My Plan for Oct. 5

As I mentioned, I’m going to be at the Ragan Employee Communications, PR, and Social Media Summit from Oct. 3 – 5.  There are a few different sessions offered during each period, so I wanted to share the sessions I’m planning to attend here.  You can always follow my live (West Coast time zone) on Twitter (@kkozlen), or here on this blog. If requested, I might do some live video coverage via this site… please take a look at my plan for the conference and let me know if there are any questions or things I can look into on your behalf.

8:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m. (PST)
7 ways internal communications can help create a great place to work
Kim Darnofall (@KimDarnofall), Internal Communications Project Manager, SAS

SAS has been in the Top 3 on the FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For® List in the United States, including two No. 1 rankings, in the past three years. Internal communications plays a vital role in earning this distinction by creating or promoting programs featured in the award application, by enhancing leadership communications, and by fostering pride in the company and encouraging camaraderie. All of these are measured in an employee survey, which counts for two-thirds of a company’s ranking. SAS’ Kim Darnofall will not only outline the ways internal communications creates an award-winning workplace, but will give examples of how they “keep the corporate culture.”

I’M STILL DEBATING BETWEEN 2 SESSIONS DURING THE NEXT TIMESLOT… HERE ARE THE 2, LET ME KNOW WHICH ONE YOU’D BE MOST INTERESTED IN HEARING ABOUT.

9:45 a.m.-10:45 a.m. (PST)
How Best Buy provides a voice for its remote workforce using social media
Andrew Hokenson (@Andreux), Senior Specialist—Employee Communications, Best Buy

With the average age of Facebook users pushing into the northern 30s, the mystique of social media isn’t such a mystery anymore. However, with a new generation of employees integrating into the workforce (a generation that views email as antiquated and “corporatey”), it’s time to integrate the social media philosophy so many are comfortable with at home into the workplace. Andrew Hokenson will take you on a narrative of Best Buy’s journey from a monolithic state to a culture of 167,000 communicators.

In this session:

• Challenges of changing a “new” communication culture
• How to develop a social media policy for your intranet
• Why and how to bridge the gap between corporate and field employees
• Why social media shouldn’t become another communications strategy
• Why companies shouldn’t have a CEO featured on the TV show “Undercover Boss”

9:45 a.m.-10:45 a.m. (PST)
How mobile video can make you a communication hero
Drew Keller (@DrewKeller), Owner, StoryGuide, and Paolo Tosolini (@Tosolini), Director of Digital and Emerging Media, Run Studios

Smartphones and tablets are the new best friends of corporate communicators. They are portable, connected and multitalented. You can push their powerful versatility in new and creative ways that will far exceed their traditional uses. Through practical demonstrations, Drew Keller and Paolo Tosolini will show you how to exploit the multimedia capabilities of mobile devices. At the end of this session you’ll be able to transform your stories through mobile video.

In this session:

• Create powerful photo montages out of your pictures
• Master best practices to shoot and edit interviews with your mobile phone
• Use tags and videos to promote your products and services
• Live-stream an event from your phone
• Surprise your team using Augmented Reality

11 a.m.-12 p.m. (PST) – CLOSING KEYNOTE

Deliver digital marketing success: 8 steps PR professionals can take to maximize social media
Dux Raymond Sy (@MeetDux), PMP Managing Partner, Innovative-e

As traditional marketing and social media become increasingly adopted for building relationships with existing and prospective customers, what is the value of social media for PR professionals engaging in a business-to-business environment?

Join Dux Raymond Sy as he shares practical strategies, tips and best practices on how PR professionals can best maximize social media for marketing, brand awareness, customer engagement and sales acquisition. You’ll see real-world examples of how utilizing social media can generate legitimate results, including increased business leads and loyalty among existing customers.

In this interactive closing keynote:

• Distinguish the value of various social media channels for your PR initiatives
• Establish relevant metrics for measuring digital marketing success
• Amplify corporate messaging with an industry “echo” system
• Integrate social media channels with existing marketing initiatives and sales efforts
• Leverage internal and external tools like SharePoint, SocialOomph, Google Analytics and Feed Burner to manage social media activities
• Drive a targeted social media campaign for brand awareness, lead generation, customer engagement and partner initiatives
• Create a strategic social media roadmap for your organization

Participants will receive a workshop recording, digital marketing templates and checklists, and a strategic social media roadmap template.

