ME M B E R SP OT L I G H T SOUR CHAPTER IS GROWING! WE WELCOME FOUR NEW MEMBERS TO OUR OCIABC FAMILY.

WE B S I T E TR E A S U R E H U N T

BRIDGESOREGON COLUMBIAINTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION

OF BUSINESS COMMUNICATORS

Improvingorganizational

effectiveness throughstrategic communication

IN S I D E T H I S I S S U E . . . Members Move Mountains … of Toys! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2IABC Restructuring — The “Plains” Truth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2Communicator’s Tip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2Career Changes Bring Opportunity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Member Bio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Treasure Hunt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

BRIDGES is a bimonthly

publication of the Oregon

Columbia Chapter of the

International Association of Business

Communicators. Chapter

Board: Barbara Kommer, President;

Julie Young, VP, Membership; Glenn

Perkins, VP, Finance; Pat Snyder, VP,

Awards; Karen Stelter, VP, Programs/

Professional Development; Tracey

Boyd Barnett, VP, Communications;

Karen Read, Secretary; Sue Brundege,

Newsletter Editor ; Sue Vanlaanen,

Director-at-Large. Design and

Layout: Barbara Saunders,

Newsletter Associates, (503) 282-

3694. Contact: For comments

and suggestions please e-mail Sue

Brundege at newsletter@ociabc.org.

1. Which Fortune 1000 CEO is speaking at one of our upcoming OCIABC chapter events?

2. How many different divisions and categories are there in the IABC Gold Quill awards program?

3. On www.ociabc.org, what are the three different types of résumé formats, according to résumé writer and career coach Deborah Walker?

WELCOME TO OUR WEBSITE TREASURE HUNT. SEARCH FOR ANSWERS TO THE FOLLOWING THREE QUESTIONS ON EITHER WWW.OCIABC.ORG OR WWW.IABC.COM, AS APPROPRIATE. E-MAIL NEWSLETTER@OCIABC.ORG WITH YOUR ANSWERS NO LATER THAN MONDAY, FEBRUARY 7. EACH PERSON WHO SUBMITS ALL THE CORRECT ANSWERS BY THE DEADLINE WILL BE ENTERED INTO A DRAWING. THE WINNER OF THE DRAWING WILL RECEIVE FREE ADMISSION TO THE UPCOMING OCIABC CHAPTER MEETING ON FEBRUARY 16. WE WILL NOTIFY THE WINNER BY MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14. IF THE SELECTED WINNER CAN’T ATTEND THE MEETING, WE’LL DRAW ANOTHER NAME.

and the

Oregon/Columbia IABCP.O. Box 9220Portland, OR 97207-9220

FE B R UA RY 2005 • I S S U E 3

OREGON COLUMBIAINTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION

OF BUSINESS COMMUNICATORS

Jeff Torkelson: New member Jeff Torkelson is our Southern Oregon ambassador. Jeff recently moved

to Medford where he is co-president of Silverback Enterprises. His company develops local and

international business and investment opportunities, and provides communication consultation services.

Jeff has 18 years of experience, most recently with DIRECTV in Los Angeles, and first joined IABC in

1990. Now he looks forward to forging relationships with fellow Oregon communicators and accessing

industry best practices through OCIABC.

Kay Wiggins: Meet OCIABC member Kay Wiggins, a communicator with more than 20 years of

experience. She is a technical editor and team lead who manages a document production services

group for an environmental sciences and engineering organization. Kay joined OCIABC to network with

a broad range of communication professionals, and she looks forward to sharing knowledge with fellow

communicators across diverse industries and businesses.

Kermit Cantwell: New member Kermit Cantwell has 20 years of business communication writing

experience, and has recently (and happily) returned to Portland after surviving two Minnesota winters.

Kermit joined IABC to expand his professional skills and investigate ABC accreditation. He has jumped

into OCIABC with both feet, volunteering on our communicator’s conference committee, with judging

panels, and for the Bridges newsletter.

Kathryn Scribner: Please welcome new OCIABC member Kathryn Scribner. She has been in the

communication field for 15 years, and is currently the senior marketing coordinator for Business

Development and Strategic Planning at OHSU. Kathryn joined OCIABC upon a colleague’s

recommendation and has been impressed with the quality and variety of OCIABC events. She looks

forward to attending chapter events and networking with other communicators.

CO M M U N I C ATO R ’ S T I PCOMMUNICATING DURING CHANGE: ADAPTED FROM HUMAN RESOURCES EXPERT SUSAN M. HEATHFIELD’S ARTICLE “CHANGE, CHANGE, CHANGE: MORE LESSONS FROM THE FIELD”

ME M B E R B I OJAYNE NANAVATY-DAHL

Improving

organizational

effectiveness through

strategic communication

Crediting her parents for her unflag-ging optimism, Jayne Nanavaty-Dahl approaches life with one powerful question: “What could be?”

