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How do communicators balance the inside and outside worlds of a crisis – keeping employees informed, engaged and aligned while managing external audiences, including media and stakeholders? This session will unpack what “inside-out” really looks like in practice, how trust and consistency are built under pressure, and how internal choices can shape an organization’s external response. We are delighted to welcome Alison Arnot – a seasoned communication consultant, trainer and author – as our guest speaker. Her recently released book, Internal Communication in Times of Crisis: How to Secure Employee Trust, Support and Advocacy in Crisis Situations, offers valuable insights that will provide a strong foundation for our conversation. Discussion questions 1.     How can communicators ensure internal messages prepare and empower employees before external announcements are made? 2.     What happens when internal and external narratives drift apart – and how can that misalignment be repaired? 3.     How do organizations strike the right tone and timing when employees and the public learn about a crisis simultaneously? 4.     What practical approaches help leaders maintain trust, morale and authenticity inside while managing reputation outside? We look forward to another candid, interactive discussion as we continue building a global SIG community of crisis communication professionals.   Live Sessions:  The live one hour sessions will take place at 11:00 AM CT on 22 January 2026.  Read more

Visibility has arguably become the ultimate currency for entrepreneurs. But with countless opportunities to gain “exposure” in exchange for your time, talent, or services—often without compensation—how do you distinguish between strategic brand building and being taken advantage of? Join us as we welcome Priya Bates, an award-winning communication strategist and IABC Fellow, for a practical session that will transform how you evaluate visibility opportunities. With more than 20 years of experience leading communications for major organizations including Loblaw Companies Limited and HP Canada, Priya brings both strategic insight and real-world expertise to help you navigate these complex decisions. As one of the first Certified Communication Management Professionals (CMP) in the world and a Master Communicator (MC), she understands the delicate balance between building your profile and protecting your worth. In this session, Priya will help you: Identify the difference between strategic visibility and exploitation, Recognize red flags in “exposure” opportunities before you commit, Assess the true value of visibility requests, Confidently say yes or no while protecting your brand and boundaries. In short: learn how to grow your entrepreneurial profile without selling yourself short. Read more

When change initiatives fail, it is often due to poor communication strategy and tactics.  In this new IABC Master Class, understand why major change initiatives may fail and how employee trust is eroded during poorly managed transitions.​ Explore how open, honest, and consistent organizational messaging rebuilds credibility and stabilizes teams.​ Use proven methodologies and structured communication plans to lead recovery and minimize future risk.​  Discuss techniques to rebuild trust through consistent leadership behavior, clear corrective actions, and frequent employee engagement.​ Learn practical steps for repairing organizational image and stakeholder confidence, including supportive internal and external communication and visible improvements in management processes.​ Key Learning Objectives Identify factors that turn change initiatives into crises, including communication missteps and lack of leadership alignment.​ Develop communication plans that acknowledge failure, explain corrective actions, and signal a commitment to returning stability and reliability to the organization.​ Restore trust by strengthening feedback mechanisms, listening to affected employees, and maintaining long-term, honest dialogue.​ Implement brand and reputation recovery strategies that build confidence among internal teams and external stakeholders.​ Apply case studies and roleplays simulating high-stake situations to give participants actionable frameworks and talking points that can be adapted to their real-world contexts.​ Read more

You’re already using AI. The question is whether it’s helping you think better—or just helping you publish faster. In this advanced masterclass, journalist and thought-leadership expert Rhea Wessel shows communication professionals how to use AI as a strategic partner in thought leadership—helping them identify stronger ideas, sharpen their positioning, and build repeatable systems for high-quality content. This 2.0 masterclass focuses on how to use AI to analyze thought-leadership landscapes, identify gaps in the conversation, research audience pain points, and develop counterintuitive story angles that differentiate true thought leadership from marketing content. Participants will learn how to work with AI while maintaining strong editorial judgment, ethical guardrails, and a distinctly human point of view—so their ideas gain credibility, not just visibility. This masterclass is ideal for communication professionals who already use AI for writing or ideation and now want to use it more intentionally, strategically, and responsibly. You’ll learn how to: Identify gaps in a thought-leadership landscape (what’s being said—and what isn’t) Define and sharpen a personal or organizational thought-leadership niche Research the deepest internal and external pain points of your audience Generate strong, counterintuitive story ideas using AI Build a scalable thought-leadership engine without diluting voice or credibility Read more

In this course, you will learn what IABC specifically looks for in evaluating award entries allowing for consistent application and interpretation of criteria across our large number of evaluators.  As an evaluator, you are not setting the standards or criteria for the awards. You are scoring entries based on the criteria in the Evaluating Excellence Guide and providing feedback to entrants using your expertise. While this course is designed for the evaluation of IABC Gold Quill awards, it can be used to train evaluators for all types of IABC awards. Read more

Internal comms have never mattered more. And yet, it’s still one of the hardest functions to defend when budgets tighten. You’re the bridge between leadership and employees, the calm in every crisis, the voice that keeps people connected. But too often, your impact is felt but not seen – especially by the people holding the purse strings. This session is for internal communication professionals who are tired of being the “unsung heroes” and want to prove, with confidence, the real business value of what they do. What you’ll learn: How to frame comms results in the language executives understand: cost, productivity, and impact Practical ways to use data (without drowning in it) to show your influence How to turn your work into a story leadership can see, measure, and support Real examples from comms leaders who’ve earned a seat at the strategic table   After the session, we’ll share a set of practical follow-ups to help you put the ideas into action: A guide on getting buy-in from your CEO, written with insights from CEOs themselves A companion guide on winning over your CFO, co-written with finance leaders A new report on how internal comms can secure more budget and prove its value across the business.   Real perspectives. Real examples. Tools you can use straight away.     Speakers Andrew Avanessian, CEO, Haiilo Ann-Marie Blake, Co-Founder, True Comms After a career in senior in-house roles in major global organisations, Ann-Marie Blake co-founded True Communications in Feb 2023, an agency set up to help companies deliver change with their people rather than to them. Her impact on the communications world has been recognised with Fellowships of both the Chartered Institute of Public Relations and Centre for Strategic Communications Excellence   Ann-Marie is a Chartered PR Practitioner. She is a former IABC International Executive Board Member and currently chairs the IABC Heads of Communication Shared Interest Group. She is a winner of the 2025 Independent Impact 50 awards which celebrate the UK’s most influential independent practitioners in PR.     Read more