Best Buy CEO Brian Dunn had the communicators at the IABC conference in San Francisco in June in the palm of his hand, as I mentioned talking about highlights of the conference. He seals the deal with this interview in the The New York Times published August 15. If you haven’t seen it yet, go read it!

One of the comments that captures his down-to-earth personality:

“You’re never as good as they say or as bad as they say. When I was made CEO on June 24, I didn’t wake up that morning smarter. I didn’t wake up with a massive I.Q. expansion.”

I particularly love how he weaves stories into his conversation:

“Let me tell you a quick story that I think will illustrate it the best…” (and it does)

and the enthusiasm he displays:

“I love my gadgets and I’ve got to tell you why.”

which launches into a heartwarming story about virtually watching a basketball game with his sons, which ends:

“The only thing I can’t do is put my arm around them.”

As I said at the conference, he pretty much had us at hello!

The 2009 IABC World Conference in San Francisco was a whirlwind of learning opportunities and social events. (Great promotional clip for it here.) Here are some of the highlights:

• Brian Dunn, COO and soon to be CEO of Best Buy: Down-to-earth, personable, enthusiastic, this year’s EXCEL award winner had many communicators in the audience wishing they worked for/with this man. He used humour and plenty of examples of the cool things Best Buy is doing to reach their Gen Y employees.
• Robert Swan, OBE: The first man to walk across both the South and North Poles, raising awareness and taking action to save Antarctica. Also plenty of humour and great visuals, although after seeing the almost destroyed heel, I apologize for ever complaining about the tiny blisters I got walking half an hour from the opening reception to the Canada party. Here’s a brief summary of his inspiring message about sustainable leadership.
• Of course the opening reception at the Ferry Building, followed by the CNW Group-sponsored Canada party. We Canucks have a reputation to uphold (throwing great parties at the IABC conference), and I’m proud to say we did it.
• The Tuesday evening dinearound is always a fun opportunity to meet new people and get to a restaurant recommended by a local IABC member. I signed up early online, choosing a “North Beach experience” that included dinner at a great Italian restaurant, stops in pastry and candy shops and the City Lights bookstore and a pleasant walk back to the hotel (me in sensible running shoes). My dining companions and I have since connected on LinkedIn. Thanks, Mary!
• I found the session on communicating with Gen Y interesting. Presenters Leah Reynolds and Anna Whitlow said Gen Y is a “catalyst for change” in the workplace. Something that struck me was the comment that we all want work/life balance; for Boomers, it may be more time with children, while for Gen Y, it may be a sabbatical to volunteer in another part of the world. Another comment: We should ask our Gen Y employees how they want to be communicated with.
• Angela Sinickas had excellent points to make about measuring communications, including asking the key question, “What do you want people to do differently as a result of your communication?” She commented that the cascading method of communicating (often used in the corporate world, where the top dog shares info with the VPs, who are supposed to share with directors, and on down the chain) is actually the biggest way to feed the rumour mill. She also had good advice on figuring out return on investment and finding low-cost ways to measure. See her top tip here.
• An interesting talk by BJ Fogg on Design for behavior change: Why Facebook and Twitter are winning. He called Facebook the number one persuasive tool, where even a novice without any particular skill can reach 24 million people. “Big brains probably over-think” campaigns, he suggested, showing a quick “eat a veggie” video he created as an example of simplicity. He said the people you are targeting with your campaigns must have motivation and ability to do what you’re asking, and the often missing piece is a trigger, the “do this now” factor. Look how easily people signed up for Facebook and Twitter, or how you willingly give companies your e-mail address.
• I always go to a session on writing, since that’s how I spend my days, for inspiration. Again, a conflict, but I chose Ann Wylie on Writing to sell. Some of her advice: Make it relevant to the reader. “More gain, less pain.” Lead with the benefit, support with the feature/advantage. (”Look better naked with David’s Gym.”) Check your focus and how much you are talking about “you” vs. the reader using tag clouds (e.g. TagCrowd and Wordle). Nudge the information closer to the reader. (Not “Death rate drops” but “We’re living longer.”) If the information is irrelevant to the reader, why are you bothering? You want to train people that every message from you is useful and relevant.
• Building relationships that were started online, as I mentioned in my last post.

Unfortunately, I missed plenty. At least, as an IABC member, I could go online and download some of the presentations, and I’ve been able to find a few recaps on YouTube or individual blogs:

• I arrived at the conference hotel on Sunday in time to catch just the last 10 minutes or so of Les Potter on Strategic communication planning & management: Fundamentals for success. I already have an electronic version of his The Communications Plan: The Heart of Strategic Communication, but wanted to hear him in person and introduce myself, if there was a chance. Les and I have what I think of as a cosmic connection, having both started our blogs about the same time. (Originally, I thought it was the same DAY, which would have been really cosmic; turns out the date stamp was from the last comment on the first post.) We met, and next day we shared a delightful chat over a latte (thanks again, Les!).
• Having “all-star” sessions is a great idea, but that means picking just one among a variety of terrific speakers. Even among mainstream sessions, I found several times two sessions I wanted to attend took place at the same time. Thus I was sorry to miss Shel Holtz’s The news release in the social media era (although I listened to his podcast of the session after I got home); Lee Hopkins on 3D virtual worlds (again, found later); Neville Hobson on podcasting (his one-minute summary here); and others.
• I was on my way to the airport when the closing keynote speaker — Sir Ken Robinson on Finding your passion — apparently blew everyone away. Here’s the poor absentee communicator’s substitute.

