Our chapter news page contains our chapter newsletter, reviews on our seminars and events, information on current IABC programs and special offers, and items of interest.

IABC Manitoba congratulates local chapter's 2006-2007 volunteer of the year
Each year, IABC encourages local chapters to recognize an outstanding IABC chapter leader for his or her dedication, initiative, leadership and achievements. Volunteers are the true reason why we are here today. They are the glue that keeps our chapter alive and this year, IABC would like to recognize an exceptional volunteer for their hard work and commitment to their job.

As Co-Chair of the Professional Development committee, this volunteer has consistently contributed his time, energy and excellent communication and project management skills to ensure that our PD events are both strategic and successful.

It was his efforts over this past year that lead to many successful education luncheons, including May 23rd's record-setting attendance event. His vision to come up with creative topics like the marketing behind a successful Blue Bombers season and what it's really like to be a Winnipeg PR agent for top Hollywood television and movies, were key to our chapter's success this year. From coordinating speaker's, to planning meals, to dealing with last minute RSVPs, to non-dairy, dairy, vegetarian, and veterinarian, whatever the case may be, this volunteer has always shown poise, commitment and a wonderful sense of humour.

On behalf of the IABC Manitoba Executive, we are proud to recognize Stuart Slayen as our IABC Volunteer of the Year. IABC International has formally recognized Stuart Slayen as the Manitoba chapter Volunteer of the Year and this year's Executive was proud to present Stuart with a certificate and set of pens.

2006 IABC Canadian salary survey
The IABC Research Foundation commissioned a salary survey (pdf - 320kb) which was funded in part by a donation by IABC / Toronto to support Canadian research to benefit all Canadian members of IABC.

IABC Manitoba congratulates local Silver Leaf Award winner
(pdf version - 32kb)

ChangeMakers Marketing Communications wins two 2006 Awards of Merit
By Lesley Sterling, IABC Manitoba Vice President

IABC Silver Leaf is Canada's premiere professional awards program celebrating excellence in business communication. This year, 219 entries were evaluated by panels of peer judges to recognize the best of the best strategic communication campaigns and tactical examples from across Canada. Turning ideas into excellence is the hallmark of IABC's national awards program; the 32 entrants who received awards in 2006 did just that.

"The IABC Silver Leaf Awards recognize excellence in communications and we extend sincere congratulations to the winners," said Colleen O'Leary, 2006 Silver Leaf Awards Chair. "This program relies upon rigorous judging standards and two panels of judges in presenting awards, ensuring the highest quality work is honoured. With the Silver Leaf Awards, recipients are presented with the opportunity to showcase and celebrate their outstanding success."

This year, 13 Silver Leaf Awards of Excellence and 19 Awards of Merit were presented. ChangeMakers Marketing Communications was the only local award recipient and the only company across Canada to win two awards, including the only award presented for Issues Management and Crisis Communication.

"IABC Manitoba congratulates ChangeMakers on winning Silver Leaf Awards of Merit for the SAFE Manitoba website and the ‘Be Undrunk’ public awareness and advertising campaign," said Jill Gibson, president of IABC Manitoba. "Preparing Silver Leaf entries is an involved process, and we hope that our IABC members from ChangeMakers will share the tips they’ve learned and the suggestions they’ve received for preparing winning entries."

"ChangeMakers is honoured to receive these awards," said Jim Kingdon, Managing Partner and CEO of ChangeMakers and member of IABC Manitoba. "Our successes in developing the SAFE Manitoba website and the ‘Be Undrunk’ campaign were driven from our consultative service and strategic program design, working together with our clients from the Workers Compensation Board and Workplace Safety and Health, and Manitoba Liquor Control Commission."

ChangeMakers is Manitoba’s dedicated social marketing agency, offering full service strategic program planning, issues management, stakeholder consultation and social marketing programs to clients in government, government agencies and not for-profit organizations. The company’s strategic communications programs are based on research, developed in consultation with clients and driven by measurable results. For more information, contact Jim Kingdon at (204) 927-2888.

For a complete list of winners of 2006 Silver Leaf Awards and information about entering the competition in 2007, visit http://canada.iabc.com

The Winning Work Plans

SAFE Manitoba website
The SAFE Manitoba website was created by ChangeMakers for the Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba (WCB) and Manitoba Workplace Safety and Health. The online compendium of safety and health resource materials received a Silver Leaf Award of Merit for excellence in electronic and interactive communication. Two other Awards of Merit and one Award of Excellence were presented in this category.

