Newsroom Ink’s vice president of strategic communication Springfield Lewis (r) interviews LA Fish owner and former Seafood Board chair Harlon Pearce in a seafood processing room at his New Orleans business. Photo: Ed Lallo/Louisiana Seafood News

by Gordon Curry/Newsroom Ink

At first glance, there’s no doubt the annual report for the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board looks strikingly different from the usual fare.

Ewell Smith, executive director of the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board. Photo: Ed Lallo/Louisiana Seafood News

Produced by Newsroom Ink, this black-and-white tabloid chronicles the many activities in, around and in support of Louisiana’s commercial fishing community from 2011 to 2012. It’s  big, bold and rich in brand journalism.

“When we came up with the final concept, we knew we had something as large as the lives of the fishermen and the stories we were telling,” said Ed Lallo, founder of Newsroom Ink. “We decided on a look that was as unvarnished as the content.”

The newsy-styled, 11-by-17-inch format mirrors the annual report’s journalistic approach. Sixteen pages of articles cover the waterfront, storefronts and social and political venues for the Louisiana seafood industry, highlighting such areas as:

• The work and issues 12,000+ Louisiana fishermen face daily.
• High-profile culinary events, featuring the state’s premium seafood.
• Key discussions with legislators that advance the vitality and sustainability of an industry that employs one out of 70 Louisiana workers.

Developed by a team of news writers, the stories lay out the strategic efforts of the Louisiana Seafood Board in its advocacy of local fisherman, seafood processors, wholesalers, retailers and restaurateurs, while delving into the lives of industry members themselves.

“Reporting on Louisiana Seafood, we track to the business cycles of its diverse industries that range from oysters to shrimp to alligators,” said Springfield Lewis, vice president of Newsroom Ink’s strategic communications. “The stories cover what matter to the board’s stakeholders and their livelihoods.”

A number of stories for  annual report originated from the Louisiana Seafood Newsroom, and original articles for the annual are being repurposed as newsroom content.  A copy of the annual is also available online.

Brand journalism is making its way into the publications and newsrooms of more companies, including The Intel Free Press, The Coca-Cola Company and Men’s Warehouse. It combines journalistic writing with behind-the-scene insights into an organization’s operations and industry-related issues.

Louisiana Seafood’s annual report nicely pulls together these elements into a singular package – in print and online – with lots of pass-around and extended news value.

According to a recent Harvard Business Review blog post by John Coleman, titled The Benefits of Poetry for Professionals, poetry teaches us to wrestle with and simplify complexity. This happens to be a daily challenge for corporate writers and business leaders alike.

The article also suggests that poetry can develop a more acute sense of empathy and promote creativity. I agree with Coleman. Reading poems and wrestling with a short haiku, encourages me to learn new vocabulary and find different ways to express the same idea.

I knew my interest in haiku was well-founded. It started innocently with one of those magnetic poetry kits. Then, quickly became competitive with colleagues trying to one-up each other with humorous haiku at the office.

Not familiar with haiku? It’s a form of unrhymed poetry with Japanese origin. Haiku is typically formed by three lines, or verses, that do not rhyme. The verses have five, seven and five syllables respectively.

I enjoy following Train Commute Haiku. The author regularly commutes on the Amtrak Hiawatha, between Milwaukee and Chicago, and publishes one haiku per commute.

Did you know? In 1961, the inauguration of John F. Kennedy marked the first time a poet, Robert Frost, participated in the Inaugural program. Elizabeth Alexander composed and delivered Praise Song for the Day for the inauguration of President Barack Obama in 2009. Listen for the latest inaugural poem on January 21, 2013.

As a corporate writer, I know poetry expands my perspective and I hope it encourages more colorful results. I encourage you to write a haiku of your own this month and make time to read one new poem.

You can rediscover an old poet or find a new favorite online at Poem Hunter or Poetry Foundation.

Tom will use case studies to teach you how to align the customer experience so that what leadership thinks the customers want is accurate, and employees are tuned into how their actions impact the customer experience. You will also learn how to build employee engagement using real customer data, and how to develop an effective ongoing communication strategy to maintain the improvements that you have made.

Can’t make the workshop?  Join us for lunch!

