Circle of Fellows

Four IABC Fellows looked back on 2022, which was a consequential year for communicators, in this final Circle of Fellows of the year. The evolution of COVID-19 from pandemic to endemic led companies to bring employees back to the office, creating a need to communicate the new hybrid work reality (or, in some cases, why employers were insisting everyone come back full-time while others retained a remote work arrangement). “Quiet Quitting” became a topic of discussion as dissatisfied employees dialed back the effort they gave to the organizations. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion remained an important topic. And there was no shortage of crises to occupy communicators' time. The episode was live-streamed on December 15.Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #87: Year-End Reflections appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Is your trademark your company's brand? Your logo? Or is your brand what your customers say about you when you're not in the room? What's a brand promise and how do you develop one that everyone can buy into? How do you build the brand internally so every employee projects it externally? What's the communicator's role in protecting the brand? And what do you do when your company fails to live up to it?Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #86: Brands and Branding appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

You have gained experience as a communicator in an organization. Now, you want to establish a consulting practice. You have questions. Do you focus on a niche or will you be a generalist? Will you remain independent or hire staff? How do you build your business? What should you charge? Four IABC Fellows with decades of experience as communication consultants shared their insights and experience in episode 85 of “Circle of Fellows,” IABC's monthly broadcast/panel discussion.Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #85: So You Want To Be A Consultant appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

In July, four IABC Fellows gathered to discuss what communication is…and isn't. That conversation will continue at noon EDT on Thursday, August 18. Too often, communicators are called upon to engage in activities some might consider communication. It may even qualify as communication under some definitions. But in the business world, simply distributing a routine notice is far from communication. It may be messaging, but even that is questionable if nobody reads it. Conversely, modifying a company process that is sending the wrong message to employees may not strike an executive as a means of communication — but it is. The August episode of "Circle of Fellows" features three additional Fellows -- and one returning from the July show -- continuing the discussion.Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #84: What Communication Is…And Isn’t (Part 2) appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Ask leaders what “communication” is and you are likely to hear a wide range of answers, especially when it comes to the role of a company communication function. Some of those answers may be accurate, others not so much. Too often, leaders see communication as a one-way messaging function, for example. In the first of this two-part discussion, four IABC Fellows explored exactly what communication is…and isn't. The conversation took place on Thursday, July 21. (The second installment, with another quartet of IABC Fellows, is set for August 18.)Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #83: What Communication Is…And Isn’t (Part One) appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

In this special episode of “Circle of Fellows,” meet the three IABC leaders who have been named Fellows for 2022 (and who will be formally inducted during the IABC World Conference in New York later this month). This conversation with Zora Artis, Sue Heuman, and Robin McCasland included their professional journeys and their core philosophies and beliefs about organizational communication. The conversation was moderated by Shel Holtz.Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #82: Meet the 2022 Class of IABC Fellows appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

With today's online discussions, forums, and social media platforms, communication professionals easily delve into what key stakeholders know-feel-do about something now. This enables comms pros to develop more efficient and effective plans to transform what stakeholders' know-feel-do to achieve organizational goal(s) and objectives. Four IABC Fellows dove into research and measurement in the next Circle of Fellows, a monthly live broadcast featuring IABC Fellows in conversation about a timely communication topic.Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #81: Research and Measurement appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

As part of the IABC Career Roadmap, the business leader path is essential to our profession and its role within society. The business leader plays a critical role in shaping an organization's future by adopting the Global Standard for the profession while building and maintaining a well-structured, competent, and trusted organizational communication function. In this Circle of Fellows, our panel of top international communication advisors explores executive communication and leadership, its importance in organizations, and how we as communication professionals build the relationships and competence of executives. They will discuss how to add business value while expanding communication competencies and coaching the people who drive today's organizations.Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #80: Executive Communication appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

“Strategic” communication is differentiated from other communication by one simple concept: It is “the communication principles, strategies, and initiatives used to further an organization's goals,” according to one communication-focused website. (It's not a bad definition, though it fails to mention “measurable,” which is a critical element of strategic communication.) The target of an organization's strategic communication efforts is the organization's stakeholders, those individuals, groups, or organizations directly involved with — or indirectly affected by — the organization and its work. This includes employees, people who live in the communities where the company operates, investors, the financial community, partners, vendors, suppliers, government at all levels, and more. Communication — strategic or not — is multi-directional. (Crafting communication collateral and distributing it to an audience is not communication. It's messaging.) As a result, effective strategic communication almost always is designed to produce engagement with the stakeholders for whom the communication has been crafted. How to do this effectively was the focus of the March episode of IABC's Circle of Fellows.Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #79: Engaging Stakeholders Through Strategic Communication appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

