MEETINGS
Create a Strategic Communications Plan: A How-To Workshop
Professional communicators all know that a project without a path to follow may
lead to them throwing up their hands and wondering where they went wrong.
Everyone needs a stay-on-course strategic plan. Participants in the IABC
workshop and luncheon in October should come away with just that.
Organizers vow that attendees will receive a half-day of uninterrupted time and
take back to the office a “rocking plan” for any project they’re about to tackle. Preregistrants will receive a template to help build their
plan. On the day of the workshop, they should bring it and a laptop, and
experienced IABC members will offer assistance, from planning to benchmarking
to measurement.
Becoming accredited is tough work. “It’s a formidable venture,” acknowledges IABC Dallas accreditation guru Linda Mastaglio, ABC, who will speak at the luncheon. “It’s kind of like training for a 10k. You work hard, build your endurance and
eventually run that race. And when you cross the finish line, the thrill of
achieving your goal offsets all the hours and effort it took you to get there.” Need a little monetary motivation? IABC’s biennial survey shows that the average salary for accredited members is
significantly higher than that of nonaccredited members.
A professional communicator for more than 30 years, Mastaglio founded her own
public relations and marketing firm in 1996 and began leading the IABC Dallas
accreditation efforts in 1999. An IABC 500 Club member and IABC Dallas’ 2008 Communicator of the Year, she has served as an international accreditation
portfolio reviewer, conference and event speaker, and she co-authored IABC’s “Vital Connections: Building Relationships with Key Stakeholders.” She also owns TWI Publishing, which creates the ColorPad coloring system to
stimulate memory for senior adults facing Alzheimer’s.
Time & date: 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27
Place: Louella Baker Martin Pavilion, TWU (1112 Wesleyan St.)
Cost: members $60, nonmembers $75, students $20 (online add $3); includes continental
breakfast and lunch
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It’s Not Easy Being Green (Or Is It?)
This month’s program, sponsored by the T, will focus on the PR impact of being
environmentally proactive. It’s good for the environment, but is it good for your company or client?
Learn how green strategies can be a win-win for everyone during a panel discussion with Brian Boerner, director of environmental management, city of Fort Worth; Tom Burke, APR, manager of public relations and communications, IBM; and Chris Smith, Texas media director, Environmental Defense Fund.
Time & date: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14
Place: Petroleum Club, Jacobs/Carter-Burgess Plaza, 777 Main St.
Cost: $25 members, $35 nonmembers, students $20
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It’s a Tradition; Long Live Tradition
The new SPJ national president each year tries to make his first official
appearance at Fort Worth SPJ. And so it is that Kevin Z. Smith will be at Paul and Harriet Harral’s house Oct. 9 for a reception and gregarious facts exchange. Chapter members
are invited.
Smith, who became SPJ president in August, is a journalism assistant professor
at Fairmont State University in Fairmont, W.Va. A career journalist, he has
worked in West Virginia newsrooms as a reporter, photographer and editor for
more than 20 years. He also worked as a reporter for Bloomberg Financial News
in Washington, D.C.
Time & date: 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9
Place: 2102 Pembroke Drive, Fort Worth
Cost: $15, $10 student chapter members
Menu: pork tenderloin slow grilled, vegetables, appetizers, beer, tea, wine
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STRAIGHT STUFF
TCU classic and contemporary dance students will perform “The Joy of Dance” at the TCU Guild luncheon meeting at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 15, at
University Christian Church. Cost is $15. To RSVP contact Lois Powers, 817-249-7409 or tcuguild@gmail.com. The Guild funds eight scholarships in the TCU Colleges of Fine Arts and
Communication. ...
When does a writer work with an editor? (Only when the manuscript is ready for
editing.) How does a writer work with an editor? (By each accepting the other
as a professional.) Why does a writer work with an editor? (To create a
saleable manuscript.) Melissa O’Neal and Carol Woods will expound these answers and have more at the ready for any questions that
arise at the Writers’ Guild of Texas meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 19, at the Richardson Public
Library. O’Neal’s first job was on her parents’ weekly, where she did everything except run the presses. Over 25-plus years in
newspapers, she worked on the Houston Post, the Plano Star-Courier and several
Belo papers. She established Harris Street Editing to help writers learn to
self-edit. Woods is an award-winning writer, freelance editor and founding
member of the Lesser North Texas Writers, a critique group that has met
continuously since 1987. She has edited more than 40 published books and spoken
at conferences in Texas, Missouri and Oklahoma. For three years she was a judge
in the Writer’s Digest International Self-Publishing Book Awards. WGT early-birds: Saturday,
Nov. 7,
Sami Mikhail, self-described übergeek, on “Let Your Light Shine; Use the Internet to Flash the World.” More at writersguildoftexas.org/joomla/. ...
D.C. can be a tough place to intern, but with free housing and a stipend, how
can you say no? Application deadline is Nov. 2 for the 2010 Scripps Howard
Foundation Semester in Washington Program. Interns will report for 10 or 14
weeks on a variety of D.C. news and politics. Visit http://www.shfwire.com or contact Jody Beck at 202-408-2748 or beckj@shns.com with questions. ... Deadline is Oct. 16 to apply for a Student Press Law Center
2010 internship. Positions are open to undergraduate and graduate students as
well as recent college graduates with experience in news writing and an
interest in media law. More at the SPLC web site. ...
A Cambridge Fellowship enables 10 print, broadcast or online journalists
annually to pursue an intensive study in issues of science and religion. The
two-month program includes three weeks of seminars at the University of
Cambridge in the United Kingdom. Fellows will receive a $15,000 stipend in
addition to a book allowance and travel expenses. The awards are open to
journalists, writers and editors, including freelancers, with at least three
years’ experience; priority will go to mid-career and senior journalists. Application
deadline is Dec. 15. Apply at the program
web site.
IABC local update: At the IABC Store, find creative tactics for building
marketing plans that get results. Check out these marketing tools: Marketing with the End in Mind: How to Plan and Implement Successful Marketing
Programs and The Truth About B2B Marketing ROI and Marketing Your Teleseminars.
IABC local update II: Tweet ethics. Linda Pophal, ABC, offers advice for tweeters. As PR pros learn more about Twitter and other
forms of social media, questions are arising about how — and how not — to present information. Pophal has an article in a recent Communication World.
PRSA local update: PRSA members are needed to judge the Totem Awards from Puget
Sound PRSA on Saturday, Oct. 24, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Fort Worth Chamber of
Commerce. Judging counts toward maintenance points for APRs, and the chapter
will receive a cash stipend from the Totem proles. Organizers say it’s fun to see what colleagues are doing around the country and that surely the
judges will get at least one replicable idea from the entries. E- awards chair Lauren Burkett, loburkett@gmail.com. Lunch will be provided.
