Here's your December Issue of IABC Connect

December 2018

Happy holidays from IABC London!

News

Reflections of the holiday season: taking care of ourselves so that 2019 can be a wonderful year of excitement!

By Andrew Kaszowskin, IABC London President

At this very special time of year, the word pause resonates more deeply than ever – and for good reason. We all work hard in our professional and personal lives. There are countless demands on us for time, knowledge and effort. Without taking the time to nurture ourselves inside, we cannot possibly sustain the positive impact we give outside ourselves. Therefore, it is my sincerest hope that this holiday season and the marking of a New Year allows you the time to pause and recharge and truly nurture your own wellness so that you can be your best self to the world around you.

On the theme of taking care of yourself and others, it is appropriate to reflect on the way that communications professionals – and the industry as a whole – can make a positive impact on the lives of those who are under-represented in our world. Our co-director of Professional Development, Kerri Loudoun, wrote a brilliant reflection on some recent efforts by the industry to work harder to be inclusive and diverse. This coincides nicely with IABC’s newly-released Diversity and Inclusion Statement and Code of Conduct for the industry of professional communication. IABC London upholds this standard, and all IABC members are committed to this as well. Learn more.

Above: On Dec. 11, IABC Board members and volunteers gathered for the final board meeting and to celebrate the hard work that has been put into making this year at IABC London so successful. Wishing you all the best during this holiday season!

Diversity in and around communications

By Kerri Loudoun, IABC London Director of Professional Development

If you were born and raised in Canada, I suspect many will believe our country has ensured diversity is woven throughout our society. From the acceptance of cultural customs around dress in the workplace, to human rights laws protecting those to be free from persecution based on the colour of their skin/sexual orientation/religious beliefs, on the surface diversity is evident . But how deep does the concept of diversity go within organizations and the communications they create for internal and external audiences?

The importance for brands to show ethnic diversity in their advertising campaigns isn’t new in North America, but even in the 21st century, we still see big organizations like H&M struggle with this concept and its execution. Their “coolest monkey in the jungle” hoodie debacle brought the clothing retailer a lot of bad press to say the least, and some brands can struggle to bounce back from those types of errs in judgement. Learn more.

Change is Coming to Workplace Environments: An Event Re-cap

By Alicia Baertsoen

Workplace environments are changing – are you ready?

On Nov. 20, IABC hosted The Changing Landscape of Workplace Environments, an event aimed at educating leaders interested in transitioning their company’s online or physical workspaces. From 11:30 am to 1 pm, an exclusive panel of Toronto and London-based industry leaders shared their best practices with attendees at the Stronach Community Centre.

The panel included:

· Amanda Fickling, Assistant VP, Marketing and Communications, London Life

· Marcia Mayhew, President and CEO, Mayhew Inc.

· Mona Lam-Deslippe, Owner, MLD Solutions Inc.

· Kristen Ruttgaizer, Director of Human Resources, Igloo Software.

Attendees enjoyed a hot, delicious lunch while networking, as the panel settled in. Among them were London-based human resource professionals, communicators and current public relations and communication students. Learn more.

Event wrap

The Changing Landscape of Workplace Environments successfully rounded out the remaining events for the year. And what a successful year for events it was! From writing, social media, branding and corporate social responsibility workshops to storytelling and crisis communication, there is not much the professional development team didn’t try to cover. Check out the 2018 Professional Development archive to see all the year’s great events.

New membership promotion

IABC is running a new membership promotion throughout December in conjunction with the launch of the brand-new IABC Business Acumen Certificate program in the IABC Academy. For the month of December, anyone who joins (or rejoins), renews, or refers a new member to join IABC will receive 50 per cent off to enroll in the new IABC Business Acumen Certificate program from the IABC Academy. That’s a US$147.50 discount off the regular member price for this new certificate program.

To qualify for the discount, that new recruited member must name the current member in the “referred by” section of their application. Every Friday, IABC will pull lists of members who have qualified for the 50 per cent off promotional coupon and will e-mail them their coupon code. Qualifying members who wish to access their coupon for the 50 per cent discount earlier may contact IABC at member_relations@iabc.com to have their eligibility confirmed and their coupon awarded. Learn more.

Make 2019 the year you achieve certification

Take your career to the next level and earn professional certification while you do it.

In late March, our chapter will once again host an exam so you can attain your certification as a Communication Management Professional (CMP) or Strategic Communication Management Professional (SCMP) through the Global Communication Certification Council.

More details about applying to take the multiple choice exam will follow in the new year.

Job Board

There are no recent job postings for the month of December. Stayed turned for upcoming positions in January!

For more information on how to post a job with IABC London visit our website here or contact Cassie Caranci, IABC London Job Board Liaison, at iabclondonjobboard@gmail.com.