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

Choose A or B or BOTH for Maximum Value and Learning

How To Create Powerful Messages And Employee Engagement While Achieving Buy-In - - Effective Building Blocks To Your Internal Communications Program
Do your internal communications inspire and motivate others—or simply inform and promote? Is your messaging strategy more like a fast-moving two-way highway or a one-way street at rush hour? Do you know the most important “secret” for effective employee engagement?

Those questions and many more will be explored throughout this interactive workshop, which will introduce you to the most effective building blocks of any internal communications program. During the session, you’ll learn new techniques and participate in applied exercises to create significantly more powerful internal messaging and employee engagement strategies. You’ll find out how to develop and customize effective messages that work inside your own unique organization. And you’ll learn about ways to build employee allegiance and buy-in as you develop your communications strategy.

Ultimately, this comprehensive session will help you:

• Assess your organization’s internal communications style and the best ways to get attention within IT
• Use the four-rung “messaging success ladder” to transform fact-based, attribute-oriented messages into more engaging, more outcome-oriented communications
• Align your internal communications program with key employee motivators
• Understand and apply the two most effective internal communications approaches
• Define the four most critical internal messaging tools every organization needs

WORKSHOP LEADER: Cindy Atlee is a Partner at The Storybranding Group, where she helps clients develop authentic brands and communications strategies that align internal stakeholder meaning with external target audience motivation. She is a branding strategist and messaging specialist who believes every organization and individual has a powerful story to tell. She combines her 20+ years in communications, marketing and strategic planning with innovative training in organizational culture and identity, personal branding and leadership communications, and story-based brand development.

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

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

Developing A Business-Driven Engagement Strategy To Maximize Your Communication Results

Do employees in your organization have a clear understanding of your business goals and what each person can do to help achieve them? If not, you have a real opportunity to increase employee engagement and improve bottom-line results. Research shows that employee understanding of the business strategy and how their work contributes to the company is one of the top drivers of employee engagement. Creating this line of sight, however, can be particularly challenging in an environment where many organizations are undergoing significant change and employees may be receiving disjointed and even conflicting messages about the business.

In this workshop, you will learn, through simulation and best practices, how to develop a data-driven, business-focused and inspiring employee engagement strategy including:

• Assess the internal and external landscape to drive engagement objectives
• Establish clear and compelling messages about the business to ensure everyone is aligned with business priorities
• Define and support the leaders’ roles in engagement
• Use creative and inspiring tactics to engage the hearts and minds of employees
• Identify ways to measure business impact

WORKSHOP LEADER: Chris Gay, ABC, is a Co-Founder of Bridge Consulting, a firm that partners with organizations to create employee engagement, communication and change solutions that connect people and strategy to achieve business results. They offer holistic solutions that focus on the combination of strategy, process, creativity and measured results.