Circle of Fellows

One of the most comment ambitions expressed by communicators is to get that coveted “seat at the table.” The fact is, you don’t need a seat at any table (wherever the table may be) to become a trusted strategic adviser to company leader. In this month’s Circle of Fellows podcast, four IABC Fellows discuss what it means to be an adviser and what it takes to earn the level of trust that has leaders calling you before they make a decision or problems arise, quoting you when you’re not in the room, and counting on you to help them achieve results and solutions that matter to them.

This month, we are beginning a new feature on Circle of Fellows: In addition to the perspectives of the four panelists, other Fellows are contributing their thoughts, some of which are included in the broadcast and all of which appear at the end of these show notes.

About the panel:

John Gerstner is a strategic communications leader whose work has spanned 30 years and 30 countries on five continents. He has career experience as an internal communications and intranet manager, consultant, marketer, website developer, video producer, book author, magazine editor, photo-journalist, conference producer, radio announcer and public speaker. He is CEO and founder of Communitelligence, an online learning community for corporate communicators. Previously he managed diverse communication assignments at John Deere. These included launching John Deere’s internal communication program and intranet, serving as the company’s first manager of environmental and safety communications and authoring an award-winning coffee-table history book, Genuine Value: The John Deere Journey. 

James E. Lukaszewski, America’s Crisis Guru ®, is a bestselling author, national speaker, and trusted strategic advisor to FPO and NPO business operators and leaders during crises, disasters, reputation attacks, contentiousness and when the boss’s future is at stake. Corporate Legal Times listed him as “one of 22 crisis counselors to have in your speed dial when all hell breaks loose.” For more than 30 years, he has confidentially guided hundreds of company leaders thru tough, touchy, sensitive situations. Lukaszewski’s strategies inspire constructive, ethical problem resolving management behavior. A powerful and inspirational speaker, he teaches executives and managers the lessons he has learned. A prolific author, he is quoted and interviewed often as one of the most recognizable leaders in his profession. Lukaszewski is on the web at www.e911.com.

Mark Schumann is the director of graduate business communication programs for the Zzicklin School of Business at Baruch College, City University of New York. He is also founder and principal of re-communicate. Most recently, he was VP of marketing and communications for Western Connecticut Health Network. He served as IABC’s chair in 2009-2010 and is currently IABC’s liaison to the Global Alliance. He was a managing principal and global communication practice leader at Towers Perrin for 26 years.

Jim Shaffer is a business advisor, leadership coach, author, speaker. As leader of the Jim Shaffer Group, he helps organizations accelerate results through superior strategy execution. The Jim Shaffer Group creates hard business results by translating the business strategy to the people who need to implement it, aligning systems, processes, and culture to make the gains sustainable.

Additional Observations from Other Fellows:

Sheri Rosen —Being a strategic advisor means knowing more than communication strategy. You have to know the company/finances/industry. In my case (employee com), knowing the business means knowing how the executive team handles strategy, which happens to be agile, lean, values-based, Blanchard change management, systems thinking, etc.

Alice Brink — In my very first job out of college, I wrote advertising brochures for farm real estate. I’d probably been there a year when I received some copy back from one of the managers with the note, “Congratulations. You’ve quit trying to write and started to sell real estate.” Mastering that lesson — that what matters most is using communications effectively to meet the goals of the organization — is to me what makes a strategic advisor.

Being a strategic advisor is as much about listening as about creating communications. First you have to fully understand what is driving the client or the executive or the board — what’s the pain point — and then respond in a way that reflects back their concern, then start working toward a solution that they can feel part of. Thinking you need to say, “Bam, I’ve got your answers in my back pocket!” is to ignore the psychological elements of working at the strategic level.

Tamara Gillis — Strategic advisor is a role we earn through trust. And trust is earned through our actions over time. Trust is a two-way contract in relationships — especially when advising organizational leadership.

Mary Ann McCauley — One of the keys to being a strategic adviser is to ask: “What do you want to have happen?” When you are asked to create a “thing.”

Assume you are an adviser and not an order taker.Don’t hesitate to say: “Let me give this some thought before I recommend how to

Don’t hesitate to say: “Let me give this some thought before I recommend how to proceed.” Then tell the person when you’ll respond even if you only take an hour – don’t be bullied into agreeing to create a communication tool that may not be the most effective choice.

Priya Bates — Communication professionals have great potential to become trusted strategic advisors for their organizations. Very few other functions have the special role of using the goals and dreams of leaders and them into words and actions of employees and customers through the power of communication. What a privilege.

