ragan communications corporate general motors hosted …career! learn how to use new social media...

CORPORATE COMMUNICATORSCONFERENCE 2010

Track 1: Internal Communications & Social Media• Pamela Austin from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation on how to engage employees

during a time of change and growth

• Robin Farr from Canada’s Province of British Columbia on how to double traffic to your intranet with clear, simple writing

• Sharon McIntosh and Ed Gilbert from PepsiCo on how to launch your own podcast, market it and make it measurable—without busting your budget

• Patricia Crowley from Johnson & Johnson on how to add social media platforms to your internal portal to reach your employees with new messages

Track 2: Public Relations & Marketing • Ari Adler from Delta Dental on how to outwit, outplay and outlast a “cyber-bully”

• Christopher Barger and Mary Henige from General Motors on how marketing and PR work together for effective social media campaigns and engagement

• Blair Klein from AT&T on how to streamline relations between your internal and external communications to save time and money

• Greg Hounslow from WestJet on how the Canadian airline successfully used Twitter and Facebook to handle a flood of customer complaints during its transition to a new reservations system

Track 3: Executive Communications • James Lynch from American Express on how to gain C-suite buy-in for social media—

and get executives to do YouTube-like videos to connect with employees

• Jonathan Mast from Black & Veatch on how to create a CEO blog that forges stronger employee engagement

• Shel Holtz from Holtz Communication + Technology on how to turn a stressful situation (e.g. a layoff) into an opportunity for your executive to show leadership in communicating with employees

• Ian Griffin from Executive Communications on how to avoid onstage meltdowns, malfunc-tioning equipment and other embarrassing mistakes when preparing your executive’s speeches

Three Must-See, Timely Keynotes:

Susan Docherty, Vice President of Sales, Service and Marketing for General Motors, will tell you how to rebuild customer

trust to be successful during challenging times.

Florine Mark, CEO of the largest franchi-see of Weight Watchers, will show you how her company has used Web

2.0 tools to keep her company viable during Michigan’s severe economic downturn.

Communica-tions expert Shel Holtz will show you how to revitalize your employees and your company with new,

creative communications tools.

Early bird discount: Register by March 12, 2010

to save up to $450

Revitalize your communications, your company and your career! Learn how to use new social media tools and bring tried-and-true communications tactics back to life. Hosted by General Motors Company, this conference will give you an exclusive, in-depth look at how GM uses social media to revolutionize its culture, launch new products and deal with crisis communications.

You can choose sessions from three tracks at our 19th annual conference for every communicator. Learn tips, tools and proven solutions from top practitioners, including presentations by:

Hosted by General Motors at the Marriott Detroit

at the Renaissance Center

Ragan Communications presents a conference

hosted by

General MotorsMay 5-7, 2010 • Detroit

9 a.m.–noon Think like a reader: Make your messages more relevant, valuable and rewarding to your audienceWith Ann WylieThe secret to persuasive writing is to position your messages in your audience’s best interests. (Most communicators position their messages in their organization’s best interests.)

In this session, you’ll learn a four-step process for making your message—and your organization—more relevant, valuable and rewarding to your audience. You will learn:• The formula people use to determine

which messages to pay attention to• Two rewards you can use to boost audience

interest in your message• The No. 1 question to answer on your

reader’s behalf• A two-minute perspective shift that focuses

your message on the value to its audience• A simple translation process that pushes

audience benefits to the top of your message• A three-letter word to use to make your

message more relevant to your audience

Cut through the clutter: Make every piece you write easier to read and understand With Ann WylieIs your copy easy to read? According to communication experts, that’s one of two key questions people ask to determine whether to read a piece—or toss it.

Fortunately, academics have tested and quantified what makes copy easy to read. Unfortunately, that research has virtually

never made it out of the ivory tower and into the hands of writers who could actually apply it.

But you’ll leave this session with the numbers you need to measurably improve your copy’s readability. You will learn:• How long is too long for your paragraphs?

Your sentences? Your words?• Three ways to shorten your copy—and

which is the most effective way• How to cut your copy before you’ve

even written the first word• How to avoid causing your reader to

skip your paragraphs• A tool you can use to quantifiably improve

your copy’s readability (Hint: You probably already have it, but you might not know it)

• A seven-step system for making your copy clearer and more concise

Ann Wylie is one of the foremost writing instructors and consultants in the United States. Her experience includes editorial management positions at consumer magazines and organizational editorial departments. CEO of Wylie Communications Inc., Ann works with editors who want to reach more readers and with publishing companies that want to beat the competition.

Noon–1:15 p.m. Lunch on your own

1:15 p.m.–3:15 p.m.Writing lessons from literature: Devices you can use to make your communications more powerful and memorableWith Mike LongGood writing clearly communicates informa-tion, but great writing underlines its message through style and word choice. In this session, Washington, D.C.-based writer and Georgetown University instructor Michael Long wipes the dust off your hoary old college English lectures to show you how to put literary devices and techniques to practical use in corporate communications. Michael demonstrates proven, template-driven methods that can make all your writing more powerful, exciting and unique.