The pandemic has made us look more closely at human and corporate values and the capacity that good values, morality, and ethics can provide to overcome any crisis. ESG has firmly entered the vocabulary of investors, managers, and other stakeholders as it helps assess the risks and resilience of enterprises. The corporate world faces multi-dimensional challenges and all stakeholders are focusing intently on their Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) performance. Businesses can be rewarded in many ways when they act in a responsible manner. Through committed ESG performance, businesses can gain legitimacy; a stellar reputation; government support; strong brand equity; increased investment from socially responsible investors; attract socially conscious consumers; entice talent and gain employee trust and loyalty. In this evolving business context, we look at what role communication needs to play. Four IABC Fellows discussed a variety of issues and challenges related to ESG communication in a panel discussion recorded on February 17, 2022.Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #78: Communication for the New Business Focus on ESG appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

How leaders view the communication function depends entirely on whether communication produces results that matter to them. Delivering that value doesn't just happen. In the first Circle of Fellows broadcast of 2022, four IABC Fellows explored the various dimensions of communicating for results that matter, from knowing what's keeping leaders awake at night, the elements of the business and strategic plans, establishing the means of assessing the results of the communication, and how to share those results with leaders.Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #77: Adding Value Through Communication appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

As the new year begins, before you set your resolutions in stone, ask yourself, “How healthy is the culture of the organization where I work or the clients I serve?” And, with what you learn, consider new resolutions to make a place to work a more welcoming environment for the contributions people want to make and the ideas they want to share. IABC Fellows Alice Brink, Martha Muzychka, Lety Narvaez, and Mark Schumann took a close look at how to diagnose, develop, and deliver a culture that resonates with what matters to people, and what's needed by organizations, where every voice is welcomed and heard. Shel Holtz moderated this discussion.Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #76: How Healthy Is Your Organization’s Culture? appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

As the world struggles with what's next for the workplace in the wake of the global pandemic, take time to consider your career path as a communication professional. Neil Griffiths, Amanda Hamilton-Attwell, Mary Hills, and Brad Whitworth contributed their thoughts and experience to a Circle of Fellows focused on career assessment and planning, IABC's Global Standard, strengths, professional development, certification, and more.Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #75: Your Future in Focus appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Trust in media and business is not high, according to the latest Edelman Trust Barometer, and public relations practitioners are usually stereotyped as unethical hacks attempting to clean up the image of a person or organization that has done something bad. Yet every communication organization — IABC included — has a code of ethics that... Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #74: Communication Ethics appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

There are dramatic changes afoot among employee populations. The biggest of these are pandemic-related, including hybrid workforces and employees required to adjust to new at-work realities, including continued social distancing and other measures designed to blunt the spread of viruses. In addition, employees are leaving their jobs in record numbers, part of the “great resignation,”... Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #73: Communicating in a Changing Workforce appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

During the recent IABC World Conference, Brad Whitworth and Mark Schumann led a highly rated interactive session that examined how we use time to positively impact worlds we hope to change, lives we want to touch, and differences we need to make. Brad and Mark reprised much of that session — joined by Alice Brink and Jane Mitchell — as the five of us discussed what we are doing with our time. Here's how Brad and Mark describe the conversation: “We fill our days fighting the realities of time. Maybe it's time to stop the clock, take time to reflect, and recommit to what we contribute to make ours a better world.”Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #72: Time Will Tell appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Crisis communication begins long before an organization experiences a crisis. Planning to communicate in a crisis involves considerable preparation, running the gamut from ensuring contact lists are up to date to establishing an organizational culture that is prepared to swing into action when things go south. Organizations that prepare are able to identify most issues before they become crises. But every organization will experience a crisis when decisions must be made quickly and communicated deftly and frequently across multiple channels. Missteps can exacerbate the situation but a strategic approach to a crisis can help the organization recover quickly with its reputation untarnished (or, at least, ready to be rehabilitated quickly). Four crisis-tested IABC Fellows gathered on Thursday, July 15 for a conversation about crisis communication and leadership. The conversation, moderated by IABC Fellow Shel Holtz, covered the preparation and execution of crisis communication, including a look at the leadership role communicators can play.Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #71: Crisis Communication and Leadership appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

