With social media all around us, how do organizations effectively engage and develop commitment with employees? Attend the May 14th luncheon to hear Paul M. Sanchez, ABC, Fellow, APR, talk about building a best-in-class employee engagement program. Paul, a market leader with over 25 years of experience, is principle consultant in charge at Buck Consultants offices in Southern California and Arizona. Buck Consultants is a global HR consulting firm that helps organizations develop, deploy, and manage their workforce.

A well-executed employee engagement strategy can dramatically impact the business by improving retention, performance, productivity and more. You’ll walk away with how to build a “best-in-class” employee engagement program including:

• Defining Employee Engagement
• Getting a Handle on Engagement (Measurement and the Drivers of Engagement)
• Stages of Employee Engagement
• Program Implications and more

Click here to RSVP.

About Our Speaker, Paul Sanchez
Paul M. Sanchez, ABC, Fellow, APR, has more than 25 years of experience in human resources, management and communications and consulting. He has led practices in employee research, human capital consulting, communications, and worked with clients around the world in change management and mergers and acquisition work. Paul has served clients in three major global HR consulting firms, with clients in all sectors and in major business centers around the world. Clients include American Express, JP Morgan Chase, Verizon, Southwest Airlines, Barclays, Southern California Edison and more.

Prior to joining Buck, Paul founded and led a firm focusing on employee research and engagement for four years; before that he served as the global practice leader for employee research at one of the largest HR consultancies. Paul led the communications, education and change management practice based in New York and London, England, serving clients throughout Europe and the Middle East. Paul is an author of “Handbook of Organizational Change, Chapter Three, Organizational Culture,” and several articles on HR, employee branding and change management topics. Additionally, Paul served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Air Force.

Due to catering guarantees, no-shows will be billed. We will refund 100% of your registration fees if notice of cancellation is received by the Friday before the event.

Click here to RSVP.

When
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
11:30 AM – 1:00 PM

Where
Scott’s Seafood
3300 Bristol St.
Costa Mesa, California 92626-1806
USA
(714) 979-2400

Click here to RSVP.

For IABC/OC President-Elect Sarah Willis, volunteering is as natural as breathing. It was already in her DNA. Using her own background as a starting point, Sarah power-boosted the chapter’s corporate social responsibility efforts into what has become an annual event – capturing the “Volunteer of the Year” award along the way.

In this spotlight, read how Sarah turned a desire to give back into a driving force for the chapter.

What led you to volunteer?
This may sound corny, but it really boils down to the way I was raised. I was raised in a family that believed in volunteering. My father taught me that one had a responsibility to give back and contribute to groups or organizations with whom you interact. I have always enjoyed volunteering with groups or organizations I have become involved with and IABC wasn’t any different for me. It’s very rewarding to find a way to contribute to the success of the organization. It’s also a great way to meet people and develop some friendships.

What does it mean to you to have accomplished such major projects for IABC/OC?
I am just delighted that I could help drive awareness to two super organizations that are in existence to help people. My Good Deed.Org and Habitat for Humanity facilitate amazing programs that reach people all over the country and help improve lives. It was fun to see a group of business communicators come together for a common cause and help a local family.

What are the joys/benefits you receive?
Volunteering with IABC/OC has given me the opportunity to meet amazing people as well as learn about and connect to great companies and organizations. Great friendships are definitely an added benefit.

How do you balance volunteer work with a demanding work schedule?
Admittedly this is an ongoing juggling act. I’m a mother of two busy teenage boys in addition to the demanding work schedule and the volunteering activities. I don’t have any real secrets on this – I’m like everyone else, I make lists and take care of the priorities first. Anything else that gets done is just a bonus.

What do you recommend to others who may be considering volunteering but who have not yet taken the plunge?
Just do it! Take the plunge. I think the key is to choose to help in a way that you really enjoy or that you think sounds interesting. If you are doing something you enjoy, or if you are learning, the time commitment will pay off and you’ll just want to do more!

What, if any, unexpected experiences have you had as a result of volunteering for IABC/OC?
I certainly didn’t expect that being involved with IABC would lead to an opportunity to connect with the community in the way that it has.

