by Megan Patterson, IABC/Tulsa President

October is finally here, bringing with it cooler weather, pumpkin patches, football-filled Saturdays and… Member Month at IABC! If you’ve been on the fence about joining or your current membership is up for renewal, October is the perfect time to invest (or reinvest) in IABC. Join or renew during October and you’ll receive 10 percent off international dues, pay no application fee and be entered into a drawing to win one of two $500 Amazon gift cards. Are you already an IABC member? Don’t worry; there are great incentives this month for you as well! Refer your peers and receive a $10 Amazon gift card for every member you refer – no limit!

Join or renew this month and take advantage of all the amazing benefits of membership including discounts on webinars, online research materials, access to an active online job database, great local and international conferences, not to mention all of the networking benefits and fun events hosted by your local Tulsa chapter.

Check out the calendar of upcoming events and member webinars below. IABC/Tulsa’s very own Rhonda Rathje from Walmart is conducting a multi-session online workshop beginning Oct. 20 – The ABCs of Strategic Communications. Learn more about Rhonda below in our “Meet a Member” feature.

If an in-person workshop is more your style, we have a great line-up of those as well. You won’t want to miss our upcoming professional development events including our half-day Communicator’s Summit – Rumor Has It – co-hosted with Tulsa PRSA. Early-bird registration ends Friday, Oct. 14.

There’s no better time to join or renew with IABC/Tulsa. Gain access to the area’s top communications professionals and receive discounts and membership benefits that will help you fine-tune your communications skills, no matter where you are in your career.

If you have questions about membership or Member Month incentives, click here or contact Hayley Westwood or Natasha Mitchell.

Presented By

Platinum Sponsors

Join IABC and PRSA at the annual Communicators Summit to learn all about successfully managing rumors and your reputation. Our experts have weathered the rumor mill and will share their insights, tips, tricks and lessons learned.

Speakers:
Mayor-Elect GT Bynum 
G.T. Bynum was elected the 40th Mayor of Tulsa on June 28, 2016. He will be sworn in to that office on Dec. 5, 2016. During his presentation, Bynum will share his experiences during the political campaign, including his winning strategy to stay positive. He will discuss some of the PR and communication challenges his team faced along the way and how they managed them. He will also share ways companies can educate their employees about candidates and their issues, without violating ethics.

Vision Tulsa Team

• Nick Doctor — Director of Government Relations, Tulsa Regional Chamber
• Trebor Worthen — Senior Partner, AH Strategies
• Jesse Boudiette — President, Propeller Communications
• Barrett Waller, APR — President & CEO, Waller & Company Public Relations
• Sheila Curley, APR — Principal, Owner, SixPR

On April 5, 2016, voters throughout Tulsa County approved a renewal of the original Vision 2025 funds. The new Vision Tulsa package will address Tulsa’s needs for public safety, streets and transportation, while also generating jobs and economic impact. Meet the campaign team who successfully convinced voters to say “yes” by wide margins. The campaign was a huge success, but it certainly wasn’t easy. The team will explain how they used research, paid advertising, social media, special events, earned media and employee communications to educate Tulsans about the vote and manage misinformation and rumors.

Bonnie Caver
Whether you are running a campaign, gaining support for a major initiative or managing a company, your reputation with stakeholders can make for smooth sailing or an uphill battle. In this session, we’ll learn about what you can do every day to improve your reputation and make the reputation you have positively impact the bottom line. We’ll also look at how to insulate your reputation so you survive the daily hurdles of business and come out even better on the other side of crisis.

Ticket Prices:

• Members – $50
• Non-members – $60
• Students – $25
• Journalist – $25 (Must be currently employed by a media outlet)

Click Here to Regsister

Sponsored by Williams

Are you ready to submit a winning Bronze Quill – one that can also win Silver and Gold? This session will cover what you need to consider when writing your work plan. Understand what the judges are looking for and how to structure your submittal for success.

Ginger D. Homan, ABC, is founder of Zia Communications, a firm specializing in changing behaviors, building communities and transforming thinking. Her award-winning communication model has been used by foundations and corporations to grow brands and align cultures. Ginger serves as secretary/treasurer on IABC’s International Executive Board. Her work has been honored with Bronze, Silver and Gold Quills. She is a recipient of the IABC Chairman’s Award, Tulsa Chapter’s John Hartman Professional Communicator award and Leadership Tulsa’s Paragon Award for her board service with nonprofits.

Click here to register

by Megan Patterson, IABC/Tulsa President

In August, your IABC/Tulsa Board of Directors held our annual planning session to review chapter goals and objectives, plan for the year ahead and discuss how to make IABC/Tulsa event better. The current board is now in the final year of our two-year board term, which ends in August 2017. With one year under our belts, we’re even more prepared and excited to go to work for you and to help you get the most out of IABC.

We’re excited to welcome new board member Aliya Hargrave, senior training and development specialist with Direct Energy. Aliya joins Kim Kuehler as co-vice president of awards, responsible for all planning and coordination of our annual Bronze Quill Awards. Aliya and Kim are already hard at work planning for 2017. Watch your email for additional details and be sure to attend our October professional development event where Ginger Homan, founder of Zia Communications and winner of numerous bronze, silver and gold quill awards, will share strategies for writing a winning award entry.

