education

IABC Employee Communication Conference

The new business imperative: Using communication to engage and inspire today’s complex workforce

Program

Browse the program below.

Schedule at a glance

The Employee Communication Conference sessions are organized into two tracks to help you determine which sessions are best suited for your educational and career needs. You do not need to select only one track, but may attend sessions from both tracks.

Track 1 - Best practices in employee communication vehicles

Track 2 - Best practices in employee communication strategies

Thursday, 6 November

Friday, 7 November

Full program

Thursday, 6 November

7:45 a.m.
Registration

8–8:45 a.m.
Continental breakfast and welcome

8:45–9:45 a.m.
Opening keynote address

Creating a Great Place to Work®: Lessons from Fortune’s 100 Best

Each year, the Great Place to Work® Institute Inc. selects the “100 Best Companies to Work for in America” and publishes this list in Fortune magazine. The Institute has amassed a sizable body of research on how the 100 Best create workplace environments that leverage the talent and skill of their workforces and enjoy tangible business value for their efforts. In this keynote session, Michael Burchell will discuss current trends and innovative best practices of the 100 Best as well as next generation practices for improving and sustaining great workplaces.

From this session, you will:

• Understand the essential ingredients of a Great Place to Work® and the role trust plays
• Examine the business case for developing a great workplace and identify opportunities for change in organization
• Learn the best practices of the 100 best companies and how to apply to the Fortune competition

Michael Burchell is director of client services and a senior consultant with The Great Place to Work® Institute Inc. Prior to joining the Institute, Burchell was an internal training and organizational development associate with W.L. Gore & Associates Inc. Gore, makers of Gore-tex, is one of five companies that has been listed in every one of Fortune’s annual ranking of 100 Best Companies to Work for in America.

10–11:15 a.m.

Track 1 / Communications 2.0: Leveraging new media
Marriott International, Inc. has integrated its global communications and public affairs platform to drive headlines that have yielded significant results in communicating the company’s key initiatives, brand and financial performance to internal and external audiences. The result has been a “360-degree” communication strategy that aligns the best of new and traditional media to bring the right message to the right audience through the right channels.

Through this case study, you will learn ways to:

• Embrace new media to refresh existing channels—and launch new ones
• Align and integrate internal and external communication
• Reach global audiences with a consistent voice

Terry Weisz Bauder is vice president of internal communication for Marriott International, Inc., responsible for internal communication strategy development, design and deployment. Weisz Bauder develops communication tools for Marriott operations, creates communication programs for specific disciplines and business segments, and offers consultative support to internal business units. As founder and chair of Marriott’s Internal Communications Council, she is a senior advisor to council members in their efforts to develop strategic internal communications policies, programs and activities, establish key message consistency and perpetuate communication best practices.

Track 2 / How eBay links internal communication with the CEO's agenda
Since 2003, Watson Wyatt has surveyed more than 750 companies to examine the relationship between an organization's employee communication practices and its business performance. The survey responses—completed by human resources and communication leaders representing more than 12 million employees worldwide—tell us that top-performing organizations do things differently than their lower-performing peers. Learn how the internal communication team at eBay uses this data to position communication with senior management and prioritize their yearly communication plan. In this interactive presentation, you’ll be privy to the best practices that offer the greatest potential for increasing communication effectiveness.

You will:

• Learn the secrets of top performers, including eBay
• Discover some secrets in the making
• Understand the nine practices that lead to effective communication

Peter Vogt is the senior director of employee communication and engagement for eBay Inc., responsible for connecting and communicating with the company’s 16,000 employees around the world. Prior to joining eBay, Peter was director of internal communication for Microsoft, where he helped develop global web casts for company chairman Bill Gates and CEO Steve Ballmer. Vogt has received many awards for his work in employee communication, including a Gold Quill Award, The Creativity in Public Relations Award, the PRSA Silver Anvil and was a PR Week Award nominee for best international communication program.

