IABC Updates

Welcome to IABC Wellington's latest newsletter for August 2008.

News from IABC Wellington

Almost 1,800 communicators from around the world were in New York for the 2008 IABC International Conference, our association's pre-eminent professional development and networking event. For myself, it was great to be in a place where everyone was pumped up about our profession and about what we can achieve for the people who come to us for advice.

The sessions were informative and I was fortunate to hear well-recognised speakers from around the world talking about communication leadership, public relations, strategy and counsel, change management, employee communications, global trends, and marketing and brand. I also made great contacts with senior communications professionals from Canada, the United States, South Africa, Australia, India, Britain and Europe.

It was IABC’s most successful gathering in years, with day passes and tickets for the Gold Quill Awards dinner and lunch-and-learning events all sold out.

If you're a senior communications practitioner looking for an intense few days of new ideas, great contacts, and superb learning with measurable return on investment, PLUS a fun time, then I recommend you seriously consider being in San Francisco for next year's conference, 7-10 June 2009.

Best regards
Simon Pleasants
President, IABC Wellington

The ethics challenge for communicators

Is ethical public relations, or communications, an oxymoron? Of course we would say we behave ethically, and the IABC is committed to championing ethics in our profession, but there are plenty of different views.

A 2006 IABC research foundation study found that communicators said, when asked, "who is the ethical conscience of an organization?", that responsibility rested with:

• top management (50%)
• employees (24%)
• PR/communications roles (15%)
• human resources (8%)
• legal department (3%).

Those attending the July IABC Wellington workshop heard practical ways to include ethics in every day communications activities.

Workshop participants also learned about techniques for helping people we're talking to – such as the media – remember their own ethical guidelines.

Maintaining a good reputation for ourselves, our employers, and our profession depends on behaving ethically and being known for doing so. It means doing the right thing, being fair, and getting morally good results. To get there, IABC's expectation is that members should abide by and know their code of ethics, which gives members good reasons when they need to make a stand. Visit the IABC website for more information on the Code of Ethics.

We also recommend you consider how the Ethics Pyramid, presented by Massey University's Dr Elspeth Tilley, could work for you.

To read more about this issue IABC Wellington website.

Test your ethics with the IABC Accreditation Ethics Quiz

Review the IABC Code of Ethics and use this IABC quiz to test your own level of awareness on ethics issues. The quiz is used for applicants for IABC Accreditation and will make you think.

IABC Wellington and Massey University establish inaugural research scholarship

IABC Wellington, in partnership with Massey University’s Wellington campus, have established an annual scholarship that will see post-graduate students undertake annual research into aspects of organisational communication. This semester a group of students will be looking at communication research in New Zealand; measuring the extent of research that communications professionals undertake within organisations and the relative effectiveness of it.

The results will be made available to all IABC Wellington members.

Upcoming IABC Events – Be Heard

Is this your winter of discontent? Tired of your job, thinking of a career change, or looking for new staff? Join us at the August Be Heard Forum for a serious assessment of the job market and what employers are looking for.

We'll have the expertise of some of Wellington's leading recruiters, Lindsay Jackson, David Hollander and Annabel McCallum sharing their observations in this informal discussion session over a glass of wine. Put the date in your diary now:

From 5.15pm, Tuesday 26 August
PowerHouse People’s boardroom
L4 Deloitte House
10 Brandon St
Wellington.

Be Heard Forums are held every second month and are free for members. Non-members are most welcome to join us at a cost of just $15, to be paid at the door.

The October Be Heard Forum will focus on welcoming new and not-so-new members on a virtual tour of IABC’s international network. We'll be talking about the local and international benefits available to members.

We're also planning another workshop in the next couple of months, so keep an eye on the website for updates. If you have any suggestions or comments for professional development topics you would like covered in the future, email IABC Wellington Professional Development Director Janice Rodenburg.
 

IABC South Island

Congratulations to IABC South Island, the second New Zealand chapter off the blocks.

Chapter President Jill Scott has high hopes for the chapter’s future, saying the time is ripe for redefining communication for the business community in the South Island: “My hope is that we will attract diverse participation from business leaders (chief executives, HR managers, general managers) extending responsibility for communication beyond the traditional domain of PR. I really hope that as a chapter we can connect with the more geographically remote businesses and that we can continue to challenge ourselves beyond our comfort level.”

More for your membership! New library service for members

IABC Wellington chapter is to join the few other IABC chapters around the world to offer its members local access to communications resources for research and development.

The IABC Wellington board has invested in a collection of resources which will be made available to members later this month. The collection will be publicised in a special section on the IABC Wellington website and members will be able to email their orders through and collect books from the Department of Internal Affairs' reception. More details on the process for borrowing resources will be available soon. Watch this space!

Want to get involved with IABC Wellington?

If you are passionate about communications, we are looking for volunteers to review the books and manuals in our resource collection and provide written reviews for our website. You may also be interested in making recommendations for future purchases. If this sounds like something you would be interested in, please contact IABC Wellington Communications Director Anna Kominik.

And we are still keen to welcome new volunteers to the IABC Wellington Board and sub-committees. Having good people involved in IABC not only makes our organisation stronger, but also provides unique opportunities for individual, professional and leadership growth.

If you are interested or would like more information about how you can become more involved in our chapter, please don’t hesitate to contact IABC Wellington President, Simon Pleasants on 021 772 302.
 

On the IABC Wellington website

We have updated our website with more stories and member profiles. Check back regularly for updates or subscribe to our RSS feed. And if you have any feedback or ideas about what you’d like to see included on the website, please email IABC Wellington Webmaster Shona Brown.

IABC international calendar of events

Teleseminar: Ten ways to socialise your intranet
14 August 2008 / Presenter: Shel Holtz, ABC 
Click here for more details. 

2008 IABC Employee Communication Conference
6-7 November
Chicago 
Click here for more details. 

2008 Business Writing Conference
2-3 October
Chicago 
Click here for more details. 

IABC Communicating Social Responsibility Conferences
16-17 October - Vancouver, British Columbia
12-13 November - Brussels, Belgium 
Click here for more details.