April 2010
Greetings!
The IABC World Conference is Just Around the Corner
JOIN FELLOW PIC MEMBERS AT THE IABC WORLD CONFERENCE
 
Elizabeth Trew
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Elizabeth Trew,
PIC Director of Communications

 
Many Professional Independent Communicators (PIC) plan to attend the June 2010 IABC World Conference here in Toronto. It's a great opportunity to learn about the latest communication trends, catch up with friends and network with potential clients. 
 
PIC is working with "indies" from other IABC chapters to develop strategies for marketing our services to corporate communicators attending the conference. PIC's Marketing Committee, led by Cathy Ledden, is developing a marketing piece for conference registration kits to help raise the profile of "indies." Getting our services in front of the 1,400 people from 40 countries who will be attending the conference is no small feat!
 
New PIC Executive Member
 
PIC's Executive welcomes our new Programming Director, Paulina Callaghan, ABC. Paulina became a freelancer in November 2009 after more than 12 years of corporate communications experience in the public and private sectors. In January 2010, Paulina assumed the volunteer role of director of professional standards for IABC/Toronto. She also volunteers her time as a mentor, accreditation coach, exam proctor and awards judge for IABC. Paulina studied graphic design at Durham College.  
 
Your 2010 PIC Executive members are:
 
Chair                                           Donna Papacosta
Past Chair                                    Frances Roberts
Director, Programming                  Paulina Callaghan, ABC
Director, Communications             Elizabeth Trew
Director, Membership & Events      Amy Sept
Director, Social Media                   Gary Schlee, ABC
 
 
June 2010 IABC World Conference
 
The June 2010 IABC World Conference is just around the corner. Susan Ritchie's article, Success Tips for Introverts, provides some great suggestions for PIC members who may be hesitant to attend because they find it difficult to make small talk with strangers. I'm going to use some of her tips at other networking events so they will come naturally to me at the conference. Volunteer registrations applications close on Thursday, April 29, so register now if you want to volunteer. 
 
Join your fellow PIC members and showcase our great chapter to independents coming from around the world to attend the 2010 IABC World Conference.  Get involved. Be heard.
 
Director of Communications
In This Issue (links)
Join FelIow PIC Members at the IABC World Conference
Save the Date!
PIC Program Report
Join PIC's Google Group
Link With IABC Independents
Reminder - Please Complete Your Member Survey
2010 IABC World Conference
Quick Links
Tidbits of Knowledge
Check out our Independents Toronto blog for content shared by your peers, event podcasts and our wiki. Non-members can visit our podcasts here.


Upcoming events:
Social Media Marketing
Writers needed
We'd love to hear from you if you're interested in becoming a volunteer writer for PIC or IABC's Communicator.
PIC's MISSION & The Buzz
PIC's mission is to support independent IABC/Toronto communicators through professional development, networking and marketing.

The Buzz is PIC's e-newsletter, intended to keep independent communicators informed about our activities, share professional development tips from past meetings and keep us aware of what's going on.
Join Our Mailing List!
SAVE THE DATE!
Social Media Marketing Practices with Rob Campbell, aka SmoJoe 
 
Time & Date:
   Wednesday, May 12 from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm 
Place:              Oakham House, Room A/B (2nd floor), 55 Gould Street
 
2010 IABC World Conference - June 6 to 9
 
PIC PROGRAM REPORT
Personal Branding: Success from self-packaging
By Amy Sept 
 
"What is it that my product or service does that makes it different? ... If your answer wouldn't light up the eyes of a prospective client or command a vote of confidence from a satisfied past client, or -- worst of all -- if it doesn't grab you, then you've got a big problem."

 
~ Tom Peters, "The Brand Called You" (Fast Company Magazine, August 1997)

 
Your personal brand is your unique promise of value. Do you deliver? Do you even know what the brand called You promises?  Paul Copcutt - Canada's leading personal brand consultant - laid out a path towards those answers with IABC/Toronto's Professional Independent Communicators at April's professional development session.
 
"You need to have that clarity of foundation first," advises Paul, adding that you shouldn't rush into personal branding activities "if you're not clear who you are, what it is you do, and why somebody should care."
 
Honest self-evaluation can be a challenge, but it's integral to building your brand. Paul advises a 360-degree approach: Ask a broad group that includes clients, friends and family how they would describe you. Then focus on the ideas that set you apart from other communicators.
 
There are two types of attributes, Paul explains: emotional and rational. Rational qualifications are the ones that get you in the door. Emotional attributes are the differentiators that get you the job.
 
Once you've defined what's at the core of you, Paul sets clear steps to lead your brand forward:
  1. Visualize: Look beyond your work, or even your lifetime. What's your vision for the world?
  2. Clarify: Who should you target, and what sets you apart?
  3. Conceive: What's your personal brand statement?
  4. Communicate: Get your brand statement out there and be consistent!
  5. Engage: What do you do every day to give people a taste of your brand?
Key to maintaining your strong brand is continuing to evolve - assessing how our industry will change, and staying ahead of the curve.
 
If you need help getting started, you can find Paul online at squarepegsolution.com or www.facebook.com/PersonalBrand.
 
