Technology’s role in communications continues to grow, requiring communicators to not only factor it into their strategic planning but to stay one step ahead in order to be prepared for dramatic changes. In 2018, the changes will be as great as we’ve seen in a single year. Consider the exploding impact on communication of AI, chatbots, voice tech/voice search, and augmented reality. Add the fact that blockchain is barreling toward us it’s hard to deny that technology is poised to cause upheaval in the channels we use and the strategies we employ to communicate.
At noon ET on Thursday, January 18, four IABC Fellows will participate in a freewheeling discussion about what to expect in the year ahead when it comes to innovation and technology. Shel Holtz (also a Fellow) will moderate a panel that includes Priya Bates, Alice Brink, Jennifer Wah, and Brad Whitworth.
You can watch the panel on this page or on YouTube. If you can’t make it for the live broadcast, the video replay will be available shortly afterward. You can also subscribe to the Circle of Fellows podcast to get the audio for listening later (and never miss a future episode). Past episodes are also available on the Circle of Fellows podcast page.
Priya Bates is a senior communication executive who provides strategic internal communication counsel in order to ensure leaders, managers, and employees understand the strategy, believe in the vision, act in accordance with the values, and contribute to business results. She is president of Inner Strength Communications in Toronto and previously served as senior director of Internal Communications at Loblaw Companies Limited.
Alice Brink is an internationally recognized communications consultant. Her firm, A Brink & Co., works with businesses and non-profits to clarify their messages and communicate them in ways that change people’s minds. Her clients have included Shell Oil Company, Sysco Foods, and Noble Energy. Prior to launching A Brink & Co. in Houston in 2004, Alice honed her craft both in corporate settings (including The Coca-Cola Company, Conoco, and First Interstate Bank) and in one of Texas’ largest public relations firms, where she led the agency’s energy and financial practices. Alice has been active in IABC for more than 30 years, where she currently serves as chair of the IABC Academy. Other roles have included serving as chapter president, district director, and Gold Quill chair.
Jennifer Wah, MC, ABC, has worked with clients to deliver ideas, plans, words and results since she founded her storytelling and communications firm, Forwords Communication Inc., in 1997. The company operates as a strategic alliance of hand-picked professionals; all renowned for work in their areas of specialization. This approach means the right team is assembled for each project; no more, no less. With more than two dozen awards for strategic communications, writing and consulting, Jennifer is recognized as a storyteller and strategist. She has worked in industries from healthcare to financial services to academia, and is passionate about the opportunity for stories to inspire actions and reactions within organizations.In 2013, Jennifer was named Associate Faculty of Royal Roads University, and in this capacity, continues to teach, coach and mentor others with an interest in business communication.
Brad Whitworth is executive communication manager at Hewlett Packard enterprise. A communication coach at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, Brad was most recently senior communication manager at Cisco Systems. Brad joined Cisco in 2007 and today leads integrated communication for the part of the company that builds partner ecosystems for new markets. Before Cisco, Brad led communication programs at HP, PeopleSoft, and AAA. He earned undergraduate degrees in both journalism and speech at the University of Missouri and an MBA at Santa Clara University. A former broadcaster, Brad has made more than 300 presentations to executives, communicators, and university classes around the world. Brad has a long history with IABC, including serving as chairman of the international board and president of two local chapters. He is one of the authors of The IABC Handbook of Organizational Communication.
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How do you deal with accents!! I am from Scotland, I work in the Netherlands and my wife is French. There’s three language and accent problem in a nutshell! Several years ago I dealt with the Shell’s IT helpdesk service to Europe.. Originally the desk was in the UK, so that went find, I could understand everybody and they understood me. Then they moved the helpdesk to India, then there was a problem with my accent when speaking to the Indian workers and understanding their accents. That connection didn’t go well. The company then moved the helpdesk to the Philippines! That went better, the accents were easier to understand and from my side the workers could understand me. With an automated service I can see the process of calling in being very complex and ultimately very frustrating!