About The Turning Point Group:
The Turning Point Group is an award-winning customer experience firm recognized for their proven ability to produce results for their clients. They provide unique, sustainable programs that differentiate their clients from their competition by capitalizing on what their best customers and star employees indicate is most important. As experts in their field, they are proud to have partnered with an impressive list of clients in several industries, including Energy, Financial Services, Healthcare, Telecommunications, Technology, Retail and more.

About Tom Downing:
Tom Downing is Managing Partner for The Turning Point Group. He is responsible for developing and managing customer experience programs for clients such as The Greater Houston Partnership, Baylor Healthcare, evGo, Medical City Hospital, Shell Lubricants, Memorial Hermann Healthcare System, SimDesk Technologies, Methodist Hospital of Southern California and more.  Prior to co-founding The Turning Point Group 12 years ago, he led customer experience initiatives for a variety of industries like Cingular Wireless, Pacific Bell, PG&E Energy Services, Budget Rent A Car, Disney TeleServices and Pan American World Airways.

EVENT DETAILS
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
 luncheon
1:30–4:30 p.m. workshop
Maggiano’s Little Italy at the Domain – Plenty of FREE Parking!

COST

Early-Bird Registration (by end of day April 2):
Luncheon only:
•    Members $30
•    Non-members $40
•    Students $20
Luncheon and workshop:
•    Members $45
•    Non-members $75
•    Students $35

Normal Registration(After April 2):
Luncheon only:
•    Members $35
•    Non-members $45
•    Students $25
Luncheon and workshop:
•    Members $50
•    Non-members $80
•    Students $40

REGISTER ONLINE NOW!

• Hear a program overview of the Texas Evening and Executive MBA programs
• Understand the value proposition of the Texas MBA
• Connect with current MBAs, alumni, faculty and staff
• Attend a faculty presentation
• Experience what makes the Texas MBA special

At this unique event you will gain knowledge about the admissions process, hear an overview of the program and curriculum, discover opportunities available to students in the program, and picture yourself as a Texas MBA.

Throughout the day you’ll meet future female business leaders currently enrolled in the Texas Evening and Executive MBA programs, connect with alumni, faculty and staff, and experience what makes the Texas MBA special.

View the agenda and register for free.

As Austin prepares itself to host thousands of digital media influencers from across the globe at SXSW Interactive, we invite you to kick-start the discussion by joining our own local digital media gurus for a night of networking and pre-SXSW discussions.

The SXSW Kick-Off Happy Hour, presented by IABC Austin in partnership with Cohn & Wolfe, will feature roundtable discussions led by digital media leaders:

• Jon Peters, Social Media Manager, AMD (@jonrpeters)
• Virginia Miracle, Executive Vice President of Professional Services, Spredfast (@VirginiaMiracle)
• Brooke Hovey, Senior Vice President Digital Practice, Cohn & Wolfe
• Tolly Moseley, Freelance Writer, Editor of Austin Eavesdropper (@TollyM)

So whether you are planning to attend SXSWi or want to know which hot trends will dominate the conference this year, this pre-SXSW happy hour is where you need to be in the know.

Event Details

When:             Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Time:               5:30 – 7:30 pm
Where:            Clive Bar, 609 Davis Street
Cost:                Free

Registration for this event is now closed.

IABC Vice Chair Robin McCasland is enthusiastic in her support of IABC as she is of the Texas Longhorns. Photo: Ed Lallo/Newsroom Ink

by Ed Lallo/Newsroom Ink

Only two of Robin McCaslands more than 20 exes are in Texas – Mark Schumann and Glenda Holmes, the rest are spread out around the world.  In July of next year McCasland will become the sitting chair of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC).

“I am definitely not intimidated to be the third chair from Texas,” said McCasland, IABC’s current vice chair.  “Us Texans are pretty forthcoming, pretty bold – some people might even say brash, but for sure very confident.”

“I am incredibly excited about the opportunity to serve as vice chair and chair the following year.  I will be looking forward to calling upon the past chairs, from Texas and around the world,for help and advice.”

An IABC member for more than 20 years, the Dallas-based communicator has served in numerous roles at the international level, most recently on the committee to find the new executive director Chris Sorek.

