The 2009 Employee Communications PR and Social Media Summit · 2009-09-11 · Communications and...

Two dynamite keynotes:Frank X. Shaw, Corporate Vice President of Corporate Commu-

nications for Microsoft, will tell you how to create a trusting and transparent relationship

with your employees across multiple communications channels.

Adam Brown, Director of Digital Communications and Social Media at The Coca-Cola Company,

will share lessons in creating and cultivating conversations in the social media space

for one of the world’s most successful brands.

Employee Communications,The 2009

PR and Social Media Summit

and Ragan Communications present:

A best practices conference for corporate communicators

November 16-18, 2009 • Hosted at Microsoft World Headquarters • Redmond, Wash.

Join us for this extraordinary event highlighting best practices in corporate communications, held at Microsoft World Headquarters in Redmond, Wash.

Not only will you hear practical tips and advice from leading communicators—you will also get a behind-the-scenes peek at one of the most successful technology companies in the world.

Can’t attend this conference in person? Register for our Live Webcast of the event.

Check out details at www.ragan.com/microsoft-webcast or call our customer service department at 800.493.4867.

Come to this conference and you will learn how to: Effectively communicate during a layoff with a clear,

consistent, authentic message

Drive organizational change and engage your employees by tapping into them as a resource

Develop eight simple steps to execute your communications strategy, document your process, and track your results

Get your executives’ buy-in to use social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and MySpace to interact with a new and younger audience

Determine the balance between using traditional and new media during a crisis

Communicate with 90,000 employees worldwide with a multimedia intranet site

Help your brand not just survive, but thrive in the midst of a shifting communications landscape

Spark employee engagement by creating a dynamic internal blog with content that drives traffic and comments that keep the discussions timely

And so much more!

• Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

• Boeing• CME Group• eBay• Great Place to Work

Institute• JetBlue Airways• KPMG• Microsoft• Phoenix Suns• SAS• Starbucks Coffee• The Coca-Cola Company• T-Mobile

This must-attend conference includes speakers from:

Early Bird Savings:Register by September 25 and save up to $450!

About Microsoft’s campus:Located 13 miles from Seattle, the Microsoft corporate

campus in Redmond, Washington, is more like a park

than your typical corporate headquarters. It’s surrounded

by trees, has its own lake, and offers an abundance of

recreation activities. Currently, about 41,500 employees

work on this campus.

The event will be held at Microsoft’s state-of-the-art

Conference Center and you’ll be able to take a tour of the

Microsoft Visitors Center during the Microsoft-sponsored

cocktail on day one of the main conference. (See below.)

Thursday, November 175 p.m.-6:30 p.m.

Conference cocktail party, courtesy of MicrosoftJoin your colleagues to network

and unwind at a cocktail party

hosted by Microsoft. Enjoy

cocktails, appetizers and the

opportunity to try out the latest

products and technologies

from Microsoft during the

event—like Xbox360, Windows

7, Windows Mobile 6.5, Zune

and Bing.

Tuesday, November 179 a.m.-10 a.m.

Opening Keynote with Frank X. Shaw, Microsoft

10:15 a.m.-11:15 a.m.

Defining moments: Issues management amid a global financial crisis

11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Influence is influence: Social media and the role of public relations

12:45 p.m.-2 p.m.

Lunch & “30 ideas in 30 minutes”

2:15 p.m.-3:15 p.m.

Measurement and public relations: How to use data to increase accountability and improve quality

3:30 p.m.- 4:30 p.m.

Using social media engagement to build and protect your brand

5 p.m.-6:30 p.m.

Conference Cocktail PartySponsored by Microsoft

Wednesday, November 189 a.m.-10 a.m.

Creating a viral video sensation for $50: The inside story on Will it Blend?

10:15 a.m.-11:15 a.m.

Thriving during a communications cataclysm by measuring your PR efforts and creating a powerful brand engagement

11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Closing Keynote with Adam Brown, The Coca-Cola Company

Track 1: PR & Marketing

Conference at a GlanceYou can attend any sessions from these three tracks!

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10:15 a.m.-11:15 a.m.

Creating a Great Place to Work®: Lessons from Fortune’s 100 Best

11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Living in a 360-degree communications world: How to communicate effectively with employees when the message could get out to a wider audience

12:45 p.m.-2 p.m.


2:15 p.m.-3:15 p.m.

Evolution vs. Revolution: Engaging employees in times of change

3:30 p.m.- 4:30 p.m.

Drive organizational change and engage your work force by tapping into your best resource: Your employees

5 p.m.-6:30 p.m.