Kathryn Yates is Watson Wyatt’s communication global practice director. With more than 25 years of experience in communication and operations management, Yates is accomplished in all aspects of employee communication and change management, with particular expertise in helping organizations develop strategies and programs to build strong, productive employee-employer relationships. At Watson Wyatt, Yates led a global team in developing the firm’s comprehensive change management methodology, now used internationally. She also led the team that launched the groundbreaking Communication ROI Study, which helps clients connect effective communication practices to financial results.

11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

Track 1 / Discover communication ‘gold’ in employee action teams: How Rolls-Royce partnered with frontline employees to improve communication
When Rolls-Royce Engine Services-Oakland (RRESO) needed to undertake a major initiative to boost employee engagement, Raj Sharma, president, put control in the hands of frontline employees and partnered with a change management consultancy. In just one year, RRESO witnessed a 16 percent increase in annual operating income, employee business and customer knowledge improved by 30 percent, and 40 percent of action team members had been promoted.

This session will discuss how RRESO:

• Successfully partnered with L.M. Dulye & Co and applied ten drivers for change to achieve these results
• Started and sustained employee action teams, identified new talent and developed senior leaders’ communication skills
• Built trust between employees and leadership, and increased productivity

Kristen L. Denney, program manager, employee engagement and communication, has more than 12 years of experience in the aerospace industry. Denney is responsible for Rolls-Royce Engine Services-Oakland (RRESO)’s internal communications and its award-winning employee engagement program, Winning Workplace. She is also editor of RRESO’s weekly newsletter, The Voice, and has contributed articles to industry publications outside of RRESO. Prior to joining RRESO, Denney was employed with Premier Turbines, bringing a solid background in materials buying and planning, having worked with models of engines from several different manufacturers including General Electric, Honeywell and Rolls-Royce.

Linda Dulye is internationally recognized for using two-way communication and employee engagement teams to increase business performance at Fortune 500 and other large organizations. She founded L.M. Dulye & Co. with a business process approach for improving communication effectiveness.

Track 2 / A critical partnership: The roles managers and communicators play in creating an engaged, informed and productive workforce
Behind every engaged workforce lies an effective alliance between employee communication and management. It's a critical partnership, and it is one that can mean the difference between higher or lower productivity and great client service. In this case study, learn how the global employee communication and senior management teams at the JP Morgan Investment Bank work together to create employee communication and engagement experiences that are effective, pragmatic and well coordinated.

You'll discover:

• Steps for gaining true buy-in from managers for participating in the employee engagement process
• The role communicators play in fostering an "engagement alliance" with management
• Examples of how executives use face-to-face, written and online communications to create a multi-channel, multi-frequency approach to reach their teams
• The accountability issue: using "process-light" measures and tracking to hold managers accountable for employee engagement

Emily Brodeur is a managing director and head of global business and executive communication for JPMorgan's Investment Bank. Her areas of responsibility include business and executive communication and employee engagement planning and execution, as well as internal news content development and channel management. Brodeur has held several other internal communication positions within JPMorgan Chase, including worldwide securities services, global finance, retail financial services, technology and operations, and six sigma. Previously, Brodeur was the director of national internal communication for the YWCA of the U.S. and the director of communication and community outreach at Pace University in New York.

12:30–1:45 p.m.
Luncheon keynote address:

Beyond Facebook: How relationships fuel social networking and drive talent engagement Blogs, podcasts, wikis, faux Facebooks. So last millennium. How can you expect people to do something new if you keep communicating with them in ways that are quickly growing old? How can you use technology and the social networks that exist within your organization to reach the hearts and minds of employees across all generations? You will learn: Why identifying social networks matters How to use technology to enable social networks Ways to leverage social media to drive measurable results

Leah Reynolds is national practice leader for generational change and total rewards communication with Deloitte Consulting LLP. Reynolds is a frequent speaker and writer on generational change as an emerging challenge and opportunity for 21st-century communicators.