“In the executive director search, I was intimately involved with the board,” said the Dallas IABC chapter member.  “I got a very good understanding of our new strategic direction, and I look forward to help carry that out during the next few years.”

A former director of market development for Texas Instruments, she also held communication positions with Buck Consultants and PartnerComm before starting her own strategic communication consulting practice, Brain Biscuit Strategic Communications.

Before being installed as the current vice chair, she took a position at Dell Services– formerly Perot Systems – where she leads internal communication and employee engagement.

Robin McCasland with one of the exes, Adrian Cropley of Melbourne, Australia, past chair of IABC. Lunch at the Oasis in Austin, Texas during a Longhorn weekend. Photo: Ed Lallo/Newsoom Ink

As vice chair, one of her chief roles is meeting and coordinating with IABC’s council of regions.  Meeting with each region at least twice a year, and on monthly conference calls, she is responsible for updating them on board initiatives, as well as listening to issues and concerns they might have with their chapters.

“There are several responsibilities as my role as vice chair. Chair Kerby Meyers would say one responsibility is to take notes for him during board meeting to make sure everyone has a turn to comment,” explained McCasland humorously.

A graduate of the University of Texas, McCasland bleeds Longhorn orange.  On any given Saturday in the fall you will find the Texas football fanatic making the three and a half hour trip from Dallas to Austin to support her alma mater.

McCasland is enthusiastic in her support of IABC as she is of the Longhorns.

“One of the things that has always been to IABC’s advantage is that the organization has a very board base in covering the entire profession – internal and external communications, advertising, marketing, PR – you name it we cover it,” she said.  “We are becoming a much broader profession in the terms of the kinds of things we do as communicators, and IABC covers the gambit.”

As the organization has extended its reach, she realizes that it must also change to attract new and younger members.

“The reason I joined IABC more than 20 years ago will not appeal to somebody that is in college today,” she explained. “IABC needs to focus on bring new younger members into the organization but the organization needs to focus on tapping into universities around the country to get students excited about IABC.”

The way we do that has to be different according to the vice chair.

“As a board we discussed the option of giving students access to IABC’s content before they graduate,” said McCasland.  “Making group membership available to universities, to decrease the cost to the students.  Students would have access to our content, and more importantly the ability to network with members.”

Although the board is still only discussing these options, McCasland says “perhaps it is time to admit that we don’t know what we don’t know, and ask students directly ‘What are you looking for when you start your professional career?’”

As chapters around the world find fewer members willing to sacrifice their time for the organization, new members would also increase the number of volunteers at all levels in the organization according to McCasland.

“One of the challenges in increasing volunteerism in the organization is developing a plan,” she said.  “It is difficult to develop a plan unless you know what your audience is thinking. It is a simple thing, but sometime we don’t do a good job at asking people ‘what would appeal to you?’”

She feels it is time to start listening to the audience the organization is trying to attract, and to tailor the plan accordingly. “When we do that we will bring in new members and see an increase in volunteers,” she said.

“The reason I joined IABC more than 20 years ago will not appeal to somebody that is in college today,” explained Robin McCasland. Photo: Ed Lallo/Newsroom Ink

As IABC realigns staff talents and expertise to try to better carry out its strategy, she sees the need for greater co-operation and coordination between chapters.

“It is time for chapters to start communicating more with each other, making other chapters aware when opportunities for great speakers arise,” she explained. “If the Houston chapter brings in a great speaker, they should make Dallas, San Antonio and Austin aware to the possibility of sharing resources.  Let speakers tour the Texas chapters.”

McCasland feels chapter and regional cooperation should extend globally as well.  “This is a communication issue, and it’s funny that we are a communication organization and sometimes we don’t communicate very well with each other,” she said. “We’re working as an organization to improve collaboration around the world.”

The face of the communications profession is changing.  Globally, it is now a female dominated profession.

“If you look at communication membership across all levels, one of the things that has changed during the past few years is that we are predominantly female,” explained McCasland.  “We want to make sure we reflect that on the executive board, and have worked very hard at finding outstanding female representation.”

The board has found that finding qualified women is often encumbered by traditional female roles.

