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| HAPPY HOLIDAYS |
Elizabeth Trew,
PIC Director of Communications It's been a busy and exciting year at PIC with the rollout of our new branding and marketing materials. We're pleased attendance at our workshops has increased by 25% over the year and participants tell us our workshops are useful and informative.
PIC's director of programming, Patricia Davies, has started to line up an interesting array of speakers for 2011 and is looking for your suggestions. If you've attended a presentation or heard someone that PIC members would benefit from hearing, please contact us at info@pictoronto.com. Hear from the experts
Start the New Year right by improving your business practices and generating more income.
Do you know if you're getting paid what you're worth? Should you quote by the hour or by the project? Want tips on getting your invoices paid on time?
Hear answers to these questions and more at PIC's January 5 workshop. A panel of experienced communicators will answer sticky questions about quoting, invoicing and working with clients, to help ensure you're paid what you're worth - on time.
On behalf of the PIC executive, have a wonderful holiday and a happy New Year!
Director of Communications |
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Tidbits of Knowledge
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Check out our Independents Toronto blog for content shared by your peers and event podcasts. Non-members can visit our podcasts here.
Upcoming events:
Are you getting paid what you're worth? |
| Writers needed | |
We'd love to hear from you if you're interested in becoming a volunteer writer for PIC or IABC's Communicator.
Would you like to copy edit the buzz newsletter? Help us to put out a great read for PIC members and supporters. Contact editor Elizabeth Trew at elizabethtrewcommunications@bell.net. |
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. |
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| SAVE THE DATE! |
 Are you getting paid what you're worth?
At PIC's panel discussion, you will learn tips on how to price your work, how to deal with clients who don't want to pay you what you are worth, quoting for RFPs and much more, from expert independent communicators.
Panelists include:
Kevin Hanson - Kevin is an independent communications consultant and a former practicing lawyer. His specialties include advocacy, organizational accountability and performance and corporate social responsibility reporting. Kevin has worked as an independent since 2004.
Donna Papacosta - Donna is an experienced podcaster and specializes in conferences. She is also a writer, workshop leader and speaker at Trafalgar Communications. Donna has worked as an independent for more than 20 years and is the current PIC chair.
Marcia Ross - Marcia is a freelance marketing communicator and copywriter at Alphacomm. She has worked as an independent for more than 15 years and currently is the editor at IABC/Toronto's Communicator.
Time & Date: Wednesday, January 5 from 6:00 to 9:00 pm Place: TBA
So get your questions ready!
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| NOVEMBER PROGRAM REPORT |
 Financial strategies for independents
"Terrific no-nonsense information in an engaging and approaching way." - PIC workshop attendee Rona Birenbaum, co-founder of Caring for Clients and presenter at PIC's November 3 workshop, captured the interest of attendees with her practical approach to the primary financial issues facing independents: cash flow, whether to incorporate, and protecting our income and assets.
Managing cash flow
As independents, our income can change dramatically. One year we're making more money than we need and then the next year we can't even cover our basic expenses.
Rona said we should use our good times to invest in ourselves by putting more savings aside or taking a once-in-a-lifetime vacation. This is a good time to go to the bank to get a line of credit; when we go through bad times bankers may not be willing to extend credit.
During bad times we need to control things we can do something about - our variable personal and business expenses, pricing and business practices. This could mean increasing our prices for new clients or implementing a general price increase. "If you are an expert in the field, then charge accordingly," Rona said. Pros and cons of incorporation An advantage of incorporation is your personal assets are protected if someone sues your business. If you have more earned income than you need and are in a high tax bracket, it is usually beneficial for you to incorporate. Before planning to incorporate, you need to look at whether the tax savings outweigh the costs of incorporation. Income and asset protection
Rona briefly outlined the type of insurance independents might need: liability insurance for protection if a client is injured on your premises; disability insurance to provide income if you are in an accident, become ill or disabled; property insurance to insure the tools of your trade; critical illness that will pay a lump sum for certain illnesses; and errors and omissions insurance for protection from being sued. Rona's talk gave the group food for thought and prompted a few of us to make some changes to our financial plans or call our insurance agent to update our coverage. |
| DECEMBER PROGRAM REPORT |
 Building trust around your words: how your non-verbal communication affects what audiences hear
"Mark was an excellent speaker...He presented so many ideas that weren't necessarily new but in a way that I hadn't considered before. That shift is truly valuable." - PIC workshop attendee
At the December 1 PIC workshop, Mark Bowden, founder of Truthplane™ and body language coach to Fortune 50 executives and G8 leaders, showed us how our non-verbal communication affects what our audiences hear.
Non-verbal behaviour is innate, not learned
The principles of non-verbal behaviour apply across all cultures, languages and equally to both sexes.
Mark said, "These principles work when addressing any size audience from one person to a crowd of thousands." The human brain isn't much different than the pre-historic reptilian brain, as Mark explained. Our DNA has been pre-programmed to respond to people in our audience as a possible friend, enemy or mate. Fortunately, Mark didn't tell us what category he felt each member of the audience belonged to!
He explained that you should keep your hands at waist height when speaking as it signifies trust and it's the best way to engage your audience. When you put your arms at your side, your voice becomes lower and you become less credible. When you raise your arms to shoulder level, you can appear overbearing.
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| WHAT'S UP? |
 | | What are you up to? |
Dreamed up by the PIC Marketing Team, this new section of the buzz provides updates on members' news and helps us get to know our independent colleagues and the range of their skills, talents and interests.
Please send your news to Elizabeth Trew at elizabethtrewcommunications@bell.net. Keep your blurb to 60 words or fewer! If you wish, you can include a link to either your LinkedIn profile, website or blog.
To kick things off, here is some exciting news from members of your Marketing Team.
Sandra Conley, Principal at Strategic Impact Communications, was recently awarded a major contract through a competition led by the Advertising Review Board. She will be working with an enterprise team at the Ministry of Community and Social Services to support the launch and implementation of new systems and information technology to improve the way social assistance is delivered across the province.
Ledden Design was noted as a marketing-smart website in the September/October issue of HOW Magazine. The site focuses on visitors, which is one of the essential characteristics of a successful site. The homepage is brief and to the point with a short and sweet headline, "design with results." Cathy Ledden R.G.D., of Ledden Design is thankful to receive such recognition.
Virve Tremblay, Director of Communications for NCR Corporation, a long-time integrated marketing communications professional, is volunteering her experience and expertise to the PIC community as a way of giving back to the many independents who have helped her over the years. Virve is currently supporting a global internal communications team focused on change management.
Elizabeth Trew, Principal at Elizabeth Trew Communications, helps the PIC community by writing the buzz and event notices for IABC/Toronto's bi-weekly elerts. Elizabeth is active in local politics and is the editor of her provincial riding association's quarterly newsletter. Because of her political connections, she was able to locate meeting space at Metro Hall for PIC workshops.
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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.
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| Don't forget to connect with us on the web: pictoronto.com
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