The power of connection: presenters and attenders at this year's IABC Conference find that communication and connection are one and the same.

It's no secret that everyone communicates, but not everyone communicates well. We all see examples of poor communication, miscommunication and irrelevant communication every day. But like any skill, communication can be improved. And that goal is what brought more than 1,480 communicators from 39 countries to Vancouver, British Columbia, in June for the 2006 IABC International Conference.

The 83 well-attended sessions covered a variety of vehicles and strategies, and emphasized the unique differences and challenges that communicators might need to understand for their industries. And there was recognition of all that IABC does for its members--the research, the skills training, the camaraderie. But what brought everyone together was an overarching desire to make their work more meaningful, more relevant and more powerful. And that connection pervaded every aspect of the conference.

Perhaps no single speaker or presenter demonstrated that more clearly than Stephen Lewis, who implored attenders to one general session to use their skills and power to help stem the spread of HIV/AIDS in Africa. Lewis, the United Nations' special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa and commissioner for the World Health Organization's Commission on the Social Determinants of Health, delivered a powerful, passionate speech about the impact the pandemic is having on Africa--and the dismal future of the continent, and the world, unless more is done to stop it.

In his work, Lewis said, he learned early on that putting a human face on what it is you want to convey was one of the best communication strategies he knew. Describing the efforts of organizations and individuals alike, Lewis shared positive and negative stories--of HIV-positive women banding together to grow and sell cabbages; of millions of orphans being raised by their grandmothers; of celebrities, including Bono, Angelina Jolie and Bill Gates, who have done much to raise awareness and money.

Lewis challenged the audience of communicators to direct more corporate social responsibility efforts to organizations and causes that work to stem the pandemic. Commending the IABC Research Foundation for its comprehensive studies, he also suggested that similar studies might be done to help explain why we are "finding it so difficult to change behavior." After all, he said, it's a matter of communication and finding the right vehicle. "You have it in your hands," he said, "to make an extraordinary difference."

But Lewis wasn't the only speaker to talk about the power of one person to make a difference. Mark Burnett opened the conference with a tale of how he went from British commando to Beverly Hills nanny to one of the most successful producers in Hollywood today. The creator of Survivor and The Apprentice, to name just two of his many television series, explained how he learned to study individuals and their communication styles, and tailor his message to them. "Only idiots try to communicate with a canned approach," he said. That shouldn't have been a surprise to the communicators in the audience, but Burnett's humorous storytelling may have reminded them that there's more than one way to spin a tale.

This year's EXCEL Award winner, Rajesh Subramaniam, described how he worked to connect with FedEx Canada's employees, 85 percent of whom are on-road couriers without regular access to electronic communication. Part of the answer was to complete a high-profile weeklong job switch with one of those couriers, which was televised as part of a CBC program. The result was a humorous--and effective--way to introduce himself to and build rapport with his team of 5,000-plus individuals, as well as develop a keen understanding of the day-to-day workings of the business. (For more on Subramaniam, see "Delivering the message, one person at a time," page 20.)

Celebrating communication of all kinds is the goal of the Gold Quill Awards, and winners this year were feted at a gala banquet at Vancouver's

Fairmont Hotel (one of two locales for the conference this year, the other being the Hyatt). Four hundred fifty of the winners attended.

Throughout the conference, attenders not only had an opportunity to hear from some of the world's leading communication professionals, but also to share their successes, strategies and dilemmas with their peers. And with each IABC conference, that connection proves a powerful draw.