“Women have demanding careers, while also balancing the responsibilities of families with young children and other obligations. Some female professionals still find it challenging to make a volunteer leadership commitment to IABC, at least for a portion of their careers,” she explained.

The board always seeks outstanding female leaders, but the bottom line is to ensure a competency-based board, regardless of gender, that can provide solid strategic direction and continue to lead IABC forward.

According to her, the board will continue to search for qualified female members, as well as members that represent the association at the international level

“It is important for IABC to reflect the face of the communication profession,” she said. “We are a global organization and that should always be reflected in our diverse leadership.”

Dallas, Denver, Denmark or the Democratic Republic of the Congo, IABC is an organization facing change and challenges.   The forthcoming, bold, brash Texan is confident that she has what it takes to help shape the association’s future during the next couple of years.

It takes a small village to keep our chapter moving and shaking. We’re currently seeking local communicators to fill the following board and committee positions:

Board Members (must be a member or become a member of IABC)

• Co–VP of Communications
• VP of Finance

Committee Volunteers

• Awards
• Bronze Quill
• Graphic Designer
• Technology

Have you been searching for the right opportunity to get more involved? If one of these roles is of interest to you, email Bonnie Caver at bonnie@caverpr.com.

In just one year, Dell completed an unprecedented seven mergers and acquisitions. With these acquisitions comes not only the expansion of capabilities for customers, but also the complicated process of integrating newly acquired employees.

Join us for our monthly luncheon, Tuesday, January 8 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Samantha Cummis, communications consultant, and Christa Semko, senior advisor, both with Dell’s mergers and acquisitions team, will give us a peek behind-the-scenes at successful efforts and lessons learned from assimilating these new organizations into their global workforce.

About Samantha Cummis:

Samantha Cummis has more than 15 years of experience in corporate communications, including both agency and in-house experience. Prior to joining Dell, Samantha spent 10 years working for Pfizer in a variety of communication roles, including media relations and mergers and acquisitions. Samantha earned her bachelor’s of arts degree from Hobart and William Smith Colleges and master’s degree from the University of Massachusetts. She currently lives in Austin and enjoys the outdoors, skiing, hiking, traveling and attending live music events.

About Christa Semko:

Since 2006, Christa Semko, senior advisor, mergers and acquisitions, has held a variety of roles in Dell’s global internal communications department. Prior to Dell, she worked in corporate communications at Alfa Laval in Richmond, Virginia. Christa graduated cum laude with her bachelor’s degree in business administration, with marketing and management concentrations, and a minor in journalism from the University of Richmond. She earned her MBA from the University of Texas, McCombs School of Business. Christa lives in Austin and enjoys traveling, running, yoga, reading and listening to live music.

EVENT DETAILS
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Maggiano’s Little Italy at the Domain – Plenty of FREE Parking!

COST

Early Bird Registration
(before EOD January 4)
Members $30
Non-members $40
Students $20

Normal Registration
(after EOD January 4)
Members $35
Non-members $45
Students $25

REGISTER ONLINE NOW!

That’s because people don’t decide on logic alone; they decide on emotion, explains Rohit Bhargava in his book, Likeonomics: The Unexpected Truth Behind Earning Trust, Influencing Behavior, and Inspiring Action. In fact, brain studies show that while the logic part of the brain can analyze a situation, it is incapable of making a decision. The emotional part of the brain is the decisionmaker.

To sell an idea, take “what you have to do” and frame it in terms of “what you like to do.” This elicits the emotional response people will use as the basis of their decision about your product, service, or idea.

Bhargava says likeability comes from trust:

• Truth = Deliver unexpected honesty. You have to be believable.
• Relevance = Make a personal connection. Even a great product doesn’t have a lasting unbeatable edge; someone will copy it eventually. A personal connection is what sets it apart.
• Unselfishness = Behave ethically.
• Simplicity = Offer ease of use (think Apple); offer a solution to a simple actionable item within a more complex problem.
• Timing = “People are always at the heart of timing,” Bhargava says.

I grabbed some reservations on a Southwest Airlines sale today, even though I am not sure of my travel dates. I know I can change the dates later, without penalty, if I need to. I like that! What companies or individuals do you do business with for reasons like this?