Many communication professionals complain about the lack of respect and not being invited to the decision-making table. They also continue to focus on reactive implementation versus proactive interaction, integration, influence, and impact. You can’t expect perception to change by doing things the way you’ve always done them.

Our super power is communication. Our greatest opportunity is to use it to influence and impact organizational results. We turn words into actions, stories, engagement, trust, and loyalty.

Amanda Hamilton-Attwell — The biggest challenge moving into this role is to “ring fence” the services you are planning to deliver. Because you are moving from a specialist or a generalist role you would tend to revert back to that role – because you know exactly what to do. Even if you do know, do not do it! Be strategic and be an advisor to empower business leaders.

Cindy Schmieg — Advice – Speak up. The first CEO I reported to as a communication director advised me to speak up and share my ideas. Even if they weren’t used, they could spark another idea.

Know the business, products, and customer experience. Present your plans and ideas using this knowledge.

Focus your work to help achieve the organization’s mission and goals.

Measure your programs to the organization’s goals and objectives.

Don’t be afraid to change or discontinue a program that is delivering expected results.

The post Circle of Fellows #23: Becoming a Strategic Adviser appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Among the many activities undertaken by communicators, communicating across diverse cultures is one of the most perilous. Communicators, like anybody else, bring cultural biases to their work, many of which they are unaware since all of us begin internalizing the norms of our own cultures even before we learn to walk and talk. Yet the ability to communicate effectively in a different culture (or many different cultures) can make or break and organization’s efforts to do business there.

The factors that can lead to success or failure vary from the channels we employ to reach audiences in different geographies, ethnic groups, or countries to the language we use and even the gestures our leaders unconsciously make.

In this hourlong conversation, four IABC Fellows — Amanda Hamilton-Attwell, Ned Lundquist, Brenda Siler, and Angela Sinickas — explore the upfront research required to engage diverse audiences, what we can learn from the experiences of others, practical on-the-ground advice, and how to address a miscommunication that threatens the company’s relationships with customers, suppliers, partners, and other stakeholders.

Book Referenced in this Episode

About the panel:

Dr. Amanda Hamilton-Attwell, accredited by both IABC and PRSA. She is managing Director of Business DNA, based on South Africa, which provides strategic research and consulting, including communication audits, customer service and other focused research and training in communication skills. Her career has also included a 15-year stint as a research manager for the National Productivity Institute.

Edward “Ned” Lundquist, a retired U.S. Navy captain with 33 years of professional public affairs and strategic communications experience. He is a principal science writer at MCR Federal in McLean, Virginia, supporting government clients; and has his own company, Echo Bridge LLC, which provides outreach and advocacy support to commercial clients. He served on active duty for 24 years in the U.S. Navy as a surface warfare officer and public affairs specialist. Captain Lundquist was a Pentagon spokesman with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, Director of the Fleet Home Town News Center, and director of public affairs and corporate communications for the Navy Exchange Service Command. His last tour of duty was commanding the 450 men and women of the Naval Media Center. He is an accredited business communicator and award-winning communicator who served as president of IABC/Hampton Roads and IABC/Washington, director of U.S. district 3 and chair of the International Accreditation Council. He was named an IABC Fellow in 2016. Captain Lundquist is a member of the executive committee of the Surface Navy Association and chair of the SNA communications committee. He writes for numerous naval, maritime and defense publications and chairs and presents at communications, naval and maritime security conferences around the world.

Brenda C. Siler, a public relations, marketing, and branding professional. She currently manages a consultancy offering short-term public relations, communications, and writing solutions for a variety of clients. Siler has lead communications teams at national associations and nonprofits including AARP, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, and UNCF, the United Negro College Fund. At UNCF, she managed the rebranding of this scholarship fund retaining its iconic tagline “A mind is a terrible thing to waste.” At the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, she managed a national public awareness campaign featuring actor James Earl Jones. From 1998-99, Siler was Executive Board Chairwoman for the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), She is on the Board of Advisors for PRNews. Siler is a graduate of Spelman College.

Angela Sinickas, founder of Sinickas Communications, which has worked with companies, organizations, and governments in 32 countries on six continents. Her clients include 25% of the Forbes Top 100 largest global companies. Before starting her own consulting firm, she held positions from editor to vice president in for-profit and government organizations and worked as a senior consultant and practice leader at Hewitt and Mercer. She is the author of a manual, How to Measure Your Communication Programs (now in its third edition), and chapters in several books. Her 50+ articles in professional journals can be found on her website,www.sinicom.com. Her work has been recognized with 20 international-level Gold Quill Awards from IABC, plus her firm was named IABC Boutique Agency of the Year in 2015. She holds a BS degree in Journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an MS in Leadership from Northeastern University.

