IABC/Charlotte Presents
Networking
Strategies for
Lifelong Success
Wed., Feb. 3
11:30 am-1:15
pm
Charlotte Regional Realtor®
Association
Networking can seem
daunting and overwhelming at times, even for the most
seasoned businessperson.
Some ask, "How do I maintain contact with
all of the people I've developed relationships with over
the years without making it a full-time job?" or "How do
I balance social media with personal contacts?"
Professionals relatively new to the business world
wonder, "How do I start building and expanding a base of
contacts?"
These and other questions are precisely
what a panel of expert networkers will address at the
"Networking Strategies for Lifelong Success" luncheon.
We're talking Networking with a capital
"N."
Panelists are:
Ray
Jones Carolinas HealthCare System
Duke
Energy
Amanda
Kirkpatrick Carolina PR/Marketing.
They will share:
-
Tips for overcoming discomfort that may
occur when you walk into a room full of strangers.
-
Strategies for nurturing lasting
relationships with people who can help you succeed in
life, not just in your career.
-
Valuable habits that can help you become
the person everyone wants to
meet.
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Infinity Award Winner
Offers Networking Tips
Ray
Jones, director of public relations at Carolinas
HealthCare System, is one of the three panelists for
IABC/Charlotte's February 3 meeting. In 2008 when he won
the prestigious Infinity Award from the Charlotte
chapter of the Public Relations Society of America, he
shared how he learned that networking could, and would,
advance his career.
As
a young journalist, he joined a Society of Professional
Journalists chapter but knew no one. "Mortified" at
first, he conquered his fear of meeting people and went
on to become chapter president and gain an attractive
job through someone he met through the chapter. He
offered these networking tips:
-
Don't
miss any meetings.
-
There's
no time like now to get started.
-
Most
importantly -- always gravitate to the people you don't know.
Otherwise, the room is always going
to be full of
strangers. |
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News and Notes
Staff
Publisher: IABC/Charlotte
Chapter
Executive Editor: Ruth Moeller, President;
Bank of America
Editor: Susan Shackelford, Vice President of
Communications; Susan Shackelford writes and
consults.
Design and Distribution: Beth Griffiths, Smart
Marketing Charlotte, Inc.
Story
ideas? Other newsletter
thoughts?
E-mail
newsletter@ciabc.com. |
|
 A Note From the
President
Little Steps, Powerful
Results
Greetings!
There's a path in my front yard.
That, in and of itself, isn't remarkable. What is
remarkable is that I've had very little to do in
creating the path or maintaining it. I do use it
from time to time to visit with my neighbor Ginger
and her dog Pepper (The Spice Girls, I call them).
But mostly the path exists because once a day, six
days a week, a representative from the U.S. Postal
Service walks it to deliver my mail.
Stop and think about that for a
minute. One person. Once a day. Six days a week.
That's
the power of habit, of simple actions repeated
regularly. Over time they add up to create
something solid, something real.
That same power is at work right now
in our lives. Reading an article in a professional
journal, making a networking call, attending an
IABC program - they are all simple actions that
can reap tremendous rewards over
time.
 There
was a time when I only attended IABC programs when
the topic seemed relevant to my current work. Not
until I stepped into a volunteer position did I
begin attending meetings regardless of the topic.
Two things surprised me: how much I gained each
and every meeting regardless of the program and
how the treasure trove of industry trends and best
practices I was accumulating was generating my own
path - not in my front yard, of course, but in my
professional career.
I invite you to make IABC meetings
and other professional activities a habit. I think
you'll be pleased with how your little steps will
yield powerful results.
See you soon.
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Attention,
Nonprofits!
IABC/Charlotte Presents
9th Annual,
Free Communication Workshop
Professionals
from nonprofit agencies in the Charlotte region
can glean new insights on social media and other
communications topics at this half-day workshop,
"Profitable
Communications for
Nonprofits."
The workshop, free to nonprofit
professionals, is from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at
the Mint Museum on Randolph Road on March 18. The
cost to attend for people not affiliated with
nonprofit agencies had not been
determined as of this newsletter's deadline.
Watch http://www.ciabc.com/ for
updates.
"This event provides priceless
information to nonprofit agencies, and
IABC/Charlotte sets an outstanding example of
stepping up to offer a workshop designed around
the unique needs of nonprofit agencies," says
Larry Dagenhart, former communications manager for
United Way of Central Carolinas. "It's a wonderful
opportunity to gain insights from top notch
professionals in a variety of communications
fields."
IABC/Charlotte's goal for this
signature event is to provide professional
development and to help build a network of support
between area nonprofit and corporate
communicators.
"It is gratifying to have the
opportunity to present this workshop for people
who work so hard to improve the quality of life
for individuals and families in our community. As
professional communicators, we understand the
critical importance of effective communication for
nonprofit agencies and that is why we are
committed to this annual philanthropic event,"
says Dianne Chase, IABC board member and event
organizer.