Jayne grew up on the East Coast and first attended college in Pennsylvania, then took a year off to explore Florida with friends. Moving to Arizona, she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and a Master’s in Elementary Education Administration, while holding odd jobs ranging from turquoise jew-elry maker to neonatal nurse’s aide. Between degrees, Jayne’s love of trav-el deepened as she explored India and Nepal with relatives for four months.

Marriage brought Jayne to Oregon. After teaching com-munity college courses, she joined Sequent Computer Systems Inc. in 1991, managing their world-renowned Child Learning Center and Work-Life Program. Eight years later, IBM purchased Sequent and Jayne saw her program disappear. Ever resourceful, Jayne petitioned to lead IBM Beaverton’s new site communications group. She now manages a strong, creative team across Oregon, Arizona, and California. Communication is one of IBM’s 10 foundational competencies, and Jayne is pleased to see site com-munications evolving into a more strategic role, providing guidance for IBM’s new initiatives and business decisions.

Jayne thrived through the acquisition, although there were many challenges. “Going from 2,800 to 360,000 employees, I had to navigate this huge company just to learn how to get from point A to point B,” says Jayne. She claims optimism as her greatest ally. She also found IABC a

valuable learning and networking resource, particularly as her for-mal education wasn’t in communication.

Jayne’s advice to people undergoing transition: “Network like crazy!

Find people who can help you navigate the system. Also, always look for the positive and set an upbeat tone. We un-derestimate how influential we commu-nicators can be during an acquisition.”

Jayne thrives outside of work as well. She loves being a mom to her 11-year-old daughter, having gourmet dinner par-ties, staying fit, and of course traveling. Jayne is also writing a book of entertain-ing stories based on real-life experiences. We look forward to Jayne’s book, but in the meantime, feel free to contact her at 503-803-5288 or jndahl@us.ibm.com.

OREGON COLUMBIAINTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION

OF BUSINESS COMMUNICATORS

“Network like crazy! Find people who can help you navigate the

system. Also, always look for the positive and set an upbeat tone. We underestimate how influen-tial we communicators can be

during an acquisition.”

• Develop a written communication plan• Communicate consistently, frequently, and through multiple

channels• Communicate news as instantly and thoroughly as possible;

beat the rumor mill• Offer ample opportunities for questions, clarification, and

feedback• Communicate the reasons for the change, and how they

affect people personally• Conversations are more effective than presentations• Don’t pretend to know the answers when you don’t

• Listen as openly, objectively, and compassionately as possible• Be available to the people who need you during the

transition• Hold interactive workshops so people can safely explore

change• Provide networking opportunities for people to share ideas

with one another• Publicly communicate change efforts as they progress• Celebrate positive approaches and accomplishments

through public recognition

IABC RE S T R U C T U R I N G – TH E “PL A I N S” TR U T H

AFTER THREE YEARS OF RESEARCH AND DISCUSSION, IABC IS CHANGING ITS U.S. GOV-ERNANCE STRUCTURE, CONSOLIDATING SEVEN DISTRICTS INTO THREE REGIONS.

IABC’s regionalization aligns us with the

rest of governance structure worldwide.

In addition, IABC’s International

Executive Board (IEB) will downsize from

• IEB can pay attention to policy

issues while regions focus on

delivering leader and chapter

support.

• IABC perspective broadens

to include worldwide growth

opportunities and cultural issues.

• More volunteer opportunities

open up at the chapter, region, and

international levels.

• Member, chapter, region, and IEB

communication improves with

increasing inter-regional activity and

program involvement.

Each region will form a Council with

at least seven leaders, elected based

on management competency and

balanced chapter representation. Some

responsibilities of the Regional Council

include:

• Communicating regional issues to

the IEB

26 members to 12, selected for both

geographical balance and management

competence. Here are some benefits of

the restructuring:

CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

MEMBERS MOVE MOUNTAINS …OF TOYS!

BY KERMIT CANTWELL

“You won’t believe the mountain of toys back there!” ex-claimed OCIABC volunteer Pat Snyder as she came out of the studio at KGW-TV. That “mountain” was made up of more than 60,000 toys donated by area residents as part of KGW-TV’s annual Holiday Toy Drive. On the afternoon of December 16, 2004, seven local OCIABC members (along with 30 other volunteers) dug in and bagged nearly half of that mountain. After bagging, the toys were distributed to needy families via charity and non-profit organizations.

2 5

CAREER CHANGES — CONTINUED

says Tracey. “However, I’ve found that

viewing each opportunity as a new

adventure really helps.”

Tracey has deliberately pursued diverse

industries and communication disciplines.

“Communication skills can be very

transferable, and being a ‘jack-of-all-

trades’ is often a big selling point. With

increasingly limited resources, many

managers look for someone who’s

flexible and multi-faceted.”

Tracey believes it pays to think creatively.

“Once I negotiated cross-country

telecommuting with my company.

Despite initial resistance I finally

convinced them to try it and it worked

out wonderfully. It also opened the door

for other employees to do the same.”

IABC membership has been a big

benefit for Tracey over the years. “I can

pick up the phone in a new city, call

a fellow member and find an instant

connection. Everyone has been very

willing to share insights about their own

market.”

