KCIABC Today

Marianne Sicking, a communications consultant with Kansas Gas Service, is KC/IABC's Best in Show winner for the 2015 KC Quills. She also won awards in the IABC Southern Region and more. Learn about her winning social media campaign and the benefit she experienced from her Quills win. KC/IABC, The Kansas City chapter of IABC, 2012 International Chapter of the Year, includes approximately 200 members, in and around Kansas City, who are employed as communications professionals for major corporations, agencies and non-profit organizations. Many KC/IABC members are self-employed as freelancers or run their own companies. IABC Kansas City also welcomes student members and works with local IABC student chapters serving as a resource for young communicators entering the industry. Learn more at www.kc.iabc.com.

Hosted by Roy Harryman Register now for the Oct. 15 luncheon at http://kciabc.com/events. What's the business case for mobile live streaming apps such as Parascope and Blab? Jonathan Mast, director of social media at Sedgwick, is actively using these tools to promote and engage his company's brand. Join us Oct. 15 to learn how to: *Incorporate live streaming into your digital communications strategy. *Get leadership buy-in to start a live-streaming program. *Develop a content map for live-streaming success. *Overcome and manage the risks associated with live streaming. Mast is the director of social media at Sedgwick, the leading global provider of innovative, technology-enabled claims and productivity management solutions. Sedgwick delivers a world of expert resources to a diverse client base with nearly 12,000 colleagues in 275 offices located in the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico and the U.K. He is responsible for overseeing the company’s digital content strategy. Prior to joining Sedgwick, he was the senior manager of emerging media for Black & Veatch, a global engineering firm. In his spare time, Mast is a stage dad for his teen daughter and runs ultramarathons for fun. KC/IABC and our approximately 200 members are a part of a global network of 15,000 business communication professionals in more than 80 countries, who are dedicated to improving professional growth and strategic communications. Our focus is providing our members with professional development, networking, career opportunities, student chapters, special interest groups and professional accreditation. With members in marketing, public relations and communication professionals from Fortune 500 companies, small businesses, agencies, nonprofits, governments as well as freelancers and consultants, KC/IABC offers ideas, training and support for every communicator. Intro music courtesy www.pacdv.com/sounds

Register now: http://www.cvent.com/d/trqcmh/4W Learn more: http://kciabc.com/events/ We have an all-star cast of KC communications pros to answer your targeted questions in an extended session following our 8 a.m. breakfast on Thursday, Aug. 20. In this podcast, Roy Harryman interviews Eric Morgenstern, CEO of Morningstar Communications, about the upcoming event. Masters forum panelists are: Eric Morgenstern, APR Fellow PRSA, CEO Morningstar Communications Matt Tidwell, APR, Consultant and Professor at KU Jeannie Wilcox, Assistant Vice President, Director of Communications for Lockton Companies Lori Wiles, ABC, Director of Marketing and Communications, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City Randy Williams, ABC, Senior Director, Corporate Development, Kansas City Art Institute KC/IABC and our approximately 200 members are a part of a global network of 15,000 business communication professionals in more than 80 countries, who are dedicated to improving professional growth and strategic communications. Our focus is providing our members with professional development, networking, career opportunities, student chapters, special interest groups and professional accreditation. With members in marketing, public relations and communication professionals from Fortune 500 companies, small businesses, agencies, nonprofits, governments as well as freelancers and consultants, KC/IABC offers ideas, training and support for every communicator. As a member, you gain access to the highest quality communications resources and education and an active networking community of people just like you. Don’t miss out: join KC/IABC.

The Kansas City Quills are open for your entries now. If you don’t know, the Quills are the premiere competition for KC communicators to get professional feedback and recognition for the great work that you do every day. It’s not rocket science to enter, but you can’t wait too long because the deadline for submission is April 15th. In this podcast we talk to Stacey Dickson, who is overseeing this year’s competition, and we also speak to a previous best of show winner. Learn more and get assistance at: http://kciabc.com/kansas-city-quills/ Learn more about KC/IABC, Kansas City's premier organization for professional communicators, at www.kciabc.com. Intro music courtesy www.pacdv.com/sounds KC/IABC is the Kansas City chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). KC/IABC, the 2012 International Chapter of the Year, provides professional development, networking and career opportunities for a wide variety of communications professionals. Our diverse membership represents the professions of public relations, corporation communications, marketing, design, videography, photography and more. Our members work in communications for large corporations, small businesses, ad agencies and non-profits. We’re also pleased to have a number of self-employed entrepreneurs in our ranks, as well as college students who are looking forward to a career in the field.