Member can listen to the PIC podcast online: 'Indy Cast 017: Personal branding with Paul Copcutt'. Non-members can listen to the podcast at http://aip.libsyn.com/.
 
JOIN PIC'S GOOGLE GROUP
Spark a conversation or join in!
 
Looking to connect with other independents in the GTA? PIC has a new Google Group: http://groups.google.ca/group/pictoronto.  Contribute to an existing discussion or start your own - it's a new group and there's a lot of room to grow!
 
LINK WITH IABC INDEPENDENTS
Connect with other IABC Independents on LinkedIn  
 
PIC's Marketing Committee has discovered that IABC chapters in Calgary, British Columbia, San Francisco, Dallas and Washington, D.C. all have sub-groups for independent communicators.
So we've decided to establish our own LinkedIn group for IABC Independents.
 
The group's purpose - to network and learn from independents in other chapters and for members to pose questions and provide answers on issues common to independents.
 
Link with fellow "indies" at IABC Independents.
REMINDER - PLEASE COMPLETE YOUR MEMBER SURVEY
PIC Member Survey 
 
PIC thanks members who have responded to the member survey in the March edition of The Buzz. 
 
However, we need a broader cross-section of opinions from our members for the results to be meaningful.
 
Please take a few minutes of your time to tell us whether you are getting what you need from PIC by completing our member survey
 
2010 IABC WORLD  CONFERENCE
IABC World Conference 2010:  Success Tips for Introverts
By Susan Ritchie 

You know you want to be there.  What's more, you know you should be there.  Because for PIC members, the upcoming IABC World Conference in Toronto may be the year's best opportunity to drum up business, learn new things and meet new people.  So why haven't you registered?
 
Perhaps you're getting a little too comfortable sitting there in your home office.  Perhaps the idea of attending a big conference is just too intimidating to contemplate.  Perhaps you'd rather write ten thousand words on the evolution of the concrete sidewalk than face the prospect of several endless days making small talk with strangers.
 
You're not alone.  And there is hope.  Here are some tips to help even the shyest introvert among us (and by that I mean myself) succeed when 1,400 communicators converge on the Sheraton Centre from June 5 to 9.
 
As with so many things, a little advance planning will help ensure success. Prepare for the conference the way you might prepare a communications plan for a client.
 
  1. Set objectives:  Decide what you want to achieve during the whole conference, and at each session you attend.  Over the course of the conference your objective could be to meet five potential clients and make 20 networking contacts.  To achieve these, you could set an objective to meet three new people at each session.
  2. Know your audience: Think about the type of people you want to meet and what they're like.  Review the list of speakers and the delegate list and decide if there are any specific people you'd really like to introduce yourself to.
  3. Develop key messages:  What do you want potential clients and networking contacts to know about you?  Write it down and memorize it.
  4. Set strategies.  These could include allowing as much time for informal networking -conversations in the hallways that PIC Chair Donna Papacosta says can be as valuable as participating in conference sessions - as for attending formal events.  And if you're a true introvert you should definitely have a strategy for giving yourself some alone-time each day.
  5. Plan your tactics.  Here are some suggestions:
 
  • Opening lines. In a biznik.com article, marketing coach Veronika Noize suggests preparing opening lines for starting a conversation.  Have at least three in your pocket so you're ready to go in a variety of situations.  PIC member Sue Horner says the name badges everyone wears make it easy for even shy people to strike up a conversation.  Sue suggests saying, "I see by your badge you are a communicator-where are you from?"
  • Develop a Q&A.  Be ready to answer questions about yourself, your work and about Toronto.  Veronika Noize even suggests having a generic answer ready to respond to questions you can't answer immediately.
  • Act like a host. In her book Customize Your Career, personal branding coach Roz Usheroff suggests acting like a host at any meeting you attend.  Greet people at the door and introduce yourself to delegates who look uncomfortable.  This gives you a role and helps others.
  • Claim your space.  As soon as Donna Papacosta arrives at a meal function she puts her things on a chair at an empty table.  This way she'll likely meet some new people, and she won't have to roam the room later looking for a vacant seat and a friendly face.
  • Volunteer.  Sue Horner suggests volunteering at the registration or hospitality desks.  And there are many other volunteer opportunities that would allow you to have a role and meet lots of fellow communicators.  To learn about volunteering at the conference, visit http://toronto.iabc.com/events/iabc-world-conference-toronto-2010/volunteer-opportunities/
 
Attending IABC's World Conference offers great benefits for independents.  And when it's happening in your own backyard, you really shouldn't miss it.  If you take the time to prepare, you don't have to.  I'll see you there.
 
To register for the IABC World Conference 2010, visit http://www.iabc.com/wc/

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PIC is a special interest group of IABC Toronto. As the largest chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators, IABC Toronto provides access to products, services, activities and networking opportunities in Toronto and around the world. IABC helps people and organizations achieve excellence in corporate communications, public relations, employee communication, marketing communication, public affairs and other forms of communication. For more information, visit the
IABC website.
Don't forget to connect with us on the web: pictoronto.com