BreakingDowntheSilos: TheFutureFaceofthe CommunicationsIndustry

IABCOttawaIPSOS

UniversityofOttawa

March2012

BreakingDowntheSilos: TheFutureFaceofthe CommunicationsIndustry

IABCOttawaIPSOS

UniversityofOttawa

March2012

TableofContents

Introduction 5 Abouttheday 5

AbouttheInternationalAssociationofBusinessCommunicators 6

AboutIpsosReidPublicAffairs 6

AbouttheOttawaUniversityPublicandInternationalAffairsProgram 6 Aboutthedesignandlayout 6

ExecutiveSummary 6 Whatdoesitallmean? 10

Somefinalthoughtsfromthepanelists 10

MikeColledge 10

MarkBlevis 11

AlanFreeman 12

IssuesFacingCommunicationPros:TheNextFiveYears 14

GreatCommunicatorsPastandPresent 16 Wouldyesterday’sgreatcommunicatorssucceedtoday? 17

Whatmadecommunicatorsgreatinthepast? 18

WhatDoesTheFutureHold? 20 Speedisoftheessence? 20

Needtobeclear,conciseandtransparent 20

Understandinganddealingwithnicheaudiences 20

Monitoringandmeasuring 20

Reputationsandrelationships 20

Beingdifferent 21

NewsTodayHowItHasChanged? 22 Newstoday 22

Technologyandchoiceareshapingthefaceofnews 22 Theriseofcitizenjournalists 23

Riseofinfotainment 24

Speedandbrevityaredrivingnewsandcontent 25

Amorecompetitiveenvironment 24

Reputationandcredibilitymatters 24

Speedvs.Accuracyvs.Content 26

IsMoreInformationaGoodThing? 28 Yes,moreinformationisagoodthing 28 Maybe,moreinformationisagoodthing 28 Moreinformationisnotagoodthing 29

WhatWillTheCommunicationToolsofTomorrowLookLike? 30

ChangingDemographics 32

HowPreparedAreYouForTheFuture? 33 Stepstoprepareforthefuture 33

EvaluatingYourSuccess 34 Willlikesandtweetsbethecurrencyofthefuturecommunicator? 34 Measuringoutcomes:Threemainquestions 34

Appendix 36

Ideationsessionmethodology 36

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INTRODUCTION AbouttheDay…BreakingDowntheSilos:TheFutureFaceoftheCommunicationsIndustry

OnMarch20,2012,over40participantsgatheredforaday-longIdeationSession(seedescriptionofIde-ationmethodologyinAppendix)attheUniversityofOttawatocollaborativelydiscussanddefinethefutureofthecommunicationsindustry.

FacilitatedbyexpertmoderatorsusingtheIdeationExchangesoftwareprovidedbyIpsos-Reid,participantswereabletoleveragetechnologytocreateahigh-energy,interactiveandefficientalternativetomoretradi-tionalqualitativeapproaches—whichresultedinthecreationofthisreport,basedonthesession.

Real-timeelectronicformatoftheIdeationExchangeallowsforsimultaneousinputandtheabilitytoactuallyseetheideasoftheentiregroupastheyareintroducedintothedialogueandtoobservehowthediscussionevolves.Moderatorscanquicklyunderstandandexploreareasofdivergenceandconvergenceamongparticipants,allowingforbothafullairingofoptionsandideas,andforconclusionsanddecision-makingwhereappropriate.

Thediscussionwaswiderangingand,whilereachingconsensuswasnotanobjectiveofthissession,thereportthatfollowscertainlypointstoadegreeofconvergenceofviewsamongtheparticipants.Thepar-ticipantsincluded30communicationsprofessionalsfromabroadvarietyofbackgroundsand10graduatestudentsfromtheSchoolofPublicandInternationalAffairsattheUniversityOttawa.

FollowingthediscussionpanelistsMikeColledge,PresidentofPublicAffairsCanada,IpsosReid;AlanFreeman,PublicServantinResidence,GraduateSchoolofPublicandInternationalAffairsatOttawaUni-versity;andMarkBlevis,DigitalPublicAffairsStrategist,providedabriefoverviewofthediscussion,witheachhighlightingwhattheyconsideredtobethekeytakeaways.

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AbouttheIABCOttawa…Foundedin1970,TheInternationalAssociationofBusinessCommu-nicators(IABC)providesaprofessionalnetworkofover15,500businesscommunicationsandmar-ketingprofessionalsinover80countries.AsamemberofIABCOttawa,youcantapintoawealthofresourcesandopportunitiesthatwillhelpincreaseyourvalueasacommunicator.IABCOttawabringscommunications,marketingandcreativeprofessionalstogethertogrowintheircareerandsucceedintheirjobs.

AboutIpsosReidPublicAffairs…Wearethesocialresearchandcorporatereputationspecial-ists.IpsosReidPublicAffairsisanon-partisan,objective,groupofseasonedresearchprofessionals.Weconductstrategicresearchandintelligencegatheringforwiderangeofpublicandprivatesectororganizations.Whetheritisthroughpublicopinionresearch,eliteandstakeholderstudies,corporateandmediaresearch,programevaluationsorthemeasurementofsocialmediaactivitiesweprovideourclientswiththeevidencetheyneedtomakedecisionsthatmovetheirorganizationsforward.

AbouttheUniversityofOttawaPublicandInternationalAffairsprogram…TheUni-versityofOttawa’sGraduateSchoolofPublicandInternationalAffairswascreatedin2007toofferabilingual,multi-disciplinarycurriculumdesignedforMaster’sstudentswishingtopursuecareersorgraduatestudiesinfieldsrelatedtopublicpolicy,globalaffairsandinternationaldevelopment.TheGraduateSchooltakesamulti-disciplinaryapproachthatreflectsthefactthatintheeraofglobaliza-tion,thedistinctionbetweennationalpolicy-makingandinternationalaffairsisincreasinglyblurred.Theprogramistaughtbyfacultywithvariedbackgrounds,includinghistory,economics,politicalscience,law,philosophyandsociology.TheProgramalsobenefitsfromthepresenceofseveraldistinguishedpractitioners,includingformerseniorgovernmentexecutivesanddiplomatswhoenrichtheprogramasSeniorFellowsthroughteachingandmentoringofstudents.

Aboutthedesignandlayout…ThisreportwasprofessionallylaidoutbyFionaMcBean.Fionaisanexperiencedgraphicdesignerandhasworkedextensivelywithcompaniesonfindingtheright‘visualvoice’fortheirdesignneeds.YoucanviewsamplesofFiona’sworkathttp://fmdesign.carbon-made.com/YoucanalsocontactFionaatfmcdesign@hotmail.com.

