Back from South Africa
Posted by Barbara Gibson, ABC on October 18, 2006
I got back on Monday from a fantastic trip to South Africa, where I had the pleasure and privilege to speak at the IABC Africa Region Conference, held at Maropeng, a world heritage site known as the “cradle of mankind,” about an hour from Johannesburg. In keeping with the conference theme of “Communication Through the Ages and Beyond,” my topic was “Survival of the Fittest: Arming Your Spokespeople to Survive in the Media Jungle.” It was an outstanding conference, attended by around 70 delegates from across the region. IABC International Executive Board Vice Chair Todd Hattori, ABC, was also there as a keynote speaker, and the two of us also had the opportunity to participate in a Leadership Institute with region and chapter leaders.
I also got a chance to get a taste of my own medicine, since they had arranged an interview for me with a cable network business news channel. Although I worked in television early in my career, I’ve largely been the person behind the spokesperson for the past decade or so. So it was a good reminder for me of what it’s like to be in front of the camera, and to be the one receiving the feedback afterwards. Utilizing the “bad news sandwich” feedback method that I had discussed in my presentation just an hour or so earlier, Todd and conference organizer Brenda Kennedy tactfully informed me that I have a habit of opening my eyes wide in surprise when I get a question I didn’t expect. Thankfully, although it was visible to them when watching the live camera feed in the control room, it didn’t show up in the edited broadcast of the interview. Whew! Now I’ve got work to do. Thanks to Todd and Brenda for being my coaches!
And thanks to IABC Africa Region, the leaders, volunteers, and conference attendees who all made me feel so welcome.
The pic above is of a baby cheetah (that I got to pet) at the Cheetah Outreach centre near Capetown. The other is Todd with a lion cub (that’s my toe he’s chewing on – the baby lion, not Todd, that is) at the Rhino and Lion Nature Reserve, where we went on a game drive. For anyone interested, there are lots more pics and a fuller account of the trip on my personal blog, and children’s stories on my dog’s blog, “The Spectacular Adventures of Noggin and Izzy.”
