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 strategies that will enhance your understanding of the informative, case study presentations throughout the entire conference.

Choose ALL FOUR Workshops for Maximum Value and Learning

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.

In this compelling, hands-on workshop, you will leave with strategies and tools to help you:

• Understand key items and utilize best practices when creating a content strategy
• Develop compelling content that your audiences wants
• Discover how best to deal with the challenges and benefits presented by inward vs. outward facing distribution
• Create content that utilizes popular social media tools including Yammer, Facebook and You Tube to communicate with your internal audience where they’re spending their time
• Develop effective video content for multiple distribution channels
• Apply these approaches to your specific content needs

WORKSHOP LEADER: Denise Roberts McKee is COO at AboutFace Media Inc.  AboutFace creates short-form, story-driven documentaries for online and social media marketing projects.  Their directors are award-winning independent 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, Staples, Florida Tourism, Quad Graphics and Can-Am.

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

Testimonials From AboutFace Media Inc. Sessions:

"I love the group interaction—it forces conversation that makes me think outside the box. I’m taking back some great commentary and “arguments” to our senior leaders."

"This was so good. Great information, great collaborating, and I have tools to take home."

"Denise was great!! :) Absolutely useful! I know what my homework is now. Thanks!"

11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Afternoon break/lunch on your own

How To Use Collaborative Social Media Tools To Reinvent Your Internal Communications: Developing Policies, Setting Metrics & Engaging Employees

Public perception of government entities is impacted, negatively and positively, by the impression they take away from interactions they have had. Increasingly, citizens are expecting these interactions to occur online and within the realm of social media. At the same time, government employees, being citizens themselves, are adopting the use of social media in their private lives. The lines between personal use of social media and official agency communications are blurring for employees. Are you prepared as an organization to not only deal with, but leverage this evolution? Hint: the answer isn’t to run out and setup a Twitter account or rush out a draconian employee social media policy from the general counsel’s office.

You need to model your agency’s online “behavior” to be consistent for all online interactions that citizens will seek out and engage the agency and its employees in. This process, called Digital Behavior Modeling, will provide you with a framework to ensure that your internal communications support your external communications goals.

This workshop will provide you with a process to understand what are the most important online conversations and social media channels related to your agency’s mission and how to ensure employees, social media tools, policies and content development align with them.

At the conclusion of the workshop, you will be able to:

• Create a Conversation Map of web and social media activity most relevant to your agency’s mission and communication goals
• Develop a Performance Scorecard that defines success through attainment of key metrics for internal stakeholders in areas of Activity, Reach and Engagement
• Develop a social media policy that protects the agency by proactively addressing current and future engagement concerns
• Create a social media orientation and support program that provides instruction to employees before they engage in online conversations and just-in-time help when they are engaging, including the grooming of agency ambassadors
• Create an internal community site to keep employees engaged with the use freely available open source tools already in use at other government agencies
• Develop presences on government-friendly social media sites and networks that have been used by your counterparts that provide privacy and “terms of service” elements your legal department requires

WORKSHOP LEADERS: Barry Reicherter is Senior Vice President – Digital Strategy & Ideas at Widmeyer Communications. Widmeyer Communications’ clients include: the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Pfizer, Nestle, and Pearson.

Chad Hyett is Vice President at Widmeyer Communications. Hyett has worked with numerous companies on campaigns supporting corporate and internal communications, issues preparedness, science and disease awareness, product marketing and alliance building. He has counseled clients on approaches to working with traditional news outlets and interacting with social and digital mediums.

How To Engage Employees By Connecting Them To Your Organization's Mission And Strategic Plan Though Strategic Internal Communications

With recurring hard times, it is more important than ever for organizations to be able to communicate clearly to their employees. With more of today’s workforce spread in different locations, it is critical for employees to clearly understand their organization’s mission and strategic plan and the vital role they play in driving results.

• Ensure your employees are vested in your organization's goals and mission
• Foster a shared culture
• Create opportunities for your employees to actively participate in the development and growth of your organization
• Execute an internal communications plan that gives employees a sense of purpose and value in your organization

11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Afternoon break/lunch on your own

How To Use Strategic Internal Communications To Foster Mission-Focused Employee Behavior And Culture To Support Agency Goals

The principles of knowledge management are divided into three areas: technology, process and culture. Technology can be purchased, processes can be created, but only one of these three has to do with fundamentally changing the way people think and approach their jobs - culture.
 
One of the biggest obstacles facing organizations both big and small is the question of how to shape the corporate culture to foster creativity in a way that propels the organization as a whole toward achieving stated business goals.
 
In this interactive workshop, we will focus on how to:

• Motivate employees to perform as an integral part of a team
• Effectively communicate corporate culture to everyone in the organization from leadership down through the workforce
• Inspire creative thought and innovation to help your organization meet new challenges and learn from past ones
  

• Define your corporate culture
• Promote trust and good experiences within your workforce
• Maintain open communication between leadership and employees
• Shape your organizational culture to bring your workforce together and accomplish strategic goals