The post Circle of Fellows #22: Communicating Across Cultures appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Lord Kelvin famously wrote, “If you can not measure it, you can not improve it.” We can go further in the practice of organizational communication: If you cannot measure it, you cannot prove that your communication had any effect.

Measurement, while frequently discussed, gets too little love among communicators. Some don’t measure at all. Others measure the wrong things. Still others don’t undertake any measurement activities until after the communication is over. In this month’s Circle of Fellows episode, FIR host Shel Holtz joins four of his IABC Fellow colleagues — Mary Hills, George McGrath, Angela Sinickas, and Brad Whitworth — to discuss the various ways communicators can build measurement into their communication plans and prepare to measure, including identifying the right metrics and measurement tools.

About the panel

Mary Hills’ career as a marketing and communication professional has been in companies undergoing significant evolution, change and growth. She has held leadership positions with responsibility for developing plans and schemas to support long term growth and business sustainability goals. She has more than 20 years experience and expertise in designing and delivering training and development programs for companies and organizations, bringing theories, models and frameworks into everyday practice. In addition to her role at HeimannHills Marketing Group, Mary serves as Adjunct Faculty in the MS – Global Strategic Communication program at Loyola University Chicago.  Mary speaks internationally and nationally on marketing, communication, standards and practices and women’s leadership topics. She is licensed in Adobe Connect and WebEx, using these to conduct virtual professional learning and education sessions.

George McGrath is founder and managing principal of McGrath Business Communications, which helps clients build winning corporate reputations, promote their products and services, and advance their views on key issues. George brings more than 25 years in PR and public affairs to his firm. Over the course of his career, he has held senior management positions at leading strategic communications and integrated marketing agencies including Hill and Knowlton, Carl Byoir & Associates, and Brouillard Communications.

Angela Sinickas is the founder of Sinickas Communications, which has worked with companies, organizations and governments in 32 countries on six continents. Her clients include 25% of the Forbes Top 100 largest global companies. Before starting her own consulting firm, she held positions from editor to vice president in for-profit and government organizations, and worked as a senior consultant and practice leader at Hewitt and Mercer. She is author of a manual, How to Measure Your Communication Programs (now in its third edition),and chapters in several books. Her 50+ articles in professional journals can be found on her website,www.sinicom.com. Her work has been recognized with 20 international-level Gold Quill Awards from IABC, plus her firm was named IABC Boutique Agency of the Year in 2015. She holds a BS degree in Journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an MS in Leadership from Northeastern University.

Brad Whitworth is executive communication manager at at Hewlett Packard enterprise.  A communication coach at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, Brad was most recently senior communication manager at Cisco Systems. Brad joined Cisco in 2007 and today leads integrated communication for the part of the company that builds partner ecosystems for new markets. Before Cisco, Brad led communication programs at HP, PeopleSoft and AAA. He earned undergraduate degrees in both journalism and speech at the University of Missouri and an MBA at Santa Clara University. A former broadcaster, Brad has made more than 300 presentations to executives, communicators, and university classes around the world. Brad has a long history with IABC, including serving as chairman of the international board and president of two local chapters. He is one of the authors of The IABC Handbook of Organizational Communication.

The post Circle of Fellows #21: Planning for Measurement appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Storytelling is a hot topic in communication circles. Posts and articles abound that hype the magic of storytelling in marketing and PR, why the human brain craves stories, why brands need underlying stories and employees need corporate narratives. PR service companies are promoting storytelling while PR media outlets inform us we have it all wrong, that it’s storytelling techniques that matter, not telling an entire story. We learn about critical narrative elements while internal communication pundits insist we need to focus on journalistic storytelling.

In this month’s Circle of Fellows episode, FIR host Shel Holtz joins four of his IABC Fellow colleagues — James Lukaszewski, Barbara Puffer, Jim Shaffer, and Jennifer Wah — to explore why storytelling beats a rational explanation any time, how to tease stories out of other people, why leaders need to tell stories, which models make sense, how to spread stories through an organization, and a variety of other storytelling-related topics.

About the panel

James E. Lukaszewski, America’s Crisis Guru ®, is a bestselling author, national speaker, and trusted strategic advisor to FPO and NPO business operators and leaders during crises, disasters, reputation attacks, contentiousness and when the boss’s future is at stake. Corporate Legal Times listed him as “one of 22 crisis counselors to have in your speed dial when all hell breaks loose.” For more than 30 years, he has confidentially guided hundreds of company leaders thru tough, touchy, sensitive situations. Lukaszewski’s strategies inspire constructive, ethical problem resolving management behavior. A powerful and inspirational speaker, he teaches executives and managers the lessons he has learned. A prolific author, he is quoted and interviewed often as one of the most recognizable leaders in his profession. Lukaszewski is on the web at www.e911.com.