What does it take to ensure success, both personally and professionally, as an organizational communicator? On June 17, five IABC Fellows gathered for a live-streamed discussion that explored some surprising elements of success.Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #70: Achieving Personal and Professional Success appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Internal communicators have been partnering with Human Resources for years. In larger companies, HR even has communicators of its own to handle messaging about people-related matters. Changes in the workplace have led to substantial changes in HR's role, many of which are potential flashpoints, which now add external communicators to the mix. Consider the recent news about Basecamp, in which a decision by the company's leaders to ban political discussion from internal forums led one-third of the company's employees to quit. In this episode of Circle of Fellows, four IABC Fellows discussed the relationship between communications and HR in an environment in which purpose and values drive employment decisions, employees expect companies to take a stand on issues that matter to them, and employee activism is on the rise.Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #69: Partnering with HR appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Return on Investment (ROI) is a term that is tossed around loosely in some circles. Strictly speaking, ROI is expressed as a percentage determined by dividing the return (or benefit) of a monetary investment by the cost of the investment. That's not what most communicators measure, yet the industry frequently refers to the ROI of communication. Is that a number that applies to communication? Can communication contribute to an organization's overall ROI? What are valid alternatives to ROI that company leaders will appreciate when communicators share them? Four IABC Fellows gathered at noon ET on Thursday, April 15, 2021, to discuss these and other questions.Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #68: Communications and ROI appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Corporate Social Responsibility has never been hotter. With younger workers insisting on working for purposeful organizations, a surge of interest in investment funds that focus on sustainable companies, and organizations embracing comprehensive ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) initiatives, communicators have their hands full. From reporting ESG results (annual ESG reports jam-packed with data are becoming commonplace) to pitching companies’ CSR commitments, challenges abound. Simply checking off CSR boxes (donation made: check) no longer cuts it. Four IABC Fellows gathered on March 19, 2021, to discuss the state of CSR and the role communicators play in helping companies get it right and engage stakeholders appropriately.Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #67: Corporate Social Responsibility appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

What does it take to be successful as an independent communication consultant? How do you transition from your current corporate role, with all the support and resources that come with it, to working on your own? How do you drum up business, manage multiple clients, and handle all the administrivia (like contracts, invoicing, accounting, and travel booking) that go along with going solo? How do you handle demanding clients?Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #66: What Does It Take to Be a Successful Independent Consultant? appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

By any standard, 2020 was a challenging year for everyone around the globe. Communicators were among those who had to cope with the personal impact of the year’s events while simultaneously coordinating communication to their organizations’ or clients’ diverse audiences — both regular, ongoing communication and crisis-related communication. On Thursday, January 21, a truly global panel of four IABC Fellows convened to review the year in communication. (Panelists are from Australia, The Philippines, and Canada.)Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #65: A Look Back at Communication in 2020 appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

The corporate environment comprises the various aspects of work that affect employees' productivity, including when, where, and how they work. According to Indeed.com, "A work environment is the setting, social features, and physical conditions in which you perform your job. These elements can impact feelings of wellbeing, workplace relationships, collaboration, efficiency, and employee health." Elements of a corporate culture include the physical environment, the company culture, and working conditions. Business analysts have made attempts to categorize different types of corporate environments, like "artistic" (promoting innovation and experimentation, as well as personal expression), "enterprising" (emphasizing guidance of employees toward goals), and "conventional" (built on specificity, predictability, and organization).Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #64: Communications and the Corporate Environment appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

For a while, the wave of new technologies offered communicators obvious opportunities to incorporate these new tools into their communication strategies. The introduction of Twitter and Instagram, the rise of mobile use, chatbots, and other technologies that were grounded in communication were introduced at a dizzying pace. Many of today’s new crop of technologies have less obvious communication applicability. That doesn’t mean communicators should ignore them. From Artificial Intelligence to Blockchain, from live streaming to machine co-creativity, there are technologies gaining steam that can have a significant impact on the effectiveness of both internal and external communication.Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #63: The Hottest New Communication Technologies appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Four IABC Fellows discuss how to effectively communicate workplace safety.Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #62: Communicating Workplace Safety appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