In this session, you will learn dozens of literary devices and techniques and gain interactive, hands-on experience with how they work. In addition, you will hear about techniques from drama, prose fiction, screenwriting and even songwriting that can enhance every type of writing you do. Topics include:• A proven trick from Hollywood screen-

writers that will keep your readers and

listeners interested at every point• Easy-to-learn techniques used by novelists

and essayists that can reinforce your points in fresh, new ways

• The practical use of assonance and anastrophe and dozens of those other obscure lit terms we almost always have to look up

• What pop music can teach every kind of writer (and you don’t have to read music to learn it)

Michael Long teaches graduate courses in PR writing and speechwriting at Georgetown University. He has written for dozens of high-profile professionals including candidates for office, Cabinet members and Fortune 100 CEOs. He has also contributed to Saturday Night Live and has been called a “poet” by actor and author Ben Stein.

3:30 p.m.–5 p.m.Speechwriting in the age of social media: Magnifying the impact of a speech to increase your reach With Ian GriffinSocial media add exciting new options to the traditional speechwriting toolkit. From researching audience interests to developing speech content, tools such as Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter and blogs can save you time and make your speeches more compelling—if you know how to use them.

Speechwriters can leverage social media to greatly improve the value of their services in the planning, preparation and scripting of a speech. Then, once the speech is written, social media can magnify its impact beyond the confines of the auditorium.

After attending this session, you will know:• How to identify trending topics that will

grab an audience’s interest• Where to find facts, opinions and stories

to include in the speech• How to create buzz in advance of a

speaking event using blogs, Facebook and Twitter

• The risks and rewards of engaging an audience in an online conversation—while the presenter is onstage

• How to leverage the viral power of podcasts and video to reach a global audience

A veteran speechwriter and executive communications specialist, Ian Griffin helps CEOs and senior managers develop strategic messaging and content for presenta-tions to audiences worldwide. Ian has spent more than 20 years working with mainstream Silicon Valley technology companies such as Hewlett-Packard and Sun Microsystems. His blog “Professionally Speaking” is available at http://www.exec-comms.com/blog

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Join us for some great conference extras:

Special, hands-on workshops to get you up to speed for the rest of the conference!

One-day Writing and Editing Workshop Only $549

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9 a.m.–noonSocial media boot camp: A total immersion workshop With Mark Ragan

You’ve heard the buzz-words: Social Media … Interactivity … New Media … Web 2.0 … New Communications … Whatever you call it, this new age of interac-tive communications is

revolutionizing the way we talk to employees, shareholders, the media and our customers.

This pre-conference workshop will teach you everything you need to know to get started. You’ll return to your office with a complete understanding of why social media matter and how the most innovative compa-nies have already tapped into this new communication technology. Social media have been around long enough to produce real case studies by real companies. You’ll see them all. And you’ll learn from their triumphs and their mistakes, including:• How to avoid the five classic mistakes

and create a blog that advances the interests of your organization overnight

• How to use Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter, widgets and the dozens of other social media tools at your disposal—which tools you can’t afford to ignore and which aren’t worth your time

• Case studies proving social media’s worth from Southwest Airlines, Dell Computers, Starbucks, Bob Evans, General Motors and Sun Microsystems

• Social media nightmares? How can these new tools be used against your company, and what can you do about it now?

Most important, this Social Media Boot Camp will give you the ammunition you need to persuade your senior leaders and your clients to join the Web 2.0 revolution.Mark Ragan is CEO of Ragan Communications, Inc. Mark is an award-winning political and investigative reporter who, for 15 years, covered Congress, the

White House and national political campaigns for Copley News Service, States News Service, New York Newsday, the San Diego Union-Tribune and Insight Magazine. Mark is currently executive editor for the daily Ragan.com news site, the MyRaganTV video platform and the MyRagan social network.

9 a.m.–noon Revitalize your public relations: How to combine the best of traditional and new media to share and manage your messageWith Pete Codella

Public relations is about managing relationships with important stakehold-ers. Although practitioners are bombarded with ever-changing tools, the tried and true strategic approach to public

relations remains constant.Join Pete Codella, APR, in this three-

hour pre-conference workshop to refresh and refine your public relations skills. He’ll review best and worst practices, outline effective social media strategies and discuss the reality of working in an “always on” profession.

In this practical, hands-on workshop, you’ll learn how to:• Develop and implement strategic public

relations plans that incorporate both traditional and new media initiatives

• Work more effectively utilizing technology and service providers

• Make the case for social media engagement within your organization

• Produce content that supports the search optimization strategy of your organization

• Utilize multimedia to self-publish and tell more of your story

• Support the marketing, advertising and communication efforts of your organi-zation

• Deliver higher return on public relations investment

• Refine your media relations skills to deliver better placement

• Create and manage an online communi-cation strategy that extends far beyond your main Web site and into vast social networks

• Make the most of Google’s free services• Lead your organization effectively into

new media adoption and utilizationPete Codella, APR, operates Codella Marketing as an independent public relations practitioner. He excels

where technology meets the practice of public relations. Codella Marketing’s mission is to assist clients in delivering the right message to the right audience at the right time.

1 p.m.–4 p.m. Social media tools: What’s new, what’s coming With Shel Holtz

The flood of social media tools continues to drown us with what seems like several new entries added to the mix every day. You need to monitor the introduction of new applications and sites

almost full-time just to keep up! Fortunately, Shel Holtz already does this, and he’ll fill you in on the ones worth paying attention to along with what you can expect over the next year or so. Even better, Shel will explain how these tools fit into your social media strategy as well as your overall organizational communication strategy.