Will Major is the deputy national practice lead for strategic communication within the human capital practice of Deloitte Consulting LLP. Major has a record of delivering creative and effective communication campaigns for Fortune 100 companies that link organizational strategy to the workforce through emerging technology and innovative solutions.

2–3 p.m.

Track 1 / Connecting employees to strategic objectives through social media
Mayo Clinic attributes its reputation as the leading U.S. brand in healthcare to word-of-mouth recommendations from satisfied patients. Keeping employees informed about news that affects them and Mayo Clinic's priorities has been essential in fostering a positive employee culture that strives to give the best care to every patient, every day. This has helped Mayo Clinic create the patient experience that is responsible for its brand position and its success in attracting and retaining talent. In this presentation, you will hear about Mayo Clinic’s experiences , particularly those connected to communicating its strategic objectives through social media.

Specifically, this session will cover:

• Developing a long-range communication plan to educate employees about the organization's strategic objectives
• Incorporating social media tools into the mix of communications tactics
• Measuring the success of the plan

Linda Donlin is manager, enterprise employee communication, for Mayo Clinic. She has 20 years of experience in internal and external communication in for-profit, publicly traded organizations, as well as in large nonprofit companies. She considers herself a social media novice, who is learning to use new tools to enhance solid strategic communication methods.

Track 2 / Blowing up the traditional employee communication model: Delivering results that impact the bottom line
It’s an elusive goal for many communicators—determining how to deliver results that clearly impact the organization’s bottom line. Unfortunately, it’s often too easy in employee communication to get lost in output—spending time on formal communication channels instead of focusing on outcomes. But communicators have the ability to deliver on what really matters—helping your company get better, sustainable results by engaging employees. Learn how ConAgra Foods’ corporate communication shifted from the churn of traditional output to helping leaders address communication and other leadership- and people-related breakdowns to improve business performance.

In this session, you’ll cover:

• How managers can become better leaders and enable employees to be catalysts for improving performance
• Shifting from the traditional communication mindset to one focused on delivering measurable business results
• Using existing communication tools in the overall mix of solutions to improve outcomes

Bob Kula is senior director of corporate communication at ConAgra Foods, a US$11 billion consumer-packaged-goods company. Kula is responsible for the strategic direction, planning and implementation of internal, media and issue communication for the company’s supply chain operations. Kula has helped ConAgra Foods develop and implement progressive performance-based communication programs, including initiatives to improve quality in the company’s supply chain and improve plant safety through engagement. He previously worked at Solectron Corporation and Weber Shandwick in communication and public relations leadership roles.

3–3:30 p.m.
Coffee break

3:30–4:30 p.m.

Track 1 / Powerful print...it still works!
Print is dead, huh? Not at Walgreens. The retailer prints close to ten regular employee publications, including a 28-page magazine that’s been published for 75 years. See how the magazine has evolved and the secrets to engaging more than 230,000 employees through print.

In this session, you’ll learn:

• The value of powerful photography in your employee newsletter
• Reasons why your writing should sound like a conversation, not a bad monologue
• Techniques for developing a solid relationship with your designer

Brodie Bertrand is the manager of employee publications in corporate communications for Walgreen Co., a Fortune 50 company and the largest drugstore chain in the United States. Bertrand has worked on both external and internal communication for Walgreen Co., starting as a corporate communication intern, and currently oversees more than ten employee publications for Walgreens.

Track 2 / Where do you fit in our profession?
Mark Schumann, ABC, vice chair of IABC, will lead an “open mike” conversation on the state of our profession—based on results and insights from the recently completed Profile by the IABC Research Foundation—and how each of us can create opportunities to be heard. Join this session for a great way to conclude the first day of the conference.

