Bronze Quill Preparation IABC Columbus February 29, 2012

IABC Columbus Bronze Quill Awards Awarding excellence for over 40 years Distinguish yourself and your team Receive valuable and meaningful feedback Recognize individuals for a job well done Showcases excellence in communication

Bronze Quill Basics Open to IABC Members and Non-Members Work produced Jan 1 - Dec 21, 2011 Key deadlines: o March 12 - Early Bird Entry Deadline o March 26 – Entry Deadline Winners will be notified in May Award ceremony May 24 (tentative) Feedback and entry picked up at event

Bronze Quill Basics Entries must be produced primarily from the submitting individual Choose an appropriate division – skills or strategy Choose from one of eight categories Develop your work plan Assemble work samples Mail your entry by March 26 o Early bird deadline March 12 o Payment to IABC Columbus

2012 Bronze Quill: Skills Division Communications Skills Division 1. Annual Report Non-profit Profit 4. Design Projects Direct Mail Marketing/Promotional Print Ad Banner/Display Ad Electronic Presentation (PowerPoint, infographics, multimedia) 2. Ongoing Publications Newsletters (print or online) Magazine (print or online) 5. Video production One-time Video Video production series 3. Writing News writing (articles, news releases) Editorials/advertorials Speech writing Advertising and Marketing 6. Websites Internet Intranet

2012 Bronze Quill: Strategy Division Communication Strategies Division 10. Program or Campaign Employee /Member/Investor/ Communications Special Events – Internal or External Issues Management /Crisis Communication Strategic Communications Plan Corporate Social Responsibility Campagin New Product/Service Launch Public Affairs Campaign eCommunications Campaign Media Relations 11. Social Media Campaign Podcasts Blogs Social Networks – Facebook, Twitter, Content Sharing Sites – YouTube, Flickr

Judging Judged by sister IABC chapters Scored on seven-point scale Judged against standards, not other entries Two award levels: o Excellence (5.75) o Merit (5.25 – 5.74) Incomplete entries are not judged

Preparing the Work Plan Do not exceed two pages Without a work plan, your entry will be incomplete Skills Division – o Emphasizes technical expertise o Criteria include creativity, resourcefulness and innovation Strategy Division – o Generally a program or campaign o Need well-defined communication plan o Emphasizes measurable success against objectives

Preparing the Work Plan Resources Judging worksheets / / Rules for writing a work plan IABC Tips for Winning a Gold Quill

TIPS from Carol Harmon

Skills Division Entry Categories 1.Annual Report 2.Ongoing Publications 3.Writing 4.Design Project 5.Video Production 6.Websites Preparing Your Entry

Engage YOUR Team IDENTIFY PLAN SUBMIT

Celebrate YOUR Success ATTEND INVITE COLLABORATE

Tips from Michael Sponhour Start with an excellence mindset.

Tips from Michael Sponhour State the communications challenge with brevity and power.

Tips from Michael Sponhour Measurement and results are crucial.

Tips from Michael Sponhour Good objectives are measurable but also realistic. They link to key organizational goals.

Tips from Michael Sponhour “My boss liked our project” is not a good measure.

Marks of a Winner Traits of a Winning Bronze Quill Entry Tip: Tie everything back to organization priorities and show how you contribute to its success Bonus Points: Include impact on performance, reputation, image, profits and audience participation

Marks of a Winner Traits of a Winning Bronze Quill Entry Tip: Clearly define and show understanding of the problem or opportunity. Why does it matter? Bonus Points: Use the research to identify the opportunity

Marks of a Winner Traits of a Winning Bronze Quill Entry Tip: State your goals (one or two) linked to the organization’s business strategy Bonus Points: Implications for a significant impact on change of behavior or financial results

Marks of a Winner Traits of a Winning Bronze Quill Entry Tip: State specific, results-based objectives with measurable targets Bonus Points: Identify appropriate measures for projects for situations that seem un-measurable

Marks of a Winner Traits of a Winning Bronze Quill Entry Tip: Define your primary audience: prior knowledge, education level, geography, motivations, opinions and potential issues. Bonus Points: Provide research that led to this audience understanding

Marks of a Winner Traits of a Winning Bronze Quill Entry Tip: How did you get management or client, on- board with your solution? Bonus Points: A clever approach to selling the project or overcoming significant objections

Marks of a Winner Traits of a Winning Bronze Quill Entry Tip: Tell a story of thorough execution on your plan Bonus Points: A well-explained rationale clearly linking audience characteristics to chosen tactics

Marks of a Winner Traits of a Winning Bronze Quill Entry Tip: Always include a budget! (funding, staff/consultants, equipment) Bonus Points: Efficiency, self-restraint and resourcefulness

Marks of a Winner Traits of a Winning Bronze Quill Entry Tip: Explain how you overcame your challenges Bonus Points: Demonstrate how you anticipated roadblocks

Marks of a Winner Traits of a Winning Bronze Quill Entry Tip: Bring it full circle: Link your results back to your objectives Bonus Points: Wild success pays off here! But you have to demonstrate it with measurement

Marks of a Winner Traits of a Winning Bronze Quill Entry Tip: Connect the work plan and your work sample Bonus Points: Show more than pretty things and good writing: provide work plans, data collection, analysis

Good luck on your Bronze Quill Entry! See you May 24!