A trip to the annual Association for Business Communication conference
By Theresa Wernimont
I attended the 84th Annual International Conference of the Association for Business Communications (ABC) in October. The Conference, organized for academics and practitioners, was an exhilarating experience emphasizing the intersection of theory with practical application through its theme of “Innovations with Business Communication: Companies, Communities, and Classroom. I thoroughly enjoyed the sessions and look forward to sharing new ideas with Appendance’s clients.
Mingling with communication specialists and discussing the latest trends is why I join professional organizations. Unexpectedly, my first networking opportunity occurred shortly after landing in Detroit. While waiting for ground transportation to the Westin Cadillac Hotel (a surprisingly lovely four-star hotel in downtown Detroit) hosting the event, I struck up a conversation with someone standing at the curb. That someone turned out to be Dana Loewy, a former professor at California State University-Fullerton and author of one of my favorite communication textbooks. Instead of splitting a taxi or Uber, we decided to be adventurous and ride the bus into the city. We talked for the next 90 minutes about our careers and the curricular changes we’ve witnessed over the years.
The next day at the Conference, I met another business communications rock star, Peter Cardon, a professor at the University of Southern California’s Marshall College of Business. Peter is the author of the current textbook I use for my undergraduate courses. I attended a small focus group to discuss and review changes to his upcoming fourth edition and accompanying online materials. Peter later spoke in several sessions covering a variety of topics and sharing his perspectives on artificial intelligence entering the workplace and the challenges that lie ahead.
I also had the privilege of presenting one of my favorite assignments to session attendees. It’s a multiple-part project designed to help students assimilate concepts they are learning with the experience of doing. Presenting my ideas was fun, and I must admit, a bit thrilling when the many experts in the audience were taking notes and asking questions. Not to bore you with all the details, but students engage in the tasks that so many of you perform in your jobs. They practice conducting meetings, creating agendas and minutes, documenting their progress, and writing reports. The intent is to have them practice applying their skills to real-world contexts in a low stakes environment where only points are at risk instead of raises and promotions.
The consensus from attendees seemed to be that organizations are investing more in helping their employees develop and improve their communication skills. Another interesting session I attended was led by Jessica Weber, Director of the Writing Center for the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. Jessica was hired by the Philadelphia Fed to help bank examiners write efficiently and succinctly, making their documents clearer and more effective for the bank executives that would be reading them. Her approach to starting the center and working with employees, highlighted in the Harvard Business Review in 2017, was modeled after her experience running writing centers in academia and could easily be applied to other organizations.
So much of what I learned from this Conference, and could tell you about for days, is immediately applicable to the work I do for our clients. I’m eager to share my newfound knowledge with my colleagues and to help you continue perfecting your writing, allowing you to distinguish your performance and contribute to your company’s success.