IABC Chicago

IABC/Chicago: Unlock Magic in Your Network April 8, 9amCT
2025-04-08 09:00 - 10:00 (America/Chicago)

A Good Ending to the Story: The Importance of Measurement, April 23, 11:30am - 12:30pmCDT
2025-04-23 11:30 - 12:30

Meet the Board Mixer - Wed., Oct 22 - Sweetwater's
2025-10-22 17:30 - 19:30
Meet and network with the 2025-2026 IABC Chicago Board of Directors and other local communicators in the heart of Chicago.

Webinar: How Prolific Innovators Develop Great Ideas That Deliver
2025-11-24 11:00 - 12:00 | Virtual
RE:Think Innovation: How Prolific Innovators Develop Great Ideas That Deliver Extraordinary Outcomes

Innovation has a reputation problem – it’s seen as the domain of R&D teams, marketing visionaries, or people with the right title, degree, or budget. For communicators, it can feel like something that’s out of reach. Or simply not part of the job description. But that mindset keeps us stuck in rinse-and-repeat tactics, status quo messaging, and missed opportunities to influence what matters.
What if innovation wasn’t reserved for the few? What if it were a learnable, repeatable skill communicators could use to elevate their impact, shape culture, and drive meaningful change?
In this keynote based on her bestselling book RE:Think Innovation, Carla Johnson shares a proven framework that helps communicators connect the dots in new ways, unlock creativity on demand, and become go-to innovators inside their organizations. No guesswork. No gimmicks. Just a practical approach to thinking differently and communicating with greater purpose, clarity, and influence.

Design Your Growth: Mindset Shifts for Advancement - Thurs., Dec 11, 5-6pmCT FREE WEBINAR
2025-12-11 17:00 - 18:00
Join IABC/Chicago for this free interactive webinar with Michele Monte and Kevin Kowalick, co-founders of Offshoot Coaching Professional Development, also our Event Sponsor!

Register Today!

Free Webinar: Get Your Communications Career Moving at the Speed of Change - Tues., Feb. 17, Noon CT
2026-02-17 12:00 - 13:00 | Zoom
Looking for your next career opportunity? Don’t miss this interactive lunchtime session with recruiter Lynn Hazan!
Communications careers have shifted dramatically in recent years and so has the way professionals get hired.
Join us on February 17 to learn how the career search marketplace is changing, how to run a more strategic search campaign, and how to position yourself for emerging opportunities.
You’ll walk away with clearer direction and practical ways to build visibility and connect with the right opportunities.
Lynn Hazan is the founder and president of Lynn Hazan & Associates, Inc. (LH&A) — a woman-owned, Chicago-based, award-winning, contingency-based recruiting firm established in 2000, specializing in marketing, communications, and public relations placements. The firm places full-time, part-time, temp-to-perm, virtual, and/or freelance candidates nationwide. By focusing on storytelling and long-term relationships across all stages of her candidates’ careers, Lynn and her team have had great success helping her long-term clients with multiple hires.
Lynn offers various career consulting programs focused on building candidates’ resumes, LinkedIn profiles, personal brands, interviewing & negotiation techniques, and job search strategies. In addition to running her award-winning recruitment agency, Lynn sits on the Marketing Advisory Council at DePaul University and is a three-time performer for the StorySLAM competition.

Webinar: The Ferris Bueller Guide to Smarter Storytelling - Wed., Feb. 18 - 11:00 AM CT
2026-02-18 11:00 - 12:00 | Virtual
What Ferris Can Do For You
If you want to sharpen your storytelling skills and help your people improve theirs, look no further than the classic American film, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”
In this engaging, practical session we’ll unpack the movie’s most important storytelling lesson and learn how it can help us connect with, captivate and compel any individual or audience to action — from customers and clients to colleagues and other key stakeholders.
That means:

Identifying and rising above the ordinary information (the data, stats and info) that prevents us from delivering the big picture — the context, meaning and perspective;
Drawing out the best stories from our customers, constituents, members and others;
Creating more captivating campaigns, preparing winning pitches and presentations and extending our influence inside and outside the organization.

Come prepared for a substantive and interactive experience. And remember, the learning will come at you pretty fast — if you don’t stop and tune in you could miss it!

Who is Rob Biesenbach?
Rob Biesenbach specializes in helping busy professionals capitalize on the power of storytelling to engage and influence their most important stakeholders.
Through his workshops, speeches, books and coaching he has helped tens of thousands of senior executives, managers and other professionals become more effective, persuasive communicators. He’s the author of the Amazon bestseller “Unleash the Power of Storytelling: Win Hearts, Change Minds, Get Results.”
Rob has worked with great organizations including AARP, Allstate, Caterpillar, Coca-Cola, Deloitte, Feeding America and Lockheed Martin.
In former lives, Rob was a vice president at Ogilvy, press secretary to the Ohio Attorney General, and a nonprofit and association executive in Washington, DC.
Register to attend: https://www.iabcphiladelphia.org/guide_to_smarter_storytelling
Members: $15.00
Non-Members: $25.00
Students: $5.00

Complimentary Webinar - April 16: Mind the Readiness Gap: Must-know trends from Gallagher’s 2026 Employee Communications Report
2026-04-16 12:00 - 13:00 | Zoom
In today’s rapidly evolving workplace, organizations face an ever-widening gap between the risks and change they’re facing and their readiness to respond. Drawing from the insights of Gallagher’s 2026 Employee Communications Report, this webinar will explore the most pressing trends shaping employee communications and organizational resilience.
Join the conversation with the Gallagher Communications team and discover what’s truly happening within the modern workforce and gain actionable strategies to help.
In this 60-minute session, we’ll cover:

