Get online professional development from IABC On Demand

Description: To execute a strategy, someone needs to connect it with the people who carry out the work. That means helping them reach a shared understanding of the direction, then keeping their decisions, trade-offs, and course corrections coherent as the strategy moves (a constant reality today). Senior leaders in our research see communication professionals as well placed to play that role. They also see a function too often stuck at the tactical end, asked to announce strategy only after it's set. The gap between the role comms could play, and the one it is usually asked to fill is the opportunity this masterclass explores. IABC is proud to have partnered with Zora Artis and Wayne Aspland on their third global study on strategic alignment. This study draws on 55 interviews with CEOs, Chiefs of Staff and senior leaders across five continents. Those leaders were candid about where communication falls short today, and equally clear about what it could become. Session 1 (1 December): What the research found and the four shifts organisations need to make: from a group of leaders to a leadership group, from proxies to proof, from cascade to conversations, and from annual to agile. We finish with the first step: making the case that earns executive backing for the work. Session 2 (8 December): A strategy refresh or announcement is one of the moments when communication professionals are most visible, and most likely to be asked for a launch plan or campaign. We use it as the working case for this session. What does your role look like in each of the four shifts, from early planning through to the months after the announcement? Where does it start and stop, and who do you need alongside you? We explore how to help leaders tell a consistent story, give executives evidence they take seriously, equip people leaders for the conversations that matter, and keep the strategy coherent when it needs to pivot. Both sessions are interactive. If you have a strategy refresh or announcement on the horizon, bring it with you: you’ll have time to test the ideas against your own situation and compare notes with peers from around the world. You'll walk away with greater clarity about the role you can play, more confidence to step into it, and strategic and practical steps on what to do and how to do the work. Who should attend: This masterclass is designed for senior and mid-level communication professionals, from Chief Communications Officers and Corporate Affairs Directors to the managers and advisers who lead or advise on strategic, executive, internal and change communication. It is for people who know their organisation's strategy depends on people understanding it and acting on it, and who want to play a stronger part in making that happen. It will be particularly valuable for those who recognise that strategy depends on alignment, know they have a role in enabling it, and want to do that work well and with the influence their role should carry. Leaders who attend with members of their team will leave with a shared understanding of that role and a common starting point for the work.   Presenters: Zora Artis, GAICD, IABC Fellow, SCMP, ACC, FAMI, CPM, helps leaders and their teams do the hard work of alignment when the stakes are high and the path is not obvious. As CEO of Artis Advisory and co-founder of Clear Leaders, her research collaboration with Wayne Aspland, she coaches, advises and facilitates C-suite and senior teams through change and complexity, turning competing priorities into clear decisions, stronger cohesion and coordinated action. Over more than three decades spanning executive leadership, brand, consulting and strategic communication, Zora has worked with organisations across the public, private and for-purpose sectors on their strategic foundations: purpose, brand, culture and strategy, and how they connect to the way work actually gets done. Zora has long been a leader within IABC. She has served as Chair of IABC Asia Pacific and as a Director on the IABC International Executive Board, and she currently chairs the IABC Change Management Special Interest Group. She is an IABC Fellow and a Strategic Communication Management Professional (SCMP). Her recognition includes multiple Gold Quill awards for communication excellence, the IABC Chair's Award (twice) and IABC Regional Leader of the Year. With Wayne, Zora has completed three global studies on strategic alignment over seven years. The latest, From Groupthink to Governance, was produced in partnership with IABC and draws on interviews with 55 CEOs, Chiefs of Staff and senior leaders across five continents. She presented its findings at the 2026 IABC World Conference in Toronto. Zora is an ICF-credentialed coach trained with the NeuroLeadership Institute, a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Fellow and Certified Practising Marketer of the Australian Marketing Institute. She brings a director's view of governance and a coach's ear for what goes unsaid in the room. Based in Melbourne, Australia, she works with organisations globally. Wayne Aspland helps organisations and teams realise their potential in today’s new world of work. A world where the opportunities created by AI are balanced against the strain of accelerating change and uncertainty. He achieves this with a focus on enabling AI strategy and capability, strategic alignment and communication and change capacity. Wayne’s background is in senior leadership, strategy and change communication, as well as investor and industry relations. He has advised boards, executives and senior leaders on strategy and alignment, transformation, thought leadership, employee enablement, technology adoption and behavioural change.  A particular area of interest for Wayne is strategic alignment. He has published three groundbreaking global studies on the subject with Zora Artis and helped senior leaders at many organisations design, launch and embed their strategy. Wayne is also one of Australia's leading experts on AI in communications. He is an AI strategist at Red Marble AI, a member of the Claude Partner Network and a co-host of the monthly AI Discovery Forum from the Centre for Strategic Communication Excellence. He has also provided AI enablement training to almost 4,000 people and written four research papers on AI and comms… the first in 2017. Wayne is a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Fellow of the Centre for Strategic Communication Excellence. Read more

