Presenter: Sarah Sugiyama APR, Executive Director, Fraser River Sturgeon Conservation Society
Not-for-Profit organizations are becoming increasingly aware that Branding and social entrepreneurialism are key factors in ensuring continued success in this highly competitive arena. Organizational sustainability today is about creating an organization that adapts to, promotes and embraces social change. Sarah will challenge participants to think and act differently about their communications strategies, helping their organizations become stronger and more sustainable enterprises.
In this interactive and engaging session, Sarah facilitates idea-sharing and discussion while consistently demonstrating the use of the RACE model through real-life cases.
The Corporate Responsibility Challenge: Are you ready?
Presenter: Rick Petersen, Partner and Senior Vice-President, Corporate Responsibility, NATIONAL Public Relations
Organizations of all types and in every sector are struggling to respond to a broad range of fundamental challenges to the way they operate. For some, this means revisiting core values; for others, it means seeking new approaches to engaging with increasingly demanding stakeholders; and for still others it means reinventing unsustainable business models. For leading companies, it has meant taking an integrated “stewardship” approach to managing environmental, social, and governance issues while driving product innovation and market success.
While much ink has been spilled about the need to drive responsibility, accountability and sustainability into the strategic “DNA” of an organization, less has been said about the central role that communications must play. In fact, building employee engagement, overcoming operational inertia, changing consumer behaviour and more, can only happen when and if awareness, understanding and buy-in are created from the inside out.
This interactive presentation will explore the daunting and exciting challenges of the emerging Corporate Responsibility communications profession. Using experience drawn from multiple industries and regions, it will show how to link operational principles, management systems and metrics, align existing and emerging standards, and leverage the broad range of communications tools at our disposal.
Presenter: Bob Joseph, the President of Indigenous Corporate Training Inc.
The new Aboriginal landscape is here and growing and is being driven by things we need to understand. You realize this new landscape requires a different approach and you are trying to decide if you should differentiate yourself in the market place by specializing in Aboriginal communications.
In this session you will learn:
* the old landscape and why it is changing * current trends in Aboriginal communications * the types of organizations requiring Aboriginal communications experience * the best terminology to use and when to use it * intercultural communications - what every communicator should know * best practice in aboriginal communications
Please join us as your time here is sure to put you on the cutting edge of communications with Aboriginal Peoples. Also, we invite you to visit our website at www.ictinc.ca to see an overview of products and services designed to help individuals and organizations to work effectively with Aboriginal Peoples.
Communicating Sustainability or Greenwashing? - Guidelines for responsible communications in sustainable development
Presenter: Solange Tremblay is a founding member of the Chair in Public Relations and Marketing Communication at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)
Sustainable development is on everyone’s lips. Its universal values have literally swept the planet, creating a strong wave of sympathy. But how can organizations meet people’s expectations concerning sustainability? And how does it relate to public relations? With the increasing social pressure to adhere to sustainability and the unfortunate parallel spread of ‘‘greenwashing”, what are the key issues in responsible communications?
This presentation will provide PR practitioners with a simple framework answering the Five W’s regularly asked about sustainability, so they can better assist their organizations and clients with this important question. The session will present research data about the role of communications in sustainability efforts and propose some guidelines to ‘‘walk the talk” and communicate responsibly with stakeholders.