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ExECUTIvESUMMARyThisreportispartanalysisandpartsummaryoftheday’sdiscussion.Wehavebeenliberalinouruseofdirectquotesfromthedayaswefeeltheparticipants’wordsusuallysayitbetterthanwecouldhave–itwas,afterall,adiscussionamongprofessionalcommunicators.Forexample,perhapsoneofthemosttellingquotesofthedaycamefromoneoftheparticipantswhosaid,“’Don’t tag me in those pictures’ is today’s equivalent of ‘What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.’” Thiscommentnotonlysummarizedoneofthekeythemesthatemergedfromtheday’sdiscussion(thatthenearuniversaladoptionofsocialmediahaschangedhowweinteractandcommunicate),thefactthatitwastweetedbyseveraloftheparticipantswithinsecondsofit’sbeingutteredexemplifiestheimpactofthisparticularshiftontheartofcommunica-tionstoday.

Indeed,whilethetitleofthesessionwas“thefutureofcommunications,”itssubtitlecouldhavebeen“theimpactofsocialmedia.”Theriseofsocialmediawasthebackdropandcontextfordiscussionsaboutthechallengesassociatedwithkeepingupwiththeongoingchangesinandtheincreasingspeedofcommuni-cations.

Thequesttobefirsttopublishissomethingthathasalwaysdrivenmediaoutlets,butthisdriveisnowbeingacceleratedbythe24/7newscycle,thethousandchanneluniverseandbysocialmedia.Anditisnotjustoutletsthathavemultiplied.Withuniversalaccesstonewmediachannelsofferedbysocialmediaandmobiletechnology,afloodofnewactorshaveembarkeduponthisquest.Communicatorsareevenfacingcompetitionfromaveragecitizenswhomaynothaveanyprofessionaltrainingoreducationbutwhohaveavoicethroughequalaccesstothesamecommunicationstools.

Inthiscontext,manyofthetried-and-truepracticessuchascheckingfacts,ensuringaccuracy,editingforclarity,offeringalternativeorcomplementaryviewpointsandproperspellingarefallingbythewaysideandcreatinga“readerbeware”mentalityamongaveragecitizens,whosometimesfinditnecessarytocheckmultiplesources.

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PAST PRESENT

Art and passion Science and strategy

One mass audience Many niche audiences

Limited platforms Multiple platforms

Personalities Brands

Fact checking by pros Fact checking by public

Fast but get it right Fastest no matter what

Professional spokesperonSelf-Appointed Advocates/Critics

Quality Quantity

Forbetterorworse,participantsinthesessionsarewitnessingaclearshiftinthepracticeofcommu-nicationsonseverallevels.Thetablebelowillustratesthemainshifts.

Whilemoreandmoreoften,themediumisthemessage(thankyou,MarshallMcLuhan),therearesomeverybasictenetsofgoodcommunicationsthatremain.Clarity(clearsimplemessages)andhonesty(aswellassincerity)aretheconstantandcriticalattributeswhenevaluatinganycommunica-tororcommunications.Thequestions‘Wasiteasytounderstand?’and‘Doyoubelieveit?’remainthefirstonestoask.And,becauseofthechangestothecontextinwhichcommunicatinghappens(morenoise,lesstime,moreselectivehearing),communicatorsneedtorememberthatbrevityisthesoulofwit(thankyou,WilliamShakespeare)andpaymoreattentionthanevertotheoldmarketingmantra:“What’sinitforme?”,nowapplicabletoamultiplicityofaudiences,eachwiththeirownneedsandconcerns.

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Whatdoesitallmean?Somefinalthoughtsfromthepanelists…

MikeColledge,President Ipsos Reid Public Affairs

Speedisn’tanewissue–beingfirst-to-marketorfirst-to-publishhasalwaysbeenakeytosuccess.Itmaybeacceleratedduetotheemergenceofsocialmediabutithasbeenandwillalwaysbeafactorinanyendeavorbeitcommunications,busi-nessorpolitics.

TheissuesIthinkaremostprofoundaretheriseofthecitizencommunicatorandthefractioning(orsegmentation)ofaudiences.Thesechangesneedtobecon-sideredineverycommunicationsactivity–andthisgoeswellbeyondgaininga

betterunderstandingofyourmanyaudiences(althoughthatisimportant).Itgoestotheheartofpublicaf-fairsstrategies.Inthepast,mostpublicaffairsandmarketingcampaignsweredesignedtomovethosenotyetconvincedofanargumentornotyetloyaltoaproduct.Researchwasdonetodeterminewhichseg-mentofthepopulationwasmostlikelytomoveandwhatmessages/informationwererequiredtomovethem.Intoday’sworldthisapproachhasbeenflippedonitshead.Now,whileyoustillneedtodoyourresearchanddeterminewhichsegmentofthepopulationispersuadableandunderstandwhatmessages/informationtheyneedtoheartobepersuaded,ratherthantryingtocarryforwardthosemessagesyour-self,Ithinkthebeststrategyistoidentifyyoursupporters,findthemostvocalamongthemandarm themwiththemessagesandinformationthatwillallowthemtousetheirvoicetopersuadethepersuadable.Yoursupportershavelessself-interestand,asaresult,morecredibilitythanyoudowhentheyadvocateforyourcause;andyoursupporterscanlikelyreachmorepeoplethanyoucan.Wefirstsawthisphenom-enoninelectionswheresocialmediahasbeenwidelyusedtoorganizeandrallycurrentsupportersbutnottoattractorconvertnewones.Thenextstepasmoreandmorepeoplebecomecontentcreatorswillbetousecurrentsupportersasameanstoreachdeeperintotheevergrowingnumberofnicheaudiences.

Myfinaltakeforcommunicationsprofessionals(andasagraduateofaMassCommunicationsprograminthemid‘80s)isyourroleischanginginwaysnoonecouldhaveeverconceived.InthepastIwouldhavearguedthateveryorganizationneedsastrongheadofcommunicationstoguidetheshipandensureaconsideredandcorporateperspectiveisbeingputforward.Today,Iammoreconvincedthatallbusinessleadersneedtoberesponsibleandengagedincommunications.Idon’tthinkthatcommunicationsasastandalonefunctionwillhavethesameseataroundtheexecutivetable,insteadcommunicationsskillsandknowledgewillbeaprerequisiteforall(fromCEOstoCIOstoCFOs)attheC-suitetable.

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MarkBlevis,Digital Public Affairs Strategist

Socialmediaaredemocratic.Weallhaveaccesstothesamechannelsandessen-tiallytothesamemassinternationalaudience.Thisbringsaboutunprecedentedopportunityandinsurmountablechallengesforbothindividualsandorganiza-tions.We’veseenhowbothsourcescaninfluence(DaveCarroll’sUnitedBreaksGuitarsandInvisibleChildren’sKony2012)andbeaffectedby(JasonRussell’sverypublicbreakdownandDellComputer’snearcollapse)thediscourse.

Communicators,particularlythoseworkinginpoliticsandpublicaffairs,mustlearnhowtoefficientlyandeffectivelyriseabovethenoisejusttobeheard,usecreativestorytellingtoensuretheirmessagesticks,andincorporatescalablecalls-to-actionwhichharnesstheenergyofthepublicbecause,forthemostpart,peoplewanttobeinvolvedinsomethingbiggerthanthemselves.

