The programme for the IoIC Central Region Seminar, on 27 February 2015.

1. IoIC Central Region
Annual Seminar
Friday 27th February 2015
Grove Suite, Marriott Hotel, Leicester
Welcome to IoIC Central’s eighth annual seminar. Communicating
with and engaging employees has never been more important -
or more complex – so it is absolutely vital to know about the latest
IC ideas and how they can be effectively applied.
Today you’ll be hearing from some of the country’s leading
communication experts and practitioners who will be talking
to us about how they’re:
• Transforming internal communication
• Developing the powers that create engagement
• Using humour, happiness and laughter to enhance communication
• Embracing social media and applying new techniques
• Helping leaders to build and repair trust among UK employees.
In addition to hearing from our speakers, you can participate in some
great ‘hands on’ workshops and there’ll also be plenty of opportunity
for you to network with your fellow communication practitioners,
to share challenges and solutions and to contribute to top class
debate about the internal communication issues of the day.
I hope you enjoy our seminar and share your experience on Twitter
using the hashtag #sharperIC.
Lesley Allman
IoIC Central region director
Sharpen your internal
communication:
IC innovation for 2015
& beyond

2. Today’s agenda
09.30-
09.50
Welcome & introduction
Lesley Allman,
IoIC Central region director
09.50-
10.25
Transforming internal communication – How Experian’s award winning team did it
Richard shares his team’s journey as they motivated, shifted and transformed the internal
communication function within their organisation.They were selected as IoIC’s 2014
‘best in-house team of the year’.
Richard Donovan, Experian
10.25-
11.10
Developing the six powers that create engagement, performance and happiness in teams
Engaged people are 43% more productive but only 1 in 5 is fully engaged at work. Based on
contemporary performance psychology, Stuart explores the science behind engagement and
teaches the six practical leadership skills to create performance, empowerment and happiness
in people and generate the emotional bond that is engagement!
Stuart Baldwin,
The Positive Company
11.10-
11.30
Coffee and networking
11.30-
12.15
The UK trust crisis
Nick, Katalin and Martin will touch on contemporary leadership and contextual issues that leaders
wrestle to address and how IC professionals can help leaders build and repair trust among UK employees.
Nick Terry,Top Banana, Katalin
Illes & Martin Mathews,
University of Westminster
12.15-
13.00
YOUR 1stWORKSHOP See below & badge for details
13.00-
14.00
Lunch and networking
14.00-
14.45
Using humour, happiness and laughter to enhance communication
• How to apply Laughology techniques for developing positive thinking and behaviours
• How to increase mental agility and emotional intelligence
• How to think using the FLIP thinking and coaching model for positive reframing
• Techniques to motivate others through strengths and possibilities
• The science and psychology of how happiness works within the brain
• How developing five key happiness factors can help increase productivity levels in organisations
Stephanie Davies,
Laughology
14.45-
15.30
YOUR 2ndWORKSHOP See below & badge for details
15.30-
15.50
Coffee and networking
15.50-
16.35
YOUR 3rdWORKSHOP See below & badge for details
16.40-
17.15
Future trends in social media for internal comms
Social media, digital and mobile technologies are disrupting the world we live in.The way we
communicate, consume and collaborate is bringing opportunities and threats. Drew helps brands
build internal communications strategies that will survive the stormy waters. He will share his
experiences of how social media looks now, how it will evolve in the year ahead, and what brands
should plan for.
Drew Benvie, Batenhall
17.15-
17.30
Closing remarks Lesley Allman
17.30 Ends
WORKSHOPS
Workshop A: Don’t just write stories – design and play them
In this fast-paced taster session Ezri Carlebach shares an eclectic mix of arts and design practices that shed new
light on the ancient craft of storytelling.
Workshop B: Kick start your IC career
Liam FitzPatrick will ask you to think about where you are in your career and explore your options for developing
it further – a great start to 2015!
Workshop C: Become an organisation of creative ninjas
Tim Grice provides valuable insight into what stops organisations being more innovative and shares some
practical tools that will help generate more creative solutions in any situation.
IoIC Central North Awards Dinner
19.15-
20.00
Drinks reception
20.00-
00.00
Awards dinner,presentation ceremony and disco