How to communicate effectively with employees during layoffs to retain staff, preserve morale—and maintain your brand reputation

10:15 a.m.-11:15 a.m.

Get back to the basics with your communications planning—and get improved results

11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.




10:15 a.m.-11:15 a.m.

Connecting global employees through Microsoft’s intranet portal

11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Give your external audiences a seat at the manage-ment table

12:45 p.m.-2 p.m.


2:15 p.m.-3:15 p.m.

Create a dynamite blog that will revive all your internal communications efforts

3:30 p.m.- 4:30 p.m.

How the Phoenix Suns are using Twitter and other social media platforms to extend their brand and grow their fan base digitally

5 p.m.-6:30 p.m.



Social media inside the firewall: This is not your teenager’s YouTube

10:15 a.m.-11:15 a.m.

Creating a video program that fits your strategic communications plan

11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.


Track 2: Internal Communications

Track 3: Social Media & Technology

Conference at a GlanceYou can attend any sessions from these three tracks!

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1 p.m.–4 p.m.Top tips to incorporate social media in your internal and external communications

You’d have to think hard to come up with a subject that has been the focus of more buzz than social media. It seems anyone with a Facebook profile is an expert, studies and surveys that contradict one another are released at a furious pace, and opinions about what works and what doesn’t are as varied as the people offering these points of view.

In this pre-conference session, veteran communicator Shel Holtz will break down the elements of social media that deserve an organization’s attention and adoption, and he’ll explore the various means by which companies can get engaged in order to produce bottom-line benefits. You’ll learn:• How to decide which tools and sites to embrace• The difference between organic and campaign-based

communication• The role employees should play in your social media efforts• How social media defines a company’s reputation during

a crisis• Why and how to monitor the social media space• The ins and outs of measuring the impact of your effortsShel Holtz is principal of Holtz Communication + Technology, which he founded in 1996 after nearly 20 years in the corporate world, including stints as communications director for two Fortune 500 companies. He is the author of several communications-themed books, most recently co-authoring “Tactical Transparency.” He co-hosts the first communications-focused podcast, “For Immediate Release,” and blogs at http://blog.holtz.com.

1 p.m.–4 p.m.How to communicate change that actually matters to employees

Don’t you hate it when a cliché turns out to be true? Change really is the only constant, and why shouldn’t it be? Organizations need to evolve and grow and stretch—more so today than ever. It’s a good thing, unless those same organizations do a lousy job of telling their employees what they’re doing, why they’re doing it, and how they’ll

get there. That’s where communicators need to step up. In this session, we’ll show you how to:

• Translate the change into clear, simple messages that resonate with employees

• Build a communications plan around the change based on what your many internal audiences need

• Organize your tactics around the four levels of communication: Information, understanding, agreement and behavior change

• Integrate print, online and face-to-face communication to reach all employees

• Employ social media tools to engage employees in the “how” of organizational change

• Measure as you go to make sure your communication efforts are working

Valerie Grubb is the Principal of Val Grubb & Associates Ltd., which she founded after stepping away from key roles within major corporations. In this role she works on a consulting basis in Operations Management and Training and supports talent/leadership development for corporations and trade associations. Previously, Val served as VP of Operations for NBC Universal, Oxygen Media and InterActive Corp. and has hands-on experience with virtually every aspect of corporate operations.

Join us for our great conference extras before the main event: Special, hands-on workshops that will rev you up for the rest of the conference.

Pre-conference Workshops • Monday, November 16 • $345 each

Can’t attend this conference in person? Register for our Live Webcast of the event.

Check out details at www.ragan.com/microsoft-webcast or call our customer service department at 800.493.4867.

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Tuesday, November 171:30 p.m.-2 p.m.

“30 ideas in 30 minutes”Grab a boxed lunch, bring along your notepad, and get ready to take away some invaluable insights from our star-studded panel. They will share practical ideas that you can use as soon as you get back to the office!

Moderator: Mark Ragan, Ragan CommunicationsPanelists:Karen Lee, SAS InstituteJeramie McPeek, Phoenix SunsGregg Olsen, BoeingAllan Schoenberg, CME Group

Past attendees rave about this session:

Super concept, extremely helpful, very stimulating. Bravi!

I couldn’t take notes fast enough. Plus it gave me exposure to some of the presenters whose sessions I couldn’t attend.

Adding this concept to the conference was one of the best ideas!!!

