The future has a way of arriving unannounced
SAN DIEGO, California — The “new normal” was the theme of the recently concluded International Association of Business Communication’s (IABC) 2011 World Conference held at the Manchester Hyatt in San Diego. As certainty has given way to uncertainty and clarity to ambiguity, communication practitioners from some 40 countries examined how companies and their communicators will thrive and grow, realizing that “normal” isn’t what it used to be. With seven professional development tracks and over 75 learning sessions, the participants got keyed up in their roles as leaders in the continued recovery of their organizations, and learned how to be influential players. They were exposed to new business models and ways to better connect with identified stakeholders, how to harness the power of communication and how to demonstrate its economic value.
The world of communication is traditionally likened to a kaleidoscope. Each time you turn this cylindrical optical toy made of mirrors and colored shapes, it creates shifting symmetrical patterns. Silhouettes, sizes, images and color combinations vary in every rotation. It represents creativity in communication where twists and turns result in “eureka,” “I found it” or “aha” moments.
In today’s practice, the changing relationships of multiple stakeholders are made even more pronounced. The elements of communication are constantly disturbed and put in an unstable state. And the actions, without a doubt, alter the landscape and present a different look. Communication as a business thrives on quivers, disruptions and modifications to form a “new normal.” It is the art and science of shaking that reshuffles current states and fashions fresh formulas. And the new normal in the practice of the craft is simply the recognition that the communication terrain is quickly evolving, and that communication people can no longer refute that an upheaval is indeed happening.
The new normal covers the turns that constantly shake up communication’s existence sometimes violently, often gently. The turning or jangling brings a level of resistance from all fronts, but the process gives birth to new insights, ideas, technology applications, executions and audience responses. These shakes, rattles and rolls impact how you set your roadmap, embrace your journey, plan and pilot your work, develop and build a training discipline, document, claim your organizational culture, generate feedback and do evaluation and measurement. And as IABC Fellow Roger D’Aprix said, “If social media represent the first big communication idea of this century, the larger goal of creating and leading open communication cultures is certainly the next big idea.”
The Pinoys shone, too
Once again, the Filipinos raised the banner high in the world confab. ABS-CBN and “Get Cre8ive” were each bestowed the International Gold Quill Award, a gold standard for excellence. This annual competition is the highest level of professional acknowledgment in business communication today. For more than 40 years, the awards program has tested the work of professional communicators, from strategists to tacticians, and recognizes the best of the best. This year, IABC received nearly 900 entries from 26 countries, and only 103 were awarded.
ABS-CBN won in the communications management division for Boto Mo, iPatrol Mo (BMPM): Ako ang Simula,” while “Get Cre8ive” won for its special event titled “Cre8ion: The Partnership Launch of Getty Images and Get Cre8ive.” Both were also Philippine Quill Award recipients given by IABC Philippines.
Boto Mo, iPatrol Mo: Ako ang Simula, won for being the first to break the biggest Philippine election-related story on the infamous Maguindanao massacre, helping drive young voters to register and vote, and creating an army of change to make the 2010 elections work. It was through this advocacy program that the world learned about the single deadliest act against journalists when a Boto Patroller first sent a picture from the crime scene to ABS-CBN. And ANC, the ABS-CBN News Channel, was the first to break the news. His bravery in exposing the gruesome crime that left 58 dead clearly demonstrated what BMPM is all about — the ordinary Filipino making a difference by letting the public know about the realities in his community and urging the government to do something about it.
Boto Mo, i-Patrol Mo: Ako ang Simula was launched a year before the 2010 national elections by ABS-CBN, which pioneered citizen journalism in the country. It not only empowered Filipinos to use technology to patrol their votes but also challenged them to become the start of the change they want for the country. The multi-platform campaign received 500 reports a day by e-mail, 103 calls a day, and 3,058 texts a day during election season. And on Election Day, the citizens’ reports grew to four per minute as compared to one per minute in 2007 when it was first launched.
During the campaign last year, BMPM had 87,419 registered Boto Patrollers in its central database, 125,487 fans on Facebook, 23,111 followers on Twitter, 6,960 members on its microsite, and 3,701 members on Multiply. BMPM also organized vice-presidential and senatorial debates and pioneered the use of a Wireless Audience Response System (WARS), which allowed randomly selected citizens to indicate their belief in a candidate’s answers or not during the televised debates, which became among the highest-trending topics on Twitter.
The BMPM initiative resulted in ABS-CBN’s being cited by most Filipinos as the most credible TV station based on a Pulse Asia national opinion poll in 2010 with 72 percent of Filipinos saying the TV network gave credible coverage of the elections, the highest percentage among the country’s top TV networks. And on election day, the network’s election coverage on its flagship national evening newscast, TV Patrol, made up of professional journalists and BMPM’s citizen journalists, won in the nationwide TV ratings based on the survey done by media specialist Kantar Media/TNS. BMPM is a multi-awarded advocacy program, having been also recognized by the Public Relations Society of the Philippines Anvil Awards, Gawad Tanglaw, Ad Foundation’s Araw Values, and Gintong Haligi awards.
The Pinoy delegation was led by communication consultant Ritzi Villarico-Ronquillo, who served as co-chair of the conference’s global track and member of the program advisory committee that planned the content of the world conferences. The other participants included this writer, who served in the past as IABC Asia-Pacific director and IABC Philippines president; Roni Tapia-Merk, also a past IABC Philippines president; Rossana Llegado, president of AHEAD Tutorial and Review; and Sebastian Lacson, chief reputation officer of Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Inc., who was a speaker on managing reputation; Richard Arboleda, communications director of Wyeth/Pfizer, Philippines, PR specialist Leah Caringal, HSBC’s Laine Santana, Virginia-based Debbie Diokno, senior communications specialist Fannie Mae, San Diego resident Beth Pastrana, and business columnist Butch del Castillo. The group also adopted US Navy Captain Ed Buclatin, a Fil-Am who shared his thoughts on a dialogue on natural disasters and political and social unrest.
American newspaper columnist and Pulitzer Prize winner George F. Will once said, “The future has a way of arriving unannounced.” Such an adage rings loudly today as you witness a world quickly transformed by social technologies that challenge the way you think, plan and execute. The future comes one day at a time, but be ready with the surprises, pleasant or otherwise, it brings.
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E-mail bongosorio@yahoo.com or bong_osorio@abs-cbn.com for comments, questions or suggestions. Thank you for communicating.
