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You are here: Home / News / How Communicators Can Give the Gift of Communication

How Communicators Can Give the Gift of Communication

November 6, 2023 by Shel Holtz Leave a Comment

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) will discuss this practice and other ways it can be applied.

The session is scheduled for 5 p.m. ET on Thursday, November 16. Join us in real time on YouTube (below), ask questions and share observations. The panel will be available shortly after it wraps up as a video playback on YouTube and as an audio podcast here on the FIR Podcast Network.

About the panel:

Ginger Homan, ABC, SCMP, IABC Fellow, provides expertise in transformation. She has worked with corporations and foundations to bring out the best in their people and their brands, as well as with professional communicators on how to focus on work that matters and build their influence. Recognized with multiple awards for communication excellence and leadership, she is a former IABC International Chair and a three-time recipient of the IABC International Chair Award for leadership. For her local community work, she received the Leadership Tulsa Paragon Award. When not absorbed in her latest writing project, Ginger can be found reflecting in remote spots, preaching the value of certification or playing on the floor with her grandkids. Connect with Ginger on LinkedIn or via her website.

Robin McCasland, IABC Fellow, SCMP lis Senior Director, Corporate Communications, for Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC). She leads the company’s communications team and the employee listening program, demonstrating to senior leaders how employee and executive communication add value to the business bottom line. Previously, Robin excelled in communication leadership roles for Texas Instruments, Dell, Tenet Healthcare, and Burlington Northern Santa Fe. She has also worked for large and boutique HR consulting firms, leading major communication initiatives for a variety of well-known companies. Robin is a past IABC chairman and served in countless association leadership roles for more than 30 years. She was honored this year and also in 2021 by Ragan/PR Daily as one of the Top Women Leaders in Communication. She’s also received IABC Southern Region and IABC Dallas Communicator of the Year honors. Robin is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin and a Leadership Texas alumnus. Her own podcast, Torpid Liver (and other symptoms of poor communication), features guest speakers addressing timely topics to help communication professionals become more influential strategic advisors and leaders . She resides in Dallas, Texas with her husband, Mitch, and their canine kids, Tank and Petunia.

Mary Ann McCauley is committed to ensuring people communicate more effectively about their organizations’ products and services. With a specialty practice in crisis management, Mary Ann addresses sensitive issues with timeliness, dignity, and minimal backlash. “Managing communication during a crisis requires common sense folded into a structured process,” she says.

Barbara Puffer, MA, ABC, IABC Fellow, is the author of the Business Communications Ethics chapter of IABC’s new book, IABC Guide for Practical Business Communication. While first setting out as a journalist, Barbara quickly changed her path to the corporate side. Her communications management career spans 47 years, including work in banking, insurance, and telecommunications organizations. She has consulted as Puffer Public Relations Strategies for more than 20 years and previously was Corporate Communications Manager at Barnes Group for 13 years. While consulting, she was also associate professor of communication studies at UMUC University of Maryland University College (now called UM Global Campus) for 13 years, where communications ethics was integrated throughout the curriculum. In IABC, she has served as chairperson of the Ethics Committee and Research Foundation, among other leadership positions. Tiptoeing into retirement now, her communications management career spanned 50 years. 

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About Shel Holtz

Shel Holtz, SCMP, ABC, IABC Fellow, is senior director of Communications at Webcor, a commercial general contractor headquartered in San Francisco. Before joining Webcor, Shel spent 21 years as principal of Holtz Communication + Technology. In addition to integrating technology into communications strategies, his expertise includes strategic communications planning, change management, organizational culture, business initiatives and communications research. Full bio

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