Author: Thomas Keefe (Page 7 of 7)

Where is the time going? Less than two weeks from the start of the IABC International Conference, and I feel VERY unprepared. Sure, I have the basics covered (my flights, hotel and All-Inclusive Registration), but I have a lot of work left to do.

I volunteered to blog about the conference sessions and events that I attend. So I need to decide which sessions and events to cover. The choices are wonderful, but I’ve already found two cases where sessions that I want to attend are scheduled at the same time.

1. Tuesday Business Breakfasts: I have to choose between “Cutting-edge practices in communication planning and management” (where the “best and the brightest [will] share cutting-edge trends and practices”) and “The future of organizational communication,” where I will catch a glimpse of the future. Tough choice!

2. Wednesday morning sessions: This is truly unfair: how can I pick only one of the following concurrent sessions?
AS.2: Influencing employee attitudes (Strategy & Counsel) Presenter / James Lukaszewski, ABC, APR / New York, USA
AS.3: Strategic communication planning (Business Management) Presenter / David Moorcroft / Ontario, Canada
AS.4: The new role of print publications: Using print to engage, teach and motivate employees (Employee Communication) Presenter / Steve Crescenzo / Illinois, USA
AS.5: The site is right: The best of the web and intranets, 2005 (Future Trends) Presenters / Shel Holtz, ABC / California, USA Toby Ward / Ontario, Canada
AS.6: Driving business performance through employee engagement (Strategy & Counsel) Presenter / Susan M. Suver / New York, USA
AS.7: Using research to manage change at Arizona State University (Public Relations) Presenter / Wilma Mathews, ABC / Arizona, USA

Clone me…quickly!

Tomorrow, I’m going to discuss the real reason for my anxiety about conference preparation: the IABC accreditation exam.

I volunteered to blog during the upcoming IABC International Conference for the following reasons:

• – It would help me to focus during the conference
• – It would broaden my networking efforts
• – It would force me to dive into this blogging thing
• – Warren asked for volunteers, and it seemed like a good idea at the time

Getting started with something often is the biggest hurdle to jump, and that is true in this case. I’ve had to find a way to blog (Blogger.com) and then create this site. Although the process was painless and relatively quick (no more than an hour from start to typing this message), it does take some learning.

I’m looking forward to sharing more with you, and learning how best to use this communication channel.