Houston. Thanks to UH communications professor Mike Emery for his boundless energy in getting the students excited about our association. The board was honored to sponsor a scholarship luncheon this spring and looks forward to one day establishing an IABC scholarship at the college. The students held a successful communciations homecoming which featured a panel of alumni sharing their knowledge of the industry with students. We asked some of our chapter speakers to make appearances at the campus, including IABC International Chair Barbara Gibson, ABC, and David Henderson, our BQ keynote speaker. The students were also regular attendees at our monthly luncheons courtesy of some of our members who sponsored their attendance. The board was pleased to sponsor the World Conference attendance of past student president, David Gonzalez. He shared his thoughts on the trip to San Francisco on this blog site.

Be tenacious. When Janelle Ewing and Shea Daugherty took on the co-chairmanship of the Bronze Quill competion and gala they were on a mission to set a record for sponsorship dollars. And they did. It was one of the most successful BQs in our recent history with a net revenue of over $11,000. And that’s in a down economy!!!! When Shea had to bow out due to a job transfer to another city, Hattie Horn stepped in as co-chair and quickly wrapped up a nationally recognized keynote speaker and kept the BQ planning on track while Janelle attended to family matters in Australia. We are so fortunate that both Janelle and Hattie have agreed to spearhead the BQ committee again this year. Another tenacious volunteer this year has been Helen Fischer, ABC. As director of hospitality she has worked with our Web hosting group Schipul to fix registration issues with the Tendenci software. Members, she has your back. If you have trouble registering, she will make sure you get registered and make sure the problem is reported. I also want to thank Helen for her support of our crazy idea to have luncheons at different venues each month. It created a registration nightmare, but she worked everything out like a dream.

Be responsive. Chapter members have not been shy in telling the board what type of programming they want to see. Partly because of having a great evaluation and measurement method put in place. Thanks to Stephen Rassenfoss for bringing our evaluation methods online, reducing the paper shuffle at luncheons and getting a quicker read on what the members want.

Be cautious. In a down economy filled with uncertainty, you want to be sure to remain fiscally responsible. Thanks to Nancy Trowbridge, our VP of Finance for keeping our spending in line.

Be communicative. Sounds funny since we are a communications association, but you’d be surprised how the thing you know best is sometimes the thing you forget. Thanks to Merrisa Turner and her committee for keeping us in the know with the Insider newsletter and Web site. She was also instrumental in coordinating those member polls and surveys. The Be Heard blog made its debut this year and kept me on my toes as I committed to making weekly posts. I soon caught on that having guest bloggers was a good thing and invited some of our speakers, students and sponsors to share this space with me. The blog will continue with more of a variety of contributors this coming board year. I also dabbled in sending emails to all members from time to time to remind them of great programming and promotions. Based on the response I got, this was a good way to stay connected.

Be heard. Please hear my message of gratitude for this experience. I couldn’t have done it without the encouragement and support of my boss, Tracy Torma. She served on the board as well handling sponsorships and serving on the communications committee. She also sponsored several programs and was always a willing volunteer to sponsor a student at our luncheons. Her favorite student of course was her son, Patrick, who graduated in May.

By David Gonzalez, past president, UH student chapter and new graduate. We look forward to working with David in his new role on the IABC Houston board’s newsletter committee.

I was extremely humbled to learn that I was invited to attend the 2009 IABC World Conference in San Francisco.  I looked forward to the experience, but it was when I left the Conference that I truly realized how fortunate I was to have access to this opportunity. As a recent college graduate, the Conference was just what I needed to help me prepare for my entry into the communications industry as a professional.  School taught me the theory and concepts relevant to the profession, but the Conference taught me how to equip myself to be a professional communicator and to help my organization better its services and reach broader audiences.

I learned so much from great presenters like James Lukaszewski, ABC, APR, who taught me how to think strategically in order to get an invitation to the table in the decision-making process.  Or like Marco Franca, who helped broaden my understanding of what it takes to have effective communication when communicating with businesses in Latin America.

The City of San Francisco has to be among the most beautiful cities in the country that I have ever seen.  Everything from the weather to the people to the great public transportation system fascinated me.  I took a Bay Adventure tour that took me under the Golden Gate Bridge and around Alcatraz Island — awesome!  Feeling the cool breeze when riding the trolley around the city was just what I needed, especially considering the heat I would be encountering when coming back home to Houston.  Having the opportunity to enjoy a great Spanish dinner with fellow IABC members from around the world made for a very interesting dinner conversation.  Everything about the Conference and the trip to San Francisco was amazing!

