9:00 am – 10:15 am

T1: Employee Engagement

How Communicators Can Increase Employee Engagement Through Onboarding and Training
Amanda Holdsworth, Ed.D., APR; Assistant Professor, Cleary University; President CommunicatED Consulting

Communicators are not HR reps, but we are culture and branding professionals. During this presentation, learn why and how we can capture new employees’ enthusiasm and current employees’ motivation to create brand ambassadors. Even if communicators are left out of the onboarding process, we can drive organizational culture through regular trainings showcasing our expertise and knowledge. Doing so will not only build internal relationships by providing free professional development for our coworkers, but will also assist in streamlining our intake processes, boost morale, increase employee engagement and establish brand ambassadors.

T2: Internal Communications

Case Study: How Tenneco is Leading Change through Best-in-Class Plant Communications
David Grossman, ABC, APR, Fellow PRSA, CSP; Founder & CEO
The Grossman Group

Lisa Hartenberger, Director of Global Communications
Tenneco

In the manufacturing industry, plant employees are the heart of a company. Connecting employees to what matters most to the company/plant is vital and that communication comes with many challenges and poses some of the toughest work for communications teams and plant leaders. For Tenneco, improving communication in their plants became top priority with more than 80 plants around the world, important business/operations changes being introduced, and a commitment to improve employee engagement. Attendees will learn first-hand how the company’s Global Internal Communications team, together with The Grossman Group, triaged some of if its worst plants and turned them into best-practice.

T4: Communication

Copywriting … Without the Pain
Samantha Enslen, President
Dragonfly Editorial

Why is writing so painful? So slow? And why do we often wind up with poor results, even after endless agonizing? This session will debunk the myths that prevent us from writing quickly and effectively — and chart a clear path for pain-free writing. We’ll discuss:

•  How to speed your writing process by adopting four distinct personalities with distinct tasks
• How to use mind-mapping to break through writer’s block — and create a ready-to-write outline
• How to use tools like daily writing, Pomodoros, and half-finished sentences to destroy procrastination and get the job done.

9:00 am – 11:15 am

T5: Extended Session

Effective Crisis Communication: Putting Plans Into Practice
Deborah Hileman, SCMP; Member, IABC International Executive Board; President and CEO
Institute for Crisis Communication

Even the best-written crisis communication plan must be tested to assure that it integrates with operational response plans and business continuity and recovery efforts. Conducting regular simulation exercises is a critical component of effective crisis management. Putting plans and strategies to work in a crisis exercise gives participants the opportunity to identify gaps, refine tactics and strategy, and test plan protocols for efficacy. In this hands-on session, participants will review recommended crisis communication plan components and put their skills to work in an actual crisis simulation “tabletop” exercise. Participants also will receive templates and tools to implement in their workplace.

10:30 am – 11:45 am

T6: Consulting & Small Business

Going Out on Your Own: Launching Your Communication Consulting/Freelance Business
Ruth E. Thaler-Carter, Freelance Writer/Editor
“I can write about anything!”® and Communication Central

Today’s workplace isn’t the long-term professional home of the past. It’s volatile, and we’re vulnerable. That makes freelancing or consulting look very appealing, especially if you’ve been in the same job for quite a while and are starting to feel a little stale. Count on this session to provide the basics you need to go out on your own – personal characteristics, finding clients/projects, managing demands on your time, promoting your business, handling risks and challenges, and more from a colleague with many years of successful freelancing under her belt who is the author of “Freelancing 101: Launching Your Editorial Business.”

T7: Create & Innovate

How to Think, Speak and Lead Like an Innovator
Diane Gayeski, Ph.D., Dean
Roy H Park School of Communications, Ithaca College

Innovation is one of the top priorities for most CEOs today, but typically they don’t look to communication professionals for that responsibility or skill set. Moving forward in your career, to become recognized as an innovator you need to change the way you think, speak, and lead. Learn and practice some of the key techniques, concepts, and behaviors that we’ve designed into our executive-style master’s degree in communications innovation and hear what CEOs want from innovators and from communication professionals who have taken this knowledge to change their career trajectories.

T8: Integrated Media

Optimizing Your Corporate Website for Voice Search & Position 0
Kent Lewis, Adjunct Marketing Faculty, Portland State University; President & Founder
Anvil Media

Today’s phones and other personal devices contain personal assistants (Siri, Alexa, Google Assistant, Cortana, Bixby, etc.) which can connect users with timely answers to questions, recommend products or services or facilitate a purchase via voice search. ComScore/Campaign predict voice search will constitute half of all searches by 2020. Voice search and position 0 optimization provide corporate communicators an option to own the single best answer for common industry questions. This workshop outlines the importance of mastering voice search and position 0 rankings, as well as outlining best practices for winning the coveted pole position known as position 0.

T9: Employee Engagement

The Power of Us: A Case Study of One Company’s Journey to Transform Company Culture and Values
Grant McLaughlin, Vice President, Chief Marketing & Communications Officer
Booz Allen Hamilton

Dianna Zangrilli, Director, Engagement & Change
Booz Allen Hamilton

In 2017, Booz Allen Hamilton embarked on a journey to revitalize our corporate value system, a groundwork laid 103 years ago by our founders. This session chronicles the transformation that challenged and inspired our 23,000+ employees to embody who we are today by putting our purpose and values at the center of our daily interactions and decisions. It shows how harnessing the power of our people shaped and shared our values through a multimedia campaign — and made the change real for employees.

12:15 pm – 1:45 pm

Lunch General Session