Among the categories of applications Shel will address are:• Lifestreaming• Augmented reality• Mobile social tools• The rise of the app• Geo-tagged toolsPlus! The session will include several real-time demonstrations of the latest technologies to hit the social media scene.Shel Holtz, ABC, is principal of Holtz Communication + Technology. He counsels organizations on effective online communication, including the strategic uses of social media. He has written or co-written six books on online communication and speaks regularly at conferences and other venues. Shel is co-host of the first communications-focused podcast, “For Immediate Release,” and blogs at http://blog.holtz.com.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Half-day pre-conference workshops $345 each

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Early bird discount: Register by March 12, 2010

to save up to $450

Opening Keynote 8:30 a.m.–9:30 a.m.With Susan Docherty, Vice President Sales, Service and Marketing for General Motors

Changing perceptions through consumer engagement

General Motors has gone through unprecedented changes in the last year, and with those changes have come unprecedent-ed challenges. Rebuilding consumer trust and changing consumer

perceptions will be crucial to the com-pany’s future success. Susan Docherty, GM’s Vice President for Sales, Service and Marketing—a position she’s held since December 2009—plays a key role in changing these perceptions and rebuilding that trust. She is responsible for sales, incentives and marketing for the company’s brands that touch the customer: Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac, as well as OnStar, Goodwrench and ACDelco. She also leads GM’s relationship with dealers and dealer organizations and councils.Susan Docherty has been with GM for 23 years, holding positions such as general manager of Buick-Pontiac-GMC; regional general manager for GM’s Western Region, based in California; general manager of HUMMER; marketing director for Cadillac; marketing director for the GM European organization; as well as several positions in marketing and sales at GM Canada. In 2004, she graduated from Stanford University as a Sloan Fellow with Distinction. A native of Canada, she earned two undergraduate degrees from the University of Windsor—a Bachelor of Commerce in Business Administration with a major in Marketing and a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Economics. General Motors, its employees and dealer partners are firmly committed to design, build and sell the world’s best vehicles. It continues as one of the world’s largest automakers, tracing its roots back to 1908. With its global headquarters in Detroit, GM employs 209,000 people in every major region of the world and does business in some 140 countries.

Special Keynote 4:15 p.m.–5:15 p.m.With Florine Mark, CEO, WW Group Inc. (Franchisee of Weight Watchers)

Cyber-Motivation: Effectively using the Web to inspire action

Florine Mark, CEO and Chair of the Board of The WW Group Inc. (The Largest Franchisee of Weight Watchers), began her business with a brilliant marketing plan ... simply posting

a sign in a candy store that said “Come Lose Weight.” Since then, Weight Watchers has become a leader in advance commu-nication and marketing. That small sign has evolved into a multifaceted Web-based communication tool.

With multiple Web sites, online program access, webcasts, direct market-ing campaigns, message boards, e-tools, social media and email-blasts—the company has been able to continually engage new and returning members to take action. This ongoing cyber-motivation has been the key to maintaining the viability of Florine’s franchises in Michigan, one of the states hardest hit by the economic downturn.

You won’t want to miss this special keynote presentation! The WW Group, Inc., an internationally recognized weight loss enterprise, was created as a family business by Florine Mark from the ground up. Florine acquired franchises throughout the Midwest, East Coast, Canada and Mexico. Some of these franchises were sold in 2003 in a lucrative deal to Weight Watchers International, but Florine retained all operations in her home state of Michigan, as well as in Northern Ontario, Canada.

She serves as an advisor and board member on approximately 35 committees and civic organizations. Her empowering message on weight loss, self-esteem and self-growth put her in great demand as a speaker across the country.

Florine hosts a weekly morning radio show, “Remarkable Women,” and can also be seen each week on the “Ask Florine” show on WXYZ (ABC-Detroit). Florine recently fulfilled a lifelong dream by publishing her first book, Talk to the Mirror. In it, she speaks from the heart about what it takes to triumph in life. She has received numerous awards, and was the first woman inducted into the National Management Association Hall of Fame in 2004.

Closing Keynote 11:45 a.m.–12:45 p.m.With Shel Holtz, Holtz Communication + Technology

Revitalize your communications Every day your intranet is updated with new stories. Every day employees find new communication-focused e-mails in their inboxes. The tedium of a commu-nication process can

numb employees to the importance of key messages. The routine can lead employees to ignore communications. In this closing keynote, Shel Holtz will guide you through steps you can take immediately to breathe new life into your communications by:• Injecting excitement and creativity into

normally mundane communications• Employing new tools and channels in

your communication mix• Embracing the notion that repetition is

not redundancy• Adopting a process that encourages

employee-generated contentShel Holtz, ABC, is principal of Holtz Communication + Technology. He counsels organizations on effective online communication, including the strategic uses of social media. He has written or co-written six books on online communication and speaks regularly at conferences and other venues. Shel is co-host of the first communications-focused podcast, “For Immediate Release,” and blogs at http://blog.holtz.com.

Thursday, May 6, 2010 Friday, May 7, 2010

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Rising 73 stories above the Detroit River, the GM Renaissance Center dominates the glittering downtown Detroit skyline. The Ren Cen is 5.5 million square feet in size, has seven towers, dozens of stores and services, four movie theaters, a financial center, two foreign consulates, a 1,300-room Marriott hotel, four of the city’s hottest restaurants and a 1,100-seat food court.

The Ren Cen is about business, too. It’s General Motors’ global headquarters, with 4,000 GM employees, as well as over 4,000 additional people who work in the Ren Cen for tenant companies, retailers, restaurants and professional service organizations. GM purchased the complex in 1996, and over the next eight years spent $500 million renovating both the buildings and the adjoining riverfront, adding to the Detroit community.Source: www.gmrencen.com

About GM’s conference venue

Thursday, May 6

1 p.m.–1:30 p.m.30 ideas in 30 minutesGrab lunch and join your colleagues to share problems and exchange business cards. Then, grab your notebooks and get invaluable insights from our star-studded panel. They will share practical ideas that you can use as soon as you get back to the office!