Barbara Puffer owns Puffer Public Relations Strategies, where she has served clients for nearly 20 years. Previously, she was Corporate Communications Manager at Barnes Group for 13 years; her communications management career spans 40 years, including work in banking, insurance, and telecommunications organizations. She has been an Associate Professor teaching communication studies at the University of Maryland University College since 2002.

Jim Shaffer is a business advisor, leadership coach, author, speaker. As leader of the Jim Shaffer Group, he helps organizations accelerate results through superior strategy execution. The Jim Shaffer Group creates hard business results by translating the business strategy to the people who need to implement it, aligning systems, processes, and culture to make the gains sustainable.

Jennifer Wah, MC, ABC, has worked with clients to deliver ideas, plans, words and results since she founded her storytelling and communications firm, Forwords Communication Inc., in 1997. The company operates as a strategic alliance of hand-picked professionals; all renowned for work in their areas of specialization. This approach means the right team is assembled for each project; no more, no less.   With more than two dozen awards for strategic communications, writing and consulting, Jennifer is recognized as a storyteller and strategist. She has worked in industries from healthcare to financial services to academia, and is passionate about the opportunity for stories to inspire actions and reactions within organizations.In 2013, Jennifer was named Associate Faculty of Royal Roads University, and in this capacity, continues to teach, coach and mentor others with an interest in business communication.

The post Circle of Fellows #20: Strategic Storytelling appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Employee communications barely resembles what it was 25 years ago when employees relied on internal communication to find out what was going on in their organizations. With access to all the same content sources used by the media, investors, and other stakeholders — as well as employee-to-employee resources like Slack and Glassdoor — employees are able to keep up with the company in a variety of ways.

Yet an effective internal communication department is vital for building cultures, improving the employee experience, influencing engagement, and a host of other outcomes, while working with other communication functions to make sure the company doesn’t suffer the consequences of a lack of coordination.

In this month’s Circle of Fellows episode, FIR host Shel Holtz joins four of his IABC Fellow colleagues — Priya Bates, Kellie Garrett, John Clemons, and Sheri Rosen — to explore the evolving role of employee communications.

About the panel

Priya Bates is a senior communication executive who provides strategic internal communication counsel in order to ensure leaders, managers, and employees understand the strategy, believe in the vision, act in accordance to the values, and contribute to business results. She is president of Inner Strength Communications in Toronto, and previously served as senior director of Internal Communications at Loblaw Companies Limited.

Kellie Garrett, based in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, Kellie is a speaker, coach, and strategist, as well as an associate professor at Royal Roads Univesity. Before launching her own business, Kellie was Senior VP of Strategy, Knowledge, and Reputation for Farm Credit Canada.

John G. Clemons, an independent communications consultant based in North Carolina, has held senior executive and consultant roles over the course of his career in corporate and organizational communications. He has special expertise providing strategic counsel and support for top executives and corporate offices of Fortune 500 companies. John has served as chair of IABC, and holds accreditations from both IABC and PRSA. In addition to his most recent  position with Newell Rubbermaid, John has worked with Walmart, Raytheon and Marriott (among others).

Sheri Rosen is vice president of Employee Communication at Frost Bank in San Antonio, Texas. Before assuming that role, Sheri spent 14 years as president of Rosen Communication Group. For 10 years before that, she was assistant vice president of Employee Communications for USAA, the financial services company. She is accredited by IABC.

The post Circle of Fellows #19: Employee Communications appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

A lot of communication from organizations seems pointless at best and, in the worst cases, chaotic. In some cases, even brilliant individual communications fail to “move the needle” — that is, they don’t produce a behavior or action that supports a business goal or strategy.

That’s the idea behind “strategic” communication: It is planned to meet a measurable objective, to make a noticeable difference in something that matters. Strategic communication planning includes distinct steps that ultimately let you demonstrate to company leaders or clients that you have contributed meaningfully to whatever the company is trying to accomplish.

In this month’s Circle of Fellows episode, FIR host Shel Holtz joins two IABC Fellows — Mary Ann McCauley and Jennifer Wah — to take a closer look at strategic communication planning.

