A huge thank you to everyone who took part in our 2011 survey.

After collating the responses from our community, we're pleased to now report back to you with our full findings and results.

Click here to view full results of our 2011 community survey >>

Within the report, you will find:

• what out our community values about IABC Victoria
• areas of interest for professional development
• feedback on events
• improvement opportunities for local member communication

In addition, we've also included for you an outline of our plans in 2012 as we action these findings.

This survey has been extremely useful in informing us about our performance, and how we can continually improve to ensure we’re meeting your needs and interests.

Yes, you read it correctly!

FOUR World Conference Scholarships to be won!! 

Now that's a member benefit…

 2 x Pacific region scholarships, $1500 each, funds can be used for registration or travel, receipts must be sent to HQ for reimbursement of winners

1 x HQ scholarship for the Pacific region, $1315, complementary registration, leaders on fast track, never attended before, could not attend without complementary registration, winner notified to HQ by 1 April

1 x IABC Vic scholarship, $1500, funds can be used for registration or travel, receipts must be sent to IABC Vic Treasurer for reimbursement of winner

Criteria for all scholarships

* Winner must be an IABC member

* Winner needs to show how they would benefit and how their chapter would benefit from conference attendance

* Winner needs to make commitment to their chapter to take up a role on their Board or other volunteer role i.e. give something back

* Winner needs to make presentation to their chapter about what they have learned from the conference

Additional criteria for HQ and Vic scholarships

• IABC Victoria Scholarship winner must be an IABC Victoria Member

Additional criteria for HQ scholarships

• Winner must not have attended World Conference before

• Winner could not attend without complementary registration

Process

Submit your one page  entry one page in support of your scholarship by 16 March, 2012 to info@iabcvic.com.au. For any queries please contact Jennifer Frahm at jf@conversationsofchange.com.au.

This month we speak to Keith De La Rue of AcKnowledge Consulting.

1. Keith, what's your current role?

I am currently running my own business, AcKnowledge Consulting, consulting in Knowledge Management and Communication. This sees me engaged in a range of client projects, and I also develop and deliver postgraduate and undergraduate education in these and related fields. 

2. Why did you decide to join IABC Victoria?

I joined IABC Victoria a few years ago while working in Knowledge Management at Telstra. In our work, knowledge sharing was the main focus; through this I had exposure to the Communications field.  I first heard about IABC when I bumped into another Australian – Adrian Cropley –  while speaking at a Communications conference in Singapore, who prompted me to join.

3. How has your membership helped you in your work?

Joining IABC Victoria gave me an opportunity to meet with more people interested in Communications, and to further my learning of the craft. I have particularly enjoyed the chance to attend some interesting presentations face-to-face in Melbourne. I also appreciate the access to rich global online resources – this has been of great value personally, and in finding reference sources for developing training material.

4. Which aspect of IABC Victoria membership do you value most and why?

As I often work as a solo consultant, I value the networking opportunities. We can all learn from each other. Sharing ideas across disciplines is the key to innovation and creativity, and appeals to my Knowledge Management-oriented mindset!

If you’re inspired by Keith’s story and are not a member, find out more about the benefits of joining IABC today.

Well hello all! Is it too late to say Happy New Year? It’s hard to fathom that January has already slipped away and we are into the second month of 2012. 

So what’s happening in IABC land? Well, while you’ve all been over-indulging on Christmas ham and champagne across the new year, we’ve been planning our events for 2012. We’ll be kicking things off with a night of networking at our Be Heard event on February 21. Lachlan Drummond from Newspoll will be leading the discussion on research trends and tools. It’ll be a chance for you to join in and share your tips when it comes to research, and enjoy the company of your fellow Victorian communicators.

It isn’t too late to submit for a Gold Quill Award! Entries close this Friday February 10, and remember that all submissions that go through to Blue Ribbon judging from Victoria win a Bronze Quill award. Only in their second year, we’re hoping to build on the number of Bronze Quill award winners (seven) from last year.

Word on the street is that we’re collecting quite a few members who’ll be heading to the World Conference in Chicago in June. I’ve started a hashtag on Twitter #aussieposse so if you’re thinking about coming along, let us know!