Region, effective July 2005. Our new

region includes chapters in 17 states,

effectively covering one-third of the

U.S. A Pacific Plains transitional team,

made up of Districts 4 and 6 board

representatives, has been working

since September to craft new regional

bylaws and detail the merging of

the two districts’ cultures, meeting

schedules, and financial structures.

For most of us, the transition will

be transparent, as this restructuring

doesn’t impact local chapter services.

However, over time we can expect

new volunteer opportunities and

services, such as regional conferences

and awards programs.

OCIABC member Julie Piper Finley,

ABC, is immediate past director of

Improving

organizational

effectiveness through

strategic communication

3

• Providing a best practices forum

for its region’s chapters

• Supporting membership

recruitment and retention

activities

Regional leadership will go beyond

that of the districts, promoting

membership growth and identifying

emerging issues impacting IABC

and the communication profession.

Regional Council chairs will also

participate in a World Forum, a

non-governing body that expands

inter-regional communication, service

coordination, and issue prioritization.

What does this mean for us? Our

District 6 will merge with District

4 to become the Pacific Plains

IABC RESTRUCTURING — CONTINUED

US District 6 and the transition team

leader for the Pacific Plains Region.

She says of the restructuring: “The

transition from districts to regions will

open up a number of opportunities

for us, such as the Silver Quill

communications competition, formerly

administered by District 4 and now

available to all Pacific Plains Region

members this spring.

“In addition, IABC members will

be able to serve on the Regional

Council without having prior district

board experience. The IEB has been

working diligently to ensure that IABC

streamlines its governance structure

while continuing to deliver quality

services to members at the chapter

level.”

MYCO M M ME E T I N GOn January 17 Chris Hall, District 6 Member-at-Large, talked with OCIABC about My Communication (MyComm), an online strategic communication planning tool developed by Cisco Systems, Inc. and shared exclusively with IABC members. MyComm provides communicators with a strategic framework to help define issues, understand audience needs, develop key messages, and determine the best delivery method. It enables member us-ers to share, collaborate, and modify their strategy in re-sponse to changing events and needs. MyComm is both an excellent learning tool for those new to strate-

gic communication, and a consulting tool for communicators to use with clients. For more information, go to www.iabc.com, log in to the Member Centre, and go to the MyComm link.

District 6 Member-at-Large Chris Hall, and OCIABC President Barbara Kommer.

OREGON COLUMBIAINTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION

OF BUSINESS COMMUNICATORS

4

resource for that,” Beth says. “I called

everybody I know to talk about best

practices, to get emotional support

and tap into their experience.”

Beth took on her new responsibilities

at the request of her employer, and

even though it’s been challenging, she

says it’s also been satisfying. “It gives

you a sense of accomplishment to

conquer something new like this.”

But the biggest benefit of trying

something new? “Personal growth, no

doubt,” says Beth. “In fact, I met one of

my best friends through a class I was

taking for a new job.”

Tracey Barnett,

Media Relations

Specialist, Legacy

Health System

Over the past 13 years, Tracey Barnett

has worked for five employers in four

states, for reasons both voluntary and

involuntary. “Change can be hard no

matter what, especially when you leave

a job and co-workers you like,”

After six years in PR at Tektronix,

Beth switched to Employee

Communications a little over a year

ago and says there has been a big

learning curve. “The most difficult part

has been understanding who the new

client is,” says Beth. “In my old job I

could execute so smoothly. But a new

position requires more research. It

slows your pace and you have to give

yourself enough time to figure it all

out.”

If your change involves an internal

move, Beth recommends volunteering

for extra projects with the department

you’re targeting so you can decide if

you’d really like to make the change.

She says an honest self-assessment of

strengths and personality traits can

also help you decide if the change is a

good idea.

Beth likes working for an internal

audience because the feedback is

CA R E E R CH A N G E S BR I N G OP P O RT U N I T Y

BY KERMIT CANTWELL

Changing jobs can be a great opportunity to grow professionally, but it usually comes with new challenges, too. Three

OCIABC members who have taken on new responsibilities offer these tips for adjusting to a career change.

more direct and immediate. “I know a

lot of the employees and they don’t

hesitate to pick up the phone or email

me when they have a comment.”

Overall, Beth says making the change

has helped her learn new skills and

made her a better communicator.

Beth Quartarolo,

Washington

State PR

Manager;

Strategy & Communications

Manager for Government &

PR, Worldwide for HP

Beth Quartarolo has had three major

job changes within the last 11 years,

the most recent taking on worldwide

government and PR strategy for HP

nine months ago. And that’s in addition

to her responsibilities as PR Manager

in the state of Washington. How does

she cope? “You just try to learn as

much as you can, as fast as you can.”

To do that, Beth recommends

developing a circle of mentors and

colleagues you can call on for help

during a change. “OCIABC is a great

Beth Daniels,

Employee

Communications

Manager for

Tektronix

CONTINUED ON PAGE 5