This was truly a great learning experience that I will always remember and carry with me for the rest of my career.  I want to thank President Theresa Parker, the IABC Houston Board and all of IABC Houston for the opportunity given to me to attend this year’s World Conference.  Thank you!

Our June luncheon speaker, Stephen Barnhill, plans to reveal some lessons he’s learned while trying to change the world. From graduate school to the glamorous world of ad agencies to serving only nonprofits and mission-minded businesses, Stephen has amassed broad experience in institutional, corporate and marketing communications. Outside of work, he has served as a director of numerous nonprofits, including Operation Rainbow, The Park People and Houston Metropolitan Ministries.

I look forward to hearing his insights from a 30-year career. It got me thinking. What have I learned during the past 30 years?

Don’t burn bridges. No matter the circumstances for leaving a job, refrain from telling the employer what you really think.

Promise a date to finish the project and deliver early. Side note–as I’ve gotten older, this has become more difficult to do, but I still try.

Keep a master to-do list. With i-technology today, this is easy to do. Although I still tend to write lists in longhand on scraps of paper that end up on my desk, in my purse, in a notebook, next to my bed, on the refrigerator…

Make friends with your clients’ assistants. They really run the show and can get you answers much quicker than the client.

Take vacations. It helps refresh creativity if you take a break once in a while.

Vent and laugh. Confide in trusted friends or therapists. I can make referrals to the latter if you need.

Volunteer. Whether it’s at your kid’s school, your church, community organization or IABC (hint, hint), it can help you develop skills, meet contacts and feel good about contributing to something worthwhile.

Exercise. I recommend polka dancing.

Show your gratitude. With email, it’s even easier these days to dash a thank you to someone. It will make you both feel good.

Pray. As much as you want to be in control of everything, you’re not. Daily guidance is needed.

What have you learned over the years? Share your thoughts here. And thanks Stephen for the cue to reflect.

Open, transparent and direct communication–the final frontier. It’s what we all strive for but like a manned trip to Mars seems far from reality. Leave it to the exploration experts at NASA to set out on a journey to find this type of communication. And I believe they have. Yes, it’s a government agency, but somehow a group of young, unjaded employees at NASA dared to create openNASA.com. ESIG members had a chance to hear about the project from the head renegade, Nick Skytland, Project Manager of the EVA Physiology Systems and Performance Project.

It was great to see his enthusiasm for his employer. He thinks the glory days of NASA aren’t over. This is NASA: The Next Generation. And he’s using a blog site to reach out to the public and tell the story through the voices of NASA employees. Wow! An engineer who has helped design space suits along with a whole list of other unworldly accomplishments he mentioned gets the importance of communication. Not just top down communication. Open, transparent and direct with an invitation to start a dialogue. While no wine was served that day at the luncheon, I think we all felt a little lightheaded at the prospect.

We also questioned, so where does Public Affairs stand on openNASA.com? Well, not exactly enthusiastic support, but not death to the rebels either. In fact, the site welcomes their contributions as authors, but out of the 37 authors listed I only saw one communicator, the head of media relations for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. But if they aren’t contributing I can guarantee they are monitoring–as they should. And I’m being open and direct when I say if this was a slam NASA site, there would be ways of dealing with the creators. I’m sure it’s in their policy manual somewhere.

Bottom line, openNASA.com is a great example of using social media to engage employees and get the public excited about what the agency does and plans to do–that is if they get funded. Would your company or client endorse such a site? Could a government agency be ahead of the curve on best practices in using social media to build an employee community that’s not afraid to communicate with the public what they actually LIKE about their jobs? And maybe get the public to change its perception of NASA as a has-been agency?

As an American and Houstonian, I left the luncheon actually feeling excited about NASA: The Next Generation. As a communicator, I felt energized and maybe a little indignant that a communicator should have been the brains behind openNASA.com. But I quickly got over that. Thanks, Nick. If the space engineering thing doesn’t work out for you, the communications world is at your command.

I was sifting through email back in April when I came across a plea for help. John Clemons, ABC, APR, a communications graduate student at Syracuse, wanted to interview senior communicators in three of IABC largest chapters–Houston, Washington D.C. and Chicago. His research would satisfy the final assignment in his Public Relations and Public Opinion Research Course while at the same time helping IABC learn what senior communicators really want. About 15 of our Houston communicators took part in the survey.

