DECEMBER 2022: THE GIFT OF EXPERTISE
Contents
1.
THE INDEPENDENT VIEW: ’TIS THE SEASON TO PUT A BOW ON YOUR EXPERTISE
PIC Chair Jacqui DeBique is a grateful recipient of many gifts of expertise.
2.
COMMUNICATION IS NOT A SOFT SKILL
How do you engage a roomful of professional engineers? Jacqui d’Eon, P.Eng., ABC, MC, used her expertise, plus a formula, a process and a framework.
3.
3X3: HOW TO SHARE THE GIFT OF EXPERTISE
Let the world know about what you do! Priya Bates, ABC, MC, SCMP and IABC Fellow, Brent Artemchuk and Arlene Amitirigala tell Sue Horner about pushing themselves into the spotlight.
4.
PIC PERSONALITY: MEET SHARON ASCHAIEK
Our former PIC Chair Sharon Aschaiek tells Yvan Marston about the value of showcasing your expertise in a specific specialty.
1.
The Independent View:
By Jacqui DeBique
In the lead-up to the December holiday season, I had the good fortune to attend two conferences, the Strategic Internal Communication Conference and the PR Global Summit Canada 7. These were literally gifted to me, and I am truly grateful to have had the opportunity to learn from the expertise of so many other communication professionals.
When you think about it, expertise, when shared, is a gift to the giver and to the receiver that can come in many shapes and sizes.
At a conference, it might be in your grand centre-stage role as a presenter. According to Shelly Steenhorst Baker, in The Joy and Benefits of Being a Conference Presenter, there are reciprocal learning benefits for conference presenters and participants alike. These include that “Conference presentations allow you to present your data, process or ideas during many stages of development…and offer the chance to receive valuable feedback from colleagues, which will help you when you ultimately implement your work.”
As a conference attendee, rubbing elbows with the masses, networking must get its due as a vehicle for sharing expertise. In the “Top 12 benefits of professional networking and how to get started,” Australian recruiting firm Page Group says that “The opportunity to gather new information is an often-overlooked benefit of networking, as it’s not the most obvious one, but it also offers career progression and development.”
At IABC/Toronto, we thrive on the contributions of volunteers at all levels of the organization. We need look no further than this issue of The Buzz, and many other issues, produced by PIC’s talented co-Directors of Communications & Social Media, volunteers Austine Fischer and Sue Horner.
According to a 2018 Conference Board of Canada report, The Value of Volunteering in Canada, “Volunteering often augments the skill sets and experience of volunteers, helping their own labour market success and the business success of their employers. And after helping others, volunteers often feel better about themselves, which can improve their own life satisfaction and possibly their health.”
Then there’s mentoring. According to Guider, a company dedicated to making mentoring opportunities more accessible for organizations, individuals’ interest in being mentored and organizations’ desire to provide mentoring in the workplace has grown by leaps and bounds since 2020. The commitment that is integral to a successful mentor-mentee relationship is one of the biggest gifts there is.
Honing what we know through continual practice allows us to build skills in a given area. As those skills grow, we become experts at what we do. Thankfully, many experts, like those featured in this issue of The Buzz, find ways to pay it forward that benefit us all.
If I could physically tie up this issue of The Buzz with a bow, I would. I am humbled by what each contributor has given of themselves — from confidence to vulnerability, honesty to hands-on practicality, and intimate glimpses into their personal lives, and beyond.
So, as with any gift I receive, especially the ones that really strike a chord, I thank all of these gift givers profusely for what I have learned. In return, I hope to regift all that I have received.
2.
Communication is NOT a soft skill
By Jacqui d’Eon, P.Eng., ABC, MC
When I was an engineering student, communication skills were an afterthought of my education. As I began my career, it quickly became evident that communication skills were essential, perhaps even critical to my success.
Today, decades later, I am both a professional engineer and a professional communicator. That’s why, when I had the opportunity to address attendees at the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers (OSPE) at their conference in November, I jumped at the chance. The title of my presentation: Communication is NOT a soft skill.
My presentation began with a formula (engineers love formulae!):
This states that the quality of your success is a function of your Knowledge, how you Practice what you know and your Talent. It is in fact the value statement for communication. The formula is not mine; it’s from MIT professor Dr. Patrick Winston.
