by Tom Droege, IABC/Tulsa VP of Finance

When I signed up for the 2011 IABC Leadership Institute, I already knew what to expect. I envisioned a sea of beleaguered business communicators wearing giant lanyards, chugging gallons of coffee to stay awake as a series of speakers struggled to get their Power Point presentations to display properly. You know, one Dilbert moment after another.

Turns out I was wrong, except for the lanyards and coffee. I had no idea of the scope of IABC until I went to the seminar in Nashville in February and met people from all over the world.  By noon on the first day I had chatted with professional communicators from Cisco Systems in California, Verizon in New York and a major law firm in Colorado.

I later met people who practice our line of work in such far-flung places as Johannesburg, South Africa and Newfoundland, Canada. The “I” in IABC became obvious at the conference in Nashville as the foreign accents clashed with the southern drawl of more local folks. It was a good sample of the some 15,000 people from more than 80 countries that belong to IABC.

Then there were the break-out sessions. Unless break-dancing is involved, that term usually conjures images of uptight people in a circle of chairs watching the session leader carefully write on a white board. Not in Nashville. Get people out of the cubicle farm for a day or two and it’s like business communicators gone wild! The afternoon sessions were refreshingly fun and useful as we shared ideas for common challenges like chapter board succession plans, member recruitment and finances.  I even walked away with a Music City guitar pick.

By cocktail time, we were all brothers and sisters in communication. IABC/Tulsa President Steve Higgins and I missed out on the Southern Region Reception and crashed the Canadian happy hour. We later regretted that when we saw our fellow Southern Region members wearing purple and gold Mardi Gras beads as they expounded about the free Hurricanes. Turns out the 2011 IABC Southern Region Conference will be held in New Orleans from Oct. 12-14. Who’s in?

IABC/Tulsa Member Shannon Frederick has earned IABC’s Accredited Business Communicator (ABC) designation.

IABC’s accreditation process measures the strategic abilities and technical skills of a communicator. In order to become accredited, a candidate must demonstrate the ability to plan, direct, implement and evaluate a broad range of communication programs in practical, real-life situations. The process consists of rigorous evaluation that identifies and recognizes highly qualified, well-rounded communicators through a review of their portfolio of work, and through written and oral examinations. Candidates who meet the requirements of the process earn the ABC designation.

Shannon, who is director of Global Associate Communications for Walmart, serves on the Board of Directors for our Tulsa chapter. This past October, she received the Leon Bolen Chapter Service Award for her extraordinary commitment to supporting IABC/Tulsa. Shannon is also slated to speak at the IABC World Conference in San Diego this June.

To learn more about accreditation, visit www.iabc.com/abc.

You may have heard that IABC is responding to member research by offering members six free web seminars throughout 2011, the first of which took place on January 19. Each session will be archived on the website after it takes place, so that members can access them at their convenience. Visit IABC online to learn more about upcoming sessions.

If you’re a member, be sure to take advantage of this added membership benefit!

Each month, IABC/Tulsa features one of its members in the “Meet A Member” section of the newsletter. In this issue, we learn more about IABC’s 2011 Chapter Leader of the Year – and our chapter president – Steve Higgins.

IABC/Tulsa: Tell us about your job – you know, the other one besides being chapter president.
Steve: I am a senior communications specialist for Williams. While it sounds trite, I really love my job because of the people I work with. 

IABC/Tulsa: How long have you been a member of IABC?
Steve: It’s been 18 years.

IABC/Tulsa: Rumor has it that you have served our chapter as president not just once, but twice.
Steve: It’s true. In addition to my current term, I also served as president in 1994-95. I’ve also held other board and committee roles over the years.

IABC/Tulsa: What is the best meeting/seminar/conference you have ever attended?
Steve: The district conference that our chapter staged in 2000. We knew we had a challenge in making Tulsa an attractive conference destination. Through creative programming, excellent planning and fun social activities, we succeeded in putting on a great conference that people still talk about today.