If you would like to become involved
as a sponsor, presenter or volunteer for this
important event, please contact Susanne Griffing or call
704-817-9645.
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SAVE THE DATE!
Wednesday, March
3
IABC
International President
Julie Freeman to
Speak in Charlotte
 Julie
Freeman, president of IABC International, will
speak at the March 3 meeting of IABC/Charlotte on
global trends in business communications.
For the eight years of her presidency, she
and the members of the International executive
board, have monitored communication trends and
best practices from around the world. Julie will
share with us with us key similarities,
differences and changes she has seen in the roles
and strategies of
communicators.
The lunch meeting will be
from 11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. at the Charlotte
Regional Realtors® Association, 1201 Greenwood
Cliff, Charlotte. Stay tuned for more
details. |
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Save $$$ If You Join
IABC/Charlotte in February
Save $40 off your annual dues
when you join IABC during Membership Month in
February. You'll pay only $287 instead of $327.
Additional discounts are
available for corporations that sign up five or
more business communicators on a corporate
membership.
Contact IABC/Charlotte
Membership Chair Cathy Clark for details at
mailto:cathy.clark@areva.comor
704-805-2479.
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January Meeting
Recap
Duke Energy Social
Media
Experts Draw Big
Crowd
Nearly 60 people turned out
for IABC/Charlotte's January 6 meeting on Social
Media Case Studies from Duke
Energy.
The company's Michelle
Pearson and Martha Brown talked about how the
utility has expanded its Twitter use to be
interactive, developed a "Smart Energy Newsroom"
on Flickr and YouTube and implemented a Microsoft
product that's similar to Facebook for
communication among employees.
Making Twitter interactive
with the public has built the company's following
for its tweets, which include company releases and
"Energy in Balance" messages sent out by Duke's
Lisa Hoffman, who also attended the meeting.
The company's "Smart Energy
Newsroom" reaches out to "green" bloggers and
allows Duke to provide information around specific
topics.
The internal Facebook-like
project, through Microsoft's SharePoint software,
permits Duke employees to learn who among them are
knowledgeable on certain topics and to easily
contact them. The company piloted the program with
4,000 employees. "Our understanding is that tools
like this help recruit talented, young employees,"
Brown noted.
Brown and Pearson emphasized
that corporate communicators need to be proficient
with social media tools and strategies rather than
relying on others to handle that aspect of
communication.
Click here for links to the
PowerPoint presentation and Duke's social
media human resources policy.
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Market Forecast Meeting
Offers
Wisdom for the New
Decade
by: Dianne Chase,
Senior Delegate
Put them all together and you have the
Charlotte Region 2010 Marketing Forecast,
held January 13 at the Crowne Plaza
Hotel.
 Even
before the program began, the conversation during
the networking time was high energy.
Attendees were enthusiastic about this
professional collaboration, which allowed for new
connections and potential business
opportunities. It also brought together
professionals who normally would not meet at their
individual organization's events.
 The
panelists shared their insights, ideas and
predictions about where the Charlotte region is,
and is headed, within marketing and
communications. Much of the discussion
centered around social media. It's a
revolution that's here to stay, presenters
indicated, noting that people are trying to figure
out how to incorporate social media into their
marketing and communication
mix.
Some of the panelists'
kernels of wisdom:
-
Listen!
If you're not prepared to jump full bore into
new and social media, sit back and be a sponge
for a while.
-
Hyper-connected consumers
have the expectation that you will respond and
respond quickly.
-
You/the company cannot control the
conversation. Be aware, knowledgeable and
prepared to engage.
-
Empower your frontline
people and your CEO to connect.
-
Know your targets and
keep messages
relevant.
When you boil it all down, it comes back to
what we all know as the most powerful
communication of all - word of mouth. Now, instead
of the buzz flying across the backyard fence or at
the church social, it's flying around the globe
via texts, and tweets and Facebook blurbs. We're
still spreading the word to our neighbors, the
ones in the next office and on the other side of
the planet.
Sponsoring
organizations: IABC/Charlotte, The Charlotte
AMA, Charlotte chapters of PRSA, AAF, BMA,CDMA,
IMA
Panelists
included:
Ronnie L.
Bryant, President
& CEO, Charlotte Regional
Partnership
Jennifer
Appleby, President,
Chief Creative Officer, Wray
Ward
Sara
Garces, CEO & Owner, Red F Marketing
Craig
Nadler, Director
of Marketing Management - Carolinas Region,
AT&T
Mobility
Michael
Burch, Vice President of Business
Development,
Speedway Motorsports, Inc.
The event was moderated
by Ritch Allison, VP of Retail
Consulting with Bain &
Company | |
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