You say you want a revolution?

When offered a chance to get in front of the pack and set the course for change, top communicators signed up and showed up for the 1994 IABC international conference in Boston.

Touted as the Communication Revolution, the 1994 IABC international conference recognized that the magnitude of the turbulent changes sweeping the globe constitutes a revolution. The conference covered several fronts of this revolution: technology, a global recession, downsizing (rightsizing, layoffs, or whatever the euphemism du jour might be), diversity, and doing more with less. The result of this ongoing revolution is that the world -- whether you consider that to be the location of your plant, the continent you live on, or our planet -- will never be the same.

Conference presenters described some of the dramatic changes and speculated where this revolution may take us. None was certain what the end result would look like, but all were confident that communicators will be crucial in shepherding the world though these changes. The conference challenged us to promote the positive change before us, to take the lead on the frightening trail ahead, and to responsibly accept our role as central to redrafting the world as we know it. Participants were dared to break through the past and lead the journey to the future.

In pursuit of IABC's vision, the conference sought to inspire communicators to the highest level of professional standards. And boy did they inspire.

The conference included case studies, group meetings, roundtable discussions, role playing, workshops and other techniques. But what seemed to be the critical ingredient for success was the people. An impressive collection of more than 1,300 practitioners came from some 23 countries.

In a keynote session that felt like a personal visit, Maya Angelou fomented communicators with the fire, passion, wisdom and humor that are the making of legend. Lord David Owen, mediator in the Bosnian crisis and European Community co-chair, expanded our understanding of the relationship between global politics and the human condition with spellbinding insight and clarity.

The conference did not just put our heads in the clouds and challenge us to reach for the stars; pragmatic programs such as "Refrigerator Journalism," "How to Jump Start Your Brain," "The Business of Starting a Business" and "How to Survive the 8-Day Week" anchored our feet firmly on the ground as well.

KEYNOTER STRESSES SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Lauded as a role model to the world in the area of corporate social responsibility, Arnold Hiatt served as a senior executive of The Stride Rite Corporation for more than two decades, first as CEO and president, then chairman of the board. He has assumed the post for director of numerous cultural and philanthropic organizations and is an advocate of social responsibility in politics.

At the opening general session, this corporate leader was described as champion of the family, the worker, and plain common sense in the business world.

In his keynote address, Hiatt shared a glimpse from the top. "It is hard to prove to board members that being a socially responsible company is also financially responsible as well." Apparently Hiatt proved that: The Stride Rite Foundation now receives an annual gift of 5 percent of corporate earnings, which meant U.S. $5 million in recent years. The money is well spent on programs such as scholarships sending inner city youth on to Harvard, and providing quality day care for dependent children and elderly parents of disadvantaged community members and employees.

As a corporation, Stride Rite is setting the trend as opposed to following it. While many are now lending a hand to environmental conservation, Stride Rite was the first company ever to establish a clean air policy by creating a smoke-free environment, which is now becoming the norm.

Stride Rite is continually praised as superlative. Its ubiquitous place on lists such as "Top American Corporations," "Ten Best Companies" and "Top Ten Companies to Work For" speaks of the power of positive corporate citizenship. "Children just want someone to look up to, someone who cares for them. When this is provided for them, things happen: school attendance increases, homework is done," Hiatt said. "Our employees appreciate working for a company that cares for them, for others and that works to change the life of a child."

DIVERSITY ALL INCLUSIVE

IABCers attended a breakout session that explored the issue, "Sexual Orientation: The New Cultural Diversity Challenge." Led by Deborah Johnson Rolon, executive director of the Motivational Institute in California. The session was one of two offered by the IABC Multiculturalism Committee and the seventh in a series of conference programs to deal with the dimension of diversity and its effect on communication.

Johnson-Rolon guided attenders through sensitivity exercises, and then, practical applications directly related to communication in the work place. Participants received information about inclusiveness with regard to personnel policies, health insurance and other organizational issues and heard thought-provoking dialog about personal prejudices.

"Even though I believe I have an open mind about this issue, I found out that I don't. The tests Deborah administered clearly showed how insensitive many of us are," said participant Al Wann, ABC, regional public relations director, AT&T. "The bottom-line is that we, as communicators, are responsible for changing the behavior of our audiences to get them to consider alternative points of view. Because Deborah's message clearly spoke to that, all of IABC and the entire communication profession needs to hear it."

How do we as communicators get sexual orientation issues off the page and into action? Take a short course in mastering change from cultural anthropologist, Jennifer James, Ph.D. James, who addressed attenders during Wednesday's major presentation on "How to Take Risks for Peak Performance in Business," offered the following advice:

"Your job as communicators is to say, 'It doesn't have to be this way,' which means finding a thousand ways to open windows. To make something happen, you have to get to the windowsill of change, tumble through the crisis, and then let people talk themselves into it. After that, they'll listen."