My Plan for Oct. 4

As I mentioned, I’m going to be at the Ragan Employee Communications, PR, and Social Media Summit from Oct. 3 – 5.  There are a few different sessions offered during each period, so I wanted to share the sessions I’m planning to attend here.  You can always follow my live (West Coast time zone) on Twitter (@kkozlen), or here on this blog. If requested, I might do some live video coverage via this site… please take a look at my plan for the conference and let me know if there are any questions or things I can look into on your behalf.

Thursday, Oct. 4

8:45 a.m. (PST) Welcome with Mark Ragan

9 a.m.-10 a.m.
OPENING KEYNOTE – Strategies for the changing nature and pace of communications
Frank X Shaw (@FXShaw), Corporate Vice President of Corporate Communications, Microsoft

In today’s 24/7 global communications environment it’s harder than ever to know what to say when and what messages should travel through which channels. It’s becoming more challenging to understand what will have the most impact with your target audience. It is also becoming more difficult to strategically respond to competitive opportunities or threats when the pace of communications is instant.  Timely action and response is of the essence. Frank Shaw will share the things he’s learned over the past several years about the changing nature and pace of communications, with an emphasis on competitive PR.

• What social strategies work best around competitive PR
• How to best balance a timely response with need for legal review and involvement
• How to identify a best practice
• What to measure to know you’ve had impact reaching your target audience around competitive communications
• When to take a risk and when not to act

10:15 a.m.-11:15 a.m.
Employee communications tactics for an ADD world:  How to engage, collaborate and motivate employees
Tobin Burgess is Senior HR Business Partner, and Caitlin Duffy (@duffycait), Managing Editor of MSW, Microsoft

We all know that employee engagement is critical—it leads to higher retention, increased productivity and better morale. But between the “old-fashioned” tactics of email and events and the new wave of social tools, how do you really move employees to action as advocates and experts? Microsoft has learned key lessons in both old and new tactics—lessons that may help you reach and engage employees creatively no matter your set of tactics.

• How employee comms is gathering followers and landing calls to action via internal social channels
• Microsoft’s key take-aways in designing a mobile news app for employees
• What kinds of events—from in-person to videocasts to microblogging Q&A—generate the best reach and engagement
• How one company-turned-division, Skype, managed employee engagement through its acquisition and on-boarding into Microsoft
• How both specific groups and the corporate team use employee deals and retail to get products into employee evangelists’ hands

12:15 p.m.-1:15 p.m. (PST)
Come on, get happy: How Expedia enhances employee engagement online
Kristin Graham, Vice President, Engagement & Communications, Expedia, Inc.
Mark Schmitt, Senior Communications Manager, Employee Programs, Expedia, Inc.

First begun as a project within Microsoft, Expedia was a pioneer in the dot-com boom. Fifteen years later, the company is Expedia, Inc., the worlds largest online travel company, employing more than 9,000 people in 36 countries. Communicating across time zones to go-go employees who are by nature impatient of going through channels and following by-the-book formal procedures, Expedia tackles internal conversation, collaboration and community by using a portfolio of communication tools. Using both traditional and social channels, Expedia keeps learning and adapting to how these channels inform and inspire employees.   The goal is to get employees to share professional and personal content through tools on a global intranet. The mix of tools helps workers cultivate corporate culture, deepens its employee value proposition, and boosts Expedias brand.