Next, I spoke about communication as a process (engineers love processes almost as much as formulae!). For this, I used the cycle suggested by our colleague Eric Bergman, MC, ABC, APR:
With a stated value and a process, what the engineers needed were a couple of tools to use for communication. I provided them with my Campaign Brief, which is a combination of a creative brief and project planner (again, an engineer’s delight):
The second ‘tool’ I gave them was the Six-Box Framework (another nod to Eric) for developing oral presentations and written communications:
Did I succeed? My success measurement was the number of downloads of my two tools and uptake of my offer of a free consult. Both exceeded my wildest estimates.
If you have a client or clients who would benefit from a talk like this, drop me a line at jacqui@jadecommunications.ca.
Download your own copy of Jacqui’s Campaign Brief and Six-Box Framework.
3.
3x3: How to share the gift of expertise
By Sue Horner
You’re good at what you do. You’ve worked hard to build your skills. You have expertise and experience. But what are you doing to make sure the world knows about you?
This 3x3 takes inspiration from the fifth annual Strategic Internal Communication Conference that took place in November. The conference is the creation of Priya Bates, ABC, MC, SCMP, IABC Fellow (she/her), and President of Inner Strength Communication Inc. Its speakers included Brent Artemchuk (he/him), Change Manager, Future Workplace for TD Bank, and Arlene Amitirigala (she/her), Principal and Chief Communications Strategist of TrulyArlene Communications, who facilitated a panel discussion.
These three PIC members answered three questions:
1. Where did / do you find opportunities to be a speaker?
Priya: I’ve worked for some big companies, like HP and Loblaw. So when I was in-house, speaking was a professional development opportunity. I was terrified of speaking but I threw myself into figuring it out. The hardest part was getting in front of people, heart pounding and palms sweaty, whether around a board table or in front of a crowd.
In retrospect, learning when I was in-house was smart. I was able to use my experiences to start building my personal brand and what I was known for. As a graduate of Humber College, I was invited back to speak to students. I would also find opportunities by looking at industry events and the speaker lists. It helped to have well-known companies on my resume. Courage and confidence came over time as I developed in my career. Now I often create my own opportunities, like the Strategic Internal Communication Conference.
Brent: Priya knew I was working on an initiative to bring everyone at TD back to the workplace. She asked if I’d be interested in talking about the project and illustrating how change management helped drive internal communications. Of course, I said yes.
I’ve presented to small groups in the past; however, these were typically internal, and usually with another colleague. This was different – I would be doing it solo and to a larger group of paying customers expecting the type of fantastic content reflected in Priya’s brand. So, a bit of pressure! In the end, I enjoyed it and was grateful to be one of a small number of speakers over the two days. How would I seek out future speaking opportunities? I think I’d go back to my network if I want to start doing this more often. You know, put the word out that I’m open to doing this.
Arlene: Years ago, I joined Toastmasters, and I entered competitions to help me get accustomed to speaking to larger groups. I’m also broadcast trained to present on radio and TV. So I seize every opportunity that comes my way, paid or unpaid, from emceeing family weddings to larger corporate galas. I look for roles that enable me to speak in public, and always raise my hand to do presentations and seminars to external and internal audiences. I let people in my network know I am available and that I love doing this kind of thing.
Priya invited me to take part in the conference, and I came up with the idea of facilitating a panel discussion on the role of the internal communications professional. She and I collaborated on finding speakers and we had a lively discussion with lots of audience participation.
2. What are the benefits of presenting in an area in which you have training or expertise?
Priya: In the beginning, I just wanted to get experience. That evolved to “This is what I want to be known for.” Then I wanted to get business. When I launched my business, my coach asked how many clients I’d like to have. When I said 10, he asked, “How many people do you need to talk to so you can get 10 clients?” If you figure 5% of people might hire you, that means getting in front of hundreds. You can’t do that with one-on-one meetings but you can by being part of conferences.
I’ve since spoken at maybe 50 IABC events – world conferences, local and regional events and panel discussions. I take part in three to four IABC events a year. They give me a chance to say “Here’s who I am, here’s my expertise, here’s what I can do for you.”