You over-delivered with more than 30 ideas! :)

Closing Keynote: Wednesday, November 18 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

With Adam Brown, Director of Digital Communications & Social Media, The Coca-Cola Company

How Coca-Cola uses social media to get people buzzing about their brandMarketing and promoting the world’s most recognized brand is one thing. But how do you create and cultivate conversations around a mega-brand in the social media space? Coca-Cola’s leader of its Office of Digital Communi-cations & Social Media will share some of the things they’ve learned and some of the projects they’re undertaking in the digital media space. From blogs to Bebo, from Flickr to Facebook, learn how Coca-Cola is creating digital content and participating in online communities. In this session, you’ll learn about:

• Coca-Cola’s 4R Social Media Strategy (Review, Respond, Record, Redirect)

• How Coca-Cola’s digital teams moderate, manage, and selectively participate in the thousands of social media mentions of their brands every day

• The importance of the “real home pages” for companies (hint, it’s Google, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter)

• The importance of social media guidelines, training, and governance

Adam Brown is Group Director, Digital Communi-cations, and Director of the Office of Digital Communi-cations and Social Media for The Coca-Cola Company. He and his teams lead the development and management of the company’s corporate Web sites, blogs, internal employee portals, and other emerging digital initiatives, including social media and search engine activities.

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Opening Keynote: Tuesday, November 17 9 a.m.–10 a.m.

With Frank X. Shaw, Corporate Vice President of Corporate Communications, Microsoft

Channel and Content: The twin dilemmas for internal communicationsIn the past, internal communications was about a company newspaper, maybe a town hall meeting and for the more advanced organization, some ‘video’ messages from executive man-agement. All very rigid, very one-way and now, very irrelevant. In our personal and professional lives, we are all consuming and creating content via multiple channels. Frequently, employees learn more about their organization through the media or via an unauthorized blog or gossip site. Yet despite these multiple channels, employees still want to have a trusting and transparent relationship with the organization they work for. They also want to engage in a conversation and be part of the communication process— to share their stories and content with co-workers. In this hyper-connected world, how does the modern internal communications function stay relevant and valuable to both management and employees? Frank X. Shaw is the Corporate Vice President of Microsoft’s Corporate Communications team. In this role, Frank is responsible for Microsoft’s corporate image and leads the public relations and employee communications functions for the company. Previously, Frank led the Microsoft team at Waggener Edstrom Worldwide and was responsible for all global PR efforts across the account. Prior to this role, he led the platforms team on the Microsoft account, where he was responsible for all PR related to Windows, Windows Server, and developer tools and evangelism. In 2001, he helped launch Windows XP in one of the most-covered product PR events of the year.

Track 1: Public Relations & Marketing


Opening Keynote with Frank X. Shaw, Microsoft (see details on page 5)

10 a.m.-10:15 a.m.

Break

10:15 a.m.-11:15 a.m.

Defining moments: Issues manage-ment amid a global financial crisis

Over the past 18 months, we have faced the most severe global financial crisis in decades. During this same timeframe we have also seen an explosion in the use of

social media. With more calls for transparency in the market, social media is a way for financial services companies to embrace the change and respond to issues. CME Group, which operates CME, CBOT and NYMEX, will share what the exchange has learned during the past year and how it is using public relations as a strategic tool.In this session, you will learn how to:• Define message measurement and

communicating results up to management

• Use scenario planning to your advantage

• React in real time with a consistent drumbeat of information

• Embrace social media to engage your customers, influencers, media and the public

• Use key third-party influencers ahead of a crisis

• Assess when and what ways to respond to various situations

• Aligning all of your channels to share your message

• Establish guidelines for the use and disclosure of information

Allan Schoenberg is Director of Corporate Communications for CME Group, a CME, CBOT, NYMEX company, and the world’s largest, most diverse marketplace. His team oversees media relations, social media, crisis management, message develop-ment, international initiatives and broadcast/digital communications.

11:15 a.m.-11:30 a.m.

Break

11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Influence is influence: Social media and the role of public relations

Your target audience is evolving, and they are gathering and receiving information in new ways. Do you know where your audience lives online and what they’re reading, watching, and comment-ing on? How do they ingest information, and what do they do with it? Do you know which platform is best for your content? Do you have a plan for how to deal with

social media PR backlash against your company? It’s more important than ever to understand how to embrace social media and the ways to use online tools to tell your stories.

In this session, you will learn how to harness the power of social media and identify when and where to engage online. You’ll find out how to:• Listen to your audience and find the

influencers

• Use digital storytelling to solve your company’s communications problems

• Engage the community to action on your behalf

• Harness the power of ambient influence in social media

• Tackle the challenges and opportunities of social media

• Define your company’s ‘online’ voice and presence

• Determine baseline considerations for measurement

As Vice President of WE Studio D, Nathan Misner helps the agency and clients take advantage of new trends in emerging media. WE Studio D plans and executes the full spectrum of digital communica-tions initiatives. Tac Anderson is Digital Consulting Director for Waggener Edstrom Worldwide. Prior to joining the agency he managed both internal and external social media initiatives at Hewlett-Packard. His work was a featured case study in the Harvard Business Review book Groundswell.

