Headin' to New Orleans in 2011!

Hello, PICA People!

Great news - we've got location, dates and the beginnings of a fantastic agenda for you. Here's a message from our Chairman, Patrick Faherty, (who also made the awesome logo for the conference...thanks, Patrick!)

Dear PICA Members and Friends:

Make plans now to join PICA May 16-18, 2011, for our Annual Workshop in New Orleans!

More details will follow, but for those working on budgets for next year:
• We’ll stay at the Royal Bourbon Hotel, located at 800 Iberville Street in the heart of the French Quarter. We’ve secured a room rate of $139, including for those who would like to check in up to two days early or stay an additional two days. Click here for more information about this property.
• Workshop rates remain flat, with Early Bird Registration set at just $400 for PICA members and $550 for non-members. We will keep Early Bird rates available until mid-March for those of you who need to pay out of your 2011 budget.
• One-way transportation costs from Louis Armstrong New Orleans Airport (MSY) are $15 on the shuttle and $29 by taxi.

Thanks to the surveys from our 2010 conference, we’ve picked some great topics for the 2011 workshop. We’re still developing a firm agenda that we’re confident you’ll enjoy, including opportunities to:
• Dig into a half-day session about how to really use social media to benefit your company and establish a credible online presence
• Hear from independent agents about their communication wish lists from insurance carriers
• Learn about how New Orleans triumphed over catastrophe and what role insurance played as the city bounced back.

This promises to be a most interesting workshop in a very interesting location. For more information, be sure to bookmark the PICA website and we look forward to seeing you in the Big Easy next May!

Thanks,
Patrick

Great Questions - and Your Answers - Are Welcome!

We've talked about using this site as a place to pose questions and challenges and seek solutions from members. Pauli contacted me with a great question this morning and I'm posting it here and hoping for your responses.

Question: "I'm interested in how different organizations archive and document communications to meet legal record retention requirements. Our General Counsel is requesting that every marketing piece have an edition date and can be retrieved upon demand. Just wondering how folks do that... and what platform do they use? Thanks!"

Please leave your suggestions in the comments below (if you prefer not to register, you can select "anonymous" from the posting options and sign with your first name at the end of your comment if you'd like to share your identity.)

Thanks for your input...your knowledge and experience will help make PICA-Connect! even better!

Workshop Summary - Janet Wright and Carol Watson Teach Us Top Tips for Event Planning

Last but not least, we've got a summary of the informative session on what to watch out for - and ask for - when planning an event at a hotel or a resort. While not all of us have this as a regular duty, we've all got the opportunity to try our hands at planning an event as PICA members! If you join the board, you'll be helping to plan a workshop or two...so here we go!

Today's summary is brought to you by Assistant Secretary & Treasurer - and PICA Workshop speaker - Janet Wright.

Whether planning a company agent recognition luncheon or a full convention, the basics of contract negotiation, meeting room set-ups and planning meal functions are essentially the same. This is true whether the event involves a group of ten or 1,000, according to Carol Watson, director of Marketing/Communications, Independent Insurance Agents of Indiana, and Janet Wright, PICA assistant secretary/treasurer, in their joint presentation, “Top Tips and Pitfalls of Event Planning.”

Jan and Carol give it to us straight - careful planning means having a successful event!

Careful contract negotiation is at the core of any successful event. Some basic items apply to any situation.

•Schedule negotiations early – ideally six months prior to your event. This allows time to avoid rushing decisions and gives time to develop a relationship with hotel representatives. It is most important to create a “win-win” outcome for both sides.
•Plan your budget before negotiating. Calculate fixed, variable and break-even costs. It is easier to negotiate prices and concessions if everyone is aware of what the budget is. Don’t forget special set-ups and audio/visual equipment needed in budgeting and negotiating.
•Remember that everything is negotiable. Compose a “wish list” of things you need and want for your event. Your specific preferences can get lost during the negotiation process unless you have them clearly in mind.
•Read every word of the contract once, twice, three times or more. Have an attorney review it, or – if you don’t have that luxury – have a peer read it and question every aspect that isn’t clear or doesn’t make sense.

