8:00 a.m.
Continental Breakfast & Networking

8:30 a.m.
Chairperson's Opening of Day Two

8:40 a.m.

Leveraging Technologies To Meet Your Communications Goals

Reduce, reuse and recycle isn’t just a mantra for going green.  Integrated technologies and communications tools will make it easier to get your communications job done efficiently and maintain your message throughout.
 
Online media can be used to engage staff, stakeholders, and even politicians who are already online and can be merged with your print tools and even your electronic media campaigns. All it takes is a little creativity.

• Selecting the right online tools for your organization and for the message at hand
• Making efficient use of your content

Mike Spear, Director of Corporate Communications
GENOME ALBERTA

9:30 a.m.

Why Should You Give A Tweet About How You Communicate With Your Staff? How To Integrate Social Media Tools With Your Traditional Communications To Reach Your Employees More Efficiently & Effectively

APEX PR has been successfully implementing social media strategies for their roster of blue-chip clients since the advent of Web 2.0 and increasingly, those programs have included an employee engagement element. Yet, they were not “walking the talk” regarding their own employee communications program.  They were stuck in the habit of using their “tried and true” communication tools, such as weekly staff meetings and intranet updates, thinking that these were more in keeping with their 25-person agency culture.  But were they? 

In this session, you’ll hear how APEX PR took a long hard look at how (and what) they were communicating, what new and surprising social networking sources their staff were intuitively using to communicate with each other, and how we they could integrate the traditional with the digital to cultivate a more engaged and motivated staff that delivered on their bottom line expectations (an extra bonus!).

This interactive session will also delve into how they made their culture even better, what worked and what bombed.

Finally, you will learn about the value of:

• Empowering your staff to introduce new social media tools into internal communications systems
• Encouraging social media skill development that can benefit the bottom line
• Teaching old dogs new tricks without the pain

Linda Andross, President
APEX Public Relations Inc.

10:40 a.m.

Taking A Journey Towards The Culture Of Collaboration: Learning, Leadership And Social Technologies -- How To Deploy Collaboration In Your Organization
Collaboration, the act of working with another or others on goals, actions, projects or initiatives, is quickly becoming a critical component in the short- and long-term plans of any organization. Failing to incorporate basic concepts of collaboration into overarching communication and learning strategy, leadership framework, supporting technologies and other human capital mechanisms, may result in stagnant or decreased engagement as well as lower organizational productivity.

In this session, learn how TELUS has woven collaboration techniques into their organization through three key legs of the new “culture of collaboration” stool: learning, leadership and social technologies.

• How their overall employee engagement increased by over 30% over three years
• The launch of an open leadership model for all employees
• The deployment of numerous social technologies including video sharing, micro-blogging, profiles, wikis and blogs
• Large increase in networks, coupled by informal and social learning and communicating

11:30 a.m.

How To Use Social Media And Traditional Communications To Foster Positive Employee Satisfaction And Improve Morale

Retaining a qualified and effective workforce can be challenging within the limitations of the public sector, especially during tough budget times. Employees who feel appreciated and know senior managers are listening to them are more content and productive, and internal communications plays a vital role in fostering employee satisfaction.
 
Both traditional and new media communication tools can enhance the interaction between employees and senior managers and help improve employee morale and cultivate a positive work environment.

In this session, you will learn how to use effective communication tools, internally, including blogs, videos, and anonymous suggestion boxes to:

• Keep employees engaged, connected and informed
• Help employees accept change and transition
• Recognize employee achievement
• Improve employee health and productivity
• Maintain high employee morale

1:50 p.m.

Group Exercise: Brainstorm Solutions And New Ideas You Can Use

You asked for it, you got it! Interact and discuss solutions to your internal communications challenges with your fellow attendees and our experienced speakers. You will leave with new tools and hands-on experience and ideas for more successfully applying best practices to your own internal communications initiatives.

2:30 p.m.

Afternoon Refreshment & Networking Break

2:40 p.m.

How A Unified Communication Platform Can Support Real-Time Collaboration, Productivity And Efficiency Across Your Entire Organization

Non Linear Creations (NLC), a web development and professional IT services company based in Toronto, faced an interesting dilemma in 2010. Riding a tide of expansion from a small shop to a team of 80 employees across multiple offices, the company was looking for a consolidated approach to internal office communication and integration. The basics of seeing, talking and sharing were becoming painful as a result of inefficient and disjointed technology platforms, and third-party service disruptions. There was a pressing need to unify the disjoined communication systems in order to improve upon worker collaboration (office and mobile) and reduce operational costs.

• Using a unified communication platform (Microsoft Lync) to make face-to- face communication possible and efficient across the hall or across the country with only a computer, headset and internet connection.
• Empowering employees to seamlessly collaborate from any location
• Controlling costs and improved productivity using IM, video conferencing, and enterprise voice functionality

Shannon Ryan, President and CEO
NON-LINEAR CREATIONS

3:30 p.m.

How To Leverage The Benefits of Social Media: Transforming Your Benefits Communication From Dull To Intriguing By Engaging Members, Delivering Important Information In An Innovative Way, and Reaching A Diverse Audience

Actra Fraternal Benefit Society (AFBS) is a not for profit, member owned, federally incorporated insurance company operating for over 35 years.  Members of AFBS are primarily members of ACTRA and the Writers Guild of Canada.

AFBS provides group insurance and retirement savings benefits to its members.  Over the years, it has been challenging to reach the geographically dispersed audience of more than 17,000 members across Canada and around the world.

• Develop a social media strategy and why AFBS created one for the Writers’ Coalition and Arts & Entertainment Plan members
• Build a social media business case
• Overcome the challenges of getting buy-in and support for your social media strategy
• Communicate benefits education and news through various social media channels
• Measure the success of using social media
• Tap into the power of social media

After this session, you will feel motivated to explore social media as a communication channel within your own organization.
 

Caroline Lock, Social Media Analyst
Actra Fraternal Benefit Society

Diane McElroy, Senior Vice President
AON HEWITT CONSULTING

4:20 p.m.
Chairperson's Recap: Key Takeaways And What To Do When You Get Back To The Office

We’ll recap the highlights of the past two days and ask you to share key insights and next steps with the group.