News from the FIR Blog

Communicators have been in overdrive during the coronavirus outbreak. Even working from home, it’s hard to remember a busier time.

We could all use a little space to recharge and connect with other communicators, especially when association meetings, meetups, and informal gatherings are out of the question.

The hosts of the “For Immediate Release” podcast have decided to host a virtual meetup. Join us in a Zoom meeting at noon Eastern on Thursday, March 26. We have no agenda, no stories to report, no sponsors to promote. Just open conversation with one another.

The URL for this meeting is https://zoom.us/j/232873940?pwd=SHpVVGhEUy9CeGk1VmxETlZUa2trUT09; the password is 497764. Bring your own coffee or tea (or other beverage of choice).
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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 will join 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 will include Bish Mukherjee, Jim Shaffer, Angela Sinickas, and Stacy Wilson.
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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 will discuss how communicators can make this transition from cost center to vital business partner. Shel Holtz will moderate the panel that includes Priya Bates, Neil Griffiths, Ned Lundquist, and Jim Shaffer.
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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 you could be giving the competition a leg up. And will you engage in salary transparency, letting every employee know how much every employee makes? (Some companies do!)

In episode 53 of the “Circle of Fellows” broadcast, Shel Holtz will moderate a conversation with four IABC Fellows to discuss transparency, how to be strategic about it, and how communicators can keep their organizations (or clients) consistent about what and how they implement a transparent culture.
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We want to hear from you: What were the most significant, interesting, or important trends, innovations, or advances to affect communications in the last decade?

Send us a comment in our Facebook group, an email to [email protected], or a post to the last episode of FIR. We’d love to play your audio recordings, which you can attach to an email or record directly from the FIR website (click the “Send Voicemail” tab on the right side of the page).
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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.
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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 will discuss 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; and recovering trust following a cyberattack.

IABC Fellows participating in the discussion include Priya Bates, John Deveney, Martha Muzychka, Sheri Rosen, and Mark Schumann. Shel Holtz, SCMP, IABC Fellow, will moderate.
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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 will discuss 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

IABC Fellows participating in the broadcast will include Jim Lukaszewski, George McGrath, Jim Shaffer, and Jennifer Wah — all practicing consultants. Shel Holtz (a former consultant who has returned to the client-side) will moderate.
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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 will discuss the role of communication in facilitating change. IABC Fellows participating in the broadcast will include Amanda Hamilton-Attwell, Jim Shaffer, Mark Schumann, and Brad Whitworth. Shel Holtz will moderate.

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