Other things I learned:

• Remember to bring lots of business cards. If you’re doing it properly, you’re meeting new people and exchanging cards.
• Keep your own business cards tucked into your conference badge so they’re always handy, and then your pocket is available for the cards you get.
• If, like me, you work in a home office and are more likely to be barefoot or in running shoes than high heels, bring bandaids to cover the inevitable blisters.
• It will seem like a good idea at the time at the Canada party, but don’t put your Canadian flag tattoos on your face or your cleavage. (Thanks for asking, but mine was on my arm, and it took a lot of scrubbing to get it off.)
• Take the time to sightsee. I arrived early with my husband to see some of this wonderful city. We spent one night in the city sightseeing, then two nights in Sonoma with my brother and almost-sister-in-law. Toured wine country and visited Artesa, Silver Oak, Provenance, Rutherford and Sterling Vineyards. We dined at some lovely restaurants, and did the real touristy stuff like having a bowl of chowder at Fisherman’s Wharf and Irish coffee and eggs Benedict at the Buena Vista Cafe, watched bakers making bread at Boudin at the Wharf (love the alligator loaves) and saw the sea lions camped out like a pile of puppies in Pier 39’s West Marina.

Were you at the conference? What sessions stood out for you? What ‘don’t miss’ sights did you see?

P.S.  I mentioned in my last post rooming with communications/podcasting ‘rock star’ Donna Papacosta, and that was another highlight I should have included in this list. Donna is a great writer and friend, and you should check out her list of highlights, too!

Back from the 2009 IABC conference in San Francisco (it’s a week ago already!) and I’ve finally found a few minutes to blog about it. (If you’re visiting from Les Potter’s blog, welcome! Be warned you’ve arrived at the PotterHorn mutual admiration society.)

I’ve blogged before about the value of attending IABC conferences, and I’ve been to many over the years. The professional development is great, the people are warm and welcoming, the social events are terrific (including the traditional hospitality of the Canadian party, sponsored for the second year in a row by CNW Group) and you can usually fit in some sightseeing in fun cities. Everyone has a large badge, so when you encounter in the halls and elevators, it’s your invitation to start a conversation. And that’s the thing with communicators; we barely need an invitation to get started talking.

That was definitely the case this year, but there was also something different happening: More than ever the conference built and cemented relationships that got their start online.

Say what you like about the time it takes to properly use Twitter, Facebook, blogging and other online adventures, it turns out the time can actually be well spent.

This is probably the first time I knew ahead of time that several people were attending, and made plans (that actually came through) to meet. The “warm” connections made by learning snippets of information on Facebook and Twitter and sharing comments on blogs and e-mails all led to a welcome feeling of familiarity with people I had only met online. So when we did meet in person, it was like meeting up with old friends. As Les described it, it was “a continuum of friendship not affected by time or space.”

So I had a delightful chat over coffee with Les. I got a warm hug from Linda Johannesson, with whom I’ve corresponded for years. I reconnected with a friend from Calgary I met at the dinearound in New York last year. I enjoyed getting to know fellow Toronto chapter members over dinner and on the walk from the opening reception to the Canada party. I briefly met some of the “rock stars” of communications, like Les, Steve Crescenzo, Shel Holtz and Lee Hopkins. I roomed with another rock star, podcasting queen Donna Papacosta (although we’ve known each other for at least 10 years).

Oh, and since I’ve been back, the people I met at this year’s dinearound have been in touch and we’re now connected on LinkedIn. Since the IABC conference is in Toronto next year, I’ve asked them to let me know if they’re going to attend and we’ll keep the connection going.

So the social piece of this year’s conference was a big highlight. More later on what I learned in the sessions.

So IABC has renamed their annual international conference. It’s now going to be called the “world conference,” to “better reflect the organization’s global reach and mission.”

Um, sounds like pretty much the same thing to me.

I had an interesting experience that followed up a session at the IABC conference on generational differences in the workplace.

Exhibit A. My husband (baby boomer) was looking for the phone number of a local golf course. He turned first to the closest print phone book and then the Yellow Pages. No listing in either one. Meanwhile, Son #1 (Gen Y) is saying, “Check on the web.” He does. Bingo, finds the number immediately.

Exhibit B. A person I met at the IABC conference has my business card with my e-mail address on it. In a follow-up, he contacts me first on Facebook, not e-mail.

An aside, for you word-lovers: a new (to me) term learned in the same session was “high ping quotient,” referring to someone’s responsiveness to instant messaging/e-mail/online activity.