So what do senior communicators really want? Here are a couple of highlights or read the full report SU PR Research paper, IABC, 5-09. By the way, John earned an “A” on the project.

When asked how interested respondents are in preferred areas or categories of programming, several choices were listed: Skills-based/How-to, Best Practices, Communications Theory, Breaking News/Topical, and Other. Best practices and breaking news/topical received the highest responses, 76.1 percent and 61.9 percent respectively. It should be noted that skills-based/how-to category received a low 29.2 percent which indicates that timely, “in the moment” and successful examples of effective communications are preferred by respondents.

Survey participants were also given the opportunity to suggest one-to-three program ideas for senior communicators.  Two were repeatedly mentioned: social media and crisis communications, followed by ideas that leaned toward staff management and development, case studies, demonstrating the value of communications/return on investment, and a variety of other suggestions. Among them: “maintaining enthusiasm toward the end of your career, latest trends so I can keep up, and forming professional networks that last.”

I recently received the news that Mark Schumann, ABC, principal at Towers Perrin, is leaving Houston. He’s headed back to headquarters in Stamford, Conn., to lead the expansion of the company’s communication consulting work. It’s a homecoming of sorts for Mark as he worked in the Stamford office for six years before coming to Houston and he and his family still have a home there.

It’s very much a month of transition for Mark, as he will also be taking on the role of IABC International Chair. He will officially be crowned at the IABC World Conference in San Francisco next week. In my official capacity as the Houston chapter president, I want to thank Mark for his support of our group, from securing Towers Perrin sponsorships of our events, to hosting get-togethers for IABC elite and focus groups and speaking at our programs.

Personally, I will miss Mark as a friend who I’ve gotten to know better during this past year. He has encouraged me every step of the way during my presidency. It’s also been great to connect with Mark as a fellow proud parent of a musician and to learn that Mark has written a musical in collaboration with his son. I anxiously await the world premiere!

I invite others who would like to wish Mark the best in his new adventure to comment on this site. As for me Mark, we’ll always have New Orleans………..

Mark, Sean from South Africa, me and Pam McConathy on Bourbon Street at IABC Conference. Far right is Jane Voisard, Dallas IABC, pretending not to be with us.

Tracy Torma and Mark get wrapped up in their partying.

Mark and Sean get feathered.

What a great time!

By Scott Cytron, ABC, president of Cytron and Company, a consultancy specializing in public relations, marketing and communication.

ROI. Three simple initials that can make or break a campaign.

Why have we become so dependent on ROI? Pretty simple. If management can’t measure something in quantifiable terms, then how will anyone know whether something is effective?

My friends in PR who are reading this are smiling. PR certainly can be measured, but not in black & white or simple numbers. You might be able to figure out how many units were sold based on a media relations campaign, but you won’t know if you changed someone’s impressions of a company unless you ask them for an opinion. And, if you’re still telling your CEO or clients that the last story’s ROI you placed for them in the Houston Business Journal was worth $1,000 based on the number of column inches, you really need to go back to the drawing board.

This is a great time to work in public relations and communications because of social media. I think of social media and public relations as kissing cousins. Given the tools we have at our disposal to tell a story and influence opinion, we now have the ability to be creative, insightful and imaginative with clients and employers – way beyond the static news release.

Let’s share some stories about how our companies and clients are using social media to further their PR efforts. Comment on this blog and I’ll share your responses (by name or anonymously – you choose) during my presentation to IABC Houston on May 28 at Maggiano’s. See you there!

Pam McConathy, our VP for Professional Development, and I had the privilege to be on hand May 12 for the unveiling of IABC UH Student Chapter banner at the Jack Valenti School of Communications. It’s a big deal. Not only does IABC now have a banner presence among other communications organizations like PRSA, AMA and the Houston Ad Federation, it signifies much more. It’s a symbol of a robust chapter filled with students eager to learn about the field of corporate communications. Many thanks to Professor Mike Emery who worked with IABC Houston member Lauren Bohnstedt to revive student interest in our organization a couple of years ago. I love seeing the students attend our programs and events and I’m proud to attend their events–both as the president of IABC and as a UH grad. Go Coogs!

From left, Emily Polcheck, past UH student membership chair, Pam, me, Kehkashan Dadwani, new UH Chapter president, Professor Mike Emery and past UH president David Gonzalez. Emily coordinated the production of the banner with Gardner & Martin, Inc. Many thanks to Rick Gardner for donating his banner making services.

