Jump-start your conference experience by attending these interactive and practical workshops. These information-packed sessions are a great opportunity to network with fellow attendees while taking a hands-on, common-sense approach to mastering strategic internal communications that will enhance your understanding of the informative, case study presentations throughout the entire conference.

Choose ALL FOUR for Maximum Value and Learning

Developing And Implementing An Effective Social Media Strategy For Your Internal Communications Programs: A Step-By-Step Process

Many communicators are asking:

• Everyone is using social media, is it right for my company?
• How do I get senior leaders to support the effort?
• What’s required to get started and then to keep it running?

If you’ve ever asked yourself these questions, this workshop will help you find the answers.

In this interactive and informative workshop, you will learn how to:

• Assess your company for social media readiness
• Get buy-in from senior leaders and colleagues
• Develop a strategic implementation plan
• Prove the business value of social media

WORKSHOP LEADER: Peter Debreceny is a Consultant with Gagen MacDonald. After recently retiring as vice president of Corporate Relations at Allstate Insurance Company, responsible for internal and external communications for the Allstate Corporation and its subsidiaries, Peter Debreceny has been with Gagen MacDonald since the end of 2007. Specializing in advising clients on corporate social responsibility and change management strategies, Peter has more than 30 years experience in all aspects of public relations and integrated communications. He has practiced in those capacities in New Zealand, Australia and the United States. Prior to being appointed to his position at Allstate in September 1998, he held the position of senior vice president, Corporate and Financial Relations at Edelman Worldwide, Chicago.

11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Afternoon break/lunch on your own.

1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
PRE-CONFERENCE AFTERNOON WORKSHOP B

"I've Chosen My Communication Tools, Now What?" How To Develop And Implement Compelling Content For Your Internal Communications Strategy

You've narrowed down the tools you want to use for your internal communications plan – that’s a great first step. Now, how do you go about creating content to utilize those tools effectively?

In this workshop, you will be guided to greater understand the ins and outs of creating compelling content for use in your internal communications. You'll learn practical approaches and tips to developing content that grabs the attention of your audience, allowing you to not only share your message, but more importantly, to create a personal connection that opens the door to further communication. Case studies will be presented to illustrate how video content was created and implemented for internal communications purposes, and demonstrate how in some cases, this content can serve double-duty as an outward-facing strategy.

• Key items to consider when creating a content strategy
• Best practices for developing content
• How to create content that utilizes new tools such as Facebook Groups to communicate with your audience where they’re spending their time
• How to implement video content in a wide range of internal communication approaches: from emails and newsletters to online magazines and beyond
• How to apply these approaches to your specific content needs

WORKSHOP LEADER: Denise McKee is COO at AboutFace Media Inc. AboutFace is a content marketing agency that creates short form documentary videos for their clients, and then optimizes that content for use within social media. Specializing in the documentary genre, their directors are award-winning filmmakers whose work has been screened at Sundance, South by Southwest and the Tribeca Film Festival among others. Clients include Sears, Kmart, Wilson, CNH, 3M, Trek Bikes, Quill, Florida Tourism and The Merchandise Mart.

Denise speaks at events across the country on the topics of social media video content strategy and distributed web marketing, and has presented alongside companies including Youtube, Microsoft, Nike, IBM, and Ford.

Keeping The Attention Of Your CEO: How To Prove The Impact And Importance Of Internal Communications On Your Organization's Bottom Line

With research that proves internal communications can positively impact the bottom line, communication professionals now have the attention of their CEOs.

But are you equipped to keep the attention of your CEO? What are you doing to demonstrate that internal communications is contributing to improved operating and financial performance?

• Advising your CEO more effectively
• Better identifying projects that will positively impact your organization’s bottom line
• Measuring the impact of your efforts
• Maximizing your position

This highly engaging workshop will highlight recent research, practical tips, solutions, case studies and hands-on activities that will allow you to practice real-world situations, preparing you to keep the attention of your CEO!

WORKSHOP LEADER: Julie Baron, Principal of Communication Works, has 20 years of experience working as a communications strategist. Her functional expertise includes employee communications, global communications and public relations. She has a track record of positively impacting financial and operating results with clients such as Abbott, Adidas, Follett, National Association of Realtors and Pepsi Americas, and as a senior in house communicator for NEC Technologies and Motorola.

Julie has published and lectured on topics such as CEO communication, communication planning, and global communication. An active member of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), Julie is most recently served as president of the IABC/Chicago chapter.

11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Afternoon break/lunch on your own

Real-World Measurement For Real-World Communication

Employees today have many sources of information about their work environment: their own direct observation, the grapevine, social media, their past experience with certain executives or managers, news from relatives and friends, Internet forums, their feeling of dignity and significance on the job, the company's policies and procedures, a manager's castoff remarks, the news media, perhaps a labor union, even their own intuition.

All told, what a company states is rarely what employees actually hear, and it's what they hear that counts. That is what must be measured.

In this highly-rated, fast-paced session, you will learn to distinguish between the "official truth" as management sees it and the "ground truth" as employees experience it, to respect both for what they are, and to begin measuring the gap in clarity and credibility between intended messages and actual messages.

• Three voices of communication every company uses: formal (official media), semi-formal (management programs and policies), and informal (working relationships) and the powerful effect of their integration on employee engagement
• Five big myths of surveying employees, three huge employee fears you must face, seven mistakes that rookies often make in survey research, and eight keys to your measurement success
• Four stages of building employee engagement for your next initiative or program
• Secrets of planning a communication strategy that recognizes implicit as well as explicit communication

WORKSHOP LEADERS: Thomas J. Lee, President of Arceil Leadership Ltd., eaches leadership communication to management teams in numerous Fortune 500 companies. He has benchmarked leadership/engagement communication in nearly 30 major corporations. A dynamic and popular speaker, Tom has lectured, consulted and led workshops throughout the United States, across Canada, and in nearly a dozen other countries in South America, Europe, and Africa. He blogs at www.MindingGaps.com

Andrew Mosko is the Founder & Managing Principal of Organizational Research Forum, Inc., a firm that specializes in the collection and analysis of survey data. He has over 30 years of experience in organizational research and human resources management.

Testimonials From Past Thomas Lee Sessions:

"I loved the material and discussions and stories -- great teaching tools!"

"Best presentation of the conference."

"Loved the mix of strategic and tactical."

"Examples of real-life situations were great."

"Excellent material; outstanding presenter; engaged participants."