TheKony2012campaignisagreatstudyofthosequalities.ThemanyreasonsitwascriticizedweretheexactsamereasonsthecampaignwassuccessfulwithanunheardofROImostnon-profitswillonlyeverdreamof.Interestingly,thatcampaign’ssuccesshasalsoprovidedanequallypublicexampleofthepres-suresplacedoncommunicatorstogainandretainpublicattentionandhowinstantinternationalcelebritystatuscanleadtophysicalandemotionalexhaustion.Compressedmessaging,compressednewscycles,compressedpocketsofattentionhavecolludedtoputcompressedpressuresoncommunicators.

But,let’snotfocusonthedangers.Letmecirclebackonreachingyouraudienceandovercomingsomeoftheattentiondeficitchallengesofsocialmedia.

Manypeoplesuggestthekeyingredientiscontent.Whilequalitycontentisimportant,Ibelievecontextisthesecretsauceofanysuccessfulcampaign.Understandinghowtocraftmessageswhichexploitthestrengthsandnavigatetheweaknessesofeachchannel,andofeachaudience,willdistinguishthecapablecommunicatorsfromthosetransplantedfrommasscommunicationenvironments.

Finally,understandthatmessagesemanatewithinanetworkofnetworks.Duringlastyear’sfederalelectionIwasoftenaskedwhyTwitterwouldmatterintheelection.InotedTwitterwouldnotaffecttheoutcomeoftheelection;notatthatpointofCanada’sdigitalpoliticallifecycle.Thatremainstruetoday.Twitter,likeothersocialmediachannels,isadigitalwatercooler.It’swherepeoplegathertodiscussissues.Thatdiscus-sionemanatesfromanepicentre.Thatis,publicpolicydiscussionswillalwaysemanatefrompoliticalinsid-ers(politicians,staffers,campaignworkers)tojournalists,topoliticalenthusiasts,tohockeydadsandsoccermoms,bookandknittingclubs,etc…It’stheamplifiereffecthelpcommunicatorsdeterminewhichissuesmatterandhow.Thismeanscommunicatorshavetolearnhowtolistenjustaswellastheyhavetolearnhowtoshare.

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AlanFreeman,Public Servant in Residence, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Ottawa

Asaonetimejournalistwhobeganworkonatypewriteratatimewhentheemergingtechnologicalbreakthroughwasthefaxmachine,Ihaveseenhowtech-nologyhasradicallychangedtheworldofcommunications.Icanstillremembergettingmyfirstworkcomputer,reallynothingbutaprimitivewordprocessor,in1979,myfirstemailaddressin1996,myfirstcellphonein1998andmyfirstBlackBerryin2007.Thesetechnologicaladvanceshavegenerallybeenposi-tive,makingtheworkofjournalistsandcommunicationsprofessionalseasierin

manyways,andspeedingupthespreadofinformation.ButI’mnotsureit’sactuallyresultedinabetterinformedpublic.

Iftheeventsofthepastfewdecadescanteachusanything,it’sthatthespeedofchangemeansthatpredictingthefuturehasbeenperilous.Whenmobilephonesandthewebbecameubiquitousinthelate1990s,predictionsatthetimefocussedontheindependentimpactofeachtechnology,notonhowthetwowouldmergeintotheworldofsmartphones.AndwhenBlackBerrywasatthetopoftheheapafewyearsago,ifwehadrunanIdeationseminar,nobodywouldhavepredictedthatTwitterwouldbeonthetipofeverybody’stonguetodayandthatBlackBerrywouldbelookingliketheworld’snextversionoftheSonyBetamax.SoIthinkit’sfairtosaythatwedon’treallyknowwhatthenextbigtrendwillbe,particularlyifwelookfiveyearshence.ButIcanassureyouonething.Itprobablywon’tbeTwitterorFacebookandmaybenotevensocialmedia.Itwilllikelybesomethingdifferententirely,aconceptthatisstillembryonicinthemindofsomenerdinSiliconValley.

Thisrapidchangemakesitdifficultforcommunicationsprofessionals,particularlyinbigorganizationslikegovernment,toadapt.Thereflexingovernmentwhenthereisanewthingistocreateanewunittohandleit.Sogovernmentdepartmentsspeakofcreatingsocialmediaunits,presumablytoaddtotheirpre-existingwebunitsandtheirpublishingunits.Bythetimetheseunitsaresetup,thetechnologywillprobablyhavemovedontosomethingelse.Soit’sbettertotakeapagefromtheexperienceofthemediathemselveswheresocialmediaissimplyanothertoolforjournalistsandeditors,ratherthanastandaloneunitmadeupofpeoplespecializedinwritingTweetsandpostingmaterialonFacebook.Forcommunica-tionsprofessionalsingovernment,itmeansre-engineeringhowthingsaredone,learningtobemulti-taskers,abletowriteanewsrelease,answeramediacall,handleablogandbeadeptwithsocialmedia,ratherthanbeingconsignedtoasinglesub-specialty.

Andwhiletechnologymaychangethespeedatwhichinformationtravelsandthewayit’sdisseminated,personalrelationsstillcount.Oneoftheunfortunateimpactsoftelevisingnewsconferencesisthatjournal-istsnolongerhadtoattendtheminperson,sothepersonalcontactthatdevelopedbetweenjournalists,communicationsprofessionalsandtheirbosseswaslost.Thesameappearstobehappeningwhenitcomestoday-to-dayrelationswiththepress.AnemailresponseoraTwitterpostisnotequivalenttoapersonalphonecall,letanencounterforcoffeeorlunch.Trustisbuiltbyknowingpeopleandinterchanginginforma-tiononaone-to-onebasis.It’sakeypartofcommunicationsthatweshouldn’tforget.

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ISSUESFACINgCOMMUNICATIONPROS:ThENExTFIvEyEARSNotsurprisingly,whenweaskedabouttheissuestheywillfaceoverthenextfiveyears,participantswerequicktohighlightthegrowingimportanceofsocialmedia.However,itwasthebroadernotionof“keepingabreastofchange”thatsurfacedasthekeychallenge.

“Keeping up with the number and nature of the communications tools available.”

“Changing channels of communication.”

“Rapid change in technology/medium.”

“Adapting communications style to digital culture.”

“Dealing with the changing journalistic landscape.”

Whatemergedfromthediscussionwasarealsenseofpressure.WhileaverageCanadiansareadoptingnewandmultipleformsofcommunicationsandenthusiasticallymovingfrombeingmembersofapassiveaudiencetobecomingmembersofatribeofcommunicationscreators,thepeoplewhoseethemselvesascommunica-tionsprofessionalsareverymuchatthecentreoftheactionandarefeelingimmensepressurenotonlytokeepupbutto(beseento)leadandtohaveinfluenceinthisnewdigitalenvironment.Oneparticipantnotedthatoneofthemostpressingchallengeswillbedealingwith“amateurs,”notingthat,today,everyonehasthemeansformasscommunication,eveniftheydon’thavetheskills,experienceorjudgmenttousethemeffec-tivelyorconstructively.