When the event involves reserving a block of hotel rooms for attendees, meeting planners need to understand the meaning of a very important term: attrition. This is the difference between the actual number of sleeping rooms used and the minimum number of rooms specified in the hotel contract. Attrition is the allowable shortfall or slippage – usually 10 to 20 percent of the number you estimate your group will use – of the guarantee.

“Ask for 20 percent attrition in negotiating your contract,” Watson explained. “The hotel also will generally agree to include a calculation allowing for the unsold rooms in your block to be available for sale to the public after your room reservation deadline. Any rooms the hotel is able to sell before your event begins will be subtracted from your block, and you will only be charged for the remaining rooms they are not able to sell.

“Do not sign any contract that does not contain an attrition clause,” Watson continued. “Attrition not addressed in a contract gives the hotel free rein to make up the rules as they go. Get it in writing!”

Wright added, “There’s no substitute for advance planning. Go into any contractual situation – from a luncheon to a convention – knowing everything you want, the services you expect and the budget you have to work with. Be very clear about the details of your event with the hotel, banquet hall, restaurant or caterer. Never assume anything that isn’t agreed to by both parties in writing.”

For more contract negotiation details and tips, or for help with your event planning questions, email Carol Watson at watson@bigi.org, or Janet Wright at pica.jan@att.net.

PICA Press Release - Here's to Our New Leadership!

Great news! Jan is distributing our official press release about our new leaders for PICA, Inc. Please take a moment to congratulate those who will shape the future of our organization!

Workshop Summary - Steve Crescenzo Reminds PICA Why We're Here

Here is another workshop entry to help you rediscover all the great things you learned during the 2010 PICA Workshop in Las Vegas! Past PICA Chairperson, Kirsten Amspaugh, summarizes Steve Crescenzo's Advanced Writing & Editing session:

I was very proud and pleased to have the Crescenzos join us in Las Vegas for our workshop. For years, Steve's C.R.A.P. Awards and articles have been circulated within my company's corporate communications department, and we've always held Steve's theories about effective writing in high regard. So, it was really a treat to finally get to meet Steve and to receive specific feedback from him about how each of us can improve our publications.

Steve explains how he's taken time from his regular job with the "Thunder From Down Under" dance group in Las Vegas to work with PICA.

Steve takes a holistic approach to corporate communications. Generally, a company's needs to communicate are generated by policy, programs or procedures...but it's all really about people. The best companies use their publications to build communities of people.

Steve's presentation reminded us that any time we put pen to paper - or fingers to keyboard - we have to ask ourselves, "Is this worth doing?" Does the message we need to get out there have a benefit to the organization or to the audience? If not, maybe we shouldn't write it. Steve asked us, "Do you want to be seen as strategic communicators, or do you want to be Julie from the Loveboat?" Before you Loveboat fans get offended, consider that our purpose as corporate communicators isn't to give the audience what they think they want. Our purpose is to give our audience what they need to do their jobs and make contributions that benefit the organization.

Steve illustrated his points through our own publications that we submitted to him prior to our workshop. While some may squirm just a little when their publication is up there on the projection screen, I crave this kind of criticism and really welcomed the feedback, so everytime I saw something from my company appear on the screen, good or bad, I was psyched. To have specific feedback from someone like Steve is a huge benefit of PICA's workshop setting - we actually get to interact with writing experts and see our work through fresh eyes. (Hint: if you didn't submit something this year, do it the next time we have a session like this! You'll really increase your company's return on the investment it made by sending you to our workshop...)

A few examples of the kinds of specifics Steve touched on that we could fix right away:

Write better headlines! Putting words above an article in a larger font doesn't make it a headline. Use verbs to create movement and energy. And don't write the headline last...write it early on in the process while your enthusiasm is high and let that theme lead the article.