IABC/Tulsa: How has IABC played a part in your professional development?
Steve: Getting involved with IABC led directly to my being offered a position at Williams, where I’ve been for 16 years.

IABC/Tulsa: When you’re not working at Williams or fulfilling your chapter duties, what do you like to do?
Steve: My wife Linda and I enjoy cooking, so I often can be found on the back patio burning something on the Hasty Bake. And I’m a major music geek, with a respectable collection of vinyl that I spin on weekends. We also have a beagle and a poodle that command much attention.

IABC/Tulsa: What does a self-proclaimed “music geek” like to listen to?
Steve: Bob Dylan. Followed closely by Guided by Voices, the Replacements, the Velvet Underground, Stereolab, the Smiths, Sonny Rollins, the Who, the Stones, X, Tom Waits, Bobby Short, the Byrds, the Ramones, Nick Drake, Fairport Convention, Pavement … (sorry you asked?).

IABC/Tulsa: Ok, so your friends call you a “foodie.” What’s your favorite restaurant? Where should we go out to eat?
Steve: Overall, Topolobampo in Chicago, Balthazar and Jean Georges in New York, Capo in Santa Monica. In Tulsa, El Rio Verde.

IABC/Tulsa: The future of the field of communications…
Steve: …is what the people reading this decide to make it.

IABC/Tulsa: What advice would you give to communications professionals who are just entering the workforce?
Steve: Join IABC.

We won!

We are proud to announce that IABC/Tulsa has been named IABC’s Small Chapter of the Year. In addition, IABC/Tulsa President Steve Higgins has received the coveted Chapter Leader of the Year award.

Steve and Tom Droege, IABC/Tulsa’s VP of Finance, accepted these awards at the IABC Leadership Institute Chapter Management Awards ceremony in Nashville, Tenn.

The chapter was also recognized with awards of merit for our professional development, membership marketing and communication efforts. Learn more about the awards.

We are so excited about this recognition – and thank our members who help to make our chapter better year after year.

Showing off the Small Chapter of the Year and Chapter Leader of the Year awards are IABC/Tulsa board members (from left to right) Lucia O’Connor, Hospitality Chair; Stephanie Cole, Vice President of Awards; Dena Wind, Vice President of Professional Development; Steve Higgins, President; Tom Droege, Vice President of Finance; Ginger Homan, ABC, Past President; Shannon Frederick, ABC, Vice President of Communications; and Nathan Harmon, Vice President of Membership. Not pictured is Megan Lewis, Secretary.

Due to this week’s weather, Happy Hour has been canceled. See you next time.

Wednesday, Feb. 16
11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Tei Kei’s
1616 South Utica Avenue
(918) 382-7777

Rob Leggat, President and CEO of the Global Communication Group, will make his first trip to Tulsa in February to speak to our chapter.

Rob has nearly 30 years of communications and leadership experience. He has served as vice president with Walmart International corporate affairs overseeing corporate communication, government and public affairs, crisis communication and strategic philanthropy for Walmart’s 15 international markets. Prior to that, Rob was vice president of communication and public policy for General Motors Asia Pacific and vice president of communication and public policy for GM Daewoo Auto & Technology (GM Daewoo). Rob led GM’s Asia Pacific corporate affairs efforts for more than 13 years, living and working in Singapore, Thailand, South Korea and China.

Rob’s presentation is called “Words on Words*” – and you have to come to the meeting to learn why there’s an asterisk!

Be sure to reserve your seat today. We look forward to seeing you there!

by Steve Higgins, IABC/Tulsa President

Recently I was invited to give a brief presentation to IABC chapter presidents worldwide on the good things happening at IABC Tulsa.

Specifically, meeting organizers wanted to know more about our approach to professional development and programming. (Apparently we’re getting a reputation!)

During my remarks, I mentioned how, at IABC Tulsa, we strive to take a perceived weakness (small chapter size) and turn it into a strength. As a small chapter, we have the luxury of making genuine personal connections with each other. These connections often turn into business opportunities, consulting and freelance gigs, mentorships and – best of all – friendships.

