Pre-Conference Workshops
Join us for a day of learning before the Conference officially begins! Expand your learning opportunity through highly valuable workshops and new one on one sessions with seasoned professionals in a variety of areas.
**SCMP/CMP exam is 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. on this day**
Tracks: CS = Communication Skills; L&S = Leadership & Strategy; M&B = Marketing & Branding; R = Reputation; E = Engagement
| Morning Workshops | 8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. |
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A. Linking Research to Results: Market Research Master Class (R), Greg Lyle, President, Innovative Research Group |
Introduction: Why is your carefully crafted communications campaigns not delivering the results you are looking for? How do you translate the ambiguous conversations of public discourse into actionable insights that drive communications strategies and corporate reputation?
Objective: In this workshop, Greg Lyle will help communications strategists understand how to use data to understand public opinion and drive corporate strategy. Through the use of real-life examples, the session will be illustrated with case studies and examples spanning corporate reputation, branding, and social marketing. Takeaways:
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B. Communicator as Coach: How a Coach Builds Stronger Teams and Relationships (L&S), Catherine Ducharme, Director, Smart & Savvy Academy + Peter Reek, CEO & Founder, Smart, Savvy & Associates |
Introduction: Our workplaces and the people working in them are changing at a rapid pace. The days of leaders telling people what to do is giving way to collaborative partnerships centered on achieving goals. This has huge implications for how communicators lead, communicate and build relationships. Leaders who adopt a coaching leadership style see increased employee performance, retention and engagement.
Objective: This highly interactive workshop introduces the foundational elements of coaching and equips participants with high-level concepts and basic skills to bring more of a coach approach to leadership. The workshop will be light on lecture and big on practice. Through coaching demos, real-plays and self-directed learning, participants will learn:
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C. Storytelling using Proprietary Data: The Lifeblood to Powering your PR and Content Marketing (M&B), Sarah Gooding, Communications & PR Manager, Unbounce |
Introduction: According to some pretty smart marketers, including Andy Crestodina from Orbit Media and Steve Rayson from Buzzsumo, proprietary data is one of the most powerful formats for content. So why are more people not doing it? Data helps communicators unearth interesting new trends and challenge information and facts that already exist.
Objective: Proprietary data powers media coverage, evergreen content, backlinks, social sharing and ROI. It works. This workshop will inspire you with real-life examples, a proven framework and actionable, creative tactics you can try out back at the office. Takeaways:
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| Lunch Break | 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. |
| Afternoon Workshops | 1:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. |
D. DIY Internal Communications Audit (CS), Priya Bates, ABC, SCMP, MC, IABC Fellow, President, Inner Strength Communcation Inc. |
Introduction: Communication strategies should always begin with research, but what if you don’t have the funds to hire an external agency to audit your internal communication efforts or you’d simply like to understand the process and build your research skills?
Objective: As an increased communication focus turns to the internal audience – employees, members, or partners – communication professionals must be able to use research effectively to influence employees and leaders to drive real impact. The data tells a story and positions you as the expert. Takeaways:
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E. How to Get Leaders to Listen to Us (L&S), Angela Sinickas, ABC, CEO, Sinickas Communication Inc. |
Introduction: Your professional experience and your title seem to have less impact on getting leaders to listen to good communication advice than you would like. What to do? It helps to speak their language—numbers—to get their attention. And then you need to use more effective techniques for presenting your solutions and being ready to address their objections.
Objective: This session will share examples of how to gather research quickly and effectively to make yourself more credible when you advise your management team. And then participants will have an opportunity to practice role plays to pitch their recommendations to leaders and address the objections they may come up with. Takeaways:
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F. Hearing From Who Cares: Stakeholder Engagement & the Communicator’s Role (E), Dr. Rebecca Sutherns, CEO, Sage Solutions |
Introduction: Engaging people in decision-making that affects them leads to wiser decisions for organizations that people will stand behind. Whether you are the sole communications practitioner expected to lead the engagement process, you hire an engagement specialist to do the work, or you’re a communicator in a large organization that need to work with your engagement peers, this workshop is for you.
Objective: Understand the fundamentals of strategic stakeholder engagement, the planning process and practical tools for designing the public engagement processes – and the role of the communicator and communications throughout. Takeaways:
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