IABC Master Class: Plan for Impact: Strategic Communication Planning From Business Need to Measurable Results
Presenter: Sia Papageorgiou FRSA, FCCSE, IABC Fellow, SCMP
Price: $199 for members, $279 for Member Lite and nonmembers
Dates:
Every communication plan should answer four questions: What business need are we addressing? Where can communication make the greatest contribution? What needs to change in what people know, think, feel or do? How will we know it worked?
Plan for Impact is a practical 3.5-hour masterclass built around the Centre for Strategic Communication Excellence’s proven eight-step strategic communication planning process.
You will learn how to translate a business need into a clear communication opportunity and intended outcomes, develop meaningful SMART objectives, define your measurement approach, analyse audiences, develop messages, and tactics and plan how results will be evaluated. You will also explore how return on investment can be calculated and how measurement findings can provide valuable business insight.
The process can be applied to any communication strategy, initiative, or campaign and provides a strong foundation for developing an IABC Gold Quill entry. Your facilitator, Sia Papageorgiou, is an IABC Fellow who has used this process to develop work recognised with 16 IABC Gold Quill Awards of Excellence, including two Best of the Best honours.
You will leave with an end-to-end planning process you can apply immediately to your own work.
Who should attend
This masterclass is designed for communication professionals who contribute to, plan, lead or advise on communication strategies, initiatives, and campaigns. It will be particularly valuable for professionals who want to strengthen their strategic planning discipline, develop better objectives, conduct more useful audience analysis, and demonstrate the results of their work with greater credibility.
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Meet Sia Papageorgiou
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Sia Papageorgiou is internationally recognised as one of the communication profession’s leading strategic practitioners and thought leaders. With more than three decades of experience spanning journalism, public relations, corporate communication and strategic advisory roles across government, business and the not-for-profit sector, she has helped organisations strengthen communication capability, improve business outcomes, and elevate the role of communication as a trusted leadership function.
One of the world’s most awarded communication strategists, Sia has received more than 60 accolades for excellence in strategic communication, leadership, and professional contribution. She is the co-founder of the Centre for Strategic Communication Excellence (CSCE), a global professional development and insights organisation that works with organisations around the world to build strategic communication capability and advance professional standards. Sia is recognised internationally for her contribution to advancing the communication profession. Her work has influenced professional standards, certification, capability development and strategic communication practice through the development of frameworks, learning systems, and thought leadership that continue to shape how strategic communication is understood and applied around the world.
A long-standing member of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), Sia has served as a board director of IABC Asia Pacific, President of the IABC Victoria chapter, and Chair of the Global Communication Certification Council (GCCC), where she helped advance global communication certification aligned with internationally recognised ISO standards and strengthened professional practice worldwide. Her contribution to the profession has been recognised through its highest honours. In 2021, she was named IABC Asia Pacific Communicator of the Year. In 2022, she received the prestigious IABC Rae Hamlin Award for advancing the Global Standard of the Communication Profession. In 2026, she was inducted as an IABC Fellow — the association’s highest honour, recognising an outstanding career and exceptional contribution to the global communication profession. The GovComms Institute has described Sia as "one of the superstars of the communication profession".
Today, Sia works with organisations to strengthen strategic communication capability, governance, and leadership. Her work continues to focus on raising professional standards, helping communication functions become more strategic, measurable and influential, and equipping communication professionals to operate with the credibility, discipline, and business acumen the profession demands.
IABC Master Class: A Quiet Shift: How Polarization Is Reshaping Corporate Communication
Presenter: Fred Cook
Price: $199 for members, $279 for Member Lite and nonmembers
Dates:
- 26 October 2026 at 11:00 am - 12:30 pm CT
- 2 November 2026 at 11:00 am - 12:30 pm CT
The presentation and discussion will explore the impact of polarization on corporate communication. Over the past year, many of the world’s largest companies have remained silent on issues important to their stakeholders—raising important questions for communication professionals.
Who should attend
This masterclass is ideal for communication professionals responsible for corporate reputation, stakeholder engagement, and organizational messaging. Participants will explore how polarization is shaping communication strategies, and gain practical insights for navigating complex issues with confidence.
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Meet Fred Cook
Fred Cook is the director of the USC Center for Public Relations, a professor of professional practice at the University of Southern California (USC), and chairman emeritus of the global PR firm Golin. During his 35-plus years at Golin, he has had the privilege to work with a variety of high-profile CEOs, including Herb Kelleher, Jeff Bezos and Steve Jobs, and to manage clients including Nintendo, Toyota, and Disney.
His book, "Improvise: Unconventional Career Advice from an Unlikely CEO," shares the wisdom he gained as a cabin boy on a Norwegian tanker, doorman at a 5-star hotel, and chauffeur for drunks. The book serves as the foundation for his popular USC honors class on Improvisational Leadership. As director of the USC Center for Public Relations, Fred leads its mission to connect corporations, agencies, academics, and students to define the future of the PR industry and to develop those who will shape it. He has connected a board of more than 70 corporate communications and agency leaders — including representatives from eight of the top 20 U.S. PR firms and 25 Fortune 500 or comparable-size private companies — who mentor students, shape curriculum, and help prepare the next generation of communications leaders.