Reviving Labour’s Image

Oct 032012
 
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A Persuading to Win workshop featuring Terry O'Reilly

February 22-23, Courtyard by Marriott, Downtown Toronto

Think unions can't improve their image?  Think it's hopeless to even try? Don't bother reading more of this.

But if you think a better image will help unions elect more worker-friendly governments, win more public support for strikes, make organizing easier and build more membership commitment to labour's agenda, keep reading.

As union activists increasingly acknowledge, something must be done now about labour's image. The Harper government has taken a bare-knuckle approach to labour rights and is backing "dues disclosure" legislation that would serve to increase union costs and reduce services to their members. The Rand Formula could be next in Harper's sights. We're seeing the same threat of union-profiling in Saskatchewan with Brad Wall's musings about ending check-off.

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Oct 022012
 
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We clearly have a problem in the labour movement…

"We clearly have a problem in the labour movement. If we're going to be successful in fighting back, we have to have conversations like this.."

– Gil McGowan, President, Alberta Federation of Labour

 

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"It was a great event with wonderful speakers. We came to the realization that we need to adapt our communications … I loved Terry O'Reilly's presentation on rebuilding our message, repositioning ourselves. He showed that it can be done."

– Francine Filion, Director of Communications, Canadian Teachers' Federation

 

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Oct 022012
 
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Friday, February 22
1:00 pm Introduction and preview of the day's work Ish Theilheimer
Publisher, Straight Goods News
1:15 pm What's a brand? How do you build, sustain and revive a brand? Dan Aronchick
President, Out-Think Inc
2:00 pm Winning the air war – Improving labour's image on TV [and other screens] Allan Bonner
TV coach and consultant
2:45 pm Break  
3:00 pm
Clinic with Allan Bonner    OR    Dan Aronchick
Paticipants may choose either
Allan Bonner
Dan Aronchick
3:30 pm
Clinic with Allan Bonner    OR    Dan Aronchick
Paticipants may choose either
Allan Bonner
Dan Aronchick
4:00 pm Yes, you can change your image Terry O'Reilly
Host, Under the Influence (CBC, American Public Radio)
5:00 pm Questions and answers with Terry O'Reilly Terry O'Reilly
6:00 pm Reception and buffet dinner  
7:30 pm Keynote speech
If the labour movement were my client…
Robin Spears
Principal, Earnscliffe Strategy Group
8:30 pm Questions and answers with Robin Sears Robin Spears
8:45 pm Reception (cash bar)  
     
Saturday, February 23
8:30 am Preview of the day's work Ish Theilheimer
Publisher, Straight Goods News
8:45 Conquering fear of unions: what psychologists know about labour's image, anxiety and persuasion Margo C Watt
Department of Psychology St Francis Xavier University
Author of Overcoming the Fear of Fear
9.15 am Your members are your marking team:
Re-positioning and the evidence-based union image-building system that works
Marc Zwelling
President, The Vector Poll™
10:15 am Break  
10:30 am Clinic with Clinic with Margo C Watt OR Marc Zwelling
Paticipants may choose either
Margo C Watt
Marc Zwelling
11:15 am Clinic with Clinic with Margo C Watt OR Marc Zwelling
Paticipants may choose either
Margo C Watt
Marc Zwelling
11:45 am Let's hear from you:
Image-reviving ideas generated in small groups
Ish Theilheimer and participants
12:30 pm Working buffet lunch  
1:00 pm Feedback from the idea groups Ish Theilheimer
1:30 pm Evaluation and feedback Participants
1:45 pm Wrap-up and adjourn Ish Theilheimer

 

Oct 012012
 
 
Terry O'Reilly

Host, CBC Radio Under the Influence.

Terry O'Reilly's best-selling book—The Age of Persuasion: How Marketing Ate Our Culture— and CBC radio shows introduced him to millions. But in the ad world he already was famous after a career as an award-winning copywriter for Campbell-Ewald, Doyle Dane Bernbach and Chiat/Day, and co-founder of the creative audio production company Pirate Radio & Television (it has a staff of 50, with recording studios in Toronto and New York City).      

 

Margo C Watt
Department of Psychology, St. Francis Xavier University
Author: Overcoming the Fear of Fear

 Dr Watt is a clinical psychologist whose research interests include disorders, control and personality issues, domestic violence, and women offenders. She teaches Introductory Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, and Forensic Psychology and works with Correctional Service Canada. Her book centres on helping people master anxiety and fears. She has served as co-editor of the newsletter of the Clinical Section of the Canadian Psychological Association.     

 

Robin Sears

 

 

Senior Partner, Earnscliffe Strategies Group

Robin is a senior communications and public affairs advisor with experience in healthcare, financial services, media and in international democratic development on three continents. He was national director of the New Democratic Party. Navigator specializes in crisis communications and image recovery. Robin was the first Asia president of the pioneering digital search firm Futurestep. He is a senior writer for Policy Options magazine and a regular guest on CBC Newsworld's Politics.              

 

Marc Zwelling

President, Vector Research

Marc Zwelling is president and founder of Vector Research and The Vector Poll™, an ongoing public opinion research project involving a collaboration of national and provincial unions. Vector Research and Development Inc is a full-service market and opinion research company and has worked in the private and public sectors for over 20 years.

 

Dan Aronchick

Dan Aronchick is the president of Out-Think Inc., a Toronto-based innovative marketing company. He taught Marketing at the Schulich School of Business at York University for 15 years, where he developed the first Canadian course on Creative Idea Generation. A “packaged goods” marketer for 20 years, Aronchick is the former director of marketing at Unilever and started his career at Procter & Gamble. His past clients include Royal Bank, Kraft, Harlequin and Molson. Recently, clients include ECW Press and the Humber School of Creative and Performing Arts.

 

Dr Allan Bonner

Allan Bonner has coached approximately 30,000 people to deal with some of the most controversial and public issues of our time. He has worked with heads of government, G7 and UN delegations, the WTO, NATO as well as CEO’s and diplomats around the world. He has recently worked in Hong Kong, Seoul, Tokyo, Bangkok, Beijing, Singapore, Canberra, Budapest, Geneva, Bled, most American States and all Canadian Provinces.