In his book, “The Great Game of Business,” Jack Stack introduced the business world to open-book management. The Great Game of Business website points out, “Open-book management at its most effective far outperforms a definition as simple as “sharing financial information with employees”. Open-book isn’t just about opening your financials to your company, it’s about responsibility, ownership, results, and growth, all of these things can come together to drive the needle forward in your organization. With proper training and knowledge, all levels of your business start to act and engage just like the owner, or leadership.” Clearly, communication is a vital dimension of open-book management. Episode 61 of "Circle of Fellows" featured four IABC Fellows looking at the communicator’s role, including introducing the concept to leadership. Panelists included moderator/Fellow Brad Whitworth and IABC Fellows Jim Shaffer, Tosh Hattori, and Amanda Hamilton-Attwell. Of special note, Jim has worked closely with Jack Stack, founder of open-book management and CEO of SRC Holdings. He escorts clients to SRC Holdings so they can see first-hand how to implement open-book management.Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #61: Communicating Open-Book Management appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Episode 43 of Circle of Fellows — back in March 2019 — addressed the communicator’s role in supporting their companies’ diversity and inclusion (D&I) efforts. The topic has undergone a dramatic transformation since then and, notably, since the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Suddenly, companies that had merely checked the D&I box are revisiting their commitments and introducing more meaningful policies and practices, in addition to taking direct action. IABC revisited the topic in the August episode of Circle of Fellows. Five IABC Fellows — Priya Bates, Neil Griffiths, Todd Hattori, Rajeev Kumar, and Brenda Siler — joined moderator Shel Holtz for an updated conversation about the communicator’s role in evaluating and promoting D&I; including best practices in language and visual representation.Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #60: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

What does it take to launch a communications consulting practice? What should communicators who have never been entrepreneurs know about going solo? Should they bring aboard partners? Staff? Most importantly, how do they become trusted advisers, delivering value, and helping clients drive business results? Four Fellows from the International Association of Business Communicators gathered on July 16 for a live streaming conversation about entrepreneurship and how to be a successful consultant.Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #59: How to Be a Successful Consultant appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Internal communication engages your employees and helps ensure they focus their efforts on activities that produce business results. External communication engages your stakeholders and customers, builds your reputation, and sets expectations. When both are clicking, employees are connected to the marketplace and customers interact with employees. Four IABC Fellows discussed the blurring of the lines between internal and external communications on Thursday, June 18, 2020.Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #58: The Integration of Internal and External Communication appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

You cannot discuss internal communications these days without someone asking about the blurring of the line between internal and external. When done well, there has never been a clear boundary between internal and external, since they are designed to achieve common objectives. When strategized to work together, along with all facets of external communication, this is known as “integrated communication,” a system that coordinates and harmonizes messages from various senders and to various audiences. It is composed of rules (including policies, procedures, and formats) and tools (including distribution channels, styles, and timelines). How to make this work was the subject of an hour-long conversation on May 21, 2020,with four IABC Fellows: Priya Bates, Diane Gayeski, Angela Sinickas, and Stacy Wilson.Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #57: Managing the Integrated Communication System appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Organizations with high-performance leadership are better equipped to develop, maintain, and retain individuals, teams, business units, and the whole organization’s culture. These organizations are also in a better position to manage change. The characteristics of high-performing leadership range from leaders’ behaviors and beliefs to what they say and when they choose to act. The role of communication in leading change and creating a high-performance leadership environment will be the focus of the next Circle of Fellows conversation. Participating in episode 56 were be Priya Bates, Amanda Hamilton-Attwell, Ned Lundquist, and Stacy Wilson.Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #56: Change and High-Performance Leadership appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Bosses: True Stories of the Good, the Bad and the Ugly is a candid and provocative new book in which communication and leadership expert Roger D’Aprix (also an IABC Fellow) asserts that many leaders are ignoring the proper selection, training, development, and ongoing support of the mid-level bosses they entrust to manage company talent. Roger joined four IABC Fellows and moderator Shel Holtz on March 19 for a conversation about bosses, their communication role, and how organizational communicators can help improve the culture of management in their organizations. In addition to Roger and Shel, Fellows participating in this conversation included Bish Mukherjee, Jim Shaffer, Angela Sinickas, and Stacy Wilson.Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #55: Bosses — True Stories of the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Communications — internal and external — are cost centers. Other cost centers, like Human Resources, have transformed themselves from bureaucratic necessary expenses to vital business partners whose work directly affects business performance. Communications can (and does) have a direct effect on business when managed and measured strategically, but far too many communication functions still focus on message outputs than on improving productivity or other business elements that matter to the company’s leadership. In episode 54 of Circle of Fellows, four IABC Fellows discussed how communicators can make this transition from a cost center to vital business partner. Shel Holtz moderated the panel that included Priya Bates, Neil Griffiths, Ned Lundquist, and Jim Shaffer.Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #54: The Business Impact of Communication appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