Whileeveryoneintheroomagreedthereisenormouspotentialinsocialmedia,participantswerealsoquicktopointoutitschallenges.Socialmedia“burnout”,socialmedia“fatigue,”or“engagementfatigue”wasanoftenmentionedissue.TheCommunicationsprofessionalsexpressedconcernthatthepublictooissusceptibletosuccumbingtotheoverwhelmingamountofinformationandmessagestheyareexposedtoona24/7basis.

“[The] Volume of communications [the] public is subject to.”

“Rising above the noise.”

Otherissuesmentionedincluded:

• Thechallengeofbeingresponsibleforsocialmediainarisk-aversecorporateenvironment.

• Thepressuresassociatedwithcopyright,bothprotectingtheirownandensuringtheydonot infringeonthatofothers.

• Lackofliteracyandnumeracyintheworkforce.

• Theneedtosegmentmessagesbyaudienceandplatform.

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• Thecompetitionbetweenplatformsvyingforthesameaudience.

• Emerginglegalissuesastheyrelatetoprivacyandpersonalinformation.

• Thechangingexpectationsofanddemandsuponjournalistsastheycopewiththepressures associatedwithsocialmedia(therushtopublishfirstandtheseeminglyneverending demandtocreatemorecontent).

• Agenerationalgapbetweentheyoung,socialmedialiterateandoldercommunications managersandorganizationalexecutives.

OneoftheadvantagesoftheIpsosIdeationmethodologyisthatiteasilyallowsdiscussionstomovefromaqualitativetoaquantitativeperspective.Afteradiscussionofthekeyissuescommunicatorswillfaceinthenextfiveyears,participantswereaskedtorankashorterconsolidatedlistonascaleofonetofive,wherefiveindicatesthemostimportantissue.Thetablebelowshowsthemostpressingissues.While‘socialmedia’and‘changingexpectations,’topthelist,itshouldbenotedthat‘keepingupwithnewtechnologies,’dealingwith‘multiplecommunicationplatforms’and‘adaptingcommunicationsstyletodigitalculture’donotfallfarbehind.

Issue Facing Communications Professionals in the Next 5 Years

Average Score

Social Media 4.3

Changing expectations with new technology and media

4.3

Keeping up with technology demands 4.0

Multiple communication platforms 4.0

Adapting communications style to digital culture 3.9

Changing journalistic / communicator landscape 3.7

Demographic Issues - generation gap between management and younger staff 3.6

Policy and legal Issues 3.4

Social media burnout 2.9

Copyright and privacy issues 2.8

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gREATCOMMUNICATORSPASTANDPRESENTThebroaderdiscussionofthelandscapeofcommunicationssetthestageforadiscussionoftheroleofthecommunicator.Participantswereaskedtoidentifywhotheythoughtof(people,companies,andorganiza-tions)asgreatcommunicatorsofthepast.NotsurprisinglyforthisOttawa-basedevent,politicianswereveryprevalentinthelistofgreatcommunicators.Thislistincluded:

• FormerCanadianPrimeMinisterPierreTrudeauandcurrentPrimeMinisterStephenHarper.

• FormerNewDemocraticPartyLeaderJackLayton.

• FormerUKPrimeMinistersWinstonChurchill,TonyBlairandMargaretThatcher.

• USPresidentsRoosevelt,ClintonandObama.

• USPoliticiansJesseJacksonandJohnMcCain.

Thenotionofpoliticalfiguresasgreatcommunicatorstouchedoffaninterestingdiscussionregardingeffective-nessofcommunicationsversussupportforpoliticalandpolicydirections.Mostparticipantssaidthat,whetherornottheyagreedwithapolitician’spoliticalagenda,theyrecognizedtheindividualsmentionedaboveaseffectivecommunicators.Somewerehighlightedfortheirpassionandabilitytoconnectonapersonallevel,othersfortheirstrategicsenseandabilitytostayonmessageortosegmentandunderstandtheiraudience.

However,thelistofgreatcommunicatorsofthepastwhichtheparticipantsdevelopedwasn’tlimitedtopoliticians.Corporationsandbrands(Apple,Coke,MapleLeafFoods)andbusinessleaders(SteveJobs,Rich-ardBranson)alsofeaturedprominently.Mediaprofessionals(AndersonCooper,PeterGzowsky,RickMercer,PeterMansbridge,GianGomeshi,Oprah,andGeorgeStrombolopolous)andsocialmediaoutlets(Twitter,GoogleandGawkerMedia)alsomadethelist.

MapleLeafFoodsandthewayithandleditslisteriosisoutbreakwerehighlightedasanexampleofgoodcrisiscommunications.Asoneparticipantnoted,“the president of Maple Leaf got ahead of the issue and lead the media coverage rather than reacting to it.”AppleandSteveJobswerehighlightedasinnovatorswithsomecommentingthattheirbrandandthesuccessoftheirproductstendedtodrivetheircommunications.

Othersonthelistofgreatcommunicatorsofthepastincluded:AlbertEinstein,Ghandi,GordonLightfoot,God,SirKenRobinson,PublicSafetyCanada,theCIAandtheFBI.

Astheconversationshiftedtothegreatcommunicatorsoftoday,morecelebrities(LadyGaga,Bono,JohnStewart,StevenColbert,ConanO’Brien,EllenDegeneres)werementioned.However,manyofthosemen-tionedasgreatcommunicatorsofthepastwerealsoonthelistofgreatcommunicatorstodayincludingpoliti-cians,businessesandothermediapersonalities.Thelistofgreatcommunicatorsalsoincludedafewnot-for-profitorganizations(HeartandStrokeFoundation,BreastCancerFoundation)andtheArabSpringuprising.

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Theconversationmovedfrompeoplewhoaregreatcommunicatorstobrandsasgreatcommunicatorswithparticipantsnotingthatbrandsarebecominganincreasinglyinfluentialaspectofourdailylives.“Brands are making a conscious effort to make consumers interact and communicate with them.”Manyparticipantsnotedthatitiseasiertocontrolabrand’simage(consistency,messaging,etc,)thananindi-vidual’sbecausethereistypicallyateamofprofessionalsguidingabrand.Whilebrandsmayhaveperson-alities,wedon’tjudgethemorholdthemtothesamestandardsaswedopeople.

Wouldyesterday’sgreatcommunicatorssucceedtoday?Threequartersofparticipantssaidthatsuccessfulcommunicatorsofthepastwouldstillsucceedtoday;onequarterdidnotfeelthesame.Thissuggeststhatthereisdisagreementastowhethertheartofcom-municationshastrulychangedortheskillsetremainsconsistentandweareonlywitnessingatransforma-tionofthetoolsavailable.Arethetraditionalskillsofagreatcommunicatorstillattheheartofsuccessoristhetransformationofthemedialandscapethroughsocialmediachangingthebasicrequirementsofthegreatcommunicatorofthefuture?