Join Kansas City-area business communicators at our EPIC SUMMIT — a full-day professional development event on Wednesday, Feb. 18. BCS 2015 features keynote Joe Pulizzi, author of “Epic Content Marketing,” founder of Chief Content Officer magazine and an early leader in the content marketing movement. In addition to hearing from Joe, our BCS breakout session speakers and interactive lunch-session panel guests, you’ll network with fellow communicators throughout the day. At BCS’ close, KC/IABC will recognize local remarkable communications pros and volunteers. The event is at the KU Edwards Campus in Overland Park. Register here: http://cvent.com/d/54qyjs Intro music courtesy of www.pacdv.com/sounds

DETAILS Thursday, September 18 Registration: 11:30 a.m. | Lunch & Presentation: 11:55 a.m. – 1 p.m. Member: $25 | Guest: $40 | Student: $20 Brio on the Plaza | 502 Nichols Road, Kansas City, MO 64112 Register: http://tinyurl.com/owq5unu Southwest Airlines. Apple. Dyson. Great brands have something in common: they’ve stopped trying to emulate the competition and instead, have become the competition. How? These companies know exactly who they are, and they know the most effective way to be different is to be exactly who you are. Storytelling may be the new marketing buzzword, but storydoing – living out your company purpose through your writing, marketing and culture – is how you create value, develop products and services that people actually want, and ultimately, matter to your audience. Discover the tactical methods to implement digital storydoing in your organization from marketing and brand expert Mandy Stark, Brand Director at Shield Casework, at our September 18 professional development luncheon. Participants will: *Discover the key to real competitive advantage *Examine successful B2B and B2C case studies *Craft a story framework from a few facts and figures in an interactive exercise ABOUT OUR SPEAKER Mandy Stark heads up brand strategy for Shield Casework through fresh and relevant Smarketing planning, creative execution and social media-savvy. She’s a formidable strategist, a tenacious defender of smart, efficient thinking and a true ambassador for the Shield brand. Mandy led marketing at the design-build firm Dimensional Innovations (DI) until she was tapped for Shield, which was developed by DI’s research and product development-oriented Innovation Lab. Her work has been published in more than 40 local, national and trade newspapers, magazines and websites, as well as in Fast Company, the Associated Press and the Food Network. She has also helped Shield and DI receive awards from SXSW Interactive, the International Design Awards, the International Design Excellence Awards, and the local, regional and national Addys. She serves on the board for the Kansas City chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators, where she was recognized as the 2014 Rising Star. Intro and outro music courtesy of www.pacdv.com/sounds

Register for this event today: http://www.cvent.com/d/34qf3n/4W Communicators know a brand is more than just the look and feel. It includes positioning, perception and even a sense of purpose. Sometimes to stay relevant and continue to deliver on brand promise, organizations need to rebrand. To be prepared for a future rebrand and ensure success, join us for Rebrand For Success at 8 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 21 to hear brand expert Clifton Alexander, REACTOR Design Studio, share his expertise in helping organizations rebrand. Intro and outro music courtesy of www.pacdv.com/sounds KC/IABC is the Kansas City chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). KC/IABC, the 2012 International Chapter of the Year, provides professional development, networking and career opportunities for a wide variety of communications professionals. Our diverse membership represents the professions of public relations, corporation communications, marketing, design, videography, photography and more. Our members work in communications for large corporations, small businesses, ad agencies and non-profits. We’re also pleased to have a number of self-employed entrepreneurs in our ranks, as well as college students who are looking forward to a career in the field.

Kirk Hasenzahl,co-founder and president of RareWired, will be one of four panelists discussing "iPhone and iPad Apps: Tips from the Pros" at our luncheon at Brio on the Plaza on Thursday, April 18. In this podcast, Kirk discusses how companies should evaluate their need for an app, which apps to consider developing and what to do when the app is done. Learn more and register here: http://tinyurl.com/creos77 Breakdown instrumental courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ KC/IABC is the Kansas City chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). KC/IABC, the 2012 International Chapter of the Year, provides professional development, networking and career opportunities for a wide variety of communications professionals. Our diverse membership represents the professions of public relations, corporation communications, marketing, design, videography, photography and more. Our members work in communications for large corporations, small businesses, ad agencies and non-profits. We’re also pleased to have a number of self-employed entrepreneurs in our ranks, as well as college students who are looking forward to a career in the field.

