By Shannon Frederick, ABC, IABC Tulsa President

The tree is up and the stockings have been hung at my house. The pumpkin spice candles have (begrudgingly) been put away and the Christmas wreath now adorns the front door.

But, even with all of this Christmas cheer, my kids and I haven’t yet had the heart to dismantle our “grateful tree” that we built.

Allow me to explain… For the first time in my life, I cooked Thanksgiving dinner and hosted my family. This was a big event, and so my daughter decided to take this opportunity to prod our guests to remember the reason for the season. Thanks to some inspiration from Pinterest, we crafted a big, paper tree on the back door. Each guest was given several construction paper leaves to share the things for which they are thankful. By the end of the night, the tree was full of colorful leaves and wonderful sentiments. A week later, it’s still so beautiful that we just can’t bear to take it down.

You all might be pleased to know that IABC Tulsa has its own leaf on our family’s grateful tree – because it’s been another great year for this chapter.  In keeping with the tradition I started last year, here are just a few of the moments from 2012 for which I am thankful:

1. Attending IABC’s Leadership Institute in Miami in February with Director-at-Large Megan Lewis, and having the honor of accepting IABC Tulsa’s second Small Chapter of the Year Award. Then to top it off, Megan and I were invited to the stage four more times as IABC Tulsa won multiple Chapter Management Awards. It was like the IABC Oscars, and I wish I had worn a fancy dress!
2. Watching in awe as Angela Byers and her husband, Mike, Lucia O’Connor and many, many others pulled off yet another great Bronze Quill event. Just when we thought last year’s record-breaking Bronze Quill couldn’t be topped, this crew went and surprised us yet again. Bronze Quill has become an event that we can depend on, not only for a fun evening of networking and recognition, but also to help fund our professional development efforts for the year.
3. And speaking of professional development… promoting all of our wonderful events – from the monthly meetings to the half-day seminar at Crystal Bridges to the crisis communications event with PRSA this past fall – has been a highlight of the year. Phillip Harris and Rachel Wagner have worked very hard to ensure this chapter has offered some of its best programming ever, and they’ve been recognized by IABC International and by us here locally, as leaders in this space.
4. Representing IABC Tulsa at the Southern Region Board meeting this past fall in Charleston, S.C. Yet again, as the leaders around the table provided updates for their chapters, my heart nearly burst with pride as I shared all of the good things that are happening in Green Country. Our Chapter Services Director, David Kistle, even commented, “it sounds like things are rainbows and sunshine in Tulsa.” I smiled and said “not 100 percent, but pretty darn close.”
5. And finally, announcing that Angela Byers has accepted the nomination of President-Elect for this chapter. I still have eight more months left to serve as your President, but it’s so exciting and humbling to know that IABC Tulsa has an extremely talented leader who will take the reins next summer. We all are blessed to have her.

While these are some of my many favorite moments, the IABC Tulsa leaf on my family’s grateful tree expressed my gratitude to work with the marvelous executive board that leads this award-winning chapter. A big thank you to: Dena Wind, Tom Droege, Amethyst Cavallaro, Stephanie Cole, Megan Lewis, Lucia O’Connor, Summer Austin, Rachel Wagner, Phillip Harris, Jennifer Pigeon and Angela Byers.  Because of you, our members continue to tell us that IABC is the top professional communications organization in Tulsa!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of you.

WHEN
Thursday, November 15, 2012  5:30 PM – 6:30 PM

WHERE
The Rusty Crane
109 North Detroit Ave., Tulsa, Oklahoma

PRESIDENT’S COLUMN
By Shannon Frederick, ABC, IABC/Tulsa President

October has been such a busy month that it’s downright spooky.

And while I probably shouldn’t write another President’s Column about another presentation from yet another conference, I think you’re going to appreciate this tidbit of information.

Last week, the Network of Executive Women (NEW) held its annual leadership summit in Dallas. If you’re not familiar with NEW, it is a professional organization committed to attracting, retaining and advancing women in the retail and consumer products industry through education, leadership and business development. That’s a mouthful, yes, but it’s a worthy mission.

The keynote speaker at the NEW summit was Dr. Bertice Berry, a sociologist, author, lecturer and educator. From the podium, she shared her beliefs that each of us is the sum of our experiences – and we need to maximize these experiences to be the best we can be. She captivated the audience with her wit, humor and life stories. Several times, I tried to be discreet while wiping the tears from my eyes, only to realize everyone sitting around me was doing the same thing!

Dr. Berry’s presentation was not about communication. It was about leadership. And there were several key takeaways that benefit us all. Consider these points:

• When you walk with purpose, you collide with destiny.
• Clean your filter so that you can learn every day.
• The gap between knowledge and wisdom is your ability to teach others.
• Ask yourself daily “Why me here now?” and “What is my purpose?”
• When you do well, we all do well.
• Profit from your life experiences.
• Stop and evaluate the lessons of your life.
• Don’t forget the tough moments, but don’t wallow in them either.
• Don’t let the little things stop you from doing the big things.
• Chains on your wrist are not as strong as the chains on your mind.

If these few pieces of wisdom inspired you to learn more about Dr. Berry – and hopefully they did, you can check out her blog “The Art of Transformation.” In fact, she even wrote a post about the NEW conference.

What I can tell you is this: Walking out of Dr. Berry’s presentation in Dallas, I felt like I could conquer the world. And I wasn’t alone. For days after NEW, most of the women who were in attendance talked about Dr. Berry and how she inspired them to be better leaders, mothers, wives, colleagues and friends.

And, for just 60 minutes, we were all allowed to forget just how busy life can be. That, in itself, was a gift!

Turn your Mundane Memos into Creative Communications
Peter Seronick, Emerson College
Wednesday, November 14, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
OSU-Tulsa, Room 140
700 Greenwood, Tulsa

RSVP Today!