A lot of organizations talk a good game about transparency but when push comes to shove, they can still seem secretive and opaque. Clearly, transparency doesn’t mean making every scrap of information available. Share your employees’ health records and you’ll be subject to penalties under HIPAA (in the U.S.). Reveal plans for product launches and... Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #53: Communication and Transparency appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

For many communicators, work is all about the craft of producing articles, posts, videos, and other content. Moving into the leadership ranks, however, requires more than great tactical skills and, in fact, more than great strategic planning capabilities. Senior-level communicators regularly advise and coach the company’s executives (and others) on how to communicate effectively, both in general and about specific issues. In episode 52 of the “Circle of Fellows” broadcast, four IABC Fellows discussed how to acquire coaching skills and apply them with company leaders. IABC Fellows participating in the discussion included Amanda Hamilton-Attwell, Jim Lukaszewski, Jim Shaffer, and Angela Sinickas.Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #52: On Being a Great Adviser and Coach appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

The news is full of cyber-attacks on organizations large and small, exposing sensitive customer and other information, forcing companies to pay ransoms to retrieve locked data, and creating public relations nightmares. In episode 51 of IABC’s Circle of Fellows broadcast, five IABC Fellows discussed the PR and internal communication aspects of cyber-attacks, including… The steps to prepare for a data breach Understanding your IT leaders and keeping the lines of communication open and clear Educating your employees about cybersecurity: What they need to know and do Recovering trust following a cyberattack: the road to reputational recovery. IABC Fellows participating in the discussion, moderated by Shel Holtz, included Priya Bates, John Deveney, Martha Muzychka, and Sheri Rosen.Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #51: The Looming Risk of Cyber-Attack — Are You Prepared? appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Communicators who lack specific expertise and/or resources inside the organization often turn to external consultants to help with everything from strategic planning to project execution. That relationship can be amazing, delivering exceptional results. It can also be a minefield, causing sleepless nights, unsatisfying results, and even diminished trust in the communicator from company leadership. In episode 50 of Circle of Fellows, four IABC Fellows discussed the consultant/client relationship, including… How to hire and manage an array of consultants in a gig economy How to build and maintain a corporate client base as an independent consultant Top five ways for consultants to build loyalty with their clients, and keep them coming back Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #50: Shaping the Client/Consultant Relationship appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

With dramatic, unpredictable change as a constant in business and technology, how can communication professionals help build resilient organizations and increase the resilience of employees in enterprise transformations? On episode 49 of Circle of Fellows, four IABC Fellows discussed the role of communication in facilitating changeContinue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #49: Ensuring Your Organization is Change Ready appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

The media landscape in which communicators operate is in constant flux. The various kinds of changes the environment goes through can be tumultuous, making it challenging for communicators to maintain alignment between their strategies and the channels and platforms available. Three IABC Fellows -- John Deveney, Brad Whitworth, and Stacy Wilson -- discussed these challenges as they relate to both internal and external communication on episode 48 of Circle of Fellows, the monthly panel discussion from IABC.Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #48: Communicating in an Ever-changing Media Environment appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

With so much data available, it can be difficult to determine what information is actually useful to track to measure the success of your communication activities.  What and how to measure in order to best inform your work and demonstrate communication impact is the next topic for discussion on Circle of Fellows. Episode #47 of the broadcast will explore measurement for both internal and external communication activities. IABC Fellows Neil Griffiths, Jim Shaffer, Angela Sinickas, and Stacy Wilson participated in a panel discussion moderated by Shel Holtz that explored various dimensions of metrics in communication, from measuring communication effectiveness to sharing information derived from data.Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #47: Cracking the Metrics Code appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

According to a study conducted by MIT Sloan Management Review and The Boston Consulting Group, three-quarters of executives believe that artificial intelligence (AI) will enable their companies to move into new businesses, and roughly 85% believe AI will allow their companies to obtain or sustain a competitive advantage. At noon ET on Thursday, June 20, a panel of Fellows from the International Association of Business Communicators will look at how AI is maturing and what it means to your company and communication practice. Four IABC Fellows -- Roger D’Aprix, Amanda Hamilton-Attwell, Mary Hills, and Ned Lundquist -- gathered for a conversation about the issues facing communicators as AI continues to evolve.Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #46: Communicating With and About AI appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