Matt Dunn and Lance Yoder are part of the team involved in the re-launch of Cerner.com. Share lessons they learned about content strategy, SEO and Google's content filters as they worked behind the scenes on this massive project. Every communicator will be able to apply principles from this presentation to the content they are creating and sharing. Want to hear more? Join Matt and Lance at KC/IABC's Thursday, March 14, breakfast at Brio on The Plaza. Register now: http://tinyurl.com/bdyz3fa Learn more about us at www.kc.iabc.com. Breakdown instrumental courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ KC/IABC is the Kansas City chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). KC/IABC, the 2012 International Chapter of the Year, provides professional development, networking and career opportunities for a wide variety of communications professionals. Our diverse membership represents the professions of public relations, corporation communications, marketing, design, videography, photography and more. Our members work in communications for large corporations, small businesses, ad agencies and non-profits. We’re also pleased to have a number of self-employed entrepreneurs in our ranks, as well as college students who are looking forward to a career in the field.

The deadline to submit your entry for the Kansas City Quill awards (formerly called the Bronze Quill Awards) is Friday, March 15. Sara Folkerts, KC/IABC president, shares how participation in this competition and gala can distinguish your career and your company. She also provides some tips on how to submit your entry to maximize your competitive advantage. Hosted by Roy Harryman. Breakdown instrumental courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ KC/IABC is the Kansas City chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). KC/IABC, the 2012 International Chapter of the Year, provides professional development, networking and career opportunities for a wide variety of communications professionals. Our diverse membership represents the professions of public relations, corporation communications, marketing, design, videography, photography and more. Our members work in communications for large corporations, small businesses, ad agencies and non-profits. We're also pleased to have a number of self-employed entrepreneurs in our ranks, as well as college students who are looking forward to a career in the field.

Breakdown intro music courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Chakisse Newton, named in 2009 by Toastmasters International as one of the 10 best speakers in the world, is a keynote speaker at the KC/IABC BCS on Feb. 15. She will share practical tips and techniques to improve every communication, whether written or verbal, professional or personal. Chakisse will show why most communications fail, how to avoid communication pitfalls, how to increase productivity with better communication skills and how to communicate effectively with different types of personalities. Learn more and register here: www.kc.iabc.com/business-communicators-summit. About KC/IABC KC/IABC is the Kansas City chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). KC/IABC, the 2012 International Chapter of the Year, provides professional development, networking and career opportunities for a wide variety of communications professionals. Our diverse membership represents the professions of public relations, corporation communications, marketing, design, videography, photography and more. Our members work in communications for large corporations, small businesses, ad agencies and non-profits. We're also pleased to have a number of self-employed entrepreneurs in our ranks, as well as college students who are looking forward to a career in the field.

Join us Jan. 17, for lunch at Brio on the Plaza (11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.) with special guest Mike Goff, chief marketing officer at Premier Sports Management. Mike will share lessons for every business communicator based on his experience leading Sprint's efforts to partner with the FIFA World Cup. Register here: http://tinyurl.com/aswttjx More on Mike and his presentation When the cup came to the United States in 1994, Mike led Sprint's initiative to utilize international soccer as a platform for establishing the brand internationally, and building business and consumer loyalty domestically. Learn how Goff led a team that used this international platform to build Sprint's business and establish a roadmap for how the company used lifestyle marketing, both at a national level as well as locally, and with sports, entertainment and media properties. About KC/IABC The Kansas City chapter of IABC, 2012 International Chapter of the Year, includes approximately 200 members, in and around Kansas City, who are employed as communications professionals for major corporations, agencies and non-profit organizations. Many KC/IABC members are self-employed as freelancers or run their own companies. IABC Kansas City also welcomes student members and works with local IABC student chapters serving as a resource for young communicators entering the industry. In addition to our membership, our chapter's activities include hundreds more communicators who are not yet members but join us for luncheons, conferences or special interest groups. Non-members are welcome at all of our events.

