Conversations with ... Ruta Skelton, ABC, chairman of IABC and principal and communication practice manager, Towers Perrin, Toronto, and David Paulus, recently appointed president of IABC.

Q: How did you start out in the field of organizational communication?

My first job after university was working as an editor for Maclean's magazine, a Canadian newsweekly. After four years there, I decided to switch career tracks. I really enjoyed writing and wanted to concentrate on that, rather than editing. Looking around, I answered a newspaper ad and suddenly found myself working in organizational communication and public relations.

Q: How and when did you first become involved in IABC?

My first assignment in my new job was to initiate an internal communication program, in the aftermath of a bitter two-year strike. My boss at the time suggested I tap into IABC for ideas and contacts. I must admit I had a somewhat lukewarm impression of the association initially, but my eyes were really opened after I attended my first international conference in 1981. I was a convert - and instant volunteer. My first memory of volunteer work is sitting around a cramped conference table with the IABC/Toronto program committee, chaired by Sharon Paul, ABC.

Q: You have worked steadily as an IABC volunteer for 13 years. What has kept you going?

Somebody called me the "ultimate volunteer" the other day. I have three primary motivations. First, IABC has provided me with limitless professional development opportunities - mainly through serving in leadership positions versus attending seminars and other programs. I have been able to apply so much of what I have learned - and that you can't get through a course - to my job. Second, the association is a superb forum for networking and old-fashioned collegiality. For example, my career in consulting came about after a casual conversation at an international conference. And, third, I hope I have been able to give something back to the communication profession through my involvement.

Q: What are your personal and professional goals?

On a personal level, my greatest ambition is to see my two sons grow up to be happy, healthy and successful. On the professional side, I look forward to growing in the consulting field. In doing that, I would like to round out my education, by taking a "mini MBA" course. Hindsight is 20/20, but I wish I had studied business in university.

Q: How do you juggle all your commitments - work, family, volunteer activity?

I must admit there are days when I feel stretched. But the operative word is 'fun.' I wouldn't take on what I do, if I found no enjoyment or personal satisfaction. I am very fortunate to have a supportive husband and family. On a practical level, I rely on making lists, using the refrigerator door as 'communication central,' maintaining a home office, dropping most of my hobbies and learning to live on less sleep.

Q: If you were starting your professional communication career today, what would you do differently?

Although I have had three distinct careers, each has provided me with skills on which I could build. Looking back, it seems I made a natural progression. I would change two things, though. I would have studied business and joined the consulting business sooner in my working life.

Q: What can (or should) the association do to increase its effectiveness in helping communicators move forward in their careers?

It boils down to credibility and visibility. Communicators have such a critical role to play in helping the transformed organizations of the 1990s succeed. Yet, their contribution and potential are not recognized - actually, they are misunderstood - by the executives of many of these organizations. IABC, itself, is largely unknown outside the communication profession. We need to change this. Communicators need to hone their strategic skills and acquire a good working knowledge of business. These need to be professional development priorities for communicators and, in turn, IABC. As well, IABC needs to raise its profile, taking stands on timely issues. If the association can make headway in these areas, it will go a long way in helping communicators win their places at the boardroom table.

Paulus and Skelton on IABC's agenda for the future - membership, finances, international development and technical presence.

Q: What is IABC doing about international development?

RS: In a meeting last December, the international development team - which has been meeting over the past two years to develop plans for an international strategy - recommended that IABC's Europe/Africa and Asia/Pacific regions develop business plans. These plans will indicate what resources they will need and for what purposes. The regions' planners also will include suggestions about revenue sources to fund them and make evaluations on how costs can be reduced. The team is looking to the business plan to define what type of governance models will suit these specific needs, and will establish perspectives and membership targets for the next three to five years. They continue the important task of questioning what products and services will be offered, and, once decided, in which countries and regions of the world. As we go through this evaluation of services and products worldwide, and effectively unbundle many of them, we should find answers to these fundamental questions.

Q: When will these regional business plans go from proposals to reality?

DP: The team agreed to a complete review of the plans, and will propose action at the executive committee meeting in April. I might add also that some exciting ideas are being considered - such as coming up with new financial incentives for membership development at the chapter and district/regional level, for all areas, not just outside North America. We're also considering alternative classes of membership such as corporate memberships. We see the importance of building on IABC's fundamental strength - its existing membership - by offering access to IABC's vast network in North America to prospective, new corporate members in Europe, Asia, Latin America and Africa.