Live Meeting Dates and Times 9 November, 2026, 9:00 - 10:45 AM CT 11 November, 2026, 9:00 - 10:45 AM CT Description AI proficiency is no longer just about knowing how to use the latest tools. Communication professionals need to know where AI can genuinely add value, how to use it responsibly and when communication expertise needs to influence wider organisational decisions. In this practical 3.5-hour masterclass, IABC Fellow Sia Papageorgiou will take you from strategic use of AI in your own work through to responsible practice within the communication function and a stronger role in organisational AI adoption and governance. Drawing on the Centre for Strategic Communication Excellence’s Responsible AI Leadership Framework for Communication, you will explore how to use AI purposefully, navigate ethical and professional issues, establish practical safeguards and contribute confidently when AI affects people, communication, trust and reputation. Who should attend This masterclass is designed for communication professionals who are already using AI, exploring how it could support their work or contributing to conversations about its use within an organisation or client environment. It will be particularly valuable for professionals who want to move beyond basic AI tool use, make more considered decisions about where and how AI should be used, strengthen responsible practice within their team or function, and contribute more confidently to wider organisational AI conversations. Learning outcomes By the end of this masterclass, participants will be able to: Identify where AI can add value to strategic communication work and where human expertise needs to remain central. Apply a practical approach to considering the purpose, people, potential consequences and human role in an AI use. Identify the core elements of responsible AI practice within a communication function. Recognise when and how communication expertise can contribute to wider organisational AI decisions. Masterclass outline The masterclass uses the CSCE Responsible AI Leadership Framework to explore four connected areas. Use AI strategically in communication Explore where AI can support research, analysis, planning, audience insight, content development, advice and evaluation. Consider where AI can strengthen strategic thinking and where communication expertise and organisational context remain essential. Decide what AI should contribute and what should remain human. Make responsible AI decisions Start with the purpose of an AI use and the communication or stakeholder need it is intended to address. Consider who may be affected, what could go wrong and what level of human involvement is appropriate. Recognise when additional checking, transparency, specialist advice or escalation may be needed. Build responsible AI practice Explore what communication teams need to use AI responsibly and consistently. Consider practical expectations, responsibilities, safeguards and routes for advice or escalation. Identify how responsible AI practice can connect with existing organisational policies, processes and expertise. Lead and influence organisational AI Recognise when an AI decision has communication, stakeholder, trust or reputation implications. Explore when communication should lead, partner with others or provide advice and influence. Consider how communication professionals can bring stakeholder perspectives and communication expertise into wider AI decisions. Read more

Live Meeting Dates 26 October 2026 at 11:00 am - 12:30 pm CT 2 November 2026 at 11:00 am - 12:30 pm CT Course Description The presentation and discussion will explore the impact of polarization on corporate communication. Over the past year, many of the world’s largest companies have remained silent on issues important to their stakeholders—raising important questions for communication professionals. Speaker Bio Fred Cook is the director of the USC Center for Public Relations, a professor of professional practice at the University of Southern California (USC), and chairman emeritus of the global PR firm Golin. During his 35-plus years at Golin, he has had the privilege to work with a variety of high-profile CEOs, including Herb Kelleher, Jeff Bezos and Steve Jobs, and to manage clients including Nintendo, Toyota and Disney. His book, "Improvise: Unconventional Career Advice from an Unlikely CEO," shares the wisdom he gained as a cabin boy on a Norwegian tanker, doorman at a 5-star hotel, and chauffeur for drunks. The book serves as the foundation for his popular USC honors class on Improvisational Leadership. As director of the USC Center for Public Relations, Fred leads its mission to connect corporations, agencies, academics and students to define the future of the PR industry and to develop those who will shape it. He has connected a board of more than 70 corporate communications and agency leaders — including representatives from eight of the top 20 U.S. PR firms and 25 Fortune 500 or comparable-size private companies — who mentor students, shape curriculum and help prepare the next generation of communications leaders. Read more