Breakdown intro music courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Anna Lewis, director of the Business Communicators Summit, shares about our keynote speakers, breakout sessions and opportunities for networking at our daylong Feb. 15 event. Keynoters at the summit are Brent Gleeson, Sam Harrison and Chakisse Newton. Learn more and register: http://kc.iabc.com/business-communicators-summit/ About KC/IABC The Kansas City chapter of IABC, 2012 International Chapter of the Year, includes approximately 200 members, in and around Kansas City, who are employed as communications professionals for major corporations, agencies and non-profit organizations. Many KC/IABC members are self-employed as freelancers or run their own companies. IABC Kansas City also welcomes student members and works with local IABC student chapters serving as a resource for young communicators entering the industry. In addition to our membership, our chapter's activities include hundreds more communicators who are not yet members but join us for luncheons, conferences or special interest groups. Non-members are welcome at all of our events.

Perry Puccetti is president and CEO of The Triple I Corp., an Overland Park-based technology consultancy. On Nov. 15, he'll use his expertise to help business communicators evaluate when and how to most effectively use mobile communication. Instead of focusing on merely the technology ("We need an app now!") Perry advocates that communicators clear identify their audiences and goals. He'll also review three areas that every mobile strategy should focus on: revenue, brand and productivity. Register for the breakfast at Kansas City Cafe here: http://tinyurl.com/a446dy7 About KC/IABC The Kansas City chapter of IABC, 2012 International Chapter of the Year, includes approximately 200 members, in and around Kansas City, who are employed as communications professionals for major corporations, agencies and non-profit organizations. Many KC/IABC members are self-employed as freelancers or run their own companies. IABC Kansas City also welcomes student members and works with local IABC student chapters serving as a resource for young communicators entering the industry. In addition to our membership, our chapter's activities include hundreds more communicators who are not yet members but join us for luncheons, conferences or special interest groups. Non-members are welcome at all of our events.

Seven myths of social media can hold you and your organization back from the promise of communicating with impact and clarity. Do you know what these myths are and how they may be frustrating your efforts? Justin, a digital strategist for Fleishman-Hillard Kansas City, has years of expertise in helping businesses connect with consumers via social media. Join him for some myth busting at our luncheon on Thursday, Oct. 18, at Brio on the Country Club Plaza. Register here: http://tinyurl.com/8tdzoer The Kansas City chapter of IABC, 2012 International Chapter of the Year, includes approximately 200 members, in and around Kansas City, who are employed as communications professionals for major corporations, agencies and non-profit organizations. Many KC/IABC members are self-employed as freelancers or run their own companies. IABC Kansas City also welcomes student members and works with local IABC student chapters serving as a resource for young communicators entering the industry.

Andy Tretiak, chief marketing officer with Sporting Kansas City, will speak at KC/IABC on Thursday, Sept. 20, on "Success with a Brand New Brand." Listen in and join us at Brio on the Plaza to learn brand lessons applicable to any business. Learn more and register here: http://tinyurl.com/9g8qybz The Kansas City chapter of IABC, 2012 International Chapter of the Year, includes approximately 200 members, in and around Kansas City, who are employed as communications professionals for major corporations, agencies and non-profit organizations. Many KC/IABC members are self-employed as freelancers or run their own companies. IABC Kansas City also welcomes student members and works with local IABC student chapters serving as a resource for young communicators entering the industry.

Darren Mark of Scenic Road Productions is our guest at our Thursday, Aug. 23, luncheon on "Tips for Better Video Storytelling." Darren, a former TV producer and news reporter, shares in this podcast why he made the jump to running his own company and why video storytelling matters to corporations like never before.

Rachel Hack spoke to KC/IABC on what Google Fiber means to Kansas City business communicators. A major announcement on Google Fiber is scheduled for Thursday, July 26, and you sign up for an email alert here: https://fiber.google.com/savethedate/ The Kansas City chapter of IABC, 2012 International Chapter of the Year, includes approximately 200 members, in and around Kansas City, who are employed as communications professionals for major corporations, agencies and non-profit organizations.

Rachel Hack, community manager with Google in Kansas City, gives a thumbnail of her upcoming July 19 talk at KC/IABC's luncheon at Brio on the Plaza. Listen in now for a teaser and be sure to join us as Rachel explains why Google chose Kansas City and why business communicators need to be in the know as its network gets ready to go live. Register for the event here: http://tinyurl.com/7wkhoj7 Learn more about KC/IABC, the Kansas City chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators, at www.kc.iabc.com.