Filipino business communicators win 5 IABC gold quills

LOS ANGELES, California – The City of Angels hosted the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) conference last June 6 to 9, where 1,300 communicators and public relations practitioners from 40 countries including the Philippines convened for keynote presentations, seminars and in-depth workshops that showcased effective new tools, strategies and practices in business communication.

Internationally acclaimed author Salman Rushdie opened the gathering with an invitation to "step across the line" and explore the concepts of borders and boundaries, journeys and the crossing of frontiers from his brilliant literary work. Rushdie discussed the changing nature of frontiers in our time and the inherent risks and threats in crossing boundaries that are defined by others. In his talk, he left the conference attendees a little wiser with a deeper understanding of cultural sensitivities, the implications of fear and the immense power of the human language.

Rushdie gained world prominence when forced into hiding from a religious decree or fatwa issued by the late Iranian Ayatollah Khomeini for his novel The Satanic Verses. The fatwa was lifted in 1998 – the same year that Rushdie’s novel Midnight’s Children was named No. 90 in the Modern Library’s ranking of the Outstanding English Language Novels of the 20th century. Midnight’s Children also won the Booker Prize for Fiction and was named the best novel to have won in the award’s 25-year history.

Chris Grossgart of Communications World reported, "Rushdie ushered in a new genre of the 20th century literature with his clever mingling of magic realism and historical events to create the modern epic. His ability to evoke an age by transforming historical facts into an imaginative multicultural tapestry has been likened to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s swirling pictorials of the 1920s."

Rushdie has always been interested in the theme of the frontiers both metaphorical and literal. "We live in an age of migration, and those transborderline movements of humanity have transformed world civilization in our time," he averred. And as a migrant himself, that is an obvious theme for him. But Rushdie is also interested in stepping across the lines people draw in the sand, challenging taboos or embargoes of all sorts, which to him is essential for the health of the culture. He argued, "It’s the job of the artist or communicator, by pushing against and breaking through boundaries to increase the sum of what’s possible to think."

In his work, Rushdie has demonstrated strong commitment to personal convictions despite pressure from media, governments and hostile publics. And in this age, when companies are scrutinized for questionable ethical practices, he had the good fortune to face those conflicts in his professional life since the days when he worked in advertising agencies as a young man. "In those days I did try to argue for what I believed was right and came close to being fired, and a few times my points were even accepted. So argue your corner," Rushdie emphasized. On dealing with angry audiences, the best techniques he has found effective are good humor, answering their points fairly, and more jokes.

Rushdie continues to write a regular column, picking subjects for which he feels some sense of personal or intellectual connection. To him the most difficult part of the job is to express a strong opinion without becoming crazily unfair. "Actually, it’s okay to be unfair, but only if the unfairness you’re discussing is greater than your own," he stressed.

The Corporation

Through an exclusive agreement with author and co-creator Joel Bakan, a private screening of the provocative award-winning documentary The Corporation was also shown in the conference. A winner of the Documentary Audience Award for World Cinema at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival, the movie charts the spectacular rise of an institution, its impact on our planet and the public’s response. In Bakan’s informal session, following the film showing, he led a discussion and answered audience questions on the documentary which was based on his book, The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power.

At present, the conscience-piercing movie is creating controversy worldwide for its essential inquiry that invites CEOs, whistle-blowers, brokers, gurus, spies, players, pawns and pundits on an engaging quest to reveal the corporation’s inner workings, curious history, impacts and possible futures. It is raising eyebrows and generating popular support from street level to the boardrooms of the corporate social responsibility movement.

Bakan is professor of law at the University of British Columbia, and an internationally recognized legal scholar. A former Rhodes scholar and law clerk to Chief Justice Brian Dickson of the Supreme Court of Canada, he has law degrees from Oxford, Dalhousie and Harvard Universities. His film is a must-see for all business communicators. Watch for it.

5 Gold Quills

IABC announced the winners of the 2004 International Gold Quill, with professional winners competing against entries from Argentina, Australia, Bermuda, Canada, Craotia, Hong Kong, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, People’s Republic of China, Philippines, Russia, Slovenia, South Africa, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, United Kingdom and the United States.

For more than 25 years, the Gold Quill awards program has honored excellence in business communication. Of the 920 entries received, 109 entries were selected to receive an award; 37 for Excellence and 72 for Merit, 5 of which were won by the Philippines – 2 Excellence and 3 Merit.

Asian Development Bank garnered two Excellence, one for the publications category – If I Had the Chance, Artworks from the Streets of Asia and the Pacific – and the other for special projects design, also for the same campaign. In the Issues Management and Crisis Communication grouping, Meralco got a Merit for its Successful Implementation: Customer PPA Refund Program (Phase 1 and 2). Ayala Corporation won a Merit in the Economic, Social and Environmental category for its entry – The Ayala Group of Companies’ 2002 Annual Reports. De La Salle University likewise got a Merit in the Publications category for Zeitgist, the school’s annual report. Congratulations are in order to all the winning institutions and the communication people behind these laudable projects.

Little Known L.A. Trivia

• L.A. is the only city in the world to host the Summer Olympics twice, in 1932 and 1984

• Los Angelans enjoy 329 days of sunshine a year

• People from about 140 countries, speaking approximately 86 different languages, currently call L.A. home

• The L.A. County coastline, stretching from Malibu to Long Beach, is 81 miles long

• L.A. is the birthplace of the Internet, Barbie, the DC-3, Mazda, Miata, MMX and the Space Shuttle

• There are approximately 200 board-certified plastic surgeons in L.A.

• There are over 330 McDonald’s in the L.A. area

• Currently, there are more than 2,200 stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

• History backs it up: L.A. is the home of the burger

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E-mail bongo@vasia.com or bongo@campaignsandgrey.net for comments, questions and suggestions.