Agreatskillofpastcommunicatorswasthattheycouldthinkfastontheirfeet,anddidnotrelyonotherswhenrespondingtoquestionsorcriticism.Mostparticipantsfeltthatthisoldschoolapproachwouldactu-allybeafreshtakeoncurrentcorporateandpoliticalcommunicationswhichareoftenviewedashighlyscriptedanddisingenuous.Arguably,theneedforthisskillisontheriseagainascommunicationsmoveawayfromthehighlyscripted,towardsmorerapid-firesocialmediaenabledcommunications.

Somefeltthattheissueofnewtechnologywouldbeabarrierforpastcommunicators,however,mostagreedthatagreatcommunicatorwouldbeabletoadapttothetechnologyofthedayandtheirinherentskillswouldshinethrough.

Finally,whilenotadominantthemeinthediscussion,somementionedthatthesuccessofpastcommu-nicatorswasthattheywouldoftenhaveasinglemessageandsinglepersonathattheywouldbroadcasttothemasses.Intoday’scommunicationworld,thereistheneedtotailormessagingtofitwithspecificgroupsofpeople.

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Whatmadecommunicatorsgreatinthepast?Despitenewchannels,newtechnologies,moremessagesandmorecontentcreators,mostparticipantssaidthattheskillsthatmadecommunicatorsgreatinthepastarestillrelevanttoday.Itwasnotedthat,despitethesignificantimpactofsocialmediaoncommunicationsprofessionalstoday,socialmediaremainsbutatoolandtheabilitytocommunicate,tostayonmessage,totellastory,tolistentoyouraudienceandrespondtotheirinterestsandconcernscontinuestobeparamounttosuccessfulcommunications.Whetheritwasbrandsorindividuals,itwasnotedthatoneofthekeyfactorsofsuccessfulcommunicationsishavingtheabilitytocontrolthemessageacrossmultipleplatforms.

Clarity(clearsimplemessages)andhonesty(aswellassincerity)arethetwoattributesthatwereidentifiedassharedbygreatcommunicatorsofthepastandpresent.Inthissensetheyareclearlytheconstantandcriticalattributeswhenevaluatinganycommunicatororcommunications.Thequestions‘Wasiteasytounderstand?’and‘Doyoubelieveit?’remainthefirstonestoask.

Accordingtotheparticipants,greatcommunicatorsofthepastalsoneededtobemuchmorepersonable–theyneededcharismaandeloquence;theyneededtobecourageousandfearless;theyneededtobepassionateandinspirational;andtheyneededtobeengaging(theadjective)publicspeakersthatcouldconnecttoallpeopleforallpurposes.

Jumpingforward,participantsseelessneedforpassionorabroadlycharismaticapproachtobeagreatcommunicatortoday.Rather,theemphasisisonengaging(theverb):knowingtheaudience,understandingthestrategyandtacticallysegmentingthemessagestodifferentaudiencesusingthemultiplemediaplat-formsandchannelsavailabletothem.Onecharactertraitthatismoreimportanttodaythaninthepastistheneedforasenseofhumour–thinkStewart,ColbertandMercer-entertainingpeoplewhileconveyingamessage.Today’sperspectiveonwhatmakescommunicatorsgreatreflectsMcLuhan’sgreatinsight:themediumisthemessage.Greatnesshasmovedonfromtheolddaysofmasscommunications(onechar-ismaticpersonwithonemessagespeakingtoonehugeaudience)totoday’sfractalageofmulti-platformmedia(onepersonengagingwithasmanyaudiencesaspossible,withasmanydifferentmessagesasthereareaudiences).Toeffectivelycommunicate,onemustnotfocussimplyonthemessageitselfbutonhowaveryspecificaudiencewillconsumeit.Or,toputitanotherway,greatcommunicatorsusedtobringpeopletogetherunderacommonroof.Todaytheytalktospecificpeopleandgivethemeachadifferentumbrellatocarrywiththemastheyheadintothestorm.

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WhATDOESThEFUTUREhOLD?

Speedisoftheessence!Thebiggestissue,accordingtoparticipants,inthenewdigitalworldisthespeedwithwhichtheyneedtowork.Withinformationflowingfarfasterthanitusedtoandwitheveryonehavingtheabilityto“do their grumbling about your brand instantly and publicly” thecommunicationsprofessionalsnotedthat“you need to work hard to get in front of issues or they’ll run away from you.”Itwasnotedthatthisisasignifi-cantchangefromtheoldermoretraditionalnewscycleandthat,whiletheywerealldealingeffectivelywiththisissuenow,theneedforspeedwouldonlygrowasmoreandmorepeopleembracethedigitalworldastheirmainsourceofnewsandinformation.Thisobviouslyhasimplicationsbothforprofessionalsandorganizations.Forprofessionals,itmeanslongerhours,constantmonitoringandthenotionofcon-tinuouscrisiscommunications.Fororganizations,itmeansbuildingastructurethatallowsforrapidcom-munications–anyrigidorganizationwithnumerousapprovalprocessesforcommunicationsisboundtobeslowertorespond.

NeedtobeclearandconciseWhilemostcommunicatorsmightarguethatbeingclearandconciseinyourcommunicationshasalwaysbeenacornerstoneofgoodcommunicationspractices,thechangesoccurringtoday(fasterturnaround,moredigitalvoices,morechannels,etc.)arguablymakethistenetevenmoreimportanttoday.

UnderstandinganddealingwithnicheaudienceWithmultiplechannels,innumerablesourcesofinformationandpeoplemovingfrommassplatformstonichecommunicationsstreams,participantsfeltthatthereisa“need for more detailed, audience-specific messaging.” Wherecommunicatorsofthepasthadtheluxuryofcraftingsinglemessagesaimedatthemajority-oratleastapluralityofthepublic-today’scommunicationsprofessionalsmustunderstandanddelivertomultipleaudienceseachofwhichhasitsowninterests,levelofunderstandingandtheabilitytorespondinstantly.

MonitoringandmeasuringMonitoringisprojectedtobeamoredifficultandyetmoreimportanttaskforthecommunicatoroftomorrow.Forsomethismeansscanningthe(everbroadening)environmentfrequentlytokeeptabsonemergingissues,forothersitmeansgainingadeeperunderstandingofthe(evermoreniche)audiencestheyaretryingtoreach.

Measurementisarelatedchallenge.Inthewordsofoneoftheparticipants,“potential influences are everywhere” andthereforethechallengeofunderstandingtheimpactofspecificcommunicationsactivitiesisamplified.Inaworldwherecommunicatorsarerequiredtounderstandandcommunicatewithnumerousaudiences,participantsnotedthatthereisaneedfor“greaterinvestmentinmeaningfulmeasurement.”

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Participantswerequicktonotethatintoday’sdigitalworld“existing relationships are more important than ever” and“you need to build a reputation first.”Inshort,youmustbeseenasatrustedsourcebeforeyouevenbegintocommunicate.

BeingdifferentStandingoutinthecrowd,beinginnovative,creativeandengagingisnowamust.Whiledevelopingcommuni-cationsthatgetattentionhasalwaysbeenachallengeandaprerequisiteforsuccess,itisevenmoreimportantintoday’sfastmovingandcrowdedplayingfield.