If you’re thinking about working on your professional development this year, why not volunteer for IABC Victoria. Your association is run by a dedicated board of volunteers and we are always looking for an extra pair of hands. We have some fantastic things planned for 2012 so if you’re interested in being a more active part of your professional association – please do get in touch.

Until next time….

Kate

Can you believe it’s the end of the year already? Just as soon as I start getting used to signing the date 2011, it’s time to move on to 2012.

We’ve had another fabulous year at IABC Victoria this year, mainly thanks to the support of our members and the dedication and commitment of the board and volunteers. I’d like to thank each and every one of you for your continued interaction with IABC Victoria.

It so happens that we’re finishing the year off on a high note! It is with great pleasure that I welcome our newest Professional Partner, Media Monitors. As Asia Pacific’s largest media intelligence company, it is a delight to have Media Monitors on board bringing their expertise to the IABC Victoria table.

This month, we have plenty of updates and information for you, including the opening of Gold Quill submissions, our Christmas Party event wrap up (see if you can spot yourself in one of the pics!) and a profile on member Deb Ganderton. Enjoy!

Have you been catching up on the Blogging with the Board series? This month, Brand and PR Chair, Richard Roach asks 'Does your boss know you're an IABC member?' Each month a board member is talking communications, so if there's a topic you'd like covered, please get in touch and let us know.

And last, but not least, so far we have had a great response to the end of year survey.  If you haven’t yet had a chance to fill it in, it’s not too late! Take the opportunity to ‘be heard’.

I wish you all a very happy and safe holiday season and look forward to seeing you in the new year.

Until then,

Kate

Kate O'Donnell
President – IABC Victoria

This month, we speak to Deb Ganderton who recently celebrated four years as an IABC Victoria member.

(1) Deb, what's your current role?

I'm currently Executive Manager, Communications and Engagement at City of Boroondara.

(2) Why did you decide to join IABC?

I was looking for an inspiring professional communications body showcasing thought leadership and excellence.

(3) What aspect of communications are you most passionate about?

Public affairs and stakeholder engagement.

(4) How does being a member of IABC help you as a communications
professional?

It gives me a best practice reference point and allows me to share preposterous ideas about the future of public relations with peers. The IABC award program is held in high esteem by my colleagues and therefore increases my credibility to have a peer referral point, and the international conferences give me energy and commitment to challenge the status quo.

If you’re inspired by Deb’s story and are not a member, find out more about the benefits of joining IABC today.

Members and friends of IABC Victoria gathered last Thursday at Melbourne's Mint Bar to celebrate 2011 and discuss all that's ahead in 2012 over a few drinks and a summer barbecue.

Our Vice-President and resident photographer Monika Lancucki was on hand to capture some snaps of the evening (below).

A very big thank you to our board members and volunteers for all their work in making this event and all events this year possible.

We'd like to thank those who attended, and indeed all our members and friends for their support in 2011.

We look forward to seeing you all again in 2012!

Kate O'Donnell

President – IABC Victoria

Integrating industry best practice into your organisation and day-job is easier than you think.

I’m fortunate enough to work for a company that strongly values technical excellence and continuous improvement.

Over the years I have made it a personal standard to share, and where possible integrate, best practice from IABC into discussions and the decision-making process for communication.

When I’m talking to senior leaders about a communication issue, IABC research and content is often helpful in explaining an idea, emphasising a point or adding a new perspective to discussions.

I have found these five approaches to be worthwhile:

• Make it part of your day-job.  Look for opportunities to tie your annual performance review in with your IABC membership.  An obvious area is training and development.
• Make it part of their day-job.  When your CEO or senior leader expresses enthusiasm for professional and open communication with staff etc, leverage that enthusiasm.  Mention IABC and ask if they’d be interested in applying for a professional membership.  Why not?
• Think about benchmarking.  Most senior leaders are curious to know how their company stacks up in the marketplace.  (I have just finished a discussion paper on best practice occupational health and safety communication for my company, drawing on the IABC knowledge library among other sources.)
• Enrich your discussions.  Discussing an ‘issue’ within your company?  Chances are someone in the IABC world has already ‘been there’ with their organisation.  These experiences could provide useful learnings and short-cuts when you’re preparing a communication program.
• Pick your moment.  When talking thought leadership, no one appreciates an ambush involving 50 pages of theory.  Distil, present and persuade in 30 seconds, but always be ready to elaborate in detail.

