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What’s Your Thing? 
Search “personal brand” online and see what comes up in your results. It’s a popular catch phrase currently. There’s plenty of information available about developing your personal brand, growing it and protecting it.

But, what really is your personal brand? There are the skills and experience you bring to a role. There are also personal qualities and traits only you possess that make you more desirable and marketable. And, in the age of social media, it’s critically important to build and protect a great reputation among peers, employers and clients.

Come join us on July 17 as we learn from 2013-2014 IABC Chair Robin McCasland about how to fully recognize and maximize the intangible qualities that enhance our reputation and make us more valuable and marketable communication professionals. You’ll also learn why it’s worthwhile to go “ego surfing” online to ensure your reputation is solid.

All about Robin
Robin McCasland is the 2013-2014 Chair of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). She is an accomplished communication professional, recognized among her clients and colleagues for creative approaches to internal communication, specializing in employee engagement strategies and internal branding. Robin is serving currently as the Employee Engagement and Internal Communication Leader for the Services division of Dell, Inc., in the Dallas area. Before joining Dell, she owned her own communication consulting practice. Previously, Robin was a director in the communication practice of Buck Consultants, a Xerox Company. Earlier in her career, Robin spent several years in internal communication, marketing and public relations roles with Texas Instruments and Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad. Robin is a past chair of the IABC Research Foundation and has also served on the IABC Southern Region board. She has been president of the Dallas and Fort Worth IABC chapters and was honored as an IABC Dallas Communicator of the Year. She has received an IABC Gold Quill, Silver Quill and several Bronze Quill awards over the past two decades. She has earned several Communicator Awards for her work on clients’ recruiting and benefits communication projects. Robin is a Leadership Texas alumnus, and received her bachelor’s degree in Organizational Communication from the University of Texas at Austin. She is also a member of the Public Relations Society of America.

Dear IABC Tulsa members,

As the reigning International Chapter of the Year and three-time Small Chapter of the Year winner, there are so many things going really well for our Tulsa chapter. However, one thing our members and guests consistently ask us to consider changing is the location for our monthly meetings. Well, ask and you shall receive!

After many years, lots of research and several “test drives,” the board of directors is excited to announce that we are moving to The Summit Club for the majority of our meetings for the remainder of 2013. If you were able to attend the meeting last month at The Summit Club, then you were a part of a group providing us with rave reviews. From the room to the acoustics to the food (oh, the glorious food!), you had hardly any comments to share that weren’t positive.

We believe switching to this new location is the right thing for our growing chapter that is attracting top-notch speakers from around the country. In order to make this change, we have to raise the prices of our monthly luncheons. Beginning in June, the cost for a member will be $25, with a $35 charge for non-members. This fee covers the professional development and networking sessions offered at each meeting, along with a gourmet-quality lunch.

Despite the slight increase, our monthly meeting prices remain very competitive with other professional organizations, and at the low end of pricing compared to other IABC chapters around the globe. We’re excited this change allows us meet the demands of our customers – you! – and offer a more sophisticated locale for our meetings.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at iabctulsa@gmail.com. Thanks as always for your support of our chapter.

Sincerely,

Shannon Frederick, ABC
President, IABC Tulsa

By Shannon Frederick, ABC, IABC/Tulsa President

IABC/Tulsa’s Membership Co-Chair, Summer Austin, called a few weeks ago with some good news: our local chapter has reached a milestone with a roster that currently boasts 75 members.

Let me put that into perspective for you. Assuming we retain all of our current members and we add one more person, we’ll no longer qualify as a small chapter; we’ll be a medium-sized chapter.