Moderator: Mark Ragan, CEO Ragan Communications

Panelists: Christopher Barger, General Motors; Shel Holtz, Holtz Communication + Technology; Ian Griffin, Freelance Speechwriter; James Lynch, American Express; Molly DiBianca, Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor, LLP

Thursday, May 6

5:30 p.m.–7 p.m.Conference cocktail partyUnwind from the day with your colleagues and conference speakers. Get to know your peers, listen to their ideas and make new allies at this event, sponsored by General Motors.

Networking, Networking, Networking!

You’ll hear practical advice from expert communicators at top companies and organizations, including:Pamela Austin, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Chris Baum, Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau

Christopher Barger and Mary Henige, General Motors

Patricia Crowley, Johnson & Johnson

Robin Farr, Government of British Columbia

Suzanne Kay-Pittman, Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee

Blair Klein, AT&T

James Lynch, American Express

Sharon McIntosh, PepsiCo

Jonathan Mast, Black & Veatch 5

Thursday, May 6, 2010

8:30 a.m.–9:30 a.m.Opening Keynote (See details on page 4)

9:45 a.m.–10:45 a.m.Track Keynote:

Evolution vs. revolu-tion: Engaging employees in times of changeHow do you engage employees in a time of economic meltdown?

Over the past 12 months, the employees of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have sought to create renewed optimism in the face of challenging opportunities—from an unprecedented level of global poverty to pandemic outbreaks—all while navigating organizational change them-selves. Today, with a new CEO at the helm and Microsoft founder Bill Gates bringing focus to critical social issues, communication plays a critical role in establishing the new world order.

Learn how internal communications under Pamela Austin unites and drives a mission-focused organization, including:• How the economy has changed the

philanthropic sector—and how it is driv-ing clarity and focus

• The role of internal communications in bringing greater organizational transpar-ency, accountability and efficiency

• How to engage employees through executive leadership changes and effective communication

• The power of social media and how to shape a strategy that inspires movements

• Get a behind-the-scenes peek at Bill and Melinda Gates and their leadership on the world stage

Pamela Austin has spent more than 20 years as a PR and strategic communications advisor and consultant in the software industry, both domestically and internationally. For the last two years, she has been Director of Internal Communications at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

11 a.m.– noonWhere is my govern-ment, and what did you do with it?Is it possible to have a corporate intranet where all the content is written in language used by

normal people—informal, conversational and even sometimes irreverent? What if you also used that intranet to give employees a direct voice in shaping and improving how the organization works? That’s what a small team of communica-tors decided to find out when they rebuilt the employee intranet for the 30,000 employees of the British Columbia Public Service in Canada.

Robin Farr was the original editor for @Work, the BC Public Service intranet, and in this session she will share insights gained from the creation of the site and its evolu-tion over the last four years, including:• How @Work found its voice and why

that voice defines the site and its success• How employees themselves are now

directly contributing to @Work and the impact that has on the site’s direction

• Lessons learned from allowing anonymous employee comments on the site

• Insights on developing intranet content that engages readers

• A recent, significant overhaul of the site and what that has meant for the organization

Robin Farr is the Director of Corporate Internal Communications for the Province of British Columbia and was the original editor of the BC Public Service’s first corporate intranet, @Work.

Noon–1 p.m.Lunch on your ownGrab a colleague to network with, and enjoy lunch at one of the many restaurants in the Renaissance Center.

1 p.m.–1:30 p.m.30 ideas in 30 minutes panel(See details on page 5)

1:45 p.m.–2:45 p.m.How to amplify the voice of your employees with low-cost podcastingInterested in podcasting at your organization? If so, listen up. You’ll hear from PepsiCo’s employ-ee communication team on key lessons learned from their process—and how you can introduce this new channel on a limited budget.

This PepsiCo team launched its first podcast four years ago, and has built a following by creating a series of executive and employee podcasts. You’ll hear some samples of more than 40 podcasts produced to date. In addition, you’ll walk away from this session with guidance on how to begin podcasting or improve your current podcast, with a clear how-to guide on both the communication plan and technical needs.

You will learn how to:• Launch your own podcast, including a

detailed discussion on the technology and equipment you’ll need

• Market your podcast and make it measurable

• Integrate podcasts with other digital media channels

• Tackle translations—without anything getting lost in translation

• Bring the “outside-in” perspective to your organization

• Plus! Top lessons learned—including what not to do—to make your podcast a success

Sharon McIntosh is Director, Global Internal Communi-cations at PepsiCo, and drives the company’s employee communication strategies and channels. Ed Gilbert is Manager of Technical Communications for Global Internal Communications at PepsiCo. He has been a video/audio/meeting production professional for more than 25 years.

3 p.m.–4 p.m. A little blue birdie told me: The legal limits of monitoring employees’ tweets, posts and other social media activities

As social media become the communica-tion tools of choice, employees’ online activities become an increasing source of

Track 1

Internal Communications & Social Media

6

potential liability for employers. The need to minimize legal risk has led many employers to monitor the Internet for dangerous, defamatory or downright rude postings by their employees. The law recognizes that the Internet is a public forum, but this freedom to browse is not without limits.