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NEWSTODAy,hOWhASITChANgED?News today …..

“… can be found in 40 characters. Consumers look at headlines…”

“… is anything that has an audience. Ranges from viral videos taken on the iPhone to traditional news writing.”

“ is immediate.”

“… is no longer [just] the important global, national issues of interest to the masses.”

”… is a lot of crap, including celebrity funerals.”

“… is now about shock value and ratings … centred on what will draw in an audience rather than the inherent value of the content.”

“ … is anything that is of interest to a particular group … can now decide for themselves what their trusted news sources are.”

TechnologyandchoicearechangingtheshapeofnewsSessionparticipantssaidthatthebiggestchangeinnewstodayisthatpeoplehavemanynewschoices.Inthepastthenewsmenuwasconsiderablyshorter.Decisionswerelimited:Printvs.broadcast?Which6PMnewsanchordoIwanttowatch?

Aswellthevolumeofnewswaslimited(bytimeonTV/radioandbyspaceinprint).Thesituationtodayisverydifferent.Wecanchoosemultipledeliverychannels,wecannarrowtheselectionofsubjectsorselectonlytheauthorswewantandwecandothisinstantlyandonanongoingbasis.Aspeopleselectsubjects,andartificialintelligencebuildspersonalprofilesbasedonourlikesanddislikes,thereisthepotentialforpeopletogetmuchmoreinformationbutwithamuchnarrowerscope.

“People can personalize their news to what they are interested in … objectivity is gone from viewership and, thus, people are living in their own bubbles.”

“People, if they’re interested, will then go to a niche source to find more info butthat info will not be informative, rather it will be confirmatory.”

“Content availability influences what makes the cut, a video can turn non-news into news.”

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Otherthemesthatemergedinthe‘Whatisnewsdiscussion?’included:

Theriseofcitizenjournalists

Theriseofcitizenjournalistsiscreatingnewcontentandredefiningwhatisnews.Moreandmorebloggers(whoarenotnecessarilyorevenusuallytrainedjournalists)areself-publishingtheirversionsofnewsandtheiropinionsontheissuesoftheday.Participantsreferredtothisasthe‘democratization’ ofjournalismortheriseof‘citizen journalism.’Nomatterthelabel,itwasfeltthatthistrendishavingaprofoundimpactonnewsorganizations.

“Gatekeepers no longer have a stranglehold on information.”

“People on the street can be just as credible as news outlet information, if not more.”

“News organizations are no longer competing with each other …. They’re competing for attention with all forms of digital content.”

Riseof‘infotainment’

Asthefocushasmovedfromwhatisimportanttowhatsells/getsratings(controlbybeancountersratherthannewsroomeditors?),wehaveseentheriseof‘infotainment’and‘edutainment.’Newsnowneedstobemoreentertaining.

“News today is much more based on the entertainment industry and centred on issues less im-portant to society as a whole. Content is suffering and you can see this when ‘big news’ is con-sidered anything to do with celebrities.”

“There’s far more junk food than broccoli on our news plates now. There are also fewer checks and balances and little adherence to the old journalistic standard of ‘objectivity.’”

“News is now about shock value and ratings … more attention is centred on what will draw in an audience than the inherent value of the content.”

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SpeedandbrevityaredrivingnewsandcontentAswithallothercommunicationsthenewsisbeingimpactedbytherushtobethefirsttobreakastoryandtheneedtoproduceshorterstoriesforpublicconsumption.

“The cycle moves too fast for sustained interest.”

“News is immediate, has a quick turnaround from when it happens to when it goes ‘live’.

“Blogs, twitter and other social media forums will raise the issue, news sites will elaborate on the issue.”

AmorecompetitiveenvironmentJournalistsarebeingdriventoreachawideraudienceinamorecompetitiveenvironment.However,thefocusseemstobemovingfrombeingajournalist(thereislesssimplenewscoveragetodayfromjournalistsaseveryoneisnowinthisgame)tobeingacolumnistoreditor:itisabouthavinganopinion/takingastandonthenews.Tosomedegree,thisisanattempttoaddvalue;however,themorecynicalwouldsayitisasaresultofthefasternewscycleandjournalistsnolongerhavingtimetoresearchexpertsources.

“Stories are about interests and what will appeal to the masses.”

“Opinion (sometimes inflammatory) is becoming a more significant value proposition of media organizations.”

ReputationandcredibilitymatterAlloftheabovemeansjournalistsandtraditionalnewssitesneedtofocusontheirreputationasameansofcounteringcompetitionandmaintaininganaudience.

“Reputablenewssiteswillalwaysbemorecredible.”

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SPEEDvS.ACCURACyvS.CONTENTWehavealwaysbeeninaworldwherethefirstpersontobreakthestorywinstherace.Thedifferencetodayisthatanyonewithasmartphonecanbreakthestory.Problemsbegintoarisehoweverwhenthecontentdoesnotincludethecontextand/orwhenearlypromotersofastorylendcredibilitybeforetheyfullyun-derstandallofthefacts.Withthisinmind,participantsdiscussedtheimpactofsocialmediaandnewandemergingdigitalcommunicationsandtheriseofthecitizencommunicatorandakeyquestion“Is content suf-fering due to the rush to publish?”

Theanswer(whilenotunanimous)wasaresounding“yescontenthassuffered”.“Speed seems to trump everything else. Getting it first matters more than getting it right.”

Mostparticipantsnotonlyconcurredthattherushtobefirstoftenmeansskippingstepsthatrangefromcheckingforaccuracytoensuringproperspellingandgrammarbuttheyalsofeltthatthespeedofcom-municationshasalsoledto“onlyasurfaceknowledgeofalotofissues”asshorterattentionspanshaveresultedinfewercomplex,long-runningstoriesorissues.Asoneparticipantputit“It’s hard to keep inter-est in an issue, which means coverage of important topics often dies a quick death.”

However,participantsalsosawsomelightattheendofthecommunicationstunnel,notingthatwhile“speed trumps accuracy and content …. inaccuracies will usually be brought to the fore and there is always an opportunity to lead people to accurate content.”

Othersnotedthattoday’saudiences“needtobediligentatfilteringwhatcomesatusasinformation”whereas,inthepastfilteringandensuringaccuracywerethedomainoftheprofessionalgatekeepersjour-nalistsorprofessionalcommunicators.

Asnotedpreviouslythespeedtocommunicatecombinedwiththesheervolumeofmessagesandthenotionthatnotallareaccurateorfact-basedmakesthereputationofthesourceevenmoreimportant.Thiswouldseemtogivetheedgetotraditionalmediaoutletsthathaveenteredthesocialmediasphere.

“People have high expectations to have a label they trust before they hear the content.”

“The source always drives the credibility of content.”

“There are still traditional media sources who will do their due-diligence and offer a researched opinion. Maybe not as quick as you would find it on Twitter, but at least when it comes up a half hour later, you can have a higher degree of trust in the facts.”

