StarBulletin.com

How to keep a business-head above water


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POSTED: Wednesday, November 05, 2008

Election results may be settling in, but still unsettling is the economic strife in which Hawaii, its residents and businesses find themselves.

               

     

 

 

On the 'Net:

        www.iabchawaii.com

Tourism is down, employment is down, revenue projections are down. The aviation term “;augering in”; weighs heavily on the mind. Inundation by so many downs induces a din detrimental to discerning desirable developments.

The Hawaii chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators, or IABC Hawaii, hopes to crash through the cacophony with “;Be Heard in a Changing Environment: Communicating Effectively during Challenging Times”; next week Friday.

The group's announcement notes that it is difficult enough to get one's message heard.

“;Throw in an economic storm and the challenge increases tenfold,”; it says.

IABC Hawaii's 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Nov. 14 event at the Plaza Club will include panel discussions by chief executive officers who have successfully communicated transformational change, as well as news media executives who oversee “;News Coverage in a Changing Media Environment.”;

The C-suite execs will share insights and personal experiences.

One goal “;is to try to get the economic perspective, which is why we have the CEO panel,”; said Darcie Scharfenstein, vice president of professional development for IABC Hawaii.

It is open “;to all business professionals,”; she said. “;One of the goals of IABC is to reach as many folks as possible, within and outside of our membership.”;

Newspaper and TV newsroom leaders will help attendees “;maximize what might be their limited resources when it comes to getting their story told,”; she said.

Newspaper and television newsroom leaders to appear, including Honolulu Star-Bulletin City Editor Ed Lynch, will also discuss how layoffs and budget cuts have affected newsgathering and coverage.

Also at the event, Todd Hattori, IABC executive board president and technology acquisition services manager for Washington State, will address ways the different generations in the workforce, including boomers, Gen X and Gen Y, get their information and “;why they want it in those ways,”; said Elizabeth Ahana, IABC Hawaii president.

It is important for businesses' communication internally, “;as well as for its customers,”; she said.

The cost ranges from $20 for student members to $65 for nonmembers. Registration can be completed online.