As people around the world settle into December, some are embarking on summer vacation, some are in the midst of the dry season, while others are shovelling snow. People are celebrating Hanukkah, Christmas and other festivities. As a global organisation, we know our subscribers experience their days differently from each other.  No matter what activities are on your calendar this month, we wish you all the best as we mark the last month of 2023.

There will only be one issue of the newsletter in December. We’ll catch up with you again in January. In the meantime, we have some terrific information to share, a recap of 2023 and a look ahead to 2024.

Wishing you all the very best for a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.

Congratulations to Gloria Walker on becoming a CSCE Fellow. Gloria has demonstrated leadership within the field of strategic communication management and continues to share her deep knowledge as an active mentor to students, young professionals, and clients. “I have always believed that each of us has a responsibility to give back to the profession. To demonstrate this belief, I have taken an active role in many professional associations,” says Gloria.

It is this quality that demonstrates why she has been recognised by the Centre for Strategic Communication Excellence as their latest Fellow.

• We developed and launched the CSCE’s new website, which now offers various membership types, resources, training and ways to engage with communication professionals from around the world.
• The conversation about mental wellbeing intensified in 2023 – communication professionals continue to feel exhaustion, frustration and stress. We launched a new monthly mental wellbeing forum: a judgment-free zone where communication professionals can share experiences and find solace in the company of peers who understand the demands of our profession.

• CSCE proudly held its first TOTALLY ALIVE luxury wellbeing retreat, where participants focused on personal and professional development in a sumptuous, restorative setting.
• CSCE’s Adrian Cropley, Founding Partner, and Sia Papageorgiou, Managing Partner attended the Global Alliance World PR Forum in Chennai, India. Sia spoke on a panel about the outlook of PR education around the world.
• This was the year artificial intelligence started to shape our profession and the landscape of communication. The CSCE launched our AI forums to have a safe space for communication professionals to discuss the issues and opportunities that AI provides.

• In January, we will strengthen our focus on mental wellbeing and look forward to supporting the Global Alliance’s Health & Wellbeing month.
• We’re working on some great new content – we’ll be launching a new webinar series in February
• Greater emphasis on building the communication skills of leaders and employees across organisations (not just with communication professionals).
• We’re partnering with some amazing communication professionals around the world to expand our global presence and learn from each other.
• We will be holding our second TOTALLY ALIVE Wellbeing retreat in Bali 20–26 October, 2024. Interested? Click here!
  We are going to increase our focus on artificial intelligence and are now working on AI training, and building guidelines for responsible use.
• Following our first successful Executive Forum in Melbourne, we will continue to have these three times a year and start to host in various geographies.
• We look forward to helping our members learn, grow and thrive.

• In the current dynamic environment, the role of the communication professional is more critical than ever. To succeed, communication professionals need to change their mindsets to step up, to proactively seek opportunities, and to contribute strategically to the success of their organisations to help win the war on mistrust. The role of the communication professional as coach and advisor is only going to grow in importance, and communication professionals need to develop their competencies to succeed.
• The rise of polarisation and trust issues, where misinformation, disinformation, and mal-information have started to challenge us, means that communication professionals must work harder to communicate with stakeholders.
• The EU’s AI Act will serve as blueprint for the rest of the world, providing a legal framework for the development of AI.
• We’re looking forward to participating in the Global Alliance’s World PR Forum in Bali in November 2024.

The Council of the European Union presidency and European Parliament’s negotiators have reached a provisional agreement for an “artificial intelligence act,” which aims to add regulations to ensure AI systems in the European market are safe and respect the fundamental rights and values of the EU while also continuing to foster innovation.  

• Key Highlights:
  Risk-Based Approach: Stricter rules for high-impact AI models, with the level of regulation based on potential harm to society.
• Bans on Unacceptable AI Practices: Prohibitions on activities like cognitive behavioural manipulation, untargeted scraping of facial images, and emotion recognition in workplaces and educational institutions.
• Global Standard: Aiming to set a global benchmark for AI regulation, similar to how GDPR did for data protection.

What’s next?
The details of the artificial intelligence act will be finalised in the upcoming weeks.

Join Adrian and IABC Fellows for an engaging discussion of the year that was.

We’ve experienced the rise of generative AI, the fall of Twitter, and rising levels of misinformation. Tune into the final 2023 instalment of the IABC Circle of Fellows podcast for insightful reflections on the past year.

🎙️ The podcast will be moderated by Shel Holtz, who will be joined by our very own Adrian Cropley, as well as Zora Artis, John G. Clemons, and Edward Lundquist.

Our holiday promotion bundles membership and a discount on training. This limited-time offer expires December 22, so act today.

All paid CSCE memberships give you 20% off our training courses – at any time of the year. But, between now and December 22, you’ll get an additional 10% off using code ADD10.

Become a member, register for a course, and save!

Black Friday Promotion - Let’s do the math:

An annual professional membership is just $325 AUD +GST
Registering for a course, such as the premier two-day strategic communication course is $2,395 AUD + GST

Your membership means you’ll save 20% ($479 AUD) on the course
AND our limited-time Black Friday promotion means an additional 10% ($191.60 AUD) savings on the course

Total savings on this course registration: $670.60 AUD. Become a member by December 22 to take advantage of our Black Friday promotion.

Browse our training calendar for what’s on in 2024 because there’s no time like the present to ignite your career.

We’ve even developed a letter template you can modify to ask your employer to invest in your professional growth with our helpful tips. 

Join the CSCE movement now – because the present is where your future success begins.

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