12:45 p.m.-2 p.m.

Lunch & “30 ideas in 30 minutes” (see details on page 5)

2:15 p.m.-3:15 p.m.

Measurement and public relations: How to use data to increase account-ability and improve quality

In the business world, data and information reign. Spreadsheets can monitor progress and information; numbers can provide clarity on performance and

forecasts. Can this level of precision and clarity be applied to measuring and monitoring media coverage? Is the subjec-tivity in journalism and the blogosphere possible to capture through a measurement system and framework? These questions present challenges to PR professionals looking for ways to increase accountability and to chart progress and success beyond anecdotal evidence and supported by data, trends, and facts.

In this session, you’ll find out more about the challenges PR professionals face in driving for greater accountability and discuss ways to use measurement, data, and insights to help improve the overall quality of PR and media outreach. You’ll learn: • Effective ways to capture and measure

tone and message pull-through

• How to adapt your measurement system to meet the needs of a changing media

• Challenges and opportunities of imple-menting a common global measurement framework

• The future evolution of measurement and how it applies to the changing demands of PR

Jim Desler is a Director in the Corporate Communi-cations Group at Microsoft and leads an effort to use PR measurement and insights to more effectively help improve PR quality around the world. Jim has worked over the past 18 months in implementing a new global PR measurement system that serves as the key PR metric for the company.

3:15 p.m.-3:30 p.m.

Break

6

Track 1: Public Relations & Marketing3:30 p.m.- 4:30 p.m.

Using social media engagement to build and protect your brand

Today’s constantly connected culture has forever changed the time frame of the traditional public relations team. News agencies and citizen journalists now

all compete to get the story out first. Average consumers are using mobile ready micro-blogs and online communities to discuss your company while you sleep.

But there’s hope for all public relations people losing sleep and canceling their vacations! Utilizing the same tools, you now have the opportunity to learn from and engage with customers, influencers, and journalists from every level in these public spaces. In this practical session, Morgan Johnston, JetBlue’s social media strategist will discuss how to:• Use micro-blogging tools for real-time

monitoring and research

• Reach out and engage in a voice in keeping with customers’ expectations

• Develop the internal resources needed to support your social media efforts

• Instill an understanding of social media responsibilities within your employees

Morgan Johnston is the Manager of Corporate Communications for JetBlue Airways at the value airline’s headquarters in Forest Hills, NY. Morgan is responsible for new media communications and online outreach projects. He formulates and oversees JetBlue strategy for social networks and manages JetBlue’s presence on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jetblue. He is also responsible for JetBlue’s internal network of multimedia distribution and acts as spokesman for the company to media.

5 p.m.-6:30 p.m.

Conference Cocktail PartySponsored by Microsoft (see details on page 2

)


Creating a viral video sensation for $50: The inside story on Will it Blend?

Will it Blend? has become the poster child for effective corporate use of social media. Devel-oped and produced by a small marketing team at Blendtec, this award-

winning campaign has generated hundreds of millions of impressions and has been extensively reported on by print and broadcast outlets worldwide.

George Wright, the creator of Will it Blend?, will let you in on this inspiring story and will outline critical elements for successful viral marketing. Who knows... maybe he might bring along his blender for a live “extreme blending” demonstration!

In this inspiring and entertaining session, you’ll learn: • Why traditional marketing strategies are

not as effective as they used to be

• Do’s and Don’ts of Viral Marketing

• How a small internal department can deliver huge results

• How an effective social media program can increase sales by 700 percent

• How to turn corporate marketing from a cost to a profit center

Described as the “The best viral marketing campaign ever,” George Wright’s Will it Blend? social media campaign has changed the face and the future of online marketing. Seen by more than 250 million people on the Internet and reported on by traditional media outlets like the Today Show, the Tonight Show, the History Channel, The Big Idea. Will it Blend? continues to deliver unprecedented corporate awareness through social media channels. This new form of marketing has delivered a 700 percent increase in sales for Blendtec.

10 a.m.-10:15 a.m.

Break

10:15 a.m.-11:15 a.m.

Thriving during a communications cataclysm by measuring your PR efforts and creating a powerful brand engagement

The outbreak of new communication channels has gone from feeding people’s hunger for information and a sense of connection to overwhelming their

ability to absorb information, data and points of connection. The information age has morphed into what could be called a “communications cataclysm.”