Give your publications credibility. How does it benefit your company's objectives to write about how a retiree plans to fish or (surprise!) relax upon retirement? Or to include articles that talk about an employee's favorite recipe or about household issues? While these topics may seem like they're contributing to the human element of your publication, they're really just fluff. Punch it up and include things that will increase your company's overall success. For example, in an interview with a retiree, ask, "What is the one thing you've always done to promote good service?" Now, that is a parting thought that shows a person's value and can benefit those who continue to work for the organization. Or, ask someone else for a story or quote about that person to illustrate the kind of worker they are.

Good writing is talking edited. Given that, when we construct long quotes that our executives supposedly said that sound nothing like talking, it's obvious! And awkward.

While the session was packed with information, we laughed a lot, too. Whether we were giggling over Crescenzo Communications IT Department, or learning how to play Buzzword Bingo, Steve did a great job of keeping the energy high and the mood light. An outstanding session!

Workshop Summary - Michael Wilder Adjusts PICA's Social Media Mindset

During our 2010 Workshop, Michael Wilder opened our eyes to the possibilities of how social media and networking could impact a business. Michael is a Learning Technologies Specialist at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Past PICA Chairman Kirsten Amspaugh gives her account of Michael's time with us:

Michael Wilder opened his super-informative session by assuring us that he wasn't there to convince us one way or another about whether we should include social media as a part of a communication strategy for our companies. However, by the end of his session, I think most of us felt that in order to move our organizations forward, we needed to think long and hard about using social media effectively.

Michael describes how social media can be used to generate energy about a group or product.

Since many people look at Facebook and Twitter as places to play on the Internet, why should we consider using them as tools to promote something as serious as insurance? Michael made two great points - first, that the idea of marketing has always been to cast our nets as far and wide as we can to catch the most possible fish. Second...social media is FREE! The only investment we are required to make when using it is our time.

So, how could social media help a business? Well, it's as simple as the concept of word of mouth: user reviews of a product can influence the purchases of their friends. Social media sites give companies an opportunity to establish an approachable identity online. Users can view the preferences of people they trust or admire and then rely on friend recommendations instead of only having the "company spiel" as a source of information.

What is attractive about social media? It's immediate, selective and easy to use. It allows people - even amidst the hustle and bustle and noise - to connect with authenticity.

Michael used Zappos as a case study to show us how one company has used social media to promote its products, connect upper management to the public, and create an online identity that is personal, approachable and likeable.

One concern I had as an insurance communicator was, "Do we have an obligation to respond if someone posts a comment to our corporately sponsored social media site?" Michael says that the obligation to respond isn't there, but a marketing opportunity exists when we do. Trends in posts can reveal where we need to improve. "You're saying, 'We're going to be dedicated to improving our service'...that is the only obligation you're creating with your online presence," Michael explained.

An additional thought Michael shared is that some businesses hesitate to have an online presence because they don't want to create a place where negative comments can collect and dwell. "Just because you don't have an account doesn't mean people aren't communicating. Negativity can be revealed anyway," he explained. But when we have a specific place online for communication to happen, we do have more control because we can see the comments and do something about them, whereas without a presence, we may or may not see the comments...and we'll miss the opportunity to improve service.

You can review portions of Michael's presentation to PICA and see the video he shared with us illustrating the prevalence of social media here.

Workshop Summary - Harlan Amborn Shows PICA the Future of Insurance

Here is Assistant Secretary & Treasurer Janet Wright's account of Harlan Amborn's presentation! Harlan is the Deputy Commissioner for the Nevada Department of Insurance.

PICA Keynote Presentation Melds Industry Past and Present to Face the Future

Using lessons of the past to deal with the future was the theme of PICA Workshop Keynoter Harland Amborn’s presentation, “Changes in Insurance -- Past, Present and Future.” He entertained his audience with print ads and TV commercials from the past to illustrate changes to insurance industry exposures through evolving products, services and human issues. Amborn is deputy commissioner of the Nevada Division of Insurance, Las Vegas.

“In a relatively short time – just a few decades -- our world has changed so radically. For instance, consider the changes we’ve experienced in products we use, dangers we face, skyrocketing monetary values of the things we insure, a reeling (and hopefully recovering) economy, and global exposure,” he explained. “These are just a few of the issues we deal with. As insurance people and communications practitioners, understanding the evolution of our world is essential to facing future challenges.”

