Most cover letters are boring, formulaic. Applicants are too afraid of offending to risk standing out. And in an era of robot screeners, one can wonder: Do cover letters even matter?

This workshop lays out the roles and goals of a good business letter, and explains why yes, indeed, cover letters do still matter. The session will outline core principles of persuasive writing that will help writers pitch themselves successfully to a range of readers. Through analysis of letters that worked, attendees will come to a new understanding of strategy, and learn to distinguish elegant flourishes from cheap gimmicks. The workshop will demonstrate how applicants can use audience insight to showcase themselves to greatest effect, and offer a framework for taking calculated risks in professional prose.

Presenter:
Edith Updike is managing editor of FundFire, a daily Financial Times publication covering institutional asset management. From 2008 to 2012, she was a full-time lecturer in the master’s degree programs in Strategic Communications and Communications Practice at Columbia University’s School of Continuing Education. She taught business writing, critical thinking, media studies and communications strategy. Updike earned an MS in Journalism at Columbia, and has covered business, politics and social issues for a range of publications from New York Newsday and Business Week to Slate and Travel Journal International. She has served as a consultant on media, communications and management strategy to internet start-ups as well as major companies such as PriceWaterhouse and Honda.

Hear from instructors and successful students what the Advanced Communications Project (ACP) is really about, and get a jump-start on your project. Jim, Shawn and Edith, all seasoned instructors of the ACP, explain the basic structure of the final course in the program, and give you tips and pointers on how to choose a topic that's appropriate. They will also convene a panel of successful graduates who represent a range of project types, and who share their stories and answer your questions.