In this dynamic session, you’ll learn how to:• Use the best monitoring techniques from

the successes (and blunders) of employers who have required employees to disclose social media habits

• Avoid monitoring techniques that will most likely land you in court

• Watch for red flags when monitoring employee Twitter, blogging and Face-book activities

• Communicate your monitoring policy to employees to generate the least amount of backlash

Margaret (Molly) M. DiBianca maintains a legal practice consisting of equal parts litigation and client counseling. An attorney with Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor LLP in Wilmington, Del., she represents employers in a variety of industries in employment rights claims, discrimination matters and equal employment disputes.

4:15 p.m.–5:15 p.m.Special Keynote (See details on page 4)

5:30 p.m.–7 p.m.Conference Cocktail Party (See details on page 5)

Friday, May 7, 2010

8 a.m.–9 a.m.Using social media for your employ-ment brandingYou know that your organization is a great place to work—but how do you get the word out about your employment brand? Traditional employment branding efforts typically center on your company Web site and paid advertise-ments with the goal of driving traffic to your

Web site—which is not always easy in a crowded labor market. Using social media

for employment branding allows you to meet potential candidates on their territory and engage in richer, more meaningful dialogue with them—in a relatively cheap and easy way.

In this session, Evan Kraus, a senior strategic counselor on online communica-tion and social media for many of the world’s largest businesses, and Jessica Lee, a corporate recruiting leader and active member of the HR and recruiting blogging community, will discuss how you can: • Deploy a social media campaign focused

on your employment brand • Learn the basics, pros/cons of Twitter,

Facebook, and LinkedIn for employ-ment branding

• Understand engagement with candidates and how to manage conversations

• Engage current and former employees as ambassadors for your employment brand

• Prove the value of social media tools for employment branding through key metrics

Evan Kraus is a senior vice president and director of APCO Online®. He has served as a senior strategic counselor for many of the world’s largest business-es—helping them optimize their Web presence, tell a better corporate story, “push” their messages out to target audiences, shape online issue debates, identify, attract and mobilize supporters and endorsers.Jessica Lee is a senior employment manager for APCO Worldwide. She serves as an internal strategic human resources business partner to APCO’s North America region.

9:15 a.m.–10:15 a.m.Improve your intranet to engage more employees and get new messages out Have an internal portal for your team? If you do,

you know that it’s all about continuous improvement. You need to make sure that it keeps engaging people in new ways to get company information to your employees.

In this session, you’ll see how the Johnson & Johnson team rolled out a portal to its IT employees and continued to improve it every six to nine months, increasing its value with each phase. You will learn how to:• Justify your development effort in tough

economic times• Determine goals and objectives and use

them to your advantage• Organize your plan and people—identi-

fying what needs to be done and in

what order• Enhance your current portal—including

social media elements to increase “stickiness”

• How to use a phased approach to ensure rapid deployment

• Setting metrics that allow you to measure the value that you provide

Patty Crowley is the Portal and e-Communications Manager in the Global IT Communications department at Johnson & Johnson, one of the largest health care companies in the world.

10:30 a.m.–11:30 a.m.Employees, your best brand advan-tage: How to improve employee morale and increase your sales force

Internal communications and education about your company’s product can be a challenge if your employees haven’t personally experienced the newest offerings. Sherrie Childers Arb, Director of Executive and Internal Communications for General Motors, will talk about the challenge of making product advocates of your employees and garnering employee enthusiasm along the way. In this session, Sherrie will outline GM’s strategy to provide employees hands-on experience with the company’s many cars and trucks, and how they in turn reach out to current and potential customers.

You will learn how to: • Develop an initial strategy to educate your

employees about your products and turn them into additional sales team members

• Create a hands-on product learning experience

• Integrate your employee product program into new product launches

• Engage your employees in fixing customer products

• Unleash your new sales to help tell your brand/product story

• Provide tools your employees can use to help sell your products

Sherrie Childers Arb was appointed Director of Executive and Internal communications at GM on October 1, 2009. Prior to her current assignment, she was director of Manufacturing and Labor Relations communications.

11:45 a.m.–12:45 p.m.Closing Keynote (See details on page 4)

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How to get your marketing and PR to work together for effective social media campaigns and engagementWeb 2.0, the proliferation of user-generated content and the rise of peer influence have served to perhaps permanently blur the line between “con-sumer” and “media.” Traditionally, inside

organizations, outreach to these audiences has been siloed—with marketing connect-ing with consumers via paid media and PR connecting with the earned media.

But in an era where many consumers now are media, this separation of efforts feels increasingly artificial, inauthentic and ineffective. Today’s media environment requires deeper (or, in some cases, new) relationships between PR and marketing. How can organizations smoothly blend these two functions, tapping into the best of each while avoiding some of their worst excesses?

Join Mary Henige and Christopher Barger of General Motors’ Social Media Communications team and you will learn:• How GM is strengthening the ties between

its PR and marketing functions to more successfully engage social, consumer and other nontraditional media

• The role this new outreach is playing in

the company’s overall communications and marketing strategy

• Lessons learned from merging the two functions

Mary Henige is Director of Social Media & Digital Communications at General Motors Company. In this position, she works with marketing and leads GM’s social media efforts including external blogs; the www.gmreinvention Web site, which was launched after GM filed for Chapter 11; senior leader web and Twitter chats; Facebook fan pages; and other social Web activities. Christopher Barger is Director, Global Social Media at General Motors, and leads the company’s social media communications efforts. He is responsible for setting General Motors’ communications strategy in the emerging social media that make up “Web 2.0” (blogs, microblogging, wikis, podcasting, user-gener-ated video networks, social networks, and others).