Examples of future technology that may provide exposure to the insurance industry include:

• Commercial space travel – the first suborbital commercial transportation is predicted to blast off from Orlando, Fla. by 2015.
• Cloning – “Select-A-Child” science opens the possibility of choosing a child who is not compatible with the rest of the family or its siblings.
• Robots – damages may be incurred when a robot is programmed incorrectly for its intended purpose.
o Computerized insurance surveillance (“black box” technology) – Automobiles – measuring everything from mileage and speed to driver habits and/or errors;
o Homes – ability to determine technologically if a dwelling is secured or unsecured, vacant or occupied, regardless of what the policy owner reports.
• Life insurance – embedding “tracking chips” into individuals to know where they are, what they are doing, and when.
• Health insurance – using tracking chip technology to monitor use of medication, lifestyle, and behavior that may endanger health and generate claims.
• “Thinking Caps” – mandated by employers, for instance, so that others can monitor an individual’s thoughts.

“These examples may seem completely absurd, but the technology is already being tested,” Amborn said. “At one time, landing on the moon was absurd, too. The future is happening as we speak, and the insurance industry must be ready to deal with it. As communicators, you need to be aware of the possibilities so you’ll be ready to communicate them for your management and your industry.”

Workshop Summary - Sharon Exharos Makes PICA Think Green

Good morning, PICA! In keeping with our promise to recap our annual workshop, here is a post from Vice Chairperson, Becky Marshall. She's summarizing our session with Sharon Exahros of Realty Executives of Nevada.

Communicating Green in the Workplace

During this session of the PICA workshop, Sharon Exarhos of Realty Executives of Nevada shared numerous ideas of communicating green to Company employees, agents, policyholders and community residents. During her presentation, Sharon provided the group with a “green” checklist to take back to the office to conduct our own green audit within our companies. PICA members also discussed green initiatives already taking place within their own companies.

At the conclusion of Sharon’s presentation, workshop attendees were excited about taking new “green” ideas back to their home offices to incorporate in their internal and external communications.

Thanks, Becky! Of course, there are lots of ways your company can adopt green practices to improve its carbon footprint. But for attendees looking for ways to get their companies more involved in their communities, Sharon's presentation and our conversations after definitely inspired. Consider increasing your company's green awareness and helping your neighbors practice conservation:
Host a shredding day at your company's headquarters. Allow a mobile shredding service to set up a station in your parking lot on a weekend or after work hours. Advertise locally that you'll shred a certain amount of paper per person for free. Not only does this help encourage recycling, but also helps reduce identity theft.
Work with a local school and invite students to give your business a green evaluation. It's a great way to uncover simple practices your business can adopt and it encourages a good relationship between your business and local schools.
At a scheduled time, allow your neighbors to drop off hard to dispose of items such as paint cans and chemicals or light bulbs containing mercury. Work with a local hardware store or contractor for haul away services, then plan a time to allow neighbors to drop off these substances that are harmful to the environment.

Think about developing a committee within your company to brainstorm green ideas and use Sharon's guide as a starting point. Go green!

Workshop Summary - Marko Sakren Opens the Box

Hello, PICA People! We recap the presentations of our speakers to help refresh your memory about what you learned in the workshop. One user tip is to forward a link to this blog to any of your work colleagues who might benefit from the information...this is a great way to share the information you learned, making your workshop tuition dollars go even further!

Today's recap is from Vice Chairperson, Becky Marshall. She's recapping our session with Marko Sakren of Red Rock Media Group, Inc.

Thinking Outside the Box…Without Missing the Target

Each of us around the workshop table takes a turn reciting our name, company name and job duties. We tick off our laundry list of job duties: brochure design, newsletter writing, event planning, presentation development, advertising, community support…the list goes on-and-on for the group of us participating in the 2010 PICA Communications Workshop held in Las Vegas last month.

What the group discovered during this exercise was that in our positions, we are responsible for a slew of duties that can become quite challenging at times. Once it becomes overwhelming, we tend to spread ourselves thin…and, as a result, creativity goes right out the window.