Brent: Getting up in front of people I didn’t know was definitely out of my comfort zone. Plus, the audience were professional, accomplished communicators! So, I went in as confidently as I could, and it was a great experience. I think one benefit is learning that you need to meet the things that make you uncomfortable head on. If you have preconceived notions about what you can or cannot do, try to use that to your advantage and really push yourself. It also helps to have a solid support network.
The experience showed me that you assume everyone is doing the same things, but that’s not always the case. The feedback I’ve received indicated that I was able to teach people something new. They learned a strategic approach or some tactical pieces they hadn’t thought about. So that was a great feeling.
Arlene: The big benefit to those of us who are indies is visibility as a thought leader and expert. Each time I’ve spoken, I have gotten a new contact, new business or an invitation to speak somewhere else. You also solidify your knowledge, refresh your thinking and enhance your presentation skills. And you start out speaking for free, but as your expertise builds, you’ll be paid to speak.
Sometimes people don’t know what you can do. Now when I have an opportunity to speak, I ask someone to take a photo of me during the presentation and I post it to social media channels. People can clearly see this is part of what I do and I’m delighted to do more of it.
3. How do you create and deliver a solid presentation?
Priya: I attend a lot of conferences, and I pay attention to what presenters do. Being memorable is important, and one thing people remember about my talks is my alliteration. An example is using the “i5” framework to explain internal communication: going beyond implementation to interacting with our audience; integrating communication and strategy; influencing how our organizations communicate; and impacting business results.
At first my talks were more of a conversation; the things I know and can talk through naturally. As I get to a keynote level, the presentations need to be more crisp and polished, and I’m thinking of investing in a speaking coach to help with that.
Arlene: In terms of a solid presentation, what works is being really familiar with the material. I like to deliver a talk without reading any of it, so I write the entire speech and record myself on my iPhone delivering it. I play it back to myself several times to embed it in my mind. I might have a couple of index cards as my cue, and slides will have just images or a few bullet points, with more information in the notes.
Brent: It may sound hokey, but I visualized myself doing the presentation beforehand. I thought about people I’d seen speak in the past. I thought about how they spoke, how they held their bodies in a certain way, whether they did something memorable or how they were just at ease with themselves. And I imagined myself doing the same. Plus, I can’t tell you how many times I practiced to get comfortable with the material, much like the way a kid sings rock tunes into a hairbrush in front of the mirror.
Our thanks to Priya, Brent and Arlene for sharing their expertise! We launched this column to bring the voices of more PIC members into The Buzz. If you’d like to suggest a topic, or want to volunteer yourself as one of the three “voices,” please contact Sue Horner at getwrite@sympatico.ca. Our thanks to Gary Schlee, ABC, MC, for suggesting the name “3x3.”
4.
PIC Personality: Meet Sharon Aschaiek
By Yvan Marston
Sharon Aschaiek (she/her) is the principal of Higher Ed Communications, a content consulting and creation firm that helps post-secondary schools share their success stories, engage with key audiences and achieve organizational goals through clear, concise and compelling writing that is strategically conceptualized and professionally executed. Connect with Sharon on LinkedIn.
When did you launch your independent business?
I’ve been a professional communicator since 2000 and an independent since 2004. My first job after journalism school was with the Toronto Sun’s advertising department as a special sections editor. That’s where I discovered the higher education sector’s communications needs and saw an opportunity to create my own path as a writer.
How did it come about?
Part of it was that my parents were both self-employed, so that desire ran in the family. I started freelancing lifestyle and travel pieces when I was still working at the Sun. And I was building up my contacts and business writing freelance for different media publications. It took about nine months before I had enough work to transition to being a full-time independent. I’m driven, so I’ve always been proactive in terms of prospecting and business development. Once I started, I just kept going. Eventually, I built on my Toronto Sun experience in higher ed and specialized in communications for that sector.
What do you enjoy most about being an indie?