"Be Undrunk" Campaign
"Be Undrunk" is a social responsibility campaign developed for the Manitoba Liquor Control Commission (MLCC) to decrease the prevalence of binge drinking. Combining radio, television, billboard and print advertising with a website, the "Be Undrunk" campaign received a Silver Leaf Award of Merit for excellence in issues management and crisis communication – the only award winner in this category across Canada.

IABC Manitoba Member Spotlight

Jim Kingdon
Jim Kingdon is Managing Partner and CEO of ChangeMakers Marketing Communications, Manitoba’s dedicated social marketing agency. ChangeMakers was co-founded with Correy Myco, Partner and Creative Director, in 1998.

Jim is a nationally recognized organizational and marketing communications strategist with over 25 years of corporate and public service experience. He is perhaps best known as a national leader in social marketing, having been recognized with numerous international marketing, advertising and communications awards including an IABC Gold Quill Award of Excellence, IABC Silver Leaf Awards of Excellence, International Summit Advertising Awards, Dalton Pen Awards of Excellence and a Clio Award of Excellence for television advertising.

Jim is also sought out for his issues management, public consultation and media relations expertise, and has extensive experience managing highly sensitive corporate and public issues in both national and international media. His social marketing and business acumen is grounded within academic studies in sociology and psychology. Jim has been an IABC member since 1995 and is a recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Manitoba.

Contact Jim at 204-927-2888.

Writing a winning work plan
Preparing an IABC award entry takes time and money. Use both wisely!
By Linda Lee, ABC, MC, IABC Manitoba Past President and Awards/Accreditation Chair

As a judge, I am frequently appalled at the IABC Silver Leaf and Gold Quill award entries that are disqualified, score poorly or score lower than they should because the people preparing them have failed to follow the instructions in the Call for Entries.

Tip #1 – Follow the instructions!
Too many entries are disqualified because they miss entry deadlines, have work plans that are too long or feature projects that cover the wrong time frame. And font and spacing specifications are requirements, not recommendations.

Tip #2 – Organize your work plan
Organize your work plan according to the headings in the Call for Entries and use the information description under each heading as a guide for what to include. The volunteers who judge your entry will be using that same guide for their judging efforts, and, believe me, they won’t be impressed if they have to search for your information. They may also be judging a LOT of entries, so making your information easy to find is a very good entry strategy.

Tip #3 - Write clearly and concisely
Don’t try to camouflage what’s missing in your entry with fancy language and elaborate sentences — it doesn’t work. If you’re missing information, consider why. Do you have it? Can you get it? Does your lack of that information represent a challenge that you had to overcome to complete your project? If so, consider explaining that. Or, depending on what information is missing, rethink your entry… maybe delay it a year until you DO have the information (especially if the missing information involves evaluation and measurement).

Tip #4 – Write for your audience
Keep your entry’s "audience" — the judges — in mind when you’re writing your work plan. Assume nothing; explain everything. Avoid acronyms, internal jargon and "techie" terms. Keep social, political and geographic differences in mind, especially when entering Gold Quill, where the judges for your category may be located in a different country and on the other side of the continent.

Tip #5 – It’s all in the work plan
Your work plan is the single most important piece of your entry. Even in creative categories where it only accounts for 25% of the score, your work plan is what explains to the judges what you were trying to achieve and why you believe you succeeded. As a judge, I need that information to assess whether or not I believe that your entry deserves an award.

Final tips on preparing your work plan...
The two headings that most frequently lack meaningful content are (1) audience and (2) measurement/evaluation/results.

Audience – Tell as much as you can about your audience. Give relevant specifics and demographics, i.e. gender, age, location, occupation, job classification/supervisory responsibilities, income, education/reading level, language skills, computer literacy. What do these people have, or lack, that makes them the target of your communication plan?

Measurement/Evaluation/Results – Simply completing a project or distributing a product does not mean it succeeded. As this year’s Gold Quill Call for Entries puts it, "Measurement should demonstrate outcomes, not outputs." Explain WHY you believe your project/your product achieved its objectives, and make it easier for the judges by clearly linking your results to your objectives.

IABC Manitoba Events
If you are not an IABC member but would like to receive notices of upcoming chapter events, please send your name, organization name, job title and email address to Stu Slayen or Michael Bouliane, our Professional Development Co-Chairs. If you are an IABC member and do not receive chapter emails, please update your contact information at www.iabc.com.

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This page was last updated on June 10, 2007