In this session:

• What Expedia learned the hard way as it introduced new tools to email addicts
• How changing a vacation policy made a competitive difference
• What channels drive a new health & wellness program
• How an online employee referral program produces more than 12,000 referrals a year
• How partnering with PR and IR extends reach, resources, and budget
• Ideas to get the attention of distracted employees used to reading posts and tweets

1:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m. (PST)
Support a strong corporate culture by guiding your senior leaders to speak with authenticity and transparency
Diana Kowalsky (@dianakowalsky), Internal Communications Manager, and Libby Catalinich (@lcatali), Director of Corporate Communications, REI

Trust is essential to a thriving business. We all know that leaders play a key part in building trust, fostering culture and sparking dialogue. In this session, you’ll hear how REI is working to empower and energize leaders as a critical voice in the organization to build employee confidence and engagement.

• Why executives matter to employees and how to communicate that to your leaders
• Tips to help managers be a voice for the organization
• How a CEO blog can bring personality and connection to senior leaders
• Why old-fashioned face-to-face conversation still matters

2:45 p.m.-3:45 p.m. (PST)
How to create buzz and excitement with employee communications—from a stale monthly newsletter to an energizing monthly talk show
Justin Fong (@jgfong), Vice President of Internal Communications, Teach For America

In the last five years, Teach For America’s staff has grown six-fold to nearly 1,700 spread across 46 regions and countless home offices. Fostering community and an esprit de corps has become increasingly difficult, so they developed “The Blank Show,” a one-hour monthly live broadcast that strengthens team spirit, fuels the fire for their mission, and allows senior leaders to communicate important messages live to a wide audience.

During this session:

• The power of live video broadcasts in shaping staff culture and internal branding
• Internal change management: abandoning a monthly newsletter and starting a talk show
• Creating buzz and generating buy-in for an hour-long show
• Behind-the-scenes conversations about strategy and content for the show
• The nitty-gritty of putting on a low-budget, high-impact production (including technology and equipment selection)

4 p.m-5 p.m. (PST) – SPECIAL KEYNOTE
Disney Parks Social Media Content: Creating Magical Experiences
Thomas Smith (@ThomasSmith) is Social Media Director at Disney Destinations

Similar to Walt Disney’s original idea for Disneyland, the Disney Parks social media program is driven by the simple notion that making guests happy is a key to success. Since launching the successful Walt Disney World Moms Panel, Disney Parks Blog and other channels, the program’s strategy has revolved around listening, building relationships, creating and sharing relevant stories and participating in online conversations. Disney Parks has a series of real-world case studies and examples to share as well as the secret to what keeps the company’s most powerful social program moving forward and grabbing attention.

• The importance of purposeful storytelling
• Why Disney Parks social operates like a next-generation newsroom
• Disney’s secret to moving a social program forward
• Why doing social right demands creativity
• How to highlight the best of your company in the social space
• The key to creating experiences worth sharing
• How to build structure around your content

My Plan for Oct. 3

The Ragan Employee Communications, PR and Social Media Summit is coming up next week. You can always follow my live (West Coast time zone) on Twitter (@kkozlen), or here on this blog. If requested, I might do some live video coverage via this site… please take a look at my plan for the conference and let me know if there are any questions or things I can look into on your behalf.

The first thing I’m attending is a pre-conference workshop on Wednesday, October 3, covering various aspects of employee communication. Here are the workshop sessions I’ll be attending:

9 a.m.-11 a.m (PST)
Transform your corporate communications with SharePoint
Dux Raymond Sy (@meetdux), PMP Managing Partner, Innovative-e

By leveraging SharePoint 2010, corporate communicators are empowered to create relevant solutions that can increase productivity by streamlining and automating communication processes and minimizing communicators’ dependence on IT.

• Exploit the key benefits of SharePoint for corporate communicators
• Automate corporate communications processes and workflows with SharePoint
• Integrate SharePoint with existing corporate communication tools
• Create a Web-based dashboard to track and measure relevant corporate communication metrics
• Leverage social and mobile capabilities to better engage corporate audiences

12:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m. (PST)
Leadership communications: How a communicator in the social media world can support and maximize the impact when an executive communicates
Mark Schumann (@dmarkschumann), past Chair, IABC
Mark Schumann, ABC, past Chair of IABC and a 17-time Gold Quill winner, for a compelling workshop on how to reinvent your communication skills to provide the support a leader needs in the social media world.  Behind every great leader is a great communicator. And, in this 24/7 business environment of constant interaction, how a communicator supports a leader has significantly changed. No longer is helping a leader craft a message adequate support. Today’s communicator must continually coach the leader to make the most of each opportunity to engage.

