education

Strategic Creative Communication Seminar

The only one-day workshop that covers the spectrum of communication—from research and planning to tactics and measurement.

Program

Schedule at a glance

Friday, 9 September

ABOUT THE PRESENTER

Through his work as a consultant, writer and seminar leader, Steve Crescenzo has helped thousands of communicators improve both their print and electronic communication efforts. Recognized as a leading expert in employee communication, Crescenzo presents three popular workshops - Strategic Employee Communication Vehicles, Integrating Print and Online Communication Vehicles, and the Master Class of Employee Communication - and a new one-day seminar, Creative Communications: Taking the Next Step.
 
Crescenzo has also presented at IABC's World Conferences and numerous IABC chapter and district events throughout the U.S. and Europe. He was the No. 1 rated speaker at IABC's World Conference in 2004, 2008 and 2009, and has been an all-star speaker at the conference for the past four years. Crescenzo also writes a regular column for Communication World.

YOU'll LEARN

Friday, 9 September

Step #1: Research
Communication starts with listening, and that’s what good research is: listening to your various audiences.
You’ll learn:

• What they think vs. what they know: the benefits of using both qualitative and quantitative research.
• How to do effective executive interviews, which, done properly, can not only position you as a business partner, but also help build support for your plan.
• The best strategies for conducting focus groups, making sure they don’t turn into gripe sessions, but instead yield tons of useful information—and ammunition when you build a case for changing how you communicate.
• Survey dos and don’ts—creating a survey that fuels your plan.
• Pulling it all together—how to report and use the insights you receive.

Step #2: Planning
The strategic plan is the cornerstone of any great communication program. In this seminar, you’ll create an effective one, step by step.
You’ll learn:

• The essential elements of a successful communication plan.
• How to win approval of your communication plan.
• Incorporating the most important information—your research from Step #1—into your plan.
• The top five biggest planning mistakes and how to avoid them.
• How to get it done. You have your plan, now what?In the seminar, you’ll create a system to make sure the right message gets into the right vehicle at the right time.
• How to budget for your communication planning. What good is a plan if you can’t afford to carry it out?

Step #3: Tactics and channels
This is the fun part. Once we’ve listened to our audiences and crafted our battle plan, it’s time to get to work. Communicators have so many tools at their disposal these days—social media, multimedia, online tools, print publications, face-to-face programs—but how do you use them all together? You’ll learn:

• How to incorporate the new tools—social media, multimedia, etc.—into the more traditional tools without overloading your employees with too much information.
• How to start using multimedia tools, such as podcasts and video right now—without blowing your budget.
• How to revamp your print publications, turn them into powerhouse communication vehicles, and integrate them with your online tools so that your channels are working together—and not competing with each other.
• The five things you must do to turn your intranet into a powerful tool that can drive employee engagement.
• How to shift gears and change your writing style when you move between writing for blogs, podcasts, print and the intranet.
• How to coach your leaders, and help them understand that social media tools are more than just new channels—they represent a whole new way to communicate to employees.

Step #4: Measurement
No communication plan is perfect. Nothing works all of the time. That’s why it’s crucial that strategic communicators determine what’s working and what isn’t. Are you changing behavior? Are you hitting your goals? Are your channels working?
You’ll learn:

• How to make sure you’re measuring “outcomes” and not “outputs,” so that you can tell if you are really moving the needle.
• How to use the most effective measurement tools—such as online polls, surveys, interviews, roundtable discussions, and even suggestion boxes!
• How often you need to measure: Every six months? Once a year? Every single day?
• Quick and affordable measurement tools you can use year-round, such as “surgical surveys,” story-rating tools, and “virtual” editorial boards.
• How to organize your feedback, and use it to build your case for change.