(When integrating IABC thought leadership into your day-to-day role and your organisation, it’s important to always cite your sources.)

In my experience, the above approach can go some way to helping educate senior leaders about professional communication and its value to their organisation.

How have IABC’s knowledge resources helped your company?

 - Richard Roach

Richard is the Internal Communication Manager for the Australasia and Asia operations of Golder Associates, a global company providing consulting, design and construction services.  He has 18 years experience and has previously worked with KPMG, Mercer and Corporate Words.  Richard has a Bachelor of Arts (Public Relations) from RMIT University and is a member of the AIM.

Today @qantasairways tweeted "Tell us 'What is your dream luxury inflight experience?' #QantasLuxury." For those unfamiliar with the convention, a hashtag (#QantasLuxury) provides a way of identifying your tweet with a topic. So in an ideal world, people fond of the brand would tweet in response with ideas of luxury inflight experience, providing market research, and positive brand association.

It's a pity that @qantasairways didn't attend the lunch and listen to Barbara — click here to see what happens when a Hashtag gets highjacked.

#QantasLuxury is being able to spend hundreds of millions on lounges for 5% of its international passengers while (allegedly) losing $200m.»

#QantasLuxury is awarding your CEO a massive pay increase shortly before he cries poor and locks out the workforce.

#QantasLuxury is a nice pair of shoes, so I can walk across the terminal to another company that is still flying

OK IABC Victoria members — tell us what should Qantas NOW do to reclaim and salvage the brand.

Update: This was @qantasairways response 2 hours later –> #qantasluxury is just one of many comps we've run lately. Thanks for the entries

And more from Mumbrella

And a really good wrap up from Gavin Heaton with help from Tipereth Gloria.

From Qantas to Gasp, BP to the Nursing Federation, crisis communication is certainly the flavour of the month – so it was timely that the November IABC Victoria ‘Be Heard’ event discussed issues of crisis and reputation management.

Held at The Wheeler Centre on 18 November, the event was well attended by more than 50 members and guests who heard Barbara Sharp (Director, Pax Populus) and Sam North (Media Director, Ogilvy Public Relations) debate what constitutes a crisis, and best practice for managing an organisation’s reputation in the event of a crisis.

Our panel members pitched two opposing approaches to crisis communication:

1. Identify stakeholders and the individual messages and channels required to communicate with them, versus
2. Act quickly to tell everyone everything

While the speakers agreed to disagree, there was consensus on the need to act quickly, responsibly and appear to be in control.

Other key outtakes from the discussion included:

• Every one has a crisis communication plan until a crisis actually hits. Practice your plan, ensure multiple employees know it, and be prepared to be adaptive and flexible
• Approximately 75% of crises are generated internally
• Building and maintaining reputation before a crisis is critical. BP had a bad safety and environment reputation before the Gulf spill and for that reason had no leeway when the crisis hit
• Make sure you measure your reputation on an ongoing basis and not just during crises
• Social media ‘scares the pants off’ some practitioners when dealing with a crisis. The same principles of traditional crisis communication should apply, but it is important that you and your C-suite understand that it’s about engagement and not just having an online presence
• If you’re not filling the gap with information, some one else will! If you’re confident of your decision and actions, back yourself and engage with the public. Do so not through spin, but by truly listening to, understanding and reaching a consensus with stakeholders

The discussion was facilitated by Immediate Past President Jennifer Frahm (Director, Conversations of Change) and a number of questions were raised by the audience. A big thank you must go to our guest panel members and to all those involved.

For additional insights from our guest panel, check out this great post by Mel Pay on her blog.

We look forward to seeing you at our next event – IABC Victoria Christmas drinks and networking on Thursday 1 December.

Click here for more information and to register >>