Schumann will ask:

• What is happening in our profession—the challenges, the opportunities, the roles—and where does your work fit in?
• What skills are needed to make our profession (and our professions) essential to organizations—and what new skills should we be developing?
• How do your work, your organization, your reporting relationships, your pay and your priorities fit in a profession as relevant as today’s headlines?

Mark Schumann, ABC, is a 15-time winner of the Gold Quill Award, a past Communicator of the Year of Dallas and Houston and incoming chairman of IABC. He is the managing principal of the Towers Perrin office in Houston and formerly served as the firm’s global leader of the communication consulting business. He is the co-author of Brand from the Inside and the upcoming Brand for Talent.

Friday, 7 November

7:30–8 a.m.
Continental breakfast

8–9 a.m.
Morning keynote session

Making communication real by being real

When Sam Gilliland was named to lead Sabre Holdings in late 2003, he was determined to change the corporate culture—making it more nimble, with less hierarchy and more individual accountability—to keep Sabre competitive in a highly dynamic travel industry. He realized that improving communication at all levels of the organization was central to his goal, and that it started with him. In less than five years, Gilliland has driven rapid global change at the company while ushering in a communication culture that has earned a best-in-class rating for employee communication (among the top 10 percent of all companies surveyed) for two years running.

In this session, you’ll hear a CEO’s perspective on what it takes to create world-class communication, such as:

• Lead by example—and hold your other leaders to the same high standard
• Start with actions—no amount of talk will resonate with employees unless leadership shows it means what it’s saying
• Let it be—give up some control and bring people closer to you

Sam Gilliland, chairman and CEO of Sabre Holdings, first entered the travel industry as an undergraduate electrical engineering student who partnered with his roommate to start a travel information kiosk business. Two decades later, as the head of Sabre, his love of travel, continued entrepreneurial spirit and technical expertise inform his leadership of more than 9,000 employees in 59 countries. Before his appointment to the CEO role, which he handles from a cubicle just like any other employee at Sabre’s Texas headquarters, Gilliland served in several leadership positions during his 20 years with the company, including president and CEO of Travelocity.

9:15–10:15 a.m.

Track 1 / How the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention uses intranet to engage and inform its workforce
Learn about the development and maturation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) employee communication program and its award-winning cornerstone product CDC Connects, the employee-focused intranet portal and online newspaper. The presenter will share stories, practical steps and lessons learned as the CDC reaches out to its most valuable asset—its employees.

Discover how to:

• Make your intranet a popular must-read news channel
• Use fresh news and accessible enterprise tools together to build community
• Introduce an internal blog and help it mature, including the pitfalls and payoffs

Kay Sessions Golan began the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) employee communication program in 2003. She developed and now manages its award-winning cornerstone product CDC Connects, the employee-focused intranet portal and online newspaper. Golan was CDC’s director of media relations from 1998 until 2002, where she served a pivotal role in oversight of the crisis communication team during the anthrax/bioterrorism events following 11 September 2001. During that time, CDC was mentioned more than 1,000 times a week in newspapers alone. She previously served as a CDC spokesperson and senior press officer from 1991 until 1998.

Track 2 / Engaging the Millennial workforce: What used to work, doesn’t
The new generation of teens and 20-somethings entering the workforce bring with them values, behaviors and communication preferences that challenge our traditional communication methods and assumptions. How can we communicate with employees who are plugged into iPods and cell phones, and how can we leverage the needs that drive the virtual intimacy of their buddy lists and Facebook blogs? We need to attract and retain the best of this generation to win the impending war for talent.

Based on consulting, research and teaching experience with the Millennial generation, our expert will share:

• The social and psychological factors that make Millennials tick
• Ways leading companies are leveraging social networks, parents, YouTube, Facebook, podcasts and mobile computing tools for recruitment and engagement
• Strategies for dealing with the growing percentage of Millennials who will require accommodations for learning and communication disabilities, as well as religious and personal lifestyles

Diane Gayeski, Ph.D., is internationally acknowledged as a communication futurist, consultant and scholar. Through her firm, Gayeski Analytics, she has led more than 300 projects to help clients evaluate and adopt new technologies and techniques for organizational communication and learning. Gayeski’s clients for Millennial strategies include Metropolitan Life Insurance, TAP Pharmaceuticals, the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, and the Internal Revenue Service. She is also an associate dean and professor of strategic communication in the Roy H. Park School of Communications at Ithaca College. The author of 14 books, Gayeski is a frequent keynote speaker and leader of in-house executive briefings.