11 a.m.–noonHow to write the 2.0 news release: Get posted on portals, help Google find your site and reach readers online

These days, releases can do more than just get your story reported in news outlets. Online releases can get posted on news portals and other Web sites; be seen directly by customers, clients and other stake-holders; even boost your search engine rankings. Here’s how to write a news release that takes advantage of online distribution to accomplish all those goals and more.

In this session, you’ll learn:• How to optimize your releases for

search engines as well as for readers• Why jargon, buzzwords and other

gobbledygook hurt communication worse online than in print

• How to craft links that help Google find your Web site and that work for most news portals

• How long your online release should be• Where to put links—and what to link to—to

make the most of your SEO opportunities• How to write better headlines, decks

and leads for your online releaseAnn Wylie, founder of Wylie Communications Inc., works with PR professionals who want to reach more readers and with organizations that want to get the word out. She is the author of more than a dozen learning tools that help PR pros improve their communication skills, including “Anatomy of a Press Release, Pitch and E-mailed Release”; “Cut Through the Clutter”; and “Art of the Storyteller.”



1:45 p.m.–2:45 p.m.Internal is external, external is internal: Cross-communica-tions in social mediaWith rapid adoption of enterprise 2.0 running apace with the world-

wide growth of personal social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc., managing communications through insulated channels becomes a challenge.

During this session, Blair Klein, Director of Corporate Communications—Emerging Communications for AT&T, will show you how to:• Oversee your communications when the

lines between internal and external communications continue to blur with the growth of social platforms

• Manage conversations across audiences when internal conversations can easily become external and external messages have internal urgency

• Use employee conversations to further your messages without spraying the world with your brand shrapnel or undermining communications strategy and plans

As Director of Corporate Communications—Emerging Communications, Blair Klein is responsible for identifying, evaluating and launching new strategic lines of internal communications for AT&T. In this role, Blair leads development of the AT&T intranet, internal social media and other wired and wireless channels of communications to employees.

3 p.m.–4 p.m. Cyber-bully survivor: How to outwit, outplay and outlast an online attackerThe neighborhood bully isn’t just the mean kid in school anymore now

that “the neighborhood” is the Internet. What do you do when someone targets you for public attacks via online resources such as blogs and Twitter? What happens

Track 2

Public Relations & Marketing

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when this modern stalker moves from your professional presence online to your personal brand? Should you ignore attacks, go on a counterattack or put out a call for help?

In this session, find out how to outwit, outplay and outlast the most persistent attacker—from a survivor who refused to be driven into hiding. You will learn:• Who cyber-bullies are and why they are

stalking you• What you can do to protect your

professional reputation and your personal brand

• Where the cyber-bullies are most likely to find you

• When the best defense is a good offense• Why it’s critical to monitor all social media outlets

Ari Adler is the Communications Administrator for Delta Dental of Michigan, Ohio and Indiana. In this position, Ari helps oversee public and media relations as well as social media for the company in the tri-state area as well as for the Delta Dental Foundation. He also is an adjunct instructor at Michigan State University and the University of Michigan-Dearborn.



Friday, May 7, 2010

8 a.m.–9 a.m.Your crisis is about to hit. Are you ready to effectively communicate using social media? You need to get a jump on social media before

they find you during the next crisis. PR professionals need an online crisis plan ready to go to tackle the 24/7 news cycle, bloggers, Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels.

In a digital environment where innuendo can parade as truth and misinformation can spread like wildfire, understanding the rules of social media engagement in times of crisis is no longer optional. Levick Strategic Communications’ Chair of Global Social and Digital Media, Dallas Lawrence

will tell you about the key rules every corporate communicator needs to follow to ensure online brand protection and reputation management. Using real-world case studies, Dallas will show you how to:• Follow the basic rules of crisis commu-

nications and learn why they still apply in the digital age

• Develop a presence in the online space before a crisis strikes

• Use digital tools to serve as an early warning system

• Establish an effective active online listening campaign to monitor and protect your organization’s brand reputation

• Create effective internal social media: Use policies and encourage employees to serve as valuable brand ambassadors online

• Advise reluctant corporate leadership on the importance of wading into the social media space

• Best practices for coordinating and leveraging online and offline crisis management efforts

Dallas Lawrence, chair of Levick Strategic Communications’ Global Social and Digital Media Practice, leads a team that provides high-profile corporate, government and nonprofit clients with effective online reputation management, crisis response and social media engagement programs.

9:15 a.m.–10:15 a.m.Creating and communicating a new brand position for DetroitIt’s hard to think of a major metropolitan area in the United States

more misunderstood than Detroit. So when the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau (DMCVB) undertook a major rebranding effort a few years back, there was a great deal riding on the outcome in the meeting, convention, sporting event, film/television production and regional tourism arenas.

Join Christopher Baum, Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing for the DMCVB, as he recounts everything from the successful approach employed to ensure regional stakeholder buy-in to the potentially risky decisions that were made in executing Detroit’s bold new brand and the award-winning marketing programs that followed.This discussion will show you how to:• Gather information from many… but

limit decisions to a few

• Apply a “real world screen” to data to ensure that your final message rings true

• Reap greater rewards by taking bigger risks

• Avoid trying to be all things to all people… and nothing special to anyone

• Stand out from the crowd in a conserva-tive and predictable environment

Christopher Baum, CHME, is Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing, for the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau. A graduate of Cornell University, Baum spent 25 years in hotel sales & marketing, and four years with The New Yorker magazine, before joining the Detroit Metro CVB in early 2006.