Thefinallineofthoughtthatcameoutofthisdiscussionwasthatwhileaccuracymayhavesufferedintheshortterm,contenthasnotwithmorepeopleproducingcontentthaneverbefore“multiple news sources, be they mainstream media, social media or user generated content, allow for more voices many of which were previously unheard.”Alsoonthepro-contentsideoftheargumentwasthenotionthatnewmediumshaveallowed“content to be what it needs to be. We no longer need to force visuals into text and vice-versa.”

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“Some people may filter the content they look at based on their interests and tastes but there are also more op-portunities for people to share news and hear various viewpoints.”

“Content hasn’t suffered, it’s now being more scrutinized than ever before forcing the communicator to be able to support their thoughts/ideas.”

“Content is king. Good content drives traffic.”

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ISMOREINFORMATIONAgOODThINg?Withoutadoubtthereismoreinformationbeingcreatedanddistributedthaneverbefore.Itisnotsur-prisingthataroomfullofcommunicatorswouldlargelyagreethatmoreinformationintheworldaswellasmoresourcesofinformationisforthemostpartagoodthing.

yesmoreinformationisagoodthing…

“It’s amazing how globally significant political events have been shaped by the digital tools available.”

“Information enriches the world in which we live.”

“More information is a good thing. But it requires more work from audiences to sift through the chaff and get to the good stuff.”

“Information is the fuel for free societies. A more globalized infrastructure of communications can only further the movement towards greater transparency.”

“More voices are better - it allows people to get multiple and varying opinions, deliberate and decide on their opinions for themselves.”

“It is always a good thing to have more information.”

Whileveryfewsaidmoreinformationwasabadthing(seecommentsbelow)manyoftheparticipantsqualifiedtheirsupportformoreinformationbynotingthattherearealsopotentialdownsidesto“instantinformation”and“informationoverload.”

Maybemoreinformationisagoodthing…

“More information is good as long as the source is reliable.”

“On the one hand you have various opinions on a topic, instead of the old standard newspaper conglomerates. But on the other hand, more information out at quicker timelines lead to more mistakes and misrepresentation of facts.”

“The problem with instant transmission of information by everybody and anybody is that there’s a danger of more bad information getting wide distribution. And once misinformation is out there, it’s hard to kill.”

“More info can just be more noise. Quality of information is important.”

“People will seek out the information that aligns with their existing frames.”

“We also need to be more media literate to understand biases, points of view, objectives etc. Since the information marketplace is so open, we need to be able to analyze the source as well as the information we receive.”

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Therewereveryfewparticipantswhosaidmoreinformationsourcesisnotnecessarilyagoodthing.fewparticipantswhosaidmoreinformationintheworldisnotnecessarilyagoodthing.

Moreinformationisnotagoodthing…

“Not if the ownership is concentrated in the hands of the few. We are at the early days of ‘new media’. Prediction: most popular sites will soon be acquired by a handful of owners.”

“More information does not mean more diversity in perspective. Without diversity, what we end up with is a larger echo chamber.”

“Information without context is useless in aiding understanding.”

“More concise information is preferred. The message often gets lost when too much information is thrown at people, especially by way of social media.”

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WhATWILLThECOMMUNICATIONTOOLSOFTOMORROWLOOKLIKE?Theparticipantswereaskedtoconsiderwhatthecommunicationtoolsandmediaoftomorrowmightlooklike.Thisgeneratedaflurryofcommentssomeofwhichfocusedonthelikelydirectionoftechnologyandmediaplatformsinthefuture–thefullemergenceofcloudcomputingandmobileeverything,forexample–butmostofwhichconcernedthelikely(orhopedfor)attributesofcommunicationstoolsandmediaofthefuture.Manyfocusedontheideaofaneverincreasingleveloftailoringtotheindividual–customiz-able,personalandsegmented.TherewasmuchdiscussionaroundtheideaoftailoredmediawhichhasalreadybeenseenonFacebookandGoogleintermsofadsthatreflectyourbrowsinghistory.Futuretoolswillmakeuseoftheexistingtechnology,perhapsculminatingintrulyindividualisticadvertisingasseeninthemovieMinority Report.

Inaninterestingcontrast,whilethetoolsandmediaareexpectedtobehighlyspecifictotheindividual,manyparticipantsdescribedthemasbeingcollaborative,allowingfordifferentcontributorstoworkseam-lesslytogether,connectedacrossplatforms.Incommentsthatevokedthebig,redeasybuttonoftheStaplesads,severalparticipantsunderlinedthattoolswillmakethingseasyorbeeasytouse.

Afewparticipantsindicatedthatuser-generatedcontentandcrowdsourcingwillgrowinimportance.

Ofcourse,thecommunicationstoolsofthefutureareimpossibletopredict,butjudgingfromthepopular-ityofshort,concisemessagingbroughtonbyTwitterandothersocialmedia(whichparticipantsexpectedtoseecontinuetogrow),wecananticipatethatcommunicationfromcorporationstoconsumerswillneedtoshorteninlength,andbroadeninscope.

“We’re already seeing the idea that advertising can be tailored based on various aspects. What you look at, what your friends look at.”

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ChANgINgDEMOgRAPhICSWhenaskedtoconsiderthekeyopportunitiesandchallengesforcommunicationsandcommunicatorsthatarisefromCanada’schangingdemographics,participantsweremuchmorefocusedonthechallengesthanontheopportunities.Keyamongthesewastheneedforcommunicationstoreachandconnectwithincreas-inglyfragmentedaudiences(multilingual,multigenerational),inanenvironmentwherethebarissethigher:gettingnoticedabovethenoise,puttingoutthetailoredandpersonalmessageviatherightchannelforthemessageandaudience,andmeetinganexpectationforincreasedengagementandinteractivity.Failingtodeliveragainsttheseexpectationsisconsideredarisk.Andallthiscoupledwiththeneedtodeliverfaster!

AnotherchallengehighlightedbyafewparticipantsthatislessspecifictoCanada’schangingdemographicsisthenotionthatwithevermoreandeverricherdatabeingcollectedandconcentratedinthehandsofafew,dataprotectionisahighpriority.

Otherschosetohighlighttheopportunitiespresentedbysomeoftheabovefactors.Forexample,richerdataandbusinessintelligence,allowingformuchmorepreciseaudienceknowledge,segmentationandreach.Severalparticipantshighlightedthatinthefuturecommunicationswouldbemoreinformal,userfriendlyandactive–althoughthiswasalsoachallenge,giventhatyoungergenerationswouldhavetheexpectationforlessformalandmoreinteractivecommunications,whereasolderaudiences--andoldercommunicators--havedifferentexpectations.

