So many groups, so little time: IABC Cleveland's value to members and the communications community in general

Build Your Skills. Meet Other Professionals. Volunteer.

People often ask me what IABC is all about. The way I describe it is that IABC addresses communications broadly, avoiding a focus in one area. I believe this probably is because communication tasks within organizations don't (or at least, shouldn't) exist in a vacuum. IABC Cleveland has members from many of the largest companies in Northeast Ohio, and hold a wide variety of positions, many of them at the senior level.  

One of the goals of IABC is to help develop and refine communicators' proficiencies. Members of IABC automatically gain access to a large number of tools and resources, including:

• Attending educational monthly programs -- either in the Cleveland area or via IABC Webinars
• Networking with other members (13,000+ worldwide)
• Engaging on a committee or as a Board member to provide service to other communcators
• Volunteering to serve as a competition judge (a great way to see what members from other chapters are producing)
• Sharing expertise and experiences at a luncheon or serving as a panelist
• Participating in district and international activities
• Taking advantage of career aids, world-class publications, and other resources available from International, such as Communication World magazine. Learn more.

Over the past 7 months, IABC Cleveland has offered superb programming, with experts speaking on topics that matter:

• Content Marketing expert and evangelist, Joe Pulizzi provided an introduction to the important topic of content marketing
• Panel of social media, internal, and external communicators Stoney deGeyter, Lynn Wheatcraft, and Jason Saragian who shared experiences and thoughts on strategic communications planning
• Sales training expert Marvin Montgomery addressed how to tell your ideas and yourself as a trusted advisor
• Crisis communications guru Bruce Hennes spoke about crisis communications and issues management
• 3-hour workshop on integrating content for search engines and social media with Jen Carroll and Stoney deGeyter
• Cuyahoga County United Way agencies brought their significant communications challenges to a series of meetings wiht volunteer members and non-members, who offered their time and suggestions.  

Keep an eye out for future programs and join us!

-- Betsy DuWaldt, IABC Cleveland President