It’s hard to believe this is my last President’s Letter. IABC/Tulsa’s 2017-2019 board term has come to a close and I am so proud of what the team accomplished – new partnerships and programming, hosting a certification exam, updated website, new newsletter and the list goes on and on. Thank you is not enough, but I am extremely grateful for the time and commitment the board members gave to IABC.
Your new fearless leader, Noël Freeman, is full of ideas and energy. I am very excited to see what Noël and the new board will bring to our chapter. We are lucky to have several members staying on, as well as, a number of brand new board members. I think the next board term will be the best one yet, with a winning combination of experience and fresh ideas.
I greatly appreciate the opportunity to serve you and hope I was able to give even half of what I will take away from this experience. For anyone considering getting involved, the answer is “yes”. What you will gain professionally and personally is worth it.
Wishing everyone the very best.
“The days are long, but the years are short.” -Gretchen Rubin
Communicating Across Global Audiences
Co-presented with the American Marketing Association (AMA). AMA members should register here. IABC members please use the green ‘register online’ button.
Communicating across borders doesn’t get much tougher than what Kim Morgan does every day for the world’s most popular chicken restaurant brand, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC).
As Director of Global Communications and Public Affairs at KFC, Kim ensures the nearly 80-year-old brand remains relevant, distinctive and easy to do business with in the more than 135 countries where it operates. But it must also respect local customs and cultures while staying relevant to customers young and old.
KFC must coordinate closely with and simultaneously avoid impacting its sister brands, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, as well as its parent company, Yum! Brands. And if all that isn’t enough, Kim must drive communications strategies that fuel KFC’s goal of franchising 99 percent of its restaurants – which now number more than 22,000.
What You’ll Learn:
- Challenges and opportunities of communicating across cultures and continents.
- What’s worked well for KFC in a multicultural, decentralized and matrixed environment
- Where KFC has made some missteps along the way and what the brand has learned through the process
When: 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. August 21, 2019
Where: Tulsa Country Club 701 N Union Ave, Tulsa, OK 74127
Fee:
- IABC Member fee: $25
- IABC Non-member fee: $35
- Student fee: $15
Certification Exams at Southern Region Conference on October 16
Missed the CMP and SCMP
certification exams when they came to Tulsa and OKC this past spring? Here’s
your next chance to prove your communications knowledge while also attending an
incredible professional development conference.
Find out more about the IABC connect2comms
Conference on October 16-18.
Learn more about certification.
Meet a Member: Megan Patterson
Title: Manager, Investor Relations
Company: ONEOK
Why do you love your job? I never know what each day will bring.
Working with the investment community there are always new questions to answer,
rumors to dispel and strategic messaging to craft – it keeps us on our toes.
Not to mention I get to work with some of the best communicators in Tulsa.
How long have you been a
member of IABC? ~10 years.
Why are you a member of
IABC? IABC provided me with
valuable leadership experience before I was in a leadership role in my
day-to-day job. That experience and the numerous connections I’ve made through
this organization, both locally and internationally, have greatly
benefited me personally and professionally.
What is the best IABC
meeting/conference you have attended? Why? I think our local Communicators Summit is
always fantastic with high caliber speakers, great topics, and bonus… it’s
local!
What is your favorite thing
to do outside of work? Anything outdoors (hiking, camping, the lake, etc.) with my husband and
our 8-year-old Goldendoodle, Cooper.
What’s your favorite
vacation spot? I’ve only been once, but my
favorite trip was by far our honeymoon three years ago in South Africa. The
people, landscape and wildlife made a lasting impression.
Who is your favorite
musical artist? I’m horrible with
artists and hardly ever know who sings what. But I will listen to about any
artist, style, time-period, you name it… there isn’t much I don’t like.
Which website or app do you
visit daily? For work it’s either NYSE
or NASDAQ sites for stock trading information. For personal use it’s probably
Instagram, although I wish I could tell it was a news site/app.
What is your favorite
restaurant? Locally: Stonehorse Café.
Not local: KOSAKA in New York… I dream about that meal.
Complete the following: The future of the field of communications
is….. more important than ever. With the speed of information, shrinking
attention spans and the clutter of information vying for attention,
professional communicators are more important than ever. The ability to craft
concise, strategic messages and choose the right mediums for communication are
rare and much-needed skills in any business.
What advice would you give to new communications professionals? Professional communication takes technical skill – don’t ever think otherwise. And your skills as a professional communicator are absolutely transferable to other career paths. Always say yes to opportunities, even if they are outside of the “traditional” communications career scope. You never know where an opportunity could take you, and I guarantee wherever it is, you’ll be using communications.
Save the Date: Spelling Beer
- When: September 19
- Where: Fassler Hall
- What: We all love a good copy editing session, but how are your spelling skills without a red pen in hand? How about with a drink in hand? Have fun competing for prizes while you find out at IABC/Tulsa’s fourth annual Adult Spelling Bee(r).
Send
a shout out to these members celebrating anniversaries in July.
July 10 – Joe Epperley
July 21 – Robert Hatley
July 24 –
Casey Smith