This would all have been relayed as it happened, if only I had brought my laptop. Since I didn’t, the New York highlights continue after the fact, this time related to food and fun:

• Tribeca Grill, which is co-owned by actor Robert de Niro. The building itself is in a historic 1905 warehouse, with exposed brick, a mahogany bar and enormous glass chandeliers that looked like spaceships. I couldn’t finish my New York strip steak, it was so big!
• Tempo, a great neighbourhood restaurant in Brooklyn. Our dinearound group was all Canadian, with the exception of one Australian. Obviously in her honour, the music playing as we entered was Waltzing Matilda as sung by Tom Waits.
• Gotham Bar & Grill, an elegant restaurant at 12 East 12th Street. Friends said the three-course prix fixe lunch left them breathless, and it definitely was amazing. The miso black cod was delicious, topped only by the dessert: Gotham’s signature warm flourless chocolate cake. You can have one baked to order, frozen and sent to you for just $82 plus shipping!
• Drinks at the pretty rooftop bar at the Peninsula Hotel. Called Salon de Ning, the large outdoor terrace and interior bar has panoramic views over 5th Avenue and the Manhattan skyline. The name refers to Madame Ning, a celebrated Shanghai socialite, world traveler and international hostess, who presided over “salons” in her stylish residences.
• Big Onion Walking Tours‘ multi-ethnic “noshing” tour of the Lower East Side. My friend Kalene and I learned about immigration changes in the neighbourhoods we walked through, stopping for tastes of pickle, plaintain, parmigiana and more. We ended with cannoli (which our guide told us is already the plural of cannolo, but lots of people say “cannolis”) in Little Italy, before heading over to Canal Street to look at purses.

Finally, I have to say a real highlight of the trip was sharing it with my roomie, friend, colleague and podcasting queen, Donna. You’re the best!

Taking notes during a conference is a great way to remind yourself of the speakers you heard and the insights you gained. Otherwise, I find one presentation tends to blur into another and it’s the standout performance (Seth Godin springs to mind) that you remember. Looking over my notes, I can tell you there were other highlights from the IABC conference in New York:

Carol Kinsey Goman on “The silent language of leadership,” based on her book, The Nonverbal Advantage. An interesting tidbit: “When verbal and body language are out of alignment, people believe the body.” Things that sabotage what you are saying: limited eye contact, turning away, crossed arms/legs, hidden hands, narrowed eyes. Body language that builds rapport: eye contact (long enough to register the colour), leaning forward, smiling, nodding, synchronizing your movements.

Kare Anderson on “Becoming their trusted, top-of-mind expert.” She recommended finding your “double major” – the two main skills that make you valuable. (”Ask five friends what of what you know is most valuable.”) Also find “unlikely allies” – people in different professions and with different interests – who have overlapping interests. “Give before you ask.”

Steve Crescenzo on “Blogging for business – the communicator’s role.” (The presentation is available on his site until July 10.) Steve sees our role as one of four: (1) be the talent (2) be the talent scout (3) be the coach (4) be the multi-media superstar. He recommended “hit and run blogging,” or starting small with a short-term blog on a specific topic. Pick the topics it makes sense to blog about (where you want a conversation). The blogger doesn’t have to be an executive, just someone with something to say.

I also enjoyed Leah Reynolds from Deloitte talking about generational differences in the workforce; Angela Sinickas on measurement (although I missed half the presentation because of misreading the schedule/an unfortunate scheduling of sessions); and Tudor Williams and his son Ryan Williams on social media.

If you were there, what sessions stood out for you?

The IABC International Conference in New York City was great! I got back Wednesday evening but have been scrambling ever since to catch up - I didn’t bring my laptop and couldn’t log in using my roomie’s (forgot my password). I’m up against deadlines and Son #2 had his grade 12 prom Thursday night.

Some independents choose not to attend conferences like this because we have to shell out up front, although we can claim the expenses at tax time. I admit to giving any conference careful consideration, and certainly location plays a big part in whether I seriously plan to attend or not. So, New York this year? Why not!

This conference is actually a great experience for indies. Everyone has a huge badge that clearly identifies them as communicators; you get on the elevator, see the badge and have an immediate connection. Where are you from? How are you enjoying the conference? What have you liked so far? So it’s great practice meeting people in a supportive environment.

I met people from various parts of Canada, the U.S., Australia, Belgium, Japan, Mexico and Turkey; it truly is an international event! I also deliberately sought out other Canadians (it was easy; we had a red ribbon for our badges), and ended up spending some time with other communicators from Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver. A highlight on the social side was the opening reception at the Rainbow Room, sponsored by Deloitte, followed by the always-amazing Canadian hospitality suite, sponsored by CNW. Many of us danced the night away!

The highlight of the conference speakers was Seth Godin’s talk on the last day. I’ve been following his blog for some time but this was the first time I’d seen him in action. Terrific energy, great presentation, inspiring words about marketing and a pair of knock-your-socks-off socks (Little Miss Matched)!

Next year the conference is in San Francisco. Why not?