The other chapter presidents on the call applauded our efforts and discussed how they can apply our “small chapter” model to their much bigger chapters.

Then, the very next day, I received an unexpected and delightful affirmation of the kind of personal touch for which our chapter is known.

As I chatted with friends before our monthly luncheon meeting, Cindy Bolen walks up to me with a gift bag. 

“It’s from Leon and me to the chapter,” she said. “Go ahead and open it.”

Inside was a very stylish wool fedora, with a silk band and a plaid brim. “It’s for door prize drawings,” Cindy explained.

For those of you who may not know – Leon Bolen for years took on the role of the chapter’s hospitality chair, making personal phone calls, greeting guests and generally taking care of whatever needed to be done to ensure a convivial experience. We also used Leon’s signature hat to draw names for door prizes.

Leon’s mark on the chapter is so great that in 2009 we renamed our annual President’s Award for Chapter Service after him.

We don’t see Leon as much as we would like these days, but Cindy has started coming to meetings on a regular basis.

They are both tremendous assets to IABC Tulsa – and they personify the giving, thoughtful and friendly spirit that makes our small chapter special.

Hat’s off to Leon, Cindy and all the IABC Tulsa members who make up a small chapter that big chapters around the world want to hear more about.

Remember our membership month special in December? All IABC/Tulsa members who recruited a new member were eligible to win an iPad. (And the new members were also eligible.)

Well, we have a winner!

Congrats to Summer Austin of ConocoPhillips – and thanks to all who helped us boost our membership numbers in December.

While we aren’t giving away another iPad, you can save the $40 application fee if you join IABC in February – Worldwide Membership Month. This means that for new or lapsed members who join or re-join IABC, we’ll waive the application fee of $40. Applications must be received at the San Francisco Headquarters office during the month of February to qualify.

Note: This promotion does not affect renewing members, transitional members or students, who never pay the application fee anyway.    

For more information, visit http://www.iabc.com/.

Each month, IABC/Tulsa features one of its members in the “Meet A Member” section of the newsletter. In this issue, we learn more about Chris Owen, director of Marketing and Communications for RL Hudson.

IABC/Tulsa: Tell us why you love your job.
Chris: It’s really simple – I like the variety and the creativity of my job.

IABC/Tulsa: How long have you been a member of IABC?
Chris: I have been a member more than 10 years.

IABC/Tulsa: What is the best meeting/seminar/conference you have ever attended?
Chris: There have been too many good ones to choose just one, but I learned things from Ann Wiley’s writing seminar that I attended eight or nine years ago that I still use today. And, yes, I think she is awesome.

IABC/Tulsa: How has IABC played a part in your professional development?
Chris: Being a part of the chapter has given me a broader understanding of the communications profession. I’ve also learned a lot from the IABC publications I’ve bought over the years. The most important way that IABC has helped me professionally though, is through the Bronze Quill awards.

The main benefit I see from participating in the Bronze Quills is the validation it provides within my company that the work we are producing is of excellent quality. And of course, the CEO is always pleased to see the company recognized in the community. It’s also been helpful for me to have the goal of a Bronze Quill entry in mind as I plan a communications project. Knowing that I will have to explain my goals and provide data encourages me to me more purposeful in my planning and execution.

IABC/Tulsa: What’s your favorite restaurant?
Chris: My favorite restaurant was Lola’s and I haven’t found a replacement yet.

IABC/Tulsa: What’s your favorite thing to do outside of work?
Chris: I enjoy reading nonfiction, going to movies, art, music and walking outside. I am a single dad with four kids living at home and I spend most of my free time with them. It’s a lot of fun.

IABC/Tulsa: Who is your favorite musical artist?
Chris: iTunes says it’s Van Morrison.

IABC/Tulsa: The future of the field of communications…
Chris: …will be a surprise to all of us.

IABC/Tulsa: What advice would you give to communications professionals who are just entering the workforce?
Chris: Same as my advice to my kids: Do as I say, not as I do.