Attend this session and you will learn:• How to shift from content gatherer to

content creator in a compelling and measureable way

• How you can better understand your audience by leveraging your personal brand, follow-ing the trail of ambient influence and evolving your communication from one of trust to transparency

• The importance of creating a value exchange in every audience interaction

• The global nature of communications and why it’s important to account for that in every engagement

• How to identify and demystify key trends and behavioral changes you must employ as communications professionals to ensure you’re delivering powerful brand engage-ment and influence to the audiences you wish to reach

Jennifer Houston joined Waggener Edstrom Worldwide in 1999 and currently serves as senior vice president and global lead of WE Studio D, the agency’s digital influence division while also serving on the agency’s Microsoft Executive Leadership team. Jennifer has 16 years of experience in building and implementing communications strategies of all types for companies of all sizes.

11:15 a.m.-11:30 a.m.

Break

11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Closing Keynote with Adam Brown, The Coca-Cola Company(see details on page 5)

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Track 2: Internal Communications



10 a.m.-10:15 a.m.

Break

10:15 a.m.-11:15 a.m.

Creating a Great Place to Work®: Lessons from Fortune’s 100 Best

Each year the Great Place to Work® Institute Inc. selects the “100 Best Companies to Work for in America” and publishes this list in Fortune magazine. The

institute has amassed a sizable body of research on how the 100 Best create workplace environments leverage the talent and skill of their workforces.

This session will focus on the business case for focusing on workplace development, the role of trust in becoming a great workplace, and current trends and innovative best practices of the 100 Best—particularly in relation to internal communication practices. In addition, Michael Burchell will outline the steps in applying for the Fortune competition. Attend this session and you will learn how to:• Understand the essential ingredients of a

Great Place to Work

• Apply best practices of the 100 Best companies, and find out how to be a part of the Fortune competition

• Understand the role trust plays in a being Great Place to Work

• Examine a case study of internal commu-nications at one of the Best Companies

• Review current trends of the Best Compa-nies’ internal communications

Dr. Michael Burchell is Vice President for Global Business Development and a senior consultant with The Great Place to Work® Institute Inc. In this capacity, Michael serves as a member of the senior manage-ment team responsible for the overall strategy and management of the institute.

11:15 a.m.-11:30 a.m.

Break

11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Living in a 360-degree communi-cations world: How to communicate effectively with employees when the message could get out to a wider audience

As social media becomes a part of employees’ everyday lives, what is considered internal communications is increasingly reaching a much broader audience.

That means that product timelines, layoffs, reorganizations, mergers, acquisitions, and other announcements will find their way beyond the confines of confidentiality. Blogs, Twitter, and Facebook are now where breaking news happens and everyone with an account is a journalist. Steps should be taken to prevent leaks from happening, as communicators you need to adjust to this new reality. This means changing the way you approach internal communications, living with the assumption that both the information and the message will reach beyond just employees.

During this session with David Beigie from T-Mobile USA, you will learn: • The importance of synching your internal

and external messages

• How employees can be your primary advocates

• Why it’s critical to have a plan, and what to do when the information leaks

• How to find your company’s voice without sounding corporate

David Beigie is Vice President of Corporate Communi-cations at T-Mobile USA. He leads enterprise communi-cations to all key internal and external publics as well as corporate responsibility and employee rewards and recognition.

12:45 p.m.-2 p.m.

Lunch & “30 ideas in 30 minutes”(see details on page 5)

2:15 p.m.-3:15 p.m.

Evolution vs. Revolution: Engaging employees in times of change

Against the backdrop of the economic meltdown, how do you engage employees at a time of change and growth? Over the past 12 months, the employees of the

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have sought to create renewed optimism in the face of challenging opportunities—from an unprecedented level of global poverty to pandemic outbreaks—all while navigating organizational change themselves. Today, with a new CEO at the helm and Microsoft founder Bill Gates bringing focus to critical social issues, communication plays a critical role in establishing the new world order.

Attend this session to learn how internal communications unites and drives a mission-focused organization to positively impact the world, including:• How the economy has impacted the

philanthropic sector – and how it is driving clarity and focus

• The role of internal communications in bringing greater organizational transpar-ency, accountability and efficiency

• How to engage employees through executive leadership changes through effective communication

• The power of social media and how to shape a strategy that inspires movements

• Get a behind-the-scenes peek at Bill and Melinda Gates and their leadership on the world stage

Pamela Austin has spent more than 20 years as a PR and strategic communications advisor and consultant in the software industry, both domesti-cally and internationally. For the last two years, she has been Director of Internal Communications at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Before that, she filled a similar role at Microsoft Corporation.

3:15 p.m.-3:30 p.m.