How did you feel when you received the recognition?
It was completely unexpected – I was blown away. It is such an honor to be the recipient because there are so many other people that give their time and talents to IABC – others that are much more deserving of this award. It was really very humbling and I thank IABC/OC for the recognition.

Understanding the state of the public relations and communications industry and the roles we play to our employers and customers are critical as we move forward in a post-recession recovery.

As a communicator in this new economy, you must be aware of today’s practical information you can use to manage the communication functions within your organization. You must identify and understand best practices against which you can benchmark your own company communications, and you must be aware of trends as you plan for tomorrow.

Join us Tuesday, April 9, 2013, when Jerry Swerling, director of University of Southern California’s Strategic Communication and Public Relations Center, will present USC Annenberg’s GAP VII key findings on the state of the PR and Communications Industry.

What you will learn:
• Budget stability reports from public corporations, including why some communication budgets moved higher in 2010 and what percentage anticipated increased budgets in 2012 and beyond.
• Current measurement and evaluation trends and growth, and the tools and tactics behind the rise.
• How you measure your communications is linked to success and the strategic difference between the measurement models.
• The impact of social media as a mainstream communications tool, which social media tools are the most widely used by corporations, and which social media tools are being abandoned.
• The trends driving communications and PR transparency, the new job functions communicators can expect to take on, which long-term core function is in decline, and why agency-of-record relationships are vanishing.

Please click here to RSVP.

About Jerry Swerling

Jerry Swerling is director of USC’s graduate and undergraduate public relations programs, as well as the Strategic Communication and Public Relations Center. He has more than 30 years of combined experience as a communications strategist and educator. Swerling is principal of Swerling & Associates, a consultancy specializing in public relations management and organizational consulting, whose clients have included General Motors, Cisco Systems, Home Depot, the American Cancer Society, Toyota Motors, Silicon Graphics, and Dairy Management, Inc.

Swerling was named Public Relations Professional of the Year 2000 by the Los Angeles Chapter of PRSA. He previously headed the California operations of Porter/Novelli, one of the nation’s leading PR firms.

About the GAP VII
Published in 2012, the GAP VII is USC’s latest biennial report and is the largest and most comprehensive study of the most-senior communicators in public and private corporations, government agencies, and non-profits in the United States.

620 senior communicators participated in the GAP VII, was conducted in cooperation with the country’s four leading professional PR associations: Arthur W. Page Society, Institute for Public Relations (IPR), International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), and Public Relations Society of America (PRSA).

WHEN
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
11:30 AM – 1:00 PM

WHERE
Scott’s Seafood
3300 Bristol St., Costa Mesa, California 92626-1806

RSVP by Monday, April 8, 2013

If your professional goals include expanding your network or skill set, look to IABC/OC to make connections with our industry’s top communicators and find meaningful opportunities to grow your professional acumen. We are forming volunteer committees and are looking for a few more board members. Let us know where your interests lie.

• IABC/OC Board: Serving on the IABC/OC board is a great way to expand your involvement in IABC and the Orange County communications industry. We are looking for board-level leadership in three areas: Marketing and Publicity, Events, and Finance/Budget Management. More details and job descriptions are available through the contacts listed below.

• Events: Join the IABC/OC event-planning committee to help plan events, such as webinars, mixers and the holiday event. This committee is a great first step toward getting more involved with IABC as you’ll work to showcase the chapter’s offerings through value-added events.

• Social Media: Support IABC’s efforts to spread the word about our great services and programming through social media avenues. We need volunteers to do Facebook and LinkedIn posts (1-2 posts per week), as well as help with our Twitter account (4-5 posts per week).

• Finance: Help our finance committee by tracking the chapter’s budget expenditures and keeping our financial administrative processes on task.

• Corporate Memberships: Join our Corporate Membership committee to help organize outreach to OC companies. If you’re looking for a short-term commitment, we need volunteers who can help with phone calls during membership months, which happen twice per year.

For more information, please contact IABC/OC Co-VPs of Leadership Development:

Lisa Falcetti, 714.918.8228, lfalcetti@golinharris.com,

Denise Keddy, 949.500.5334, denisemkeddy@gmail.com