This is great news, yes, and it forced me to do some deep thinking. In order for our chapter to add that one more golden member, we’re going to have to get out and recruit. What would make someone join IABC? Why did I join 13 years ago? Why do I stay a member? Here’s what I came up with:

• Networking – Expanding my social network, as well as fostering the strong relationships I’ve already built, is the No. 1 reason that I joined IABC and choose to keep my membership current. There’s always someone in the IABC family who can offer advice on a work situation, job search, chapter business or just about life in general. It’s nice to know so many people who share my passion for this industry!
• Accreditation – This won’t apply to all members (though I wish that it did), but those of us who have earned the distinction of Accredited Business Communicators must retain our membership. It’s simply part of the deal with nearly any professional organization that offers accreditation. No complaints here, though. Being an ABC has opened my eyes to a whole new crop of talented professionals within the profession – and you’ve already heard how much I like networking.
• Professional development – When you’re at your desk all day, it’s hard to stay current on trends in the industry and find time to learn new skills. IABC/Tulsa offers some of the best professional development opportunities in the world. It’s true – remember we received an award for our PD efforts. And let’s not forget the conferences, distance learning opportunities and published materials that IABC affords to its members.
• Mentoring – When I was first getting my toes wet as a professional communicator, it was through involvement in IABC that allowed me to build relationships with some amazing mentors. These seasoned professionals helped me to build my skills for work; fostered my passion for IABC and encouraged me to take on leadership roles at the chapter level; and one very important mentor (you know who you are) pushed me to prepare for the ABC exam. Wouldn’t you like someone to take an interest in your career and help you to be the best you can be?!

Do these thoughts resonate for you? If they don’t, and even if they do, please visit our Facebook page and tell us why you choose to be a member of IABC.

Then let’s all get to work recruiting member No. 76 and pushing our Small Chapter of the Year* to medium-sized!

*P.S. We were also the 2013 International Chapter of the Year…just in case you haven’t heard.

Join the online community for IABC’s biggest event of the year. Connect with fellow attenders and speakers, upload photos, post and comment on blogs and discussions, and stay updated on conference news. Get a preview of great content from articles and discussions with featured speakers.

Visit wc-connections.iabc.com to enter the conversation.

LATEST VIDEOS
Karin Basaraba, ABC: Creating a social media strategy to fit your company’s needs
Steven Schnoll: Tablet and mobile technology
Philip Weiss: Hyperthinking

A benefit of IABC membership is the opportunity to participate in free professional development webinars.

Introduction to visualization
May 14, 2013, 10 a.m. CDT
Presented by Alberto Cairo, Lecturer, University of Miami, School of Communication and author of “The Functional Art: An introduction to information graphics and visualization”

15.7 Ways to maximize your IABC World Conference experience even before you start packing
June 5, 2013, 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. CDT
Presented by Karen Susman, speaker, author and coach, Karen Susman and Associates

Change Communication that Creates Value

Communicating change in organizations is a constant challenge. As the C-suite has gotten more sophisticated, so too are its expectations of communication in a change effort. Senior leaders/executives want real value and measurable results. Understanding the dynamics of change, types of changes and how communication can push the change process forward makes us more valuable to those leaders. In this interactive session you’ll learn:

1. The seven planning steps that ensure consistent response to change
2. How to focus on behaviors that deliver business value
3. How to respond to changes that occur within your larger change effort

Plus, you’ll participate in exercises you can take back to help others in your organization be more responsive to change when it comes to your door. As a bonus, you’ll get a valuable tool for use in your next change initiative.

All about Stacy

Stacy Wilson, ABC, founded Eloquor Consulting, Inc., in 2001, to help large companies communicate more effectively with employees. Eloquor specializes in intranet/portal governance, usability and content, and change communication. Stacy has 25+ years of communication experience. Clients include XL Group, ConocoPhillips, Pitney Bowes and Newmont Mining. Stacy is a past IABC International board member and past chair of the IABC Southern Region Conference. Stacy has a bachelor’s in public relations from SMU, is a frequent speaker and published author.

Register Today!

