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With the holiday season upon us, it is appropriate to talk about a gift communicators can give: the gift of communication. For several years, the day before the IABC World Conference begins, communicators spend a day with local nonprofits from the host city, providing their advice and recommendations to organizations that don’t have the resources to employ or contract strategic communication counsel. The practice has spread to regions and chapters and beyond. In this live stream, four Fellows of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) discussed this practice and other ways it can be applied.
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In an increasingly interconnected world, the role of effective communication has never been more critical to organizational success. This month’s panel of IABC Fellows will delve into the nuances of Global Diversity Awareness. For organizational communicators, understanding and embracing the diverse tapestry of cultures, backgrounds, and perspectives is pivotal. The discussion will shed light on the challenges and opportunities presented by global diversity, offering insights on how to craft messages and engage in dialogues that resonate universally, build inclusive communication strategies, and foster a culture of understanding and respect in a dynamic global environment.
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This month’s panel of IABC Fellows explored the intersection of leadership and communication and how those at the top can leverage their communication skills to drive business success. The panelists shared their insights on communicating vision, values, and purpose; creating alignment around the business plan; motivating teams; and more.
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The goal of communication in any organization is for the recipient to think, feel, or do something. Most often, the outcome we seek is a behavior: We want the recipient to do more of what they’re already doing, do something differently, or do something new. Conveying information alone will rarely inspire someone to action. That requires communicators to add creativity to the mix. In this Circle of Fellows episode, four IABC Fellows explore the application of creativity to business outcomes, including the various approaches one might take, the differences between influencing employees and other stakeholders, and convincing leadership that creativity is an appropriate business communication technique.
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In this modern era where AI is changing the dynamics of every industry, questions inevitably arise about its efficacy and implications. Will AI replace communicators? Is it ethical to use AI with or without disclosure? Besides writing, how can communicators best use AI? What risks should we be aware of? What role can we play in helping introduce AI throughout our organizations to ensure it is used to its best advantage?

An international panel of IABC Fellows got together on June 20 to discuss AI, exploring the risks and benefits, offering guidance to communications professionals seeking to navigate this new landscape. The panel explored the exciting and rapidly evolving intersection of AI and communication, examining how artificial intelligence can shoulder much of the mundane load, freeing up communicators to focus on creative, strategic, and value-added work. The panel also delved into optimal ways for professionals to harness the power of AI in their communication strategies while helping the rest of the organization adopt AI to its greatest potential.
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IABC’s Fellows welcomed members of the 2023 class during the World Conference in Toronto. Now, you will have the chance to meet these two dynamic communicators in a special episode of Circle of Fellows. Join host Shel Holtz, SCMP, ABC, and Martha Muzychka, chair of the 2023-24 Fellows Committee, for a conversation about our new Fellows’ careers and their views on a wide-ranging array of communication-related topics. As always, you will be able to participate in the conversation by asking questions and sharing observations using YouTube’s live chat feature. If you aren’t able to join us for the live stream, you will be able to watch the video replay or listen to the audio podcast.

The conversation begins at noon EDT on Thursday, June 22.
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Wellness has risen from an afterthought in companies to a prominent issue. Businesses increasingly recognize the impact of physical and mental health in the workplace. An opportunity loss of $20 million for every 10,000 workers can be attributed to low well-being and its negative impact on performance. This amounts to a staggering global cost of up to $322 billion in employee turnover and diminished productivity as a result of burnout caused by low well-being. On the other hand, effective wellness programs leave employees seven times as likely to strongly agree that they have meaningful connections or a best friend at work, a key indicator of engagement. Mental wellness is also getting more attention as companies see the consequences of depression, stress, anxiety, and other symptoms in the workplace. Only 57 percent of employees who report moderate depression and 40 percent of those who report severe depression receive treatment to control depression symptoms. Even when programs are available, employees don’t avail themselves of them. Only about 3.5 percent of employees across the U.S. have taken advantage of an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to which they have access.

Clearly, there is plenty in the wellness space for internal communicators to address, both in terms of raising awareness and moving the culture among employees as well as counseling leaders on the actions they should take through their own messages and the degree of support they offer for wellness programs.

On Thursday, May 18, four IABC Fellows gathered to discuss workplace wellness.
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There has been no shortage of crises in the business world in recent months. From the failure of FTX and Silicon Valley Bank to the Norfolk Southern train derailment and fans revolting against Ticketmaster, there is more than enough fodder for a robust discussion about how companies can prepare for crises while establishing their reputations and communicate effectively when a crisis strikes.

The recording of the April 20, 2023, live stream features a great hour-long conversation on various dimensions of crisis communication, from issues identification and the role of CEOs during a crisis to social media and disinformation challenges.
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Everybody hates change, right? You hear that all the time; it’s why organizational change is so hard. The fact is, people love change. They willingly and enthusiastically make changes all the time. They change their fashions, their hair styles, their cars, their homes, their vacation spots, their furniture, their spouses…

If change is hard in organizations, it’s not because people just don’t like change. If there is resistance to change, you have to know why. Even if resistance is not a major issue, managing change is still a complex challenge for communicators, who play multiple roles during a change initiative, creating alignment so employees and leaders are on the same page about where we are, where we’re going, why we’re going there, how we’ll get there, and so on. And that doesn’t even account for dealing with the ongoing, day-to-day change that is a fact of life in any business. (As they say, change is the only constant in life.)

On Thursday, March 16, 2023, four Fellows of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) discussed a wide variety of communication-related change issues.
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As communication professionals grow in their careers, they’re expected to provide strategic counsel to company executives about communication and its impact on business. This week’s hot topic might be new legal regulations; next week, it could be stakeholder relations. No matter the issue, IABC’s Code of Ethics serves as a roadmap for communication professionals, guiding them to make consistent, responsible, ethical, and legal choices. Join this international panel of IABC Fellows as they share their insights and advice from decades of experience as strategic communication leaders and counselors. A panel of IABC Fellows addressed these issues in a frank conversation on February 16. The video replay is available below; the podcast is available here.
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