When we chose the theme for this conference, we wondered if people would be confused by it. What does agility mean for a media manager? Nimble, responsive, act of being agile are some dictionary definitions. For CMMA President, Gregg Moss, it’s about how we respond to and manage change. Change is not a new topic for us. I’ve had a ton of change in my work environment in the past year: leadership, personnel, platforms. We have to be responsive to these kinds of changes.
The 2018 CMMA National Conference in Savannah was an action packed conference full of events, giving back, tours and of course some of the most renowned Speakers available to our group.
Our 2018 Keynote Speaker 
Agile teams celebrate and thrive on the diversity and unique attributes other bring to a project. When celebration turns to consternation, agility is lost as teams become mired in seemingly endless complaints. “I can’t even start my work until he finishes his!” “I have an idiot for a client.” “My boss doesn’t have a clue.”
Complaining is often simply a way to blow off steam or express frustration. But when complaints become frequent, pointed and emotional, it creates a negative environment that can be toxic to you and your teams. If complainers are allowed to go unchallenged, it can be a significant de-motivator for the positive people on your team and can lead to squabbling, poor moral, and good people leaving for better jobs. Will Bowen has developed a tried-and-true way to spot chronic complaining, both in yourself and others, and to take simple, logical steps to change behavior, silence the complaining, and build a positive environment at work or at home. In this presentation, CMMA conference attendees will learn: • What’s wrong with complaining? • What are chronic complaining’s destructive effects on health, relationships, and career. • How complainers can be toxic to a team and destroy working relationships. • What is, and isn’t a complaint? • Five principal reasons people complain. • How to get other people, and ourselves to stop complaining Along the way, Mr. Bowen will teach us tips to demonstrate positive leadership in a negative world.
Enjoy Images from Will Bowen’s talk
Our 2018 Opening Day Featured Speaker September 23, 2018, 1:45-2:45pm
Andy Kaufman, PMP
Presentation title: “That’s Not What I Meant!”
As media managers, communications is our business. We create videos and websites and print materials and social media posts that rank in the top tier of “corporate” communications. But oftentimes our most challenging communications are the interpersonal communications with co-workers and staff. How can we be sure that we are communicating effectively with those upon who we depend to help craft our corporate and leadership messages, and how can we spot situations where the things go sideways because of communications breakdowns.
In his presentation, “That’s Not What I Meant!”, Andy Kaufman, PMP, international speaker, author, and executive coach, will give us tools to identify communications challenges and create strategies to dramatically improve our ability to communicate effectively with our teams. After participating in this session, participants will be able to:
- Identify key areas where breakdowns often occur with communication so they can be avoided
- Describe biases that make it more difficult for people to understand each other
- Summarize a 5-part model from neuroscience that can help communication be more effective
- Apply a 5-step process to improve their ability to be understood
View Images from Andy’s Talk
Our Monday Afternoon Speaker Candice Brokenshire – Beyond the VOG – How To Lead and Build Trust When Coaching Your Executives
We often treat our corporate executives as deities. They’ve worked their way up through corporate America, or the halls of academia, to sit at the top of the ladder and lead us through the good times and bad. But what we sometimes don’t realize is that these leaders are considerably outside their comfort zone in exactly the space where we as media managers are at our best: in front of a camera or a live audience.
Our executives often struggle to look and sound their best in live or recorded situations, and it’s well within our expertise to help them. The challenge for us is that we may not have the comfort level to act as a coach to our CEO, CFO, or other top-level leaders. Executive Coach and Founder and CEO of Considering Starlings, Candice Brokenshire, SMC-C, CPCC, will take us “Beyond the Voice of God” and give us the tools to coach members of our executive suite toward an outstanding public-facing presence.
View images from Candice’s talk
Our 2018 Closing Speaker September 25, 2018 Nan Crawford Courageous Creativity — Tools to Navigate, Challenge, and Instigate Change
We’re all faced with a daily deluge of demands and distractions. It can be understandably tempting to pull back and play it safe. How do we reconnect to an enlivened sense of innate determination? How do we stay focused on what matters most while being flexible and innovative? How do we approach the personal, professional and planetary challenges before us with courageous creativity?
Join this energizing, interactive session to…
- Examine the key obstacles that hold us back from creating a culture of authenticity and innovation
- Learn insights from neuroscience research on creativity, improvisation, and cognitive flexibility
- Understand the mindset that helps us act decisively in the midst of uncertainty
- Leverage a fundamental tool of collaboration to increase empathy
- Discover for yourself, your organizations, and your communities how to embody leadership with clarity and confidence
View images from Nan’s talk
The CMMA Leadership Forum
Featuring 2018 Moderator Dick Van Deusen, AMM
Do you have a “challenging” employee working for you? Do you have a new boss who doesn’t understand your value to the organization? Have you been struggling with the latest freelance and contractor rules? Are you seeking new ways to motivate your staff? If so, the CMMA Leadership Forum may have the answers.
A long-standing staple of every CMMA National Conference, the CMMA Leadership Forum, formerly known as the Management Topic-Go-Round, is a safe and open environment where media managers can bring up leadership issues, concerns, and problems and get advice from the best of the best in our business. The top media leaders in the country are there to help you gain the leadership skills to tackle those pesky issues at work. This year, the Leadership Forum will be moderated by Dick Van Deusen, AMM, who has been a leader in corporate media his entire career, and a CMMA member for 40 of those years. Intimately familiar with the challenges of leadership and management in the media industry, Dick will facilitate answers and help connect attendees with others who can help drive for success.
2018 CMMA Leadership Forum Moderator Dick Van Deusen, AMM
RICHARD E. VAN DEUSEN AMM, has had an agile career path. After a brief theater stint, Dick spent 30 years directing the evolution of corporate media communications for Prudential Financial; filmstrips to satellites. Post Pru he formed Media Strategies where he spent the next 17 years consulting on best practices and benchmarking with over 60 corporate media departments, including several CMMA members.
His publications covered financial management, outsourcing, the 2001 industry-wide study, Dynamic Media in Transition, The Media Manager’s Guide to Proving Value (2009) and The Wilke Papers (2013). Dick was a co-founder of ITVA (@ITVA1), two years as CMMA Exec. Director, 2004 CMMA Lifetime Achievement Award’ a Mayor and now lives in Manhattan with wife, former casting director Carol Nadell Van Deusen where he is a Trustee and Building Committee Chair of the Society for Ethical Culture and president of his Condo board. He also found his way back to his roots having directed nearly 40 play readings.
Images from Dick’s Forum
CMMA Gives Back!
Hunger is a serious issue. More than 49 million Americans struggle with food insecurity. That’s why CMMA chose America’s Second Harvest for our first Giving Back campaign.
We had a fantastic event and packed over 12,000 lbs of food for Second Harvest. CMMA was proud to be a part of Second Harvest’s Event.
WHY I ATTEND!
The Bijou Experience!
Improved for 2018 – The Bijou Content Experience Showcase