16 Things We Learned at IABC World Conference 2024

Thursday, June 27, 2024

That’s a wrap on the 2024 World Conference! IABC was thrilled to host communicators from around the world in Chicago over the course of four days.

As attendees mixed, mingled and wove in and out of sessions, a few things were clear: communicators are incredibly adept at building relationships. They care deeply about the people they work with and for. And whatever change the next few years will bring, they are not only up for the challenge — they’re well-equipped with the skills needed and a network ready to support them, too.

Below are just a few takeaways from some of the experts we learned from this week.

👐 Oscar Munoz, former United Airlines CEO, drew from his on-the-ground, 37-day listening tour he undertook during a tumultuous time at the company. He shared that the act of communicating is note a rote process — it is something that must be cared for. In the age of AI, we’ll increasingly rely on storytelling and shared values to help break through and reach others.

💪 Katie Macaulay drew on lessons from 100 episodes of The Internal Comms Podcast, from developing a habit of curiosity, to learning to build a relationship before you “break glass in case of emergency” and reframing failure as success in disguise. She asked: “What would you do for certain if you knew you couldn’t fail?”

🏛️ David Imber taught us what we can learn from political communications: they’re always on, never miss an opportunity to connect, have a deep hunger that plays to win and develop experiential content that pushes human emotions. What would it look like if your CEO got “on the trail” and gave a stump speech?

🔍 Catherine Fisette helped us unpack biases and better understand our mind’s dual processing roles. Where system one is a fast-moving gatekeeper of information — where we spend 85% of our day — the other, system two, seeks to process information more slowly, with greater intent. To work against our default system, we must slow down, investigate our own beliefs and zoom out.

🌟 Kim Clark shared a lesson her mentor once taught her as she fought career burnout. Pain pushes until vision pulls — you must try something different, work through the pain and avoid going back to the same well. With this shift, we can move toward optimism — and as 82% of employees are at risk of burnout, there’s never been a better time to make this change.

♻️ Moderated by Lee Ballin, our panel of ESG and sustainability experts — Annie Agle, Allison Binns, Fritz Bratschie and Katy Motiey — shed light on why sustainability matters now more than ever. Simply put, it’s good for business, as investors seek out long-term cashflows. When it comes to ESG, simple reporting is best, backed by data and a human-centric approach. You could have the world’s best business model and it wouldn’t matter if you don’t build long-term relationships with the communities you serve.

📖 Shane Hatton shared the story of Nigel Richards, a New Zealand man who won the French World Scrabble Championship after studying the French dictionary. Richards struggled to participate in a celebratory press conference — he knew the words but couldn’t speak the language. When creating culture, our words will fall flat with employees if we don’t give them the tools to speak the language.

✅ Anne Locke shared how Canadian company TELUS is using trust and explainability to bridge the AI gap. Their responsible AI policy is a major part of their website and they are the first organization in the world to become ISO certified with public generative AI. It’s not just the right thing to do, it’s strategically sound — 88% of consumers will buy from a brand again if they have high trust.

📈 Catherine Sanderson helped us reflect inward and understand the science behind happiness. Think of a time you got a promotion — it came with more work, more responsibility and more stress, but with time you adapted. The ability to adapt is a positive, allowing us to come back from incredibly difficult circumstances.

💻 Survey results from 400 internal communicators, analyzed by the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, show that hybrid work is here to stay, but we’re approaching it like it’s still temporary. Internal comms has since grown in importance, with 30% of respondents sharing their budgets have increased.

Note: IABC partnered with USC Annenberg on this study and will be releasing the report to members this summer, with more content and discussion opportunities to follow.

⚠️ Bonnie Caver held a dialogue den around AI and ethics as we navigate its Wild West era. First things first: AI doesn’t unlearn the information we give it, so share with caution. Also consider how you’re setting up the next generation for success. With AI taking on traditional entry-level tasks, mentorship is one answer to help new professionals build strategic skills and critical thinking required to bridge this gap.

🤖 Martin Waxman discussed the integration of generative AI into marketing and PR, emphasizing its transformative potential amidst FOBO, or fear of becoming obsolete. We must maintain human oversight in AI-driven creativity and learn how to talk to machines. The CREATE framework (character, request, examples, adjustments, type of output, extras) offers one approach.

🎸 Emily Caister explored Taylor Swift's marketing prowess, highlighting her mastery in engaging fans through authentic, narrative-driven communication. The pop star’s approach, rooted in personal engagement and Easter egg messaging, builds emotional connections and loyalty. How can our storytelling engage our audiences in a similar way?

👩🏼‍💻 Rebecca Bultsma explored the current landscape and future trends of AI integration. Highlighting practical applications from personal assistants to crisis communications, she emphasized AI's potential for efficiency and strategic enhancement, alongside ethical considerations such as data security and deepfakes. As this technology grows, expect to see a shift toward hyper-personalized content, increased transparency demands and evolving dynamics of reputation management.

📢 Naz Lauriault emphasized the power of communication as a tool for co-creating and elevating historically marginalized voices. Among many things, this requires intentional listening and developing strategies for authentic allyship, such as engaging with content from these communities, supporting their businesses and promoting their talent.

👂Julian Treasure, sound expert and closing session, encouraged us to reacquaint ourselves with silence, “to recalibrate our ears,” and offered a few acronyms to practice better listening. The next time you’re in conversation, try RASA: receive, appreciate, summarize, ask (open ended questions).

The lessons shared here just scratch the surface of ideas shared at the 2024 World Conference. Whether or not you joined us in person, if something above sparked an idea, the Catalyst team would love to continue the conversation with you and collaborate on future content. Reach out to the editors at catalyst@iabc.com.

We can’t wait to see you in Vancouver, 8-11 June 2025!

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