10:30 a.m.–11:30 a.m.How to use social media to overcome a negative customer experienceMost companies under-stand that social media are an important part of

business these days, but how valuable are they really? When things go wrong, can companies use networks like Facebook and Twitter to win back their customers? Join WestJet’s Emerging Media Advisor as he discusses how Canada’s second-largest airline used social media to win back its customers’ loyalty after a major change had an unexpected impact on the company. In this session, you’ll get the lowdown on what happened and learn why it is important to: • Integrate social media feedback into the

bigger picture• Ensure that your social media team has

the right information• Use “brandividuals” to connect with

your fans and followers• Have patience while communicating

openly and honestly• Acknowledge the negative while

focusing on the positive • Take complaints offline as soon as possible• Have a brilliant exit strategyGreg Hounslow is the Emerging Media Advisor for WestJet. In addition to managing the company’s Facebook and Twitter pages, he is involved with developing the short- and long-term strategies for social media at WestJet.


9




Managing executive communications during turbulent times Chris Preuss, Vice President of Communica-tions for General Motors,

leads the communications function that has faced more crisis management and messaging challenges in the past two years than perhaps any other team in business. During this session, he will share how GM has managed executive communications during this period of extreme transition, including: • Maintaining message consistency through

a stretch of three CEOs in eight months • Adjusting to the needs and expectations

of three distinct leadership personalities and styles

• Leveraging multiple executives to focus media attention on areas of strength during a crisis

• Effectively using executives to inform, reassure and motivate employees during a period of upheaval and uncertainty

Christopher (Chris) Preuss is Vice President of Communications for General Motors. In this position, directs all external and internal communications activities for the global carmaker, reporting to Ed Whitacre, Chairman and CEO, Marketing and Communications. Preuss previously served as Vice President, Communications, for GM Europe, a position he had held since February 2008. In this capacity, he was responsible for all external and internal communications activities for GM’s European operations, including the Saab, Opel, Vauxhall and Chevrolet brands.

11 a.m.–noonHow to write your executive’s big speech in a little timeFew speechwriting tasks come with the kind of lead time you wish you

had. Fortunately, a great speech doesn’t necessarily require weeks of research and hours of agony over selecting just the right words. The secret to successful speechwriting is rigorous organization—in preparation, in research and in construction.

In this session, you will learn how to write a cohesive and memorable speech in the time you have to do it, whether that’s six weeks, six hours—or even six minutes. By following this “obscenely easy,” road-tested (and somewhat subversive) method developed by Washington, D.C.-based speechwriter Michael Long, you will learn:• How to create a simple framework for

any speech• The surprising way you can plant a

single message with your audience members—and keep it there

• Why thinking like a fourth-grader can help you impress even a Ph.D.

Michael Long teaches graduate courses in PR writing and speechwriting at Georgetown University. He has written for dozens of high-profile profession-als including candidates for office, Cabinet members and Fortune 100 CEOs. He has also contributed to Saturday Night Live and has been called a “poet” by actor and author Ben Stein.



1:45 p.m.–2:45p.m.Gaining executive buy-in to use social media to communicate with your employees more effectively

You want to use blogs as part of your employee communication strategy—and you may even want your executives to agree to do a “YouTube-like” video. But

how do you get past “no” or “not yet” and gain executive buy-in for new ways of communicating? Learn how in this case study by American Express.

At American Express, they solved a piece of the engagement puzzle through use of best practices informed by social media—including executive-sponsored blogs, nontraditional use of video, and podcasts.

Now is the time to help your executives get to “yes” when it comes to blogging, dialogue and increased engagement results.

During this session, you will learn how to: • Persuade senior executives to step

outside their comfort zones and into the internal blogosphere

• Mix video and other low-cost graphics to help achieve communication break-through

• Prove impact and make the business case for change

• Stay on top of new social media to stay relevant to your employees

James D. Lynch is Vice President of Employee Communications at American Express Co. (NYSE: AXP). In this role, he manages internal communica-tions for 22,000 employees worldwide across Global Business Travel, Global Commercial Card, Global Network Services, Global Merchant Services and Global Human Resources. He also serves as a communication advisor to the vice chairman of American Express, and the executive vice president of Global Human Resources.

3 p.m.–4 p.m.What can go wrong in executive communications: Common mistakes and how to avoid them

It’s sometimes the logistical minutiae that cause irreparable damage to executive speeches. From scheduling conflicts to malfunctioning equipment, a presentation can bomb for any number of reasons. You’ll hear about a number of improbable and unexpected (even hilarious) ways in which things have gone wrong for hapless executives, threatening the careers of their communications staff. You’ll then learn ways to avoid these embarrassments, including: • Why it’s your responsibility to sweat

the details• A range of best practices to avoid an

onstage meltdown• Safeguards that help prevent product

Track 3

Executive

Communications

10

demos from crashing• The value of checklists and standard

operating procedures• Ways to recover from the inevitable

mistakesA veteran speechwriter and executive communica-tions specialist, Ian Griffin helps CEOs and senior managers develop strategic messaging and content for presentations to audiences worldwide. Ian has spent more than 20 years working with mainstream Silicon Valley technology companies such as Hewlett-Packard and Sun Microsystems.