3. Richard Donovan, head of internal communication
and corporate responsibility, Experian UKI
Richard Donovan has been working in
communications-related roles since 1999,
predominantly focused on organisational
communication. After spending eight years in a range of roles,
including brand management, account management and internal
comms, at Egg, he has led IC functions at Capital One and
Citibank and now serves as head of internal communication and
corporate responsibility, at Experian UKI.
Katalin Illes, principal lecturer in leadership
and development, University of Westminster
Katalin previously held leadership positions in the UK
and China, contributed to international collaborative
partnership developments and worked as an adviser
and consultant. Her research interests and publications include
ethical leadership, trust, spirituality in leadership and innovative
ways of developing leaders and organisations.
Martin Mathews, lecturer in strategy,
Westminster Business School
Martin obtained his PhD in strategy and trust from
the University of Chester in 2012. He also has
an MBA from EM Lyon business school in France. His research
interests include trust, both between and inside firms and he has
published articles in major European journals on these subjects.
Nick Terry, co-founder and managing director,
Top Banana
Nick is passionate about helping leaders communicate
better. Having spent half of his working life client side,
Nick has first-hand experience of what is needed to
help leaders energise and motivate their people, to bring about
attitude change. His role is to stimulate, challenge and support, to
make sure that leadership communications achieve true emotional
engagement with audiences.
the skills of our profession; an interest that led him to create
the Black Belt programme of training and co-author Internal
Communications: A manual for practitioners, which was published
by Kogan Page late in 2014.
Tim Grice, founding partner, Purple Tiger
Tim has 15 years’ combined experience of working
for market-breaking brands First Direct and Egg.
He is an inspiring, creative and highly experienced
business consultant and innovation coach working alongside
brands such as Microsoft, Sky, Rolls-Royce and O2. He specialises
in guiding clients along the innovation journey to explore insights,
provoke originality and inspire ideas that can be developed,
assessed, validated and implemented.
Chair: Lesley Allman, IoIC Central region director
Lesley is a strategic corporate communication
specialist with over 20 years of high level in-house
and agency experience. Her consultancy, Allman
Communication Ltd, designs and delivers award
winning communication campaigns for vision and
values, strategy to action, culture change, employment brand, post-
merger engagement and other major change programmes.
Stuart Baldwin, founder, The Positive Company
Stuart Baldwin is a leading expert on engagement,
performance and happiness at work. He leads a
training consultancy that pioneers taking powerful
insights from contemporary performance psychology
and making them practical for leaders and teams. His record
of inspiring clients to raise their performance, from the BBC and
banks to government departments and Members of Parliament,
is remarkable!
Drew Benvie, founder, Battenhall
Drew Benvie is founder of communications and
social media agency Battenhall. He has advised and
represented brands including the BBC, Vodafone, Pret
A Manger, Microsoft and the Financial Times. Drew was
named the UK’s most respected practitioner by New Media Age, was
one of PR Week’s 29 under 29, is a member of the PR Power Book,
and he first wrote the Wikipedia page on social media back in 2006.
Stephanie Davies, CEO, Laughology
Over the past 15 years Stephanie has become
recognised as one of the UK’s leading voices in
happiness, humour and laughter. Her creative and
rounded approach to engagement, happiness at work,
continued development, culture change and customer loyalty drives
success, not only with the organisations she works with but at
Laughology too.
Ezri Carlebach FIIC FRSA
Ezri is a consultant, writer, and lecturer whose
professional experience includes a variety of in-
house communication teams, including Barclays,
University of the Arts London, and the British
Psychological Society. He writes for various publications on business
communication topics, specialising in education and training policy,
and runs workshops on business writing and storytelling.
Liam FitzPatrick, partner, Agenda
Liam advises organisations around the world on
great internal communications and change. He runs
campaigns, helps develop teams and endlessly talks
about the power of data. He cares a lot about growing
We’re delighted that today’s seminar is
supported by Scarlet Design, a strategic
design, training and visual facilitation company. They will be creating
a giant visual ideas and feedback map live, using their graphic
recording skills to visualise the themes and messages that emerge
throughout the day. Afterwards, the map will be shared digitally.
Also look out for Reels in Motion, an award winning
Midlands-based video production company, who will be
capturing highlights from the seminar to create a short
video showcasing the ideas and innovations we’re discovering
today. They’ll be seeking your comments and contributions so
make sure you get to have your say!
Today’s speakers (in alphabetical order)
Today’s workshop facilitators
Plus:

4. About IoIC
The Institute of Internal Communication (IoIC) exists to support internal communication practitioners
in their careers, promote high professional standards within the sector and raise general awareness
of the value of internal communication. It is the only professional institute in the UK dedicated to
furthering internal communication knowledge and practice. IoIC is a non-profit making organisation,
limited by guarantee. All proceeds from its activities are re-invested in the Institute. IoIC prides itself on
producing high-quality, value-for-money events on both a national and regional basis. All the activity
teams are made up of volunteers.
To find out more go to www.ioic.org.uk
IoIC membership
Individual standard membership is £178.50 + £60 one-off joining fee. The joining fee is waived when
booking a place at the national annual conference at the same time.
Members receive Inside Out magazine, significant discounts for attendance at regional and national
events, preferential rates for IoIC’s comprehensive training and qualifications programme, reduced
entry fee for national and regional awards, discounts for awards events, a monthly ezine, automatic
membership of the FEIEA European internal communicators network, access to the members-only area
of the IoIC website and to the IoIC’s LinkedIn group and Twitter feed for the latest news, job vacancies
and training courses.
To find out more, email membership manager Tim Beynon at tim@ioic.org.uk
IoIC Live 2015
The theme for this year’s IoIC Live will be ‘Agile IC’, as investing in your skills as a professional
communicator has never been so important.
The need for skilled, learned and agile IC professionals is growing as the IC function takes on more
responsibility for driving and facilitating communication – as well as delivering it.
IoIC Live 2015 will be staged at the Grand Hotel in Brighton, kicking off with an evening session on
Thursday 30 April before a full day of debate, discussion, case studies and presentations by thought
leaders on Friday 1 May. The event is also a great place to network, of course!
To find out more or book your place, email brenda@ioic.org.uk
Many thanks to the IoIC Central region committee, all of today’s speakers and the supporters of today’s seminar:
www.allmancommunication.com www.cwcontentworks.com www.newnorth.co.uk
www.franohara.com www.reelsinmotion.co.uk www.tomtomcom.com www.top-b.com
www.ioic.org.uk Programme designed and produced by CW Content Works www.cwcontentworks.com