The annual World Conference is scheduled for June 23-26 in New York City, and IABC Tulsa wants to help send one lucky member to this big event. It’s easy to enter, simply follow these guidelines:

IABC Tulsa members may nominate themselves or other members for this contest.

Send an email to iabctulsa@gmail.com and answer these three questions (150 words or less for each question):

1. How have you (or the person you are nominating) participated in IABC?
2. How will the opportunity to attend World Conference 2013 benefit your career?
3. How will you use this experience to give back to your work team and other members of IABC Tulsa?

Nominations must be received by 5 p.m. CT Thursday, April 18. Late entries will be disqualified.

Nominees must have a currently active membership with IABC Tulsa from the time of entry submission through the World Conference in June. Active membership will be confirmed through the current chapter roster maintained by IABC Headquarters in San Francisco.

Entries will be reviewed by a small group of judges with representatives from IABC Tulsa’s Board, and possibly leaders from other chapters. The winner will be notified by April 30.

In addition to receiving a World Conference registration (valued at more than $1,000), the winner will be granted a $400 voucher from IABC Tulsa to help cover other travel costs.

The winner must be willing to share stories from his/her World Conference experience with other IABC Tulsa members via one or more of the following options:

• Writing daily posts on the chapter’s Facebook page
• Sharing photos via Twitter or Facebook
• Writing an article for the July edition of the chapter newsletter
• Possibly giving a download at a monthly meeting
• Or another option to be agreed upon with the winner and the chapter’s board

The chapter also will promote a profile of the winner through its various communications channels. The winner must be willing to provide a bio and photo for these promotions.

Good luck to all of the entrants, and please email iabctulsa@gmail.com if you have any questions.

PRESIDENT’S COLUMN
By Shannon Frederick, ABC, IABC/Tulsa President

There are only a few moments in my life where I’ve truly been shocked:

1. At age 15, after a brutal spill on my bicycle that resulted in some nasty injuries.
2. The night my husband got down on one knee and popped the big question.
3. A few weeks ago, when IABC/Tulsa not only received its third, back-to-back Small Chapter of the Year Award, but was also recognized as the International Chapter of the Year.

Now don’t you be shocked because, yes, you read that right: IABC Tulsa is the best IABC chapter in the whole wide world!

This is the first time in history that our chapter has received this distinction – and, it’s worth noting, this is a distinction that isn’t often given to smaller chapters.

The big reveal of our awards came during IABC’s annual Leadership Institute (LI) conference.  Each year during LI, IABC holds its Chapter Management Awards (CMAs) ceremony. For those who aren’t familiar, the CMAs recognize leadership abilities, management skills and creativity of chapter leaders around the globe.

Chapters can receive awards for their efforts in various areas, and those that exhibit the best work across the board are recognized with the Small Chapter (less than 75 members), Medium Chapter (76 to 200 members) and Large Chapter (201 or more members) of the Year Awards. From those winners, one chapter is selected as the International Chapter of the Year.

That’s us!

And the fun didn’t stop there. The Tulsa chapter was also recognized with Awards of Merit for our work in Leadership Development and Financial Management, and Awards of Excellence for Communications and Professional Development.

In other words, we cleaned up.

But back to the shock … IABC Tulsa was well represented at LI. Angela Byers, Ginger Homan, ABC, Rachel Wagner and I were all in attendance. With the four CMA awards and the Small Chapter of the Year designation, the four of us had spent a lot of time on the stage with IABC International leaders. Yet, when they called out “IABC Tulsa” for the big International Chapter of the Year award, I still couldn’t register what was happening. A few seconds had to pass before I could react with pure joy. Here’s a picture that captured the moment pretty well.

The fact of the matter is that I shouldn’t be shocked that we won. None of us should be shocked. There are amazing things going on with IABC Tulsa, and we’ve been doing lots of award-winning work for several years now.

It’s just nice to finally see the rest of the world recognizing us for what we already knew: that we are the best of the best.

Thanks for all you do to make this possible.