Break

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Track 2: Internal Communications3:30 p.m.- 4:30 p.m.

Drive organizational change and engage your work force by tapping into your best resource: Your employees

In an intellectual property business, your human capital is your primary asset. Companies are becoming increasingly savvy in their approach to analyzing human

capital data, and creating a workplace that gets the best from their employees.

In this session, Alexis Fink will describe how Microsoft takes a comprehensive approach to human capital data, gathering and analyzing the factors that drive enter-prise and business-level decisions, based on a global view of their talent. You will learn how to:• Effectively use quantitative and qualita-

tive methods to gather data on a variety of topics from employees around the globe

• Synthesize findings from multiple studies to generate overarching insight and drive informed decisions

• Use advanced statistics to identify key points

• Leverage the full body of knowledge to drive coherent action

Alexis Fink joined Microsoft in July 2005 and is Group Manager for Organization Effectiveness Research. In her role, she owns responsibility for execution of and deriving insights from Microsoft’s suite of employee engagement surveys (e.g., MS Poll) as well as other research-based organization-effectiveness priorities, such as Culture and Employee Value Proposition.

5 p.m.-6:30 p.m.

Conference Cocktail PartySponsored by Microsoft (see details on page 2)


How to communicate effectively with employees during layoffs to retain staff, preserve morale—and maintain your brand reputation

In tough economic times, no organization is immune from the difficult business decision to reduce its work force—even a traditionally high-growth

company like Starbucks, which experienced layoffs for the first time in 2008. What they learned is the way in which a company treats its employees during a time of layoffs—and how it communicates with them—is crucial to preserving employee morale, productivity and brand reputation.

In this session, the Director of Internal Communications at Starbucks, Laura Arigan-ello, will show how you can:• Create and deliver clear, consistent, and

authentic messages

• Communicate the business rationale for layoffs with transparency and alignment with company values

• Partner effectively with other functions, including External Communications, Human Resources, and Legal

• Help engage employees who remain with the organization

Laura Ariganello is Director of Internal Communi-cations at Starbucks Coffee Company. Laura is a communications professional with 18 years experience leading strategic communications for dynamic global organizations. In addition to traditional employee communications, she has experience managing mergers and acquisitions, organizational change, executive coaching and issues management.

10 a.m.-10:15 a.m.

Break

10:15 a.m.-11:15 a.m.

Get back to the basics with your communications planning—and get improved results

You know the drill: You’re invited to a meeting. You learn about an initiative your company is rolling out. Employees need to know how it affects them. Now what? It’s up to you

to take that information and devise a strategy for communicating to key audiences within your organization. You don’t need a fancy software program to make that happen. The Internal Communications team at SAS tackles its new communication challenges with a back-to-basics approach for reaching its 11,000 global employees. Internal Commu-nications Senior Director Karen Lee will share the anatomy of a SAS communications plan and give three examples of how they bring their plan to life.

At the end of this session you’ll be able to: • Craft a living document in eight simple

steps to execute your strategy, document your process, and track your results

• Rally multiple stakeholders around the same shared vision for communication

• Replicate SAS’ communications planning process by taking home samples of actual plans to help guide you along the way

Karen Lee is Senior Director of Internal Communica-tions for SAS. She joined SAS in 1984 as a technical marketing representative. In the past 25 years, Karen has successfully merged her technical savvy with her communications know-how to promote SAS’ product line and help customers learn to communicate better data through visuals.

11:15 a.m.-11:30 a.m.

Break

11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.


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Track 3: Social Media & Technology



10 a.m.-10:15 a.m.

Break

10:15 a.m.-11:15 a.m.

Connecting global employees through Microsoft’s intranet portal

MSW, Microsoft’s corporate portal and starting point on the intranet, helps connect employees with the infor-mation and colleagues they need to do their jobs. As part of the Corporate Communications division, MSW is also the primary internal source for news about Microsoft for more than 90,000 employees worldwide.

Two years ago, the team completely rede-signed MSW to launch on Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 and will upgrade to the beta version of Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010

in 2009. In this session, you’ll get a chance to see Microsoft’s award-winning corporate portal and learn about:• MSW’s role in Microsoft’s intranet, and

how it has evolved over the years

• How the MSW team measures success

• Roles and partnerships involved in running the successful corporate portal

• How MSW is used as a critical element in executive communications to employees worldwide

• See the most popular features on MSW and specific examples of their content

Curtis Kopf is Director, HR Communications and MSW at Microsoft. In this role, he manages internal communi-cations for Human Resources, is the speechwriter for HR

SVP Lisa Brummel, and manages Microsoft’s MSW. Melissa Wilson is Senior Site Manager for MSW at Microsoft, where she is responsible for the award-winning intranet portal’s user experience. Christine Bennett is Senior Content Manager for MSW, Microsoft’s internal employee portal and starting point on the intranet.