  Healthcare systems everywhere have never faced more change. Data shows that staff enthusiasm for change and their willingness to engage with it are falling. The gap between the speed with which leaders want to execute their change programmes and the appetite among staff for that change continues to grow. It means that the question of how communication professionals help navigate their organisations through change has never been more urgent. This thought-provoking conversation aims to challenge some of our most deeply held assumptions about how change actually works. This isn't about managing change from the top down; it's about navigating a human system through uncertainty. Helen’s work goes beyond structures, programmes and operating models, and focuses on the human conditions for change: purpose, relationships, networks, agency and energy. She brings a deep understanding of how change is experienced by people on the ground, and what helps organisations sustain momentum in demanding environments. About Dr Helen Bevan: Dr Helen Bevan is one of the most influential voices on large-scale change in healthcare. She has spent more than three decades working inside the National Health Service in England, supporting leaders, teams and systems to navigate complex, large-scale change. She is currently a Strategic Advisor with NHS Horizons, a Professor of Practice at Warwick Business School, and a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement in the USA. She advises health and care leaders across the globe on their change strategies and connects with thousands of frontline healthcare change agents through her social media activities related to the practice of change. Read more

PR and communications professionals spend countless hours pitching executives, clients, and subject matter experts to appear on other people's podcasts. But what if you created the opportunity to host those conversations yourself? In this actionable session, Greg Wasserman will show how an intentional, interview-based podcast can help build relationships with prospective clients, existing customers, analysts, partners, executives, and industry leaders while creating valuable content for channels across the organization. Learn how to think beyond downloads and use podcasting to create access, build trust and authority, strengthen relationships, and turn one conversation into content and opportunities that continue long after the episode is published. Read more

Live Meeting Dates and Times Sep 23, 2026 09:00 - 10:45 AM CT Sep 30, 2026 09:00 - 10:45 AM CT Every communication plan should answer four questions: What business need are we addressing? Where can communication make the greatest contribution? What needs to change in what people know, think, feel or do? How will we know it worked? Plan for Impact is a practical 3.5-hour masterclass built around the Centre for Strategic Communication Excellence’s proven eight-step strategic communication planning process. You will learn how to translate a business need into a clear communication opportunity and intended outcomes, develop meaningful SMART objectives, define your measurement approach, analyse audiences, develop messages and tactics and plan how results will be evaluated. You will also explore how return on investment can be calculated and how measurement findings can provide valuable business insight. The process can be applied to any communication strategy, initiative or campaign and provides a strong foundation for developing an IABC Gold Quill entry. Your facilitator, Sia Papageorgiou, is an IABC Fellow who has used this process to develop work recognised with 16 IABC Gold Quill Awards of Excellence, including two Best of the Best honours. You will leave with an end-to-end planning process you can apply immediately to your own work. Who should attend This masterclass is designed for communication professionals who contribute to, plan, lead or advise on communication strategies, initiatives and campaigns. It will be particularly valuable for professionals who want to strengthen their strategic planning discipline, develop better objectives, conduct more useful audience analysis and demonstrate the results of their work with greater credibility. Masterclass outline The masterclass introduces the CSCE eight-step strategic communication planning process through four connected areas: 1. Connect communication to the business need Clarify the underlying organisational need, issue or opportunity. Identify where communication can make the greatest contribution. Define the intended changes in what people know, think, feel or do. 2. Define success and how it will be measured Develop meaningful, outcome-focused SMART objectives. Establish relevant measures, baselines, targets and methods. Distinguish between outputs, outcomes and organisational impact. 3. Use audience insight to shape communication Identify, prioritise and segment relevant audiences. Examine audience needs, motivations, barriers and preferences. Use audience insights to guide messages, tactics and channel choices. 4. Evaluate value and generate business insight Plan how results will be assessed against the agreed objectives. Explore how return on investment can be calculated. Turn measurement findings into insight that supports better business and communication decisions. Read more