Marko plays "Name That Product" with Carol, Carol and Rick to help them break out of their usual methods of thinking.

Workshop speaker Marko Sakren of Red Rock Productions shared with us some ideas on how to think outside the box…without missing the target. What exactly does this mean? To put it simply, as insurance communicators, we must learn to step outside of our comfort zone when it comes to communicating…in both the written and spoken word. At the same time, we must continue to meet our targets (i.e. deadlines, budgets and approvals from co-workers, supervisors, executive management).

During this session of the workshop, PICA workshop attendees explored ways of communicating to publics in a more creative and entertaining manner. We learned that once we step outside the comfort zone and begin thinking outside the box, it is necessary to identify some of the challenges we face that prevent us from fully fulfilling our responsibilities as communicators. During his presentation, Marko offered the group suggestions on how to overcome some of those challenges and ways to implement solutions back at the home office.

Marko’s presentation material sparked dynamic conversation between PICA attendees. In the conclusion, the group discovered that if small steps are taken to think outside the box, our communications will develop into more creative and effective pieces without missing the target.

Thank You!

Thanks to everyone who made our 2010 workshop a HUGE success...Wow!!

Whether you contributed by attending the conference, sharing your ideas, providing feedback or presenting information, THANK YOU.

Your efforts increased our abilities and our skills...this renewed enthusiasm will help us to communicate our ideas more professionally and effectively.

We also thank members who were unable to attend this year. Your continued support - along with the support of your company - keeps PICA going. We hope you're able to attend in 2011!

Stay tuned for updates over the next week. We'll give you a recap of each presentation so you can share this information with your colleagues!

Registration Update...and TWITTER!

The Flamingo has kindly set up a Web site so that you may conveniently register for your hotel room online.

Visit https://www.harrahs.com/CheckGroupAvailability.do?propCode=FLV&groupCode=SFIN10 to register.

If you prefer to register by phone, please call 888-373-9655. Please specify that you're with Professional Insurance Communicators of America, or PICA, to ensure that you'll receive our group rate of $89 per night.

AND...Patrick has set us up with a Twitter account! You can sign up for updates here:
http://twitter.com/PICA_InsComm Totally exciting...PICA all the time! What more could you ask for?

The Countdown is ON!

Two short months from today, we'll be gathered in Las Vegas! Are you still on the fence about joining us?

You know you won't regret it. We'll listen, learn, think, talk, catch up, laugh, compare notes, get inspired and share new ideas we can all take back to our offices.

Those ideas aren't just souveniers or mementos...they're real tools that you can put to use to make your communications more successful.

When you communicate effectively, everyone benefits! Employees feel more in the know and job satisfaction increases. Agents have the tools they need to grow their businesses and policyholders feel more protected.

And through all that, you show your supervisors and colleagues that you are exceptional at what you do. Here's to continuing your professional development! Get ready to be inspired and share your great ideas! Meet us in Las Vegas!

Exciting Times for PICA, Inc.

We're currently working on advertising our PICA workshop for the first time ever! We've always relied on word of mouth and repeat attendees to make the PICA workshops a success, and it's worked just fine. But as we try to bring new faces (with new ideas and enthusiasm attached to them) we're also prepared to try new things. This year, that means advertising.

What are some of your favorite insurance publications, either online or print? Go ahead and list them in the comments section and we'll consider them as we look at the best ways to promote PICA...

Thanks!

Don't Wait...

Psst! Have you registered for PICA yet? Booked your hotel room?

Oh, how we wish you would! Why?

Because in addition to attending a great conference, you've got a chance to be a hero by saving your company money!

When you register before March 26, 2010, the cost of this information-packed workshop is only $400 for PICA members, $550 for non-members. You save your company $50 bucks, just by registering NOW!

Also, you'll want to make sure you book your stay at the Flamingo soon so that you can take advantage of our fabulous PICA Members Only rate of $89 per night (additional persons in your room increase this rate by $30 per person per night) which is a fantastic deal! The Go Rooms are gorgeous...

So, get crackin' and register already! We hope to see you there!