Do you often feel there is an overload of “stuff” in your communications to the point where the message is lost as well as your target audience? Believe it or not, simplicity and creativity in content and design helps one improve the communications. Learn some common sense secrets from a 40-year veteran of advertising and marketing on how to cut through the clutter and rise above the confusion.

Peter Seronick has spent the last 38 years in advertising and is currently Director of Right Brain Thinking (Creative Director) at North Star Marketing in RI. I am also a part-time instructor at Emerson College in Boston.

Read more about Peter’s career.

It is that time of year when IABC opens up nominations for its International Executive Board, whose members also serve as the Board of Trustees for the IABC Foundation. Nominations are open to any member of IABC who would like to take an active leadership role in steering not only IABC but the profession as a whole into the future. If you would like to be considered for a role on the 2013/14 International Executive Board/Board of Trustees, details and the nominations packet are available on the IABC web site. The term of appointment for directors is three years and requires a commitment to actively drive IABCs strategic direction and oversee its global strategy.

Membership on the Board is completely voluntary and the position description is listed in the nominations packet. Nominations close November, 16, 2012, so please take the time to review yourself against the criteria for selection and consider this important yet very rewarding role.

Mark your calendars! The 2013 Leadership Institute will take place in Scottsdale, Arizona from February 7-9, 2013.This year’s program, developed based on input from chapter leaders around the world, will include sessions about member engagement, leader development, board management, creating world-class professional development programs, utilizing social media to boost your brand and increase participation, creating a profitable sponsorship program and much more. The sessions are led by IABC leaders from around the world, so join this energizing, highly-rated and exciting event to learn from the people who know best.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012
1 – 4:30 p.m.
OSU-Tulsa
700 N. Greenwood, B.S. Roberts Room

Learn what you can do on a clear sunny day to prepare for the challenges of your darkest day.

Powerful communications before a crisis and rapid communications during a crisis have the ability to move people out of harm’s way and save lives. Whether the situation is a sudden disaster, a predicted weather emergency or a smoldering crisis such as executive misconduct, most organizations fail to plan how they will communicate with their critical audiences, including the media, employees, stakeholders and the social media world.

In this half-day seminar, Gerard Braud of Braud Communications reveals the steps he has used to help organizations on five continents successfully write and implement their crisis communications plans.
In addition, he will help you to:

•  Identify why your senior leadership is unprepared for a crisis
•  Discover the truth about social media and crisis communications
•  Learn to conduct a proper Vulnerability Assessment
•  Unlock the mystery of writing a thorough, yet easy-to-use crisis communications plan

Don’t miss this professional development opportunity. Register today!

See the agenda. Snacks and beverages will be available during the seminar. And, plan to attend a networking reception from 5-7 p.m. Details on location will be available soon!

Digital vs. Print: The new rules to succeed in both mediums in today’s noisy world
by Jason Collington
Wednesday, July 18, at 11:30 a.m.
OSU-Tulsa, Room 140
700 N. Greenwood

How can business communicators continue to have success as the media world goes digital?

Look at how the Internet has changed the rules in news media and how everyone interacts with it. Jason Collington has the perspective of someone who teaches the next generation of communicators and works on the leadership team at a metro news operation.

All about Jason
Jason Collington is the web editor at the Tulsa World, where he is in charge of digital products, and teaches an Internet Communication class at Oklahoma State University. He graduated from OSU and worked for the Associated Press before coming to the World.

By Shannon Frederick, ABC, IABC/Tulsa President

Things have really been busy this month for IABC’s Small Chapter of the Year.

(That’s the Tulsa chapter, by the way – just in case you didn’t know.)

It was too hard to narrow down to just one topic for my June President’s column. So, instead, here’s a snippet of several recent chapter news items, plus one summer travel suggestion:

Nomination for IABC Tulsa’s Next President

If you attended the June meeting at OSU-Tulsa, then you heard Past-President Steve Higgins announce the exciting news that Angela Byers, Principle of Byers Creative, has been nominated as President-Elect for our chapter.

Angela has served on the Executive Board for the past year as vice president of awards. In addition to leading the chapter’s wildly-successful 2011 Bronze Quill Awards Program, she is always offering her skills as a talent designer and communicator to assist with any event or program for the chapter. Her contributions have been invaluable – and very much appreciated.

The chapter will vote on Angela’s nomination at the July meeting. Please make plans to attend and cast your vote.

IABC Accreditation Committee

Last week, IABC announced its 2012-2013 Accreditation Committee, and our chapter was once again at the forefront. Ginger Homan, ABC, who served as chapter president from 2008-2009, has been named the North American Director of this committee.

Those of you who know Ginger are well aware of her passion for IABC’s accreditation program. She spoke on a panel at our March meeting about two programs she’d like to drive for Tulsa members who are interested in pursuing accreditation. Ginger also has a pretty strong track record for mentoring several professionals through the process, including yours truly.

If you want to know more about Ginger, visit http://www.ziastrategy.com/index.php/story/ginger/.

Need a Break? Visit an IABC Chapter?

Thanks to two different speaking opportunities this month, I had the privilege of visiting with IABC members at the chapters in Oklahoma City and Denver. These interactions sparked a thought. As many of us are out traveling for summer vacation, why not take a break from being cooped up with our families and visit a local chapter’s luncheon (assuming the calendar stars align)?

There are IABC chapters in nearly every big city across the U.S., not to mention the chapters that exist outside of America. And I have yet to visit a chapter that hasn’t opened its arms with a warm welcome. For a list of all IABC chapters, visit international’s website at http://www.iabc.com/about/leaders/. From there, you can easily access the desired local chapter’s site. I’d recommend sending an email directly to the president or professional development chair before you register for an event.