Q: What are the financial incentives that might be offered to regions to increase membership?

DP: We're looking to the leaders within each region to describe what incentives might be appropriate for them. I think everyone is wide open to consider any reasonable scheme that drives new member development - and to have it tailored to each country and region.

Q: You spoke of new ideas and plans - and the possibility of unbundled services. Could you elaborate?

RS: Since David joined IABC last November 1, he and his staff have been in the process of re-evaluating all services and products that originate from headquarters, and are beginning to re-focus and improve them. Some of these new initiatives might require venture capital investment or seed money. David brings to IABC a business and customer-oriented management style of setting priorities. I'm sure as his plans evolve, they will signal both the pace at which changes to existing services might proceed, and the possibility of new initiatives that require front-end investment.

DP: If we are going to prepare IABC for the future, I see many other factors that need to be considered, such as ways to find new sources of revenue, or changing what we do, and refocusing our resources accordingly. By doing this, it would reduce the need to rely on dues as the only source of additional revenue.

Q: IABC headquarters is encouraging more use of technology for more effective and speedier communication. How do you see this paying off for members?

DP: It's amazing how technology is causing a peaceful revolution in our field. We don't want our members to be left behind. We want to give them the tools they will need to stay on the leading edge. I'll list some of the ways we are using technology now, and what we're looking at in the near future:

We now use CompuServe E-mail to send paperless messages to chapter leaders who elect to use the service. We also have a lively group in IABC Hyperspace that discusses and debates issues, and just comments online. This group is growing daily, and could be an ideal mechanism for us to conduct informal surveys. One we are doing is to take a hot PR issue such as the USAir crisis, or Intel's Pentium chip and ask members to rate a number of communication-related aspects on a scale of one to 10. We'll then tabulate and release this information to members and possibly to the media. This type of information lets members become known as professionals who have the expertise to formulate opinions on the communication aspects of crises and other PR incidents.

RS: Through CompuServe, Communication World online has received close to 1,000 accesses. Conference sessions that were put online also had a lot of activity.

DP: We're also exploring the possibility of establishing a presence on the Internet. We are considering posting an IABC "page" - or pages - from which members and others can access our products and services and interact with staff and volunteers. In fact, you might even be able to fill out a membership form or register for conference online!

We're also developing PeopleFinders, a database that identifies IABC members around the world by areas of expertise. IABC's strength is our people contacts. PeopleFinders can be an extremely valuable product, particularly for developing corporate memberships outside North America.

RS: And we're about to launch "fax on demand" with which members, or non-members, can ask for information about all IABC services, and receive information immediately. The information is faxed automatically upon request, with no staff time required to process it.

DP: Shortly, WorldBook will be available to members on DOS format floppy disks. We're creating a custom-made database application so members can access our member records by name, location, industry and organization. We're investigating a Mac version for next year. CD-ROM is also being investigated.

RS: CareerBuilders is another new product that is being developed. It takes the place of the Matrix, which communicators were able to use to track their professional growth. CareerBuilders will be much more extensive, and, be the most up-to-date and comprehensive tool to help communicators identify the skills they need in moving up the professional ladder.

Q: IABC used to have a job hotline. Will it be reinstated?

RS: Probably not, at least not in its former configuration. Actually, I have found that joblines work extremely well at the local level. I'm amazed at how many calls come into the Toronto chapter jobline, and how many placements are made. I can't see how centralizing this could work as well as it does locally.

DP: Headquarters has a list of all local joblines; we can put this into our fax on demand system if it's not too unwieldy.

Q: What new programs are in the works for membership development?

DP: In past years, we've spent a considerable sum on campaign literature. This year we're not. We're going to give the application fee back to the chapters, and the new members, as an incentive for growth.

Q: In considering other revenue sources, what is the status of offering Communication World subscriptions to nonmembers?

DP: We're launching a campaign with the April issue. Communication World will have a per-copy price of U.S. $9.50. We will solicit a one-year-only subscription discounted to $39.95, then after a year, subscribers must pay $95 or join IABC. We will begin our membership telemarketing effort on each subscriber after they receive their second copy of Communication World. And when they join, we will apply the $39.95 credit to membership. As we receive inquiries through promotional mailings, we'll start an intensive telemarketing campaign. This added visibility should give us an excellent new source of prospects.

Q: Are other revenue sources being considered?