11:15 a.m.-11:30 a.m.

Break

11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Give your external audiences a seat at the management table

eBay has been involved in social media and blogging as an organi-zation for a number of years now. Starting with the eBay Developer Blog back in 2004 and

through today there are a variety of official company blogs that address key aspects of its business, community and technologies. The latest blogging platform launched by eBay in April, 2008 is the eBay Ink blog; a unique social media forum that allows the company’s management and users to engage in candid conversations about the company’s business operations. Nothing is out of bounds on the blog and users have free reign to express their opinions and feedback straight to eBay’s managers. In this session, find out how eBay’s innovative use of Web 2.0 tools, such as blogs and Twitter, has given its external audience not only a voice, but also a seat at the company’s management table. Discover:• How eBay Ink gives users and outside

influencers an authentic look at eBay’s internal operations

• The critical role that eBay employees play in posting content and responding to outside audiences across a number of blogging platforms

• How the blog incorporates both senior management and external blogs into the conversation with users

• How the eBay Ink Blog and Twitter feed provide transparency and remain externally credible to audiences

Richard Brewer-Hay is Senior Manager of Digital Media Strategy for eBay and the editor-in-chief of the eBay Ink blog. Richard launched the ebayinkblog

Twitter feed in June 2008 that allowed eBay to become the first Fortune 500 company to live-blog financial announcements and earnings’ calls via Twitter.

12:45 p.m.-2 p.m.

Lunch & “30 ideas in 30 minutes” (see details on page 5)

2:15 p.m.-3:15 p.m.

Create a dynamite blog that will revive all your internal communi-cations efforts

Learn how The Boeing Company’s internal communications team has used blog tools to reinvent the corporate newsletter and spark employee engagement

with a diverse audience across the globe. Gregg Olsen will walk you through a case study highlighting xChange, Boeing’s most-visited and commented-on internal blog, which was created to replace a monthly newsletter and bring together a virtual work force.

In the session you’ll learn about:• The Case of the Constant Commenter: How

to handle the employee who just can’t stop commenting even when he or she has nothing to say

• The (re) Purpose Driven Life: How Boeing bloggers repurpose existing content to spark new discussions and drive home the “local” connection to companywide issues

• Love and Disaster: Learn what kind of content drives traffic, and how you can tap into what’s going on around you, big and small

• It’s All About Me: What people expect and what you have to give them in order to hold an audience

Throughout his career as an author, editor, and blogger, Gregg Olsen has sought new ways to keep employees informed and engaged in a sometimes impersonal corporate environment. As a member of The Boeing Company’s Shared Services Group’s internal blog team, Gregg is responsible for the creation and development of four of top ten blogs (measured by internal metrics), including the No. 1 blog, xChange.

3:15 p.m.-3:30 p.m.

Break

10

Track 3: Social Media & Technology 3:30 p.m.- 4:30 p.m.

How the Phoenix Suns use Twitter and other social media platforms to extend their brand and grow their fan base digitally

Widely considered a leader among NBA franchises in terms of technology, the team’s official Web site, Suns.com, has been named the top

team site in the league twice by the Sports Business Journal. It was presented also with the inaugural Website of the Year Award by NBA Commissioner David Stern in 2007.

Today, the Suns operate 10 unique Web sites, including a corporate blog, an official social network, and a site specifically for their fans on Twitter.

In this informative and entertaining session, you’ll learn how the recently launched SunsTwackle.com is stimulating fan engagement, both among fans and within the Suns’ organization. With three players, their head coach, and more than a dozen front-office executives on Twitter, the Suns are once again setting the standard for how professional sports franchises utilize new media to communicate and interact with their audience.

During this session, you will learn about:• The strategy behind the Suns’ social media

efforts, including MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter

• The exploration and evolution of Planet Orange.net, the Phoenix Suns’ official social network, which features more than 11,000 “citizens”

• Shaquille O’Neal’s rise to power—or position of Twinfluence—on Twitter

• How different departments within the Suns’ front office are using Twitter

• How the Suns hope to generate revenue through SunsTwackle.com and other social media platforms

Jeramie McPeek is Vice President of Interactive Services for the Phoenix Suns. Currently enjoying his 17th season with the Suns, Jeramie oversees the organization’s digital and social media initiatives.

5 p.m.-6:30 p.m.