Friday, May 7, 2010

8 a.m.–9 a.m.Top tips to help your executive be a superior communicatorEmployees want to be led by leaders who lead. Ensuring employees get

the message from their organizations’ leadership—both the substance and the spirit—requires special skills on the part of communicators who can achieve the right balance of communication channels—both new and traditional, provide opportunities for two-way engagement, and advise leaders on mid-course corrections based on measurement of the impact of executive communication on employees.

In this session, communications consultant Shel Holtz will offer advice on:• The executive’s communication role

during times of stress or change• How to coach an executive who is

uncomfortable being in the spotlight• When ghost-writing for an executive is

acceptable and when it’s a recipe for disaster

• How to identify the right executive to deliver a message

• The right way to implement a communi-cation cascade that starts at the top

Shel Holtz, ABC, is principal of Holtz Communica-tion + Technology. He counsels organizations on effective online communication, including the strategic uses of social media. He has written or

co-written six books on online communication and speaks regularly at conferences and other venues. Shel is co-host of the first communications-focused podcast, “For Immediate Release,” and blogs at http://blog.holtz.com.

9:15 a.m.–10:15 a.m.CEO Blogging: How to get there and what happens if you doThink your CEO would never blog? Or maybe you think he or she would

be a great blogger. Either way you need a plan before approaching the corner office.

Join Black & Veatch’s Manager, New Media & Channels, as he discusses the launch of its CEO’s internal blog. Learn how you can implement ideas leading to a more engaged and connected work-force through this personal form of communication.

In the session you’ll learn how to:• Create a CEO blog that forges a

stronger engagement with employees • Gain buy-in from the C-suite • Develop your plan and implement it

quickly and efficiently • Establish policy and procedures that

your legal team will agree on • Determine what to blog about: One size

does not fit all • Formulate a process for posting and

reviewingJonathan Mast is the Manager, New Media & Channels, part of the Global Marketing & Communi-cation Channels team for Black & Veatch, a leading global engineering, consulting and construction company. He is responsible for overseeing the company’s emerging media. These include the company intranet, blogs, Facebook, Twitter, video development and other emerging media for both internal and external audiences.

10:30 a.m.–11:30 a.m.No guts, no story: How to ask the right questions to get your executives and employees talking the same language

Do you know how to glean the tasty morsels during an interview and write a story that will have your audience asking for seconds? There is an art to the interview, and it’s no different whether

you’ve been granted a one-on-one in the E-suite or you’ve pulled someone off the factory floor for a few moments of conversation. Each interviewee deserves your best questions—ones that go beyond the yes or no answer, beyond the soft lobs and beyond a cursory overview. This at times means peeling back the tough layers of your executives with the right questions and showing the folks on the floor that you really care.

Whether you’re writing for an internal publication, video or other project, attend this session and you’ll learn how to:• Ask the right questions, because it’s the

answer that counts • Stop depending on your bullet-pointed

list of questions • Turn an interview into a conversation • Recognize a gem of an answer and

encourage your interviewee to reveal more than you expected

• Remember that people enjoy talking about themselves

• Realize you hold the power during an interview and know how to use it to your advantage

From politicians and celebrities to criminals and corporate moguls, Suzanne Kay-Pittman has interviewed thousands of people in her 32 years of asking questions. She is now the Public Relations and Communications Manager for Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee. Before entering the corporate and nonprofit worlds, Kay-Pittman spent 15 years as a television news anchor, reporter and host in multiple markets.


11

Registration fees Standard After early Early bird conference price bird deadline discount price

Ragan Select member $945 $845 $745

Non-member $1,195 $1,095 $995

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Address

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Lawrence Ragan

Communications, Inc.

111 E. Wacker Drive, Suite 500

Chicago, IL 60601

Not a Ragan Select member? Use this Preferred Customer Code to secure your discount off the standard conference rate.

Ragan Select members: Log in to secure your select member discount.

Yes! I will attend. My check for $_______________is enclosed.

Charge my credit card: MasterCard Visa American Express Discover

Please send me an invoice (Make checks payable in U.S. dollars to Lawrence Ragan Communications)

CancellationsAll cancellations are subject to a $150 service fee (per attendee). Before March 19, 2010, you will receive a refund of your payment minus the service fee. After March 19, 2010, your payment will be credited toward a future Ragan event, minus the service fee. Registrants who fail to attend and do not cancel prior to the event are not entitled to a credit or refund of any kind. No exceptions.

Early bird registration deadline: March 12, 2010

Live webcastCan’t attend this conference in person? Register for a live webcast of the event. Details at www.ragan.com/CCC-webcast.

Registration Pre-Conference workshops • Wednesday May 5, 2010 9:00 a.m.–noon Social media boot camp: A total immersion workshop. With Mark Ragan $345

9:00 a.m.–noon Revitalize your public relations: How to combine the best of traditional and new

media to share and manage your message. With Pete Codella $345

1:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m. Social media tools: What’s new, what’s coming. With Shel Holtz $345

9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. One-day Writing and Editing Workshop. $549

Conference InformationDetroit Marriott Renaissance CenterDetroit, MI 48243

For hotel and travel details please go to www.ragan.com/CCC-hotels

CORPORATE COMMUNICATORSCONFERENCE 2010

Four Ways to Register Call 800.493.4867

Fax the registration form to 312.861.3592

Browse www.ragan.com/CCC

Mail the completed registration form to:Ragan Communications111 E. Wacker Drive, Suite 500Chicago, IL 60601

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http://www.ragan.com/CCC2010

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