The economic crisis will pass. At least I hope so. We have been through tough times before and survived, so it’s just a matter of time before all the smart people figure out how to fix this. Never mind that it was the smart people who got us into this mess. Anyway, I’ve been watching ezines come through my inbox with advice on how to cope. Here are few I thought worth mentioning starting with what our international office has to offer.
IABC Cafe2Go podcast
IABC President Julie Freeman, ABC, APR, and 2008–2009 Chair Barbara Gibson, ABC, discuss the impact of the financial crisis on the communication profession, the challenges for internal and external communicators, and how communication professionals can demonstrate their value during tough economic times.
Also coming
- The transcript of a panel discussion on the role of communication in the financial crisis will appear in the January–February issue of Communication World magazine.
- IABC and Mercer conducted a survey on the impact of the financial crisis on communication professionals and what they are doing to deal with it. The survey findings will be available free to IABC members in early December.
- In the December issue of CW Bulletin the foremost leaders in organizational communication will offer their advice and tips on how communicators can ensure they are a valuable asset to their organization during the current economic downturn, and look at what steps they can take to help their organizations survive.
Prolific Advice
Ragan Communications, that prolific authoritarian group out of Chicago, sends out out an enewsletter almost every hour (at least it seems that way) packed with advice. A recent one had the headline and summary, “Measurement and Creativity Are Important in Tough Times: Tips from communications experts on cutting costs without cutting corners.” Sounds good, but you have to be a Ragan Select subscriber to find out. What if your cost-cutting measures include paring down your subscription list? By the way, a Ragan Select subscription costs $279, about the cost of an IABC membership, which provides resources either at no cost or nominal cost. Anyway, Ragan is good at what it does and you might want to check out ragan.com to determine if a subscription is right for you.
Smooch Says…
I also received an email from someone named Smooch Repovich Reynolds who offered Ten Career Tips to Bring You Up in a Down Market. I don’t know if it was the name or the lure of another Top 10 list that made me open the email, but either way she (I’m assuming Smooch is a she) had some good points. Smooch is the CEO of her own executive search firm specializing in communications placements. So here are a few of the tips. If you’d like the full list, post a comment or email me (theresa@torma.com) and I’ll share.
Her first tip was to Focus, focus, focus – on the idea of doing great work in every aspect of your job. Also,
Be a superb listener for your colleagues at all levels of the company.
Reach out to experts outside the organization to learn more about key indicators that may affect the business of your company, and your role, in order to anticipate future issues better and provide more appropriate counsel. (Use IABC resources and network with your fellow chapter members, for example.)
Understand the pressures that your management team is facing and learn how to “lean into” them and provide strategic support as they determine how to navigate a troubled economy.
Yea! for Yahoo!
And here’s some advice from the all-knowing Yahoo! site. When stressed, repeat this mantra:
I am grateful.
I am strong.
I can get through this.