Conference Cocktail PartySponsored by Microsoft (see details on page 2)


Social media inside the firewall: This is not your teenager’s YouTube

AcademyMobile is an award-winning social media podcasting solution built on Microsoft SharePoint that creates a “YouTube” for the enterprise.

Thousands of Microsoft employees use this podcasting portal to share knowledge and information and develop community globally. As use has grown, AcademyMobile has also become a first-place destination for dissemi-nating corporate communications virally by executives and product teams to a 40,000- person field worldwide. Now freely available to customers—as is the Podcasting Kit for SharePoint (PKS)—AcademyMobile takes the notion of SharePoint as a collaboration application to a wholly new, very current level. It hosts thousands of podcasts on virtually every business or technical topic imaginable, with hundreds of new ones added every month.

In this session, based on real world Microsoft and customer experiences, you will get to see the solution in action and learn about:• The technology and feature fundamentals

to a first-class social media portal

• The critical strategies and tactics for successful adoption of social media inside the enterprise

• How to sustain social media sharing over time and keep it business-relevant

• Best practices on policies and governance developed by Microsoft and other adopting customers

• The impact social media is having on more traditional corporate communications and learning methods

• The growth in company wide employee recognition, expert networking, and knowledge retention

Christian Finn is the Director for Collaboration in Microsoft’s Information Worker Product Management Group in Redmond. Christian and his team lead Microsoft’s vision, business strategy, and global marketing efforts for collaboration, enterprise social computing, and portal technologies.

10 a.m.-10:15 a.m.

Break

10:15 a.m.-11:15 a.m.

Creating a video program that fits your strategic communications plan

KPMG’s “Thinking Beyond” video was a key component in an overall strategic communications plan developed by the firm’s communications team

in 2008. The theme of the campaign was simple: In a time of extraordinary economic challenges, KPMG’s people need to “think beyond” in several ways.

The video helped to show partners what KPMG’s people were doing, and demonstrate the power of a team that thought and acted in a consistent and ethical manner.

Come to this session and learn from KPMG’s award-winning use of video. You will learn how to apply:• Consistency of messaging

• Collaborative creative effort to strike an effective balance between the creative and the critical business messages

• Logistical management: Filming preparation, including selecting a balanced representa-tion of KPMG’s global community of employ-ees, schedule coordination and timing

Ray Zardetto is Senior Director of Corporate Communi-cations at KPMG LLP where he is responsible for both media relations and internal communications with a specific focus on corporate social responsibility, diversity, and environmental activities.

11:15 a.m.-11:30 a.m.

Break

11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.


11

Registration fees Standard After early Early bird conference price bird deadline discount price

Ragan Select member $1,145 $1,045 $945

Non-member $1,395 $1,295 $1,195

Employee Communications,The 2009

PR and Social Media Summit

and Ragan Communications present:

A best practices conference for corporate communicators

November 16-18, 2009 • Hosted at Microsoft World Headquarters • Redmond, Wash.

Four ways to register: Call 800.493.4867

Fax the registration form to 312.861.3592

Browse www.ragan.com/microsoft

Mail the completed registration form to:Ragan Communications111 E. Wacker Drive, Suite 500Chicago, IL 60601

Attendee’s name Title

Organization’s name

Address

City State ZIP/Postal code

Telephone Fax E-mail

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Lawrence Ragan

Communications, Inc.

111 E. Wacker Drive, Suite 500

Chicago, IL 60601

Not a Ragan Select member? Use this Preferred Customer Code to secure your $100 discount.

Ragan Select members: Log in to secure your $250 discount now.

Yes! I will attend. My check for $_______________is enclosed.

Charge my credit card: MasterCard Visa American Express Discover

Please send me an invoice (Make checks payable in U.S. dollars to Lawrence Ragan Communications)

CancellationsAll cancellations are subject to a $200 service fee (per attendee). Before October 2, 2009, you will receive a refund of your payment minus the service fee. After October 2, 2009 your payment will be credited toward a future Ragan event, minus the service fee. Registrants who fail to attend and do not cancel prior to the event are not entitled to a credit or refund of any kind. No exceptions.

RegistrationPre-Conference workshops • 1 p.m.–4 p.m. • $345 Top tips to incorporate social media in your internal and external

communications with Shel Holtz How to communicate change that actually matters to employees

with Valerie Grubb

Live webcast Can’t attend this conference in person? Register for a live webcast of

the event. Details at www.ragan.com/microsoft-webcast.

Conference InformationMicrosoft Conference Center16070 NE 36th Way Redmond, WA. 98052

Early bird registration deadline: September 25, 2009

ELN9

www.ragan.com/micro2009

The 2009 Employee Communications PR and Social Media Summit · 2009-09-11 · Communications and...

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