Mary Ann McCauley currently leads a nonprofit organization. Previously, she was president and principal of Catalyst Communications. She is an expert in spokesperson coaching, public relations, crisis management, and planning. Her industry expertise includes healthcare, financial services, professional services, nonprofits, and manufacturing. Colleagues describe her as a savvy strategist who views communication from a business perspective. Mary Ann founded Catalyst Communications in 1987 as McCauley & Associates. She also served in management positions with United Technologies Communications Company, Centerre Bancorporation, American Nurses Association and Hallmark Cards. Prior to her corporate and consulting work, Mary Ann was a journalist for an Iowa daily newspaper and owned a community newspaper in Southeastern Kansas.

Since founding her storytelling and communications firm Forwords Communication Inc. in 1997, Jennifer Wah has worked with clients to deliver ideas, plans, words and results. The company operates as a strategic alliance of hand-picked professionals; all renowned for work in their areas of specialization. This approach means the right team is assembled for each project; no more, no less.   With more than two dozen awards for strategic communications, writing and consulting, Jennifer is recognized as a storyteller and strategist. She has worked in industries from healthcare to financial services to academia, and is passionate about the opportunity for stories to inspire actions and reactions within organizations.In 2013, Jennifer was named Associate Faculty of Royal Roads University, and in this capacity, continues to teach, coach and mentor others with an interest in business communication.

The post Circle of Fellows #18: Strategic Communication Planning appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

One of the most-discussed topics among marketers and communicators is social media measurement. (Did you know there’s a Conclave on Social Media Measurement Standards?) Everyone knows measuring the effectiveness of social media efforts is key. But how do you identify which metrics are meaningful in evaluating social media campaigns? Far too many communicators measure impressions (which aren’t all that impressive). Engagement means different things to different people. Measurement thought leader Katie Paine argues we will soon stop talking about “social” and conduct our measurement efforts based on the PESO model (Paid, Earned, Shared, and Owned).

In this installment of “Circle of Fellows,” four IABC Fellows discussed the meaning of ROI and how it can be applied to social media, other metrics of value (both for reporting to leadership and for identifying opportunities to make adjustments to your tactics), and influencer marketing as a means of obtaining better results through social media.

About the panel:

Alice Brink is an internationally recognized communications consultant. Her firm, A Brink & Co., works with businesses and non-profits to clarify their messages and communicate them in ways that change people’s minds. Her clients have included Shell Oil Company, Sysco Foods, and Noble Energy. Prior to launching A Brink & Co. in Houston in 2004, Alice honed her craft both in corporate settings (including The Coca-Cola Company, Conoco, and First Interstate Bank) and in one of Texas’ largest public relations firms, where she led the agency’s energy and financial practices.  Alice has been active in IABC for more than 30 years, including serving as chapter president, district director, and Gold Quill chair. She is the vice chair of the IABC Academy.

In 1996, while on the fast track to a partnership in a growing PR agency, John Deveney opted to strike out on his own and form Deveney, a process and a practice that embraces the soundest principles, the newest media, and the most innovative technologies. Based in New Orleans, Deveney is particularly strong in the areas of crisis, healthcare, tourism, and hospitality. (After hurricanes Katrina and Rita, John led the only on-site communication operation and media center for both the City of New Orleans and the Louisiana Office of Tourism.)

Mary Hill‘s career as a marketing and communication professional has been in companies undergoing significant evolution, change and growth. She has held leadership positions with responsibility for developing plans and schemas to support long term growth and business sustainability goals. She has more than 20 years experience and expertise in designing and delivering training and development programs for companies and organizations, bringing theories, models and frameworks into everyday practice. In addition to her role at HeimannHills Marketing Group, Mary serves as Adjunct Faculty in the MS – Global Strategic Communication program at Loyola University Chicago.  Mary speaks internationally and nationally on marketing, communication, standards and practices and women’s leadership topics. She is licensed in Adobe Connect and WebEx, using these to conduct virtual professional learning and education sessions.

Angela Sinickas is the founder of Sinickas Communications, which has worked with companies, organizations and governments in 32 countries on six continents. Her clients include 25% of the Forbes Top 100 largest global companies. Before starting her own consulting firm, she held positions from editor to vice president in for-profit and government organizations, and worked as a senior consultant and practice leader at Hewitt and Mercer. She is author of a manual, How to Measure Your Communication Programs (now in its third edition),and chapters in several books. Her work has been recognized with 20 international-level Gold Quill Awards from IABC, plus her firm was named IABC Boutique Agency of the Year in 2015. She holds a BS degree in Journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an MS in Leadership from Northeastern University.

The post Circle of Fellows #17: Measuring the Value of Social Media appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.