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Greetings from Ray Kotcher
Never has a more important time emerged to examine the pressing issues that face corporate communications professionals today. That's why Perspectives, Ketchum's online magazine, devotes this issue to a Conference Board conference held in early May, sponsored by Ketchum. It explores many critical issues confronting corporate communications — from reputation management, influencers, media relations and crisis communications to strategic employee communications, measurement of bottom-line results, and building dynamic organizations. Perspectives covered the sessions and shares from them the latest counsel in unlocking corporate communications from expert practitioners.
Among them: I challenge the public relations industry to embrace influencers and Ketchum Partner Paul Rand explains influencer relationship management (IRM). Ketchum Senior Partner Robert Flaherty offers a new value proposition for corporate communications. President and CEO Gary Stromberg of Stromberg Consulting tackles strategies for influencing employee attitudes, and Ketchum SVP Thomas Barritt provides counsel for coping and succeeding with a crisis.
We also present summaries of the other conference speakers' presentations and offer links to other valuable information. These include, among others, how to predict organizational outcomes with confidence by Bill Plummer, Nokia's vice president of external affairs; the importance of strategic communications planning and evaluation by Donna Coletti, Texas Instruments' communications director for broadband, and a fascinating roundtable discussion with four top public relations professionals on building exceptional organizations.
The conference clearly illuminated the exciting opportunities — and the significant challenges — ahead for corporate communicators. I think you will find this issue of Perspectives captures both very well and offers insights you can use in your external and internal communications initiatives.
As usual, we welcome your feedback on this issue of Perspectives. Please write me at ray.kotcher@ketchum.com.