Mike Emery, faculty advisor for the IABC UH Student Chapter, presented past Chapter President David Gonzalez with a graduation present. David will be attending the IABC World Conference in San Francisco in June, sponsored by the Houston IABC Chapter. Watch for David's report in this space when he returns.

By Yolanda Green, a community pioneer, children’s advocate and media personality. She currently serves as the community relations director and host of “Outlook Houston” and “Going Green” for Houston’s CW 39. Check out the Green Room for show highlights, eco-friendly links and Yolanda’s green tweets. And be sure to join Yolanda as she emcees our Bronze Quill Awards Gala on April 30.

The launch of “Going Green with Yolanda Green” on November 2, 2008, made Channel 39 Houston’s home for Eco-tainment. The weekly half-hour program provides a creative venue for the station to highlight ways that Houstonians can embrace the environment in their everyday lives and enjoy living green.

When the project was first created, the Green Team began to strategize on how to communicate educational material in a non-traditional way that would not only engage viewers but also have a fresh and edgy format.

Historically, members of the management team had experienced success with embracing what some would perceive as sensitive issues and communicating them in such a way that viewers would be more accepting and most notably creating change in the community through a very successful adoption campaign. The Adoptation campaign (formerly Adopt 2000) launched in March 2000 and over the course of 10 years has helped more than 5, 500 children find loving homes.

Our initial thought was, if we could influence viewers to make the decision to adopt, how challenging would it be to get people to recycle?

The program’s launch was well received. Viewers immediately responded positively to the high-energy, fast-paced editing and light-hearted approach of the show host.  From an eco-friendly farm to homes made completely from discarded and recycled materials, the local flavor of the program also added to the show’s popularity and the ability for the station to generate revenue from those leading the green brigade.

In fact, the show became so popular that station management added a second run on Saturdays at 2 p.m. in addition to its original time slot on Sundays at 10 a.m.

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By Mark Schumann, ABC, a Managing Principal of Towers Perrin, based in Houston, and the incoming Chair of IABC.  Towers Perrin, along with BP, is a presenting sponsor of the IABC/Houston Bronze Quill Awards Gala on Thursday, April 30. Mark recently learned he won his 16th and 17th Gold Quill awards from IABC, which will be presented at the World Conference in June. Read the blogs of Mark and other members of the IABC international executive board and senior staff at the IABC Cafe.

As communicators, we redefine the value we bring with each challenge we face.

When times are good we articulate value; when events are static we emphasize what’s unique; when days are chaotic we focus on the calm; and when times are tough we try to bring clarity and candor to ease concerns.

For many of us, what we experienced in Houston in the 1980s defined how we approach our craft. Those tough days of the energy bust taught us how to authentically communicate what people may not want to hear but which they will benefit from understanding.

So we have, in our town, the chance to look at today’s challenge with seasoned eyes. And we need them. At Towers Perrin, we recently polled “typical American workers” about the financial storm and – in a finding reminiscent of our hurricane – learned that people are doing what they can to “hunker down” until the storm passes. We learned:

•    82% of U.S. workers have been personally affected by the downturn in the economy

•    91% work for companies that have been affected as well

•    54% report their companies are not hiring

•    45% report staffing cuts at their companies

The results show that, in light of these actions, and the steady rise in unemployment, most employees appear to be shifting their focus from maximizing career advancement and incentive opportunities to securing basic pay and benefit packages.

So what can we do as communicators? We can start with the truth. And then edit.

This is not a time to spin, not a moment to fictionalize, not a day to embellish. The only way to credibly communicate during tough times is to imagine how the receiver will remember the message when times are good again. Think about three things:

What will disappoint. We so often brainstorm about what will please but the true direction during tough times is what may let a receiver down – an employee, a customer, an investor.

What people are hungry for. We try to please the people we work for but the hunger that should keep us thinking is that of our receivers – what they need, want, expect.

How people will read between the lines. We labor over words, and how they connect, yet may overlook what’s happening between them. Think about what is not being said.

In any crisis, we all want to “lock down” what we need to provide stability for ourselves and our families. We are critical to the efforts of any organization to authentically engage people during challenging times. But it will only happen if we carefully look at how we communicate from their perspectives – to walk many steps in their shoes.

And that’s something that comes naturally in Texas.

Have a good week.

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