The board also tallied your votes for our next chapter president. I’m excited to announce that Hayley Westwood, communications consultant with ONE Gas and current vice president of recruitment for IABC/Tulsa, was elected unanimously. Thank you to everyone who voted. Hayley will continue in her current board role for the remainder of this term, and move into her role as president in August 2017. Hayley’s energy, creativity and leadership are a huge asset to our board and will make for an incredible president.

Your IABC/Tulsa board is excited for the year ahead. We’re focused on enhancing professional development opportunities, expanding networking events, increasing membership diversity and keeping you informed of the many benefits of your membership. Don’t hesitate to provide us with feedback and let us know if you want to get move involved.

This program will lift the veil and show you how to design and deliver presentations that hit the mark every time.  Professional speaker and presentation coach Rhett Laubach (@RhettLaubach) will run down his top seven attitudes and behaviors that has allowed him to successfully present messages for 20+ years and to over one million audience members. Rhett will also cover effective presentation coaching and development techniques for prepping executives and team members. Learn more about Rhett and his services at www.YourNextSpeaker.com.

About Rhett
A professional speaker, author, presentations coach, leadership expert and owner of YourNextSpeaker, LLC, Rhett Laubach has taught leadership skills for more than 20 years, to one million audience members and in 48 states, the Bahamas and Canada. Rhett’s clients include students, educators and business professionals in the agriculture, sales, human resource, banking, health, transportation and insurance industries. Rhett loves the Lord, his wife, and watching his three daughters grow up in Edmond, Oklahoma.

Click here to register

Title: Communications Consultant

Company: ONE Gas, Inc.

Why do you love your job? I love that my job allows me to work with so many people across our company, in all three states where we operate. I think building strong relationships is the key to good communication. I’m thankful I have the opportunity to do that on a daily basis.

How long have you been a member of IABC?This is my seventh year as a member.

Have you ever served on an IABC Board? I am currently serving as the Vice President of Recruitment.

What is the best IABC meeting/conference you have attended? Why? I loved last year’s IABC/Tulsa Communications Summit that featured Pulitzer Prize winner Sara Ganim, who broke the Penn State scandal. It was so interesting and inspiring to hear the perspective of a young journalist’s success. I’m proud of what our chapter offers locally to communicators in the surrounding area.

How has IABC played a part in your professional development? It has broadened my network and given me opportunities in both leadership and professional development. Having the opportunity to learn from other successful communicators is one of the greatest things IABC has to offer. I love that we all bounce ideas off of each other!

What is your favorite thing to do outside of work? Travel with my husband

What’s your favorite vacation spot? Anywhere with mountains and cool weather

Who is your favorite musical artist? I need a top 10, at least…Garth Brooks, Sara Bareilles, Carrie Underwood, John Mayer, Turnpike Troubadors, NeedtoBreathe, Dolly Parton, Justin Timberlake, Hamilton and Wicked soundtracks… Thank goodness for Spotify.

Which website do you visit daily? Facebook

What is your favorite restaurant? Right now: Taziki’s Mediterranean Cafe

How will we recognize you at the next IABC function? I’m the blonde in the glasses who smiles and laughs a lot!

Complete the following: The future of the field of communications is…always changing, which is what makes IABC so great. It provides constant opportunities to stay informed of the latest and greatest ways to be successful in our field.

What advice would you give to new communications professionals? Never stop learning. There are always new ways to reach audiences and always opportunities to stop and evaluate what is working, what isn’t and what could be working better. Don’t assume you know what’s best.

by Megan Patterson, IABC/Tulsa President

The Olympics are finally here. Once again, the first few days have not disappointed. With the exciting finishes to the men’s and women’s road races, the unexpected elimination of the Williams sisters in the first round of doubles play, record-breaking swims by Katie Ledecky and the fact that Michael Phelps has still got it – there’s just so much to love about the Olympics. Even as I’m typing this, I’m watching. I’m in awe of our women’s gymnastics team. How can these young women pack that much strength into their petite bodies and show that much poise on the world’s biggest stage?

The Olympics is about so much more than just gold, silver or bronze – it’s 16 days of rallying behind your country, cheering on our best and finding unlikely heroes from around the world along the way. The games are inspiring, humbling and healing. These athletes are symbols of the best in all of us.

The Olympics have a way of bringing people and nations together. For a short while, our world gets a little smaller. Rio doesn’t seem quite so far away.

As I watch, eyes glued to the screen from my couch in Tulsa, I can’t help but think of our fellow IABC members doing the same from their homes in Montreal, Hong Kong or Cape Town. That’s what is so unique about our organization. The “international” in IABC is one of the benefits I value most. We can learn so much from our counterparts from across the country and around the world – through healthy competition and professional collaboration.

Sit back and enjoy the remaining days of the games. And if you’re interested in a little friendly competition of your own, join us for our first ever Adult Spelling Bee(r), where you’ll have the chance to spell your way to victory. You won’t win gold, but there are cash prizes on the line. Go U-S-A!