This session will cover:

• Help a leader discover a communication style, tone and level of comfort with a range of interactions
• Coach a leader to work within an authentic voice that is natural to express and absorb
• Introduce new media to a leader without forgetting that every tool is a means to an end of stakeholder engagement
• Establish a curriculum of leadership message and content
• Encourage a leader to become more involved in the development of communication strategy and approaches without delegating the task
• Continually reinforce to the leader that communication is a fundamental part of the role

3 p.m.-5 p.m. (PST)
How organizations need to use video and storytelling to create and protect their brand
Drew Keller (@DrewKeller), Owner, StoryGuide

Corporate communicators must explain, defend, and bolster the corporate brand internally and externally with imagination and verve. This is no small task now that social media has made it more difficult to manage your brand on many platforms. Video is one of the strongest weapons in your arsenal to create the look and feel of your brand. When you make a video, your audience pays attention to every detail. They look in the corners of your shots, they listen to the words, and they absorb your message… intended or accidental. Therefore it is critical that every video you produce has an identifiable relationship with the personality of your product.

This session will cover how to use video to tell your corporate stories. You will learn how to:

• Make certain that your stories reflect your company or organization’s philosophy
• Make sure the look and feel of your videos reflect the brand positively
• Avoid common pitfalls of content creation that does not advance your brand
• Capture inspirational and memorable stories that will bring your company renown
• Write the perfect script through employee interviews and brainstorms

Ragan Employee Communications, PR and Social Media Summit

Next week (Oct. 3-5) I’ll be attending the Regan Empoloyee Communications, PR, and Social Media Summit at Microsoft Headquarters in Seattle.

Much like I’ve done for SXSW and iMedia summits in the past, I’ll be cover the event live here on this blog, as well as on Twitter (@kkozlen).

I hope to interact with you in real-time, so if you have any questions, or if there’s something I can find out for you while I’m there, please contact me!

Another Giveaway – You Might be a Zombie Book

I haven’t forgotten about all the giveaways I promised! You still have time to enter these giveaways – Flipboard T-Shirt, the Will it Blend? DVD, the Square device, the Delivering Happiness Book, and the Eyeballs Out book.  I will select the winners near the end of the month.

Now you have a chance to win You Might be a Zombie and Other Bad News from the editors of Cracked.com.  The book is rated 4.5 stars on Amazon.com, and appears to be a great book.  I just don’t have time to read it and wanted to give it away to one lucky reader of this blog.

To enter, simply click the comments link at the top of this post and make a comment.  Make sure to include your email address so I know how to contact you to send you the book.

Good luck and thanks for reading.  Keep an eye out for more giveaways to  come!

Video From My First Few Days of SXSW 2011

Will it Blend?

A bonus that was not on the agenda at the Tweet House today was the addition of Blendtec’s Tom Dickson.  He spoke a bit about how they started and got to be as successful as they’ve been with their “Will it Blend?” series on YouTube.  Here’s a brief video of his presentation.

The Connected Company

Presenter: Dave Gray, XPLANE
This was an incredible presentation which essentially compared large companies and large cities, and how large cities are able to adapt, while large businesses struggle. Companies are Complex Systems, and he had a graphic of the org chart at Microsoft. It’s so large and complex, an external company compiles this and sells it to vendors.

Research has shown a 3/2 Rule, meaning that as organizations scale larger, profits drop at a 3/2 rate. More employees have proven less profits. In cities and urban planning however, there’s a 2/20 rule. As you double the size of a city, productivity in that location goes up nearly 10 fold. The reason has to do with relationships to environment, which essentially establishes – are you flexible/adaptable, or process/machine driven?

Both cities and companies start out small. As companies grow, the machine/processes established don’t work because of the increase in people, so they have to re-organize their structure or re-program the machine. Companies need to break down silos and processes, because studies of long-lived successful companies have shown they were:Companies are often like machines – very process oriented, and the CEO is in charge, pulling levers to make things happen. The problem is that processes are designed to sit on a stable foundation. No time has been worse for that then the present environment of change. People and technologies are changing because they are based on people and behaviors.