The top factors widening the readiness gap, and what to do about them
How to close the line manager capability gap
What to do about employee burnout and information overload
How to create human-centric communications for impact
Building structure to support AI readiness
Practical tips to boost engagement in a constant state of change

Register to attend today!
Speakers:

Maddison Grigsby
U.S. Leader, Communications Consulting Practice, Gallagher
Maddison Grigsby is a strategic communicator and change leader with a passion for helping organizations navigate complexity with clarity, empathy, and purpose. With nearly 15 years in the marketing/communications space, this is her ninth year in HR consulting. Her deep understanding of organizational dynamics, plus a six-year stint as a songwriter, has laid the foundation for her human-centered approach to any business challenge and storytelling skills.
As a SHRM and PRSA speaker, Maddison has engaged audiences across the country on topics including employee experience, effective communication strategies, and practical leadership insights. Outside of work, Maddison spends time volunteering with the local animal shelter, playing pickleball, finding the best frozen margarita in town, and being an aunt to eight.

Kristin Hart
Director, Communications Consulting Practice, Gallagher
Kristin connects people with ideas, strategies and tools that empower them to overcome the barriers to effective communication. She uncovers communications needs, assembles the right team and crafts tailored solutions that drive results. She believes communication weaves together all parts of an organization—and that good communication drives meaningful behavior change.
Before joining Gallagher, Kristin led as vice president of sales and marketing at Ragan Consulting Group, where she partnered with clients to address internal and external communication challenges through assessments, consulting and training. She also produced industry conferences for Ragan Communications and honed her corporate communications experience as a communications manager at PepsiCo., supporting internal, corporate and executive messaging for the global beverage company. A lifelong improvisor, comedian and actor, she also brings humor and energy to her work and the stage.

Webinar - May 5th: How to Clearly Communicate Your Value
2026-05-05 12:00 - 13:00 | Virtual
Each of us has had moments throughout our lives and careers that have shaped who we are. Yet when faced with a simple question, “Tell me about yourself,” many of us struggle. The challenge isn’t a lack of experience. It’s that we haven’t taken the time to fully understand ourselves—to recognize the moments that have shaped us, make meaning from them, and see the patterns that reveal the value we bring.
In this interactive workshop, communications advisor and career coach David Polmer helps participants uncover those defining moments, make sense of them, and articulate their
value in a way that feels clear, grounded, and natural. The goal isn’t to sound more polished. It’s to communicate with clarity and confidence—so your value comes through without
having to perform.
Participants will:
Recognize the moments that have shaped who they are, personally and professionally
• Identify the patterns and themes that emerge from those moments
• Clarify the value those patterns reveal about who they are and how they show up
• Shape a clear, authentic way of communicating that value in conversation
• Practice sharing their story in a way that feels natural, not rehearsed, and refine it through feedback
Who It’s For
This workshop is designed for communications professionals who want to more clearly understand and articulate their value in a way that resonates in networking, interviews, and
leadership conversations.
As communicators, many of us know how to tell stories about organizations, leaders, and brands. But when it comes to talking about ourselves, we often default to listing what we’ve
done and the skills we have—sounding more like a job description than a person. This workshop helps participants move beyond that, so they can communicate not just what
they’ve done, but who they are and the value they bring.
• Mid-career communications professionals preparing for their next leadership step
• Communications leaders who want to express the broader impact of how they show up and lead
• Independent consultants and advisors who need to clearly position their perspective and expertise
Participants Will Leave With
• A clearer understanding of who they are and the through-line that runs through their experiences
• A grounded articulation of the value they bring—not just what they’ve done
• A simple, flexible way to communicate their value in real conversations
• Greater confidence in responding to “Tell me about yourself” without sounding scripted or rehearsed
• Practical experience sharing their story and refining it through feedback
Workshop Structure
• The challenge: why talking about ourselves is harder than it should be
• Recognizing defining moments that have shaped who you are
• Making meaning from those moments
• Identifying patterns and themes across your experiences
• Clarifying the value those patterns reveal
• Shaping a clear, authentic way to communicate your value
• Testing your narrative (breakout pairs)
• Group reflection
• Carrying your narrative forward
Register today
Members: Free
Lite Member: $5
Non-Member: $10

Spring Coffee Chats Around Town - May 14 at 8:00 am
2026-05-14 08:00 - 09:00
IABC Chicago’s Coffee chats are back for Spring and now in 4 locations on Thursday, May 14th from 8-9 am.
Connect with fellow communications pros in a fun, relaxed setting. These casual chats are perfect for sharing ideas, tackling challenges, and expanding your network while enjoying your morning cup in your choice of: Chicago, Oak Park, Northbrook, and Wheaton.
Whether you’re a newbie or a seasoned expert, there’s a seat at the table for you. Don’t miss out on this laid-back, low-pressure get together with IABC Chicago.
Free for members
$12.45 for non-members
Register for your preferred location:
Chicago: Milli by Metric – 3110 N. Kedzie
Oak Park: Addis Cafe – 810 S. Oak Park Ave.
Northbrook: Bean Bar – 1901 Cherry Lane
Wheaton: Summer Moon Coffee – 811 Butterfield Road