DP: For information requests, Communication Bank conducts fee-based research and survey work. This includes benchmarking and tracking hard-to-find information, and can be very time consuming. We will offer one free hour of research, and subsequent charges at $60 per hour for members; and for non-members, no free time, and a charge of $100 per hour.

Q: As you wind up your first 100 days with IABC, could you tell us how being in an association environment differs from that of a corporate environment?

The cultures are fundamentally different. A corporate culture centers around business and profitability. The object of our association is to enhance the profession and make best practices available to our members - while being fiscally responsible. A corporate culture is competitive, in IABC there's little competition among members, or staff. We act more like a family - with all the positives and the disadvantages that a family culture has. I wouldn't change that!

Q: What can, or should, the association do to increase its effectiveness in helping communicators raove forward in their careers?

The most important strength we have is the networking of our members. We learn first hand from each other, which is what happens in any good professional association. The second thing is that we are a repository of examples, and practices, and hopefully best practices, that can be made available to members. And third, we should attempt to identify public policy issues that will affect our members and their businesses and industries. Together we can make an impact on the direction of these issues.

Q: Do you envision any alliances that IABC may form with other organizations to promote growth and improve prestige in the profession of communication?

I sense a real openness among members and leaders on this subject. I certainly am open to possible alliances. In my short tenure here I've not seen an obvious alliance that would create consolidation benefits. What we are looking for are alliances where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. I don't know of any opportunities today, but when and if a possibility develops, we will certainly consider it.

Q: What are your personal and professional goals?

I've had a number of careers - banking, business management, communication, political fund raising. I can't imagine a more exciting or enjoyable life than the one I have lived, and am living. I'd say variety and challenges, and being able to be in a position to cause positive change that would not have occurred if I weren't present. I don't have any aspirations to be at a certain level of financial or psychic reward that some people can state so simply. I'm comfortable with this challenge and feel I can move the organization forward, with the objective of making IABC stand for something and have it matter that I was here.

Q: How would you describe your style of leadership?

I try to find in every individual the passion they may have for some aspect of a job and to put them in a position to perform better than they might. I think the challenge in business is to take average people and put them in positions to do above-average work. Fortunately, I have above-average people in staff and in leadership. I see great opportunities. I think leadership today has to get their hands dirty, know when to let go, and give other people the opportunity to shine, never embarrassing, always rewarding, and offering only constructive criticism.

Q: What do you consider your greatest communication success?

- corporate involvement in public policy fields where I have been able to organize the business community. I helped lead a major reform effort in the Chicago public school system. This culminated in nationally recognized landmark legislation that changed the organization of, and motivation within, the Chicago public schools.

Q: With new borders opening, and being moved around, what new opportunities do you see for communicators?

Certainly with the huge increase in cross border trade after the GATT, NAFTA, AFTA, etc, there will be an increasing need for our professionals to understand what these changes mean for their companies and industries. As communicators, our sensitivities to the differences in cultures and finding the common values gives us a key role to help influence the way management deals with the coming globalization.

Q: What is the most serious challenge for communicators in doing business with other nations and cultures?

All the road blocks are there; there are not any new ones coming. They are lessened by technology that makes us closer in culture and language. Economic ties will make us closer, too.

The barriers were differences in language and culture. Now these are breaking down. This phenomenon leads to constant challenges and difficulties. As communicators, understanding cultures and being able to work in and with them, will make our profession more important in the future.

Q: IABC is approaching its 25th anniversary. As president of IABC, how would you like to direct the association in areas you see as important for the next 25 years?

- make its existence matter not only to members, but also to society; to get involved in the public policy issues that are important to the members and to the world; to work toward a sustainable society. During the next 25 years, the two most important areas will be technology and globalization. IABC must find a role in both that is appropriate.

Q: What is your major priority for IABC's immediate future?

For the immediate future, we will formulate a business-like approach for setting [TABULAR DATA OMITTED] priorities, for what we do with services and products offered by headquarters. These products are very labor intensive and will occupy much of my time in the next year. I envision a set of products and services with excellence as our goal.

I think IABC is at a turning point, as many organizations are. We have lived through 25 years of economic prosperity where corporations have dominated our members' cultures. That has changed. We must find a way to build a reputation that will inspire people to be a part of IABC.

We need to become well managed in all we do - to set priorities and focus on doing fewer things but better, to carve out a few initiatives that will matter in the future, and pursue them with passion.