Decentralized – There are porous boundaries and no big strong central command and control.
Had a Strong Identity – Shared values, cultures, and beliefs.
Active Listeners – They are able to identify and jump on new opportunities (and have the cash to do so).
Most companies are designed by division (for labor specialization). This creates territory or turf when you create separate tasks. Companies should be designed with connections, connecting the core with periphery, or flocking, where they share standard protocols and shared services, learning from each other. Imagine companies as they are today with large organizational charts, vs a connected business or web of cross-functional, cross-experienced teams. If a chain breaks in a hierarchy, everything under falls down. In hierarchies, if a link in the chain breaks, the system breaks, but in a web, you can work around it.Lessons from Urban design:

Think at the level of the street – Get an organization wide initiative that requires a cross-functional team.
Spaces need owners – Wikis needs a gardener, blog owner to organize content, community manager to organize stuff, but they require connectivity for information and support.
Jumping off points – There are opportunities encountered along the way – you came for this, but what about that? Utilize the serendipity to start to make new changes.
Watch, listen, adjust, adapt – Have a strong feedback loop – pay attention, fix broken windows (You know what this means if you’ve read Malcom Gladwell), tweak, small changes add up, tell it what it needs.

Finally, connections within your company are vital, but connections between partner companies are just as important. In a day in age when no one wants to be liable, and things are held to contracts, it creates issues for users, destroying attitudes between both companies. Unless things are easily linked and plug easily into one another easily, this can be just as destructive.

Here’s another article on this presentation.

Dachis Group Social Business Summit

At the iMedia Brand Summit, several of us were talking about whether or not we were going to be attending SXSW. A few of us are, and I found out that Robert Freeman, from Michaels was staying at the same hotel as well. As we got to talking, he mentioned that he and his boss were planning to attend the Dachis Group Social Business Summit. Well, as it turns out, Robert’s boss wasn’t able to make it into town in time for the Social Business Summit, and since they aren’t able to refund his fee, Robert invited me to attend.

I had seen this earlier, but after iMedia and SXSW, there was no way I was going to be able to talk to my boss about footing the tab for yet another conference on this trip. I’m really excited about being able to attend this, particularly because one of the speakers will be Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com, and I just finished his book Delivering Happiness.  There are some other tremendous speakers on the agenda, including Josh Bernoff of Forrester, Shiv Shingh of Pepsi (got to see him speak last year at work when he was with Razorfish), and Jesse Thomas of JESS3, a data visualization group.  I’m certain the other speakers will be great, and the topics on the agenda look awesome.  As you would expect, I’ll be tweeting and blogging from there as well.

iMedia Brand Summit and SXSWi

I found out that I will also be attending the iMedia Brand Summit in Lost Pines, Texas (just outside of Austin), right before SXSW. This will take place March 5-9, and I will head downtown for SXSW from March 10-16. Since this conference will be part of the same trip for me, and the content still relates to topics covered at SXSW, I’m planning to cover it here as well.

The conference will cover “Corporate Storytelling Beyond Advertising,” and will feature speakers from Victors & Spoils, McKinsey & Company, Microsoft, and IBM. The materials say, “As consumers look for experiences through whatever channel is most convenient, marketers must find a way to deliver our stories across a variety of devices and create the kinds of content our targets want to consume.”

Here’s more on the iMedia Brand Summit – Corporate Storytelling Beyond Advertising if you’re interested.

SXSW Video: Podcast Playground

PepsiCo’s Podcast Playground was back again this year, and it appeared to be a busy place throughout South by Southwest Interactive. One day, I stopped to watch a live Blip.tv interview with LLCoolJ about his latest venture, boomdizzle.com. The PepsiCo Zeitgeist was also on display, mining Twitter conversations and presenting trends in real time. Here’s a quick video of the Playground …

Click for  Video

SXSW Video: Chevy Volt Recharge Lounge