Communication World articles from May 2006

Communication World archives from May 2006

The time is now.
May 1, 2006... I once had a boss whose management style relied almost entirely on the latest trend. i know this because when I walked into his office for our weekly meeting, it would often start with a lengthy speech about how to apply [insert trendy word...

IABC releases revised guide to organizational communication.(inbox: IABC NEWS & EVENTS)(International Association of Business Communicators)
May 1, 2006... The new IABC Handbook of Organizational Communication offers a comprehensive collection of practical knowledge and insights about corporate communication and its impact on organizational success. Formerly titled Inside Organizational...

Gold quill class of 2006.(inbox: IABC NEWS & EVENTS)
May 1, 2006... Judging for the 2006 Gold Quill Awards has been completed. This year's program received more than 1,100 entries from 28 countries around the world. Winners will be honored 5 June during IABC's 2006 International Conference in Vancouver, British...

In session: international conference gets blogged.(inbox: IABC NEWS & EVENTS)
May 1, 2006... IABC's International Conference blog features interviews with speakers, podcasts, session highlights and hot discussion from the hallways, now through the conference, 4-7 June in Vancouver, British Columbia. Regardless of whether you can be...

Job centre sets record.(inbox: IABC NEWS & EVENTS)(International Association of Business Communicators)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... The IABC Job Centre is on a roll. Breaking its own record for three consecutive months, January through March 2006, the international job board averaged more than 150 new communication job postings each month, plus an equal number of resume...

Mark your calendar.(inbox: IABC NEWS & EVENTS)
May 1, 2006... 4-7 June Conference (Vancouver, British Columbia) IABC International Conference 7 June Web seminar. What Do They Want? Influencing Employee Attitudes, Rethinking Employee Communication, Challenging Current Assumptions 21 June Web...

I'm always intrigued to read.(from our readers)(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2006... I'm always intrigued to read or hear Dr. TJ Larkin assert that companies are better off not enlisting their senior-most leaders to assume a communication role, especially during times of great change. The research TJ and Sandar Larkin cite...

That third screen--in your pocket! Think it's just a cell phone? Sure, you can make a call, but there's so much more in store.(tech talk)(Cell phones)
May 1, 2006... They've got keyboards and web browsers, sound cards and media players, operating systems and memory cards, but we never think of them as computers. Of course, I'm talking about our cell phones, the Swiss Army knives of the digital age. But...

The numbers game: make sure the numbers in your publication add up--literally.(data representation using charts)
May 1, 2006... I admit it: When I see a page full of numbers, or a chart with dozens of data points, my eyes glaze over. I've always been math-phobic. I scraped by in school, nothing terribly advanced. I don't even balance the checkbook. Yet I somehow...

Global perspectives: what is the best advice you ever received relating to the practice of communication or the profession?
May 1, 2006... Hong Kong "It's not what you say, but how you say it." Over the years, various mentors and colleagues have shared this valuable advice with me. Communicators spend huge amounts of time crafting key messages for CEOs or companies,...

Not-so-small talk: using real-world examples, two "blogging champions" describe how businesses can benefit from blogs.(Naked Conversations)(Book review)
May 1, 2006... We are experiencing "a revolution that is transforming the way businesses and customers communicate with each other." That's the main message of Naked Conversations, by Robert Scoble, a technical evangelist at Microsoft and that company's...

Putting people first: EXCEL Award winner John O'Neill effects a successful turnaround at AXA Ireland by building relationships.(International Association of Business Communicators)(Interview)
May 1, 2006... The IABC/Europe and Middle East EXCEL Award recognizes contributions to business communication by an organizational leader, usually a CEO, who is not a member of the International Association of Business Communicators. These contributions...

Communicating in the world of Web 2.0: society is teeming with online conversations. Business success today depends on whether you're in on them.
May 1, 2006... There are few times when we are given the opportunity to witness profound change in communication models. We are in the midst of just such an epoch. Many believe that the Internet represents the most significant change to communication...

The impact of blogging: real or imagined? Microsoft blogging guru Robert Scoble talks about what the technology means for companies and how they can use blogs to their advantage.(Cover story)
May 1, 2006... Robert Scoble is frustrated. He's just attended a major technology trade show, and the single-manufacturer event has left him underwhelmed. As the official "technology evangelist" for Microsoft (a title he's tired of hearing), Scoble estimates...

Monitoring the blogosphere: should you take the leap?
May 1, 2006... Blogging seems to be the word on every communicator's lips these days. Companies big and small are "either already blogging or considering it, citing reams of information about how this new communication tool is expanding the connection...

Think before you send you can prevent e-mail disasters and protect confidential information by securing your systems.(data security)
May 1, 2006... Shakespeare wrote, "Discretion is the better part of valor," and that's no less true today than it was 400 years ago. Whether you are protecting unannounced corporate earnings or the details of your CEO's personal life, confidentiality is vital...

HP's good news: the technology company's Asia-Pacific Enterprise News Service consolidates information, providing better communication and saving money to boot.(Hewlett-Packard Co.)
May 1, 2006... In 2003, the enterprise sales force in Hewlett-Packard's Asia-Pacific (AP) region found itself inundated with information. More than 650 HP products had been introduced in the previous year, and with those new products had come new...

Abstracting with light: when less becomes more: find the hidden details of your subject and let them speak to the viewer.(photocritique)(photography )
May 1, 2006... The word photography comes from the Greek words for "light" and "writing." When I use light to express ideas in my photographs, I look for ways to make my subject more abstract, showing less of it, to force the viewer's imagination to fill in...

It's all about understanding: for this communicator, getting the message across clearly and succinctly is the name of the game.(personality)
May 1, 2006... In this issue we hear from Andrew Taylor, head of international and internal communication at Audencia Nantes School of Management in Nantes, France. What historical figure do you most identify with? Mahatma Gandhi. Not because I see...