Participantsinthediscussionhighlightedacleardividebetweenthoseinseniorpositionsintheworkforceandthenewcropofemployees.TheyoungergenerationhasanexpectationthatallcompanieshaveasocialmediastrategyincludingcorporatebloggingandTwitterengagementcoupledwithasenseofflexibilitywhenitcomestotelecommutingandusingsocialmediadevicesatwork.Theyexplainedthat“Inmanycases,theoldergenerationdoesnotseeanyvalueorplaceanyimportanceonthesenewertechnologiesandthereforedoesnotgetinvolvedenoughtounderstandit.”Thisleadstoaresistancetoinvestinsocialmediabothasanoutwardcommunicationstoolorasaninternalcommunicationstoolthatmighthelpbridgethegenerationalgapbetweenolderandyoungeremployees.

Itwillbeincreasinglyimportantforcompaniestodrawontheinherenttechnologyskillsoftheyoungergen-erationtodeveloptheirownsocialmediastrategy.Companiescaneasilybroadentheirreachandinteractwithmultiplegenerationsbothwithintheiraudienceandwithintheranksoftheircompany.

“Younger generations’ expectation is that we’re blogging and that we’re on Twitter. There is an expectation of the younger crowd that companies are doing all this.”

“The older generation looks at the younger generation and see a sense of entitlement and a poor work effort. They don’t see SM or tech as an internal solution to bridge the divide.”

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hOWPREPAREDAREyOUFORThEFUTURE?Thecommunicatorsaroundthetablefeltonlysomewhatconfidentintheirlevelofpreparation.

Ontheonehandtheyhadalreadydealtwiththechangesthroughoutthepastdecade.Movingforwardtheywillknowtokeepanopenmindandinvestigateandresearchemergingideasandtechnologies.Beforetherecentadvancements,communicatorswerenotonthelookoutforthenextengagementmedium,butnowtheseformsofdevelopmentareoneveryone’sradar.

Ontheotherhand,theprocessofchangeatthecorporateororganizationallevelisslow.Somecommunica-torsmaybepersonallypreparedtodealwithnewdevelopments,buttheirorganizationsmaynotbepreparedtoorunderstandtheneedtoinvestinsomethingnewand(insomecases)unproven.

StepsToPrepareForTheFuture

“The reality is that we really have no clue what’s coming and no idea how the public will use it. All I can do is follow the industry leaders and emulate what they’re doing.”

Theabovecommentaside,mostparticipantsindicatedthattheyweretakingamoreactiveroleinpreparingforthefuture.Theirplansincludeformalandinformallearningopportunities,andlearningfromeitheramentorortheirnetwork.Muchofthisactivitywillfocusintheareaofsocialmedia(e.g.learningtoblog).Themostcommonapproachesincluded:

• Followingindustryleadersthatareengagedinsocialmediaand/orusingsocialmediatofollow industryleaders.

• Researching,analyzingandevaluatingemergingtoolsandtechnologies.

• Keepinganopenmindandanalyzingothersthatarehavingsuccess.

Finallyseveralnotedthathavingtherightattitude(“be patient”, “be flexible”, “look forward to challenges and changes”) wasthebestapproachandoneperson(inanodtooneoftheday’ssponsor’s)said“Keeping my IABC membership to stay on top of the changes.”

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EvALUATINgyOURSUCCESSWillLikesandTweetsbethecurrencyofthefuturecommunicator?

Withthechanginglandscapeofthebusinesscommunicationsworld,effectivelyevaluatingsuccessbecomesanimportantaspect.Formany,thequestionbecomesoneofQualityofanengagementandnottheQuan-tityinwhichitisdone.CurrentlywecantrackthenumberofTweetsthatgooutfromacompany,andthenumberof‘re-tweets’andrepliesthatarereceived,butthereisnowayofknowingwhatthatmeansintermsofactualimpact.

Forfuturecommunicators,goingbeyondthenumbersandseeingthetrueimpactofreachingyourtargetaudience,havingarelationshipwiththem,andmeasuringtheoutcomesofthatinteractionwillbethebenchmarkforasuccessfulcommunication.

MeasuringOutcomes:ThreeMainQuestions• Whatwastheintendedchange?

• Towhatdegreediditoccur?

• Istherelationshipretained?

Inthediscussionitwasclearthatevaluatingsuccesswillcontinuetobeaboutestablishingintelligentmetricsandobjectiveswhicharespecificandcanbetrackedandmeasuredandthenfollowingthroughandconductingtheevaluation.Manyhighlightedtheimportanceofbeingabletomaketheircasewithnumbers.

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Appendix 1 – Ideation Session MethodologyTheIpsosIdeationExchangebridgesknowledge,ideas,people,andsettingstocreateanenvironmentforopen,participativeandalignedcollaboration.Usedtofacilitatebrainstorming,integratedthinking,crossfunctionalcollaboration,strategicplanningandassessment,theIdeationExchangeleveragestechnologyandsoftwaretocreateahigh-energy,interactiveandefficientalternativetomoretraditionalqualitativeapproaches.

WhatisespeciallypowerfulinanIdeationExchangesessionisthatallparticipantsareactiveatthesametime.Thereal-timeelectronicformatallowsforsimultaneousinputandtheabilitytoactuallyseetheinputoftheentiregroupasitappears.Thesessionsarehighlyenergizingfortheparticipantsandalsocreatesahigh-levelfocusontheoutcomes.Astheparticipantsbegintodeveloporassesskeyideas,strategies,mes-sagesorconcepts,theybecomeveryconnectedtotheresult,whichincreasestheiroverallbuy-intotheprocess.Inshort,thetooloffersauniquewaytoget:

• Anonymous,highlycollaborativefeedback.

• Rapidplanning,ideationandprioritization.

• Wisdomofcrowds.

• Highparticipationrates.

• Polling,chartingandtabulationofresponsesinrealtime.

• Quicklycataloguedresponses.

• Convenience–accessanywhere,forbroadgeographicparticipation.

• Quicklygeneratedtranscriptsandactionablenextsteps.

IdeationExchangelinksagrouptogether—largeorsmall—sothateachparticipantorgroupofpartici-pantscansimultaneouslycontributethoughtsandideasthroughacomputerinadditiontovoicingtheiropinionsverballythroughoutthecourseofanideationorplanningsession.Thefacilitatorgivesinstructionsandparticipantsprovideideasdirectlyintothesystemthroughtheircomputers.

Eachparticipant(orgroupofparticipants)hasalaptopcomputerconnectedtoalocalareanetworktocontributeideas,votesandfeedback.Thelaptopshelpfacilitatecollaborationbutdonotreplacetheneedforface-to-faceinteractionandteamworkexercisesinasession.TheIdeationExchangegetstheteamtherefasterandwithfullparticipationandcontributionbyeachindividual,irrespectiveoftitle,seniorityorpersonalitytype.Sessionfacilitatorsprovideexpertiseindrawingthebestthinkingfromeachsession,codingandcategorizingcommonthemesandpushingeachparticipantaswellastheentiregroupforthehighestlevelofoutput.

Forthisspecificsession,eachparticipanthadalaptopandwitheveryoneabletoinputtheirideasandopinionsindividually,awealthofdatawasinstantaneouslygeneratedanddisplayedviaprojectorforthegrouptodeliberateanddiscusscollaboratively.