10:30–11:30 a.m.

Track 1 / How to use video to communicate with employees
Airline pilots are a tough group to reach—their office is in the cockpit, they don’t have a desk and are rarely able to spend time with their supervisors. So, how do you share important company news and information with this group? How do you make their interactions with the company more positive?UPS Airlines answered this communication challenge with a web site that pilots could access from anywhere. Learn how UPS Airlines created a multimedia web site that doesn’t just keep crewmembers informed—it closes the gap between the front line and leadership.

In this session, you’ll discover how the UPS Airline communication team has been successful in opening communication with pilots. You’ll discover how to:

• Start your own multimedia website on a shoestring budget
• Grow your audience to a critical mass
• Build credibility with the c-level and the front lines simultaneously by carefully managing messaging

Jim Mayer is a video producer and web content manager for UPS Airlines. In addition to five years with UPS, he worked for more than a dozen years as a television news reporter as well as manager of a government cable channel manager. Jim won an IABC Gold Quill Award of Excellence in 2005 for AirUPSers.com, a streaming video website for UPS pilots.

Jim Obst has been with UPS Airlines for nearly 15 years, holding a variety of positions before joining the communication department ten years ago. Obst has helped build the company’s electronic communication program. A self-taught web programmer, his fingerprints are on six of the 12 most heavily trafficked websites on the UPS Airlines intranet. Obst also oversees the production of print publications with a combined circulation of nearly 15,000 employees. His team has earned dozens of IABC/Kentucky Landmark awards and a Gold Quill Award for AirUPSers.com.

Track 2 / Using communication to design and drive transformative corporate change: Capital One becomes a bank
During the past three years, Capital One has transformed itself into a national banking leader through acquisitions, leadership changes, and extensive integration and rebranding efforts. Attend this session to hear time-tested learnings and perspective from this company’s experience.

You’ll learn how to:

• Use leadership transitions and rebranding to drive step changes in culture
• Map audience and cultural differences to drive communication to new associates
• Build new and scalable channels to create and engage a communication culture

Marc Cooper is senior director of bank communication, accountable for all messaging in Capital One Bank, which has over 700 branches and more than 13,000 associates. Prior to joining the bank leadership team, Cooper led a small group of communication professionals working on large-scale change projects for Capital One. Previously, Cooper worked as a consultant with Cooper-Johri (Montreal), Watson Wyatt and as an owner/operator of his own firm.

11:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Closing luncheon & keynote

The care and feeding of CEOs
Communicators know it’s important for leadership to live the organization’s values, deliver the message and "walk the talk." And, communicators often craft the words these leaders speak. Communicators frequently do more than simply develop the message— they often create the experience desired for employees and coach the CEO in their communication and actions. This session will focus on the many dimensions of how communicators support senior leaders, in front of and behind the scenes, including helping senior leaders in their use of social media.

In this session, you will learn how to:

• Authentically—and effectively—coach how a CEO communicates
• Carefully—and thoroughly—coach how a CEO acts, to avoid undermining the communication
• Creatively—and strategically—use social media to advance a CEO’s message

Mark Schumann, ABC, is a 15-time winner of the Gold Quill Award, a past Communicator of the Year of Dallas and Houston and incoming chairman of IABC. He is the managing principal of the Towers Perrin office in Houston and formerly served as the firm’s global leader of the communication consulting business. He is the co-author of Brand from the Inside and the upcoming Brand for Talent.