CONFERENCE PROGRAMMING INSPIRED ACTION/SUPPORT

Response from some first-time attenders reveals that praise for the conference does not come exclusively from those already converted. "I was deeply impressed and had a wonderful time meeting topnotch colleagues from around the world," said Kim Hunter, president/CEO of Lagrant Communications in California, and president of the Black Public Relations Society of California. "The fact that it was so enjoyable made obtaining information, resources and techniques that much easier. I came to the conference without any expectations, determined not to compare it to any PRSA, BPRC or other conferences and symposia, and was I impressed."

Boston was Hunter's first IABC conference, but because of his first impression it will not be his last. "I was so impressed with the organization and its members. I have every intention of becoming an extremely active IABC member on every level and want to contribute my time and energy to IABC, not just to benefit the organization, but to advance my personal and professional development. I have already been in touch with several of the contacts I made in Boston, using my new network of professionals."

Judging the conference on a single day provides compelling testimony to the value of attending the conference, according to Lynn McChristian with USAA Insurance in Tampa, Fl. "The last day alone offered everything I had hoped for in the international conference. It was a fabulous collection of topnotch speakers and truly valuable information. I am making plans to attend next year."

Our challenge is to shed the old habits which hinder us as leaders for positive change. To recognize the truth in Charles Darwin's words, "It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but rather the one that is most adaptable to change." This speaks to why we must regroup in Toronto next June 11-14, to check our plans, possibly re-plot our course for the world's future and reassess what we need and need to know to lead this revolution.

GROWING INTERNATIONAL IS KEY PRIORITY

IABC made history in its commitment to international development. At its final meeting, the 1993-94 executive board voted unanimously to support the direction proposed by the International Development Team, a group of senior IABC leaders who have worked hard over the past two years evaluating the needs of members and recommending the most effective ways of delivering programs and services around the world.

The board's vote does not change IABC's operations overnight. But it does pave the way for what will likely be a multi-year evolution to a new way of operating. The team will be led by Brian White, ABC, international development director, who, according to incoming Chairman Ruta Skelton, ABC, "is going to be a very busy man in this next year.

"I would like to congratulate the association's leaders on their courage and foresight. There was a lot of lively discussion about our international direction. Brian White compared it to bouncing and bouncing and bouncing on the end of a high diving board, before finally deciding to take the plunge.

"Right now, we don't know for sure how deep the water is. But we do know that it is deep enough and rich enough in possibilities for IABC to move forward. And move we must -- to an association that is dynamic, diverse and responsive ... to an association that is a sophisticated international network ... to an association that thinks like a business and acts like an old friend," Skelton added.

Skelton said, "IABC does so many things right. Let's not lose sight of that. We need to preserve the unique spirit of IABC and we need to build on it. We can't afford to stand still. As one of my colleagues at work says, 'today is tomorrow's yesterday.'"

Passing the gavel 

June is a time of transition for IABC. Stepping down as the 1993-94 chairman of IABC, Marcia P. Vaughan, ABC, described her tenure as the experience, and the privilege, of a lifetime. At the last general session, she shared some of the lessons she has learned from her IABC experience, what she describes as her personal, ongoing Ph.D. program.

"Organizations are reengineering themselves, and that is the first thing you taught me that we must do, as a profession, an association, a department and an individual practitioner. We must restructure the way we approach our jobs to maximize our resources, to stay ahead of the learning curve, and to provide innovative solutions that focus on our customers' needs."

Panel Discusses Conflict Resolution

Lord David Owen, European Community co-chairman, brought his expertise as mediator in the Bosnian crisis to the general session panel discussion. Antonia Handler Chayes is president of the Consensus Building Institute, an organization formed for national and international dispute resolution. Firuz Kazemzadeh, Ph.D. is a Russian scholar, an author of books and articles on Russian history, and for nearly 40 years a professor of history at Yale. The three answered questions, and debated complex issues in resolving what many see as unresolvable conflicts. Chairman of the conference program advisory committee, Mary Lou van Schaik, remarked, after the discussion, "What can we learn from international conflict resolution that applies to our jobs? Several points came home for me:

"First, the need for deeper understanding of complex issues. When we're dealing with sensitive issues, we need more than superficial analysis.

"Then there's patience. Many difficult problems take a lot of time to work through to everyone's satisfaction -- and that runs counter to most of our 'busy, busy' lives.

We also need to be willing to suspend our own judgments -- temporarily, so that we truly listen and understand other sides to an issue.

"And finally, the importance of exploring, through genuine give and take, other perspectives, particularly when they're different from our own."