In May’s Circle of Fellows panel, four IABC Fellows explore the steps organizations need to take to mitigate the risk of reputational crises and address the challenges of consumer activism in highly politicized environments by listening to your customers, understanding their concerns and shaping communication to build trust, clarify and dispel myths.Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #45: Consumer Activism appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

On April 18, four IABC Fellows gathered to discuss the evolution of communication from support service to value contributor in episode 44 of the “Circle of Fellows” program.Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #44: Adding Value Through Communication appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Diverse, inclusive workplaces are essential to business success. But how does a company achieve authentic representation without resorting to stereotypes? Four IABC Fellows -- Priya Bates, Todd Hattori, Jim Shaffer, and Brad Whitworth -- joined host Shel Holtz for a conversation about the role in promoting diversity and inclusion for a discussion about how to evaluate diversity and inclusiveness and hear about best practices in language and visual representation.Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #43: Communicating Workplace Diversity and Inclusion appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

In a recent Weber Shandwick study, among executives who reported working in companies with world-class reputations, 63% favored companies taking a public stance on social or political issues. On Circle of Fellows’ February episode, four IABC Fellows explored how to coach leaders on when and how to take a stand on political/social issues, the pitfalls of CEO activism, and how to maintain a productive, inclusive tone that seeks consensus and solutions.Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #42: Communicators and CEO Activism appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

FIR guest host Brad Whitworth moderated a panel discussion with four IABC Fellows: Alice Brink, John Deveney, Jim Lukaszewski, and Brenda Siler. who explored the role of a free press in supporting a free economy:  How communicators can support their business's efforts to support a free press and the value a free press brings to organizations (such as providing transparency and delivering information on which companies can reliably base decisions). Other topics related to media relations are also on the agenda, including why companies should respond when news organizations come calling, the important role of earned media, and whether press releases still matter.Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #41: Media Relations and a Free Press appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Showing how communication benefits your organization depends on measuring what matters most—and how to turn what you learn into actionable results. Join four Fellows of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) for a real-time conversation about what technology exists to help you measure your programs, package and present the results, and produce more complex analyses to present to leadership.  We’ll also explore non-technology means of measurement and other approaches to demonstrating that your communication efforts are paying off. The panel, moderated by FIR host Shel Holtz, featured Amanda Hamilton-Attwell, Mary Hills, Jim Shaffer, and Angela Sinickas discussing measurement, beer, and other means of proving communication's worth to the powers that be.Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #40: Demonstrating the Value of Communication / Measurement appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

How do you build a strong brand? And what role can communicators — from the PR function to internal communications — play a pivotal role? On November 15, four IABC Fellows will discuss how positioning varies, why strong brands are necessary today, and new trends in branding, including how to make employees a part of your brand team. The November Circle of Fellows panel tackling this issue included Priya Bates, George McGrath, Cindy Schmieg, and Mark Schumann.Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #39: How to Build a Strong Brand appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

How do you know if you’re using the best structural model for communication? Can hybrid models co-exist successfully? Four IABC Fellows explored the latest thinking on department structures, including how to work with agencies and freelancers (on goal-setting, budgeting, etc.). The panel will also look at whether departments should be consolidated or employ an agency model (with staff embedded in parts of the organization), as well as whether all communications departments should be grouped together, and where they should report. The panel, moderated by IABC Fellow Brad Whitworth, featured Mary Ann McCauley, George McGrath, Barbara Puffer, and Jennifer Wah.Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #38: Structuring the Communication Function appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Disciplines and functions are converging within organizations—and that can lead to more efficient, successful companies. But to blend functions easily, communication professionals will need to collaborate with other disciplines and departments, including through cross-functional training. It is equally important that communication leaders cast a more disciplined eye on the competencies of their staffs while exploring new models for the structure of communications within their organizations. Four IABC Fellows met on a Google Hangout on Air on Thursday, September 20, to discuss the blending and reshaping of internal and external communication -- as well as marketing and corporate communications -- in this hour-long conversation that included questions from communicators watching the panel in real time.Continue Reading → The post Circle of Fellows #37: The Blurring Lines Between Communication Functions appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.