As a single parent, having a flexible schedule is very important to me. My son is autistic, so it has been helpful to be able to create a life that’s not restricted by an eight-hour workday. Now that he’s older, I’m looking at how I can level up my business. That’s one of the greatest parts of being an indie: you can take your work in a new direction, explore new opportunities and try new clients. I also have more freedom to be more engaged in other aspects of my life, like joining my son’s school council and exploring my interest in meditation.
What don’t you like about being an indie?
If you’re an indie, you have to work in your business and on your business. So, you have to focus on the client work, but also think about the bigger picture. Sometimes it can be nice to just do the writing, editing and advising work and not worry about all the other details of running a business, like admin and accounting. (But I do enjoy the business development side of things.) It can also be isolating. That’s why it’s so important to build opportunities to partner with people. I always have my radar up for the chance to collaborate.
What advice would you give someone new to independent life?
I know everybody says this, but it’s true: network. Always be somewhere or part of a group where you can connect with other professionals. Connect, then reconnect to nurture those professional relationships. And think about what those people may want or need. Bring opportunities to your network and think about it in terms of what you can do for them, how you can be of service. That’s how you strengthen your ties with your professional contacts.
I would also suggest specializing. My focus on post-secondary education communications allows me to focus like a beat reporter, building on the knowledge I gain from every project. It also allows me to become known in that sector, making repeat referrals a key part of my business development.
For more experienced independents, my advice is don't be afraid to hire some help. I had an intern from Humber College help me this past summer, and now have a part-time assistant. Having an employee has forced me to be more strategic about my business goals and operations.
What value do you get from your IABC and PIC membership?
I was Chair of PIC for four years and during that time, IABC/Toronto made the independents part of the chapter board. Once I had a seat at that table, I acquired a ton of leadership skills, like delegation and collaboration. I really felt that I was part of a team helping to advance the profession. It was a great experience that – bonus – also included a free trip to IABC’s annual Leadership Institute in California!
Festive scene at the social
PIC’s holiday social on December 13 had it all, from Santa hats and sparkly sweaters to flashing lights and festive fun. The prize for best holiday dressed went to guest Shane Gerard and his Simpsons-themed sweater, and Sue Horner won a prize for most coveted/stolen gift (a mini heart-shaped waffle maker) in the gift exchange. Our thanks to all for making it a fun event, and especially to organizers Catharine Heddle and Christopher Trotman. We’re already talking about making this a yearly tradition!
Changes to the PIC member list due December 19
As a PIC member, you can gain visibility on the PIC member list on the IABC/Toronto website. Send your updates to PIC’s Director of Membership, Maureen Hosein, ABC, at maureenhosein@yahoo.com, by Monday, December 19. For new profiles, send your:
- Name
- Company name
- City (to help us know who’s in our neighbourhood)
- Email address
- Telephone number (optional)
- Website and LinkedIn URLs
- Social media accounts, if any
- Business description (up to 80 words).
If you are already on the list, does your listing include your LinkedIn profile? Have you earned an OVATION, Silver Leaf or Gold Quill award you can brag about?
See you on social media!
Build and strengthen your connections, advance your business and network with other PIC members on social media. In case you missed them, recent posts shared on our social media channels include:
- Should you speak for free? Depends if you’re the equivalent of a small indie band or Metallica, says Michael J. Katz.
- Internal communications has high value and high expectations these days. What are you doing to “make sure everyone knows your name, what you do, and how damn good you are at it”? Kyla Sims reports for Ragan Communications.
- After two-plus years of virtual events and activities, Rob Biesenbach provides insights on returning to in-person presenting.
Who we are
Professional Independent Communicators (PIC) is a special interest group of IABC/Toronto. PIC’s mission is to support independent IABC/Toronto communicators through professional development, networking and marketing. The Buzz informs members about upcoming events, shares professional development tips from past meetings and keeps us connected.
IABC connects communicators from around the world with the insights, resources and people they need to drive their careers and their professions forward.
Editor: Sue Horner | Designer: Austine Fischer
Executive team
Chair: Jacqui DeBique | Past Chair: Arlene Amitirigala | Membership: Maureen Hosein, ABC | Marketing & Sponsorship: Brent Artemchuk | Communications & Social Media: Austine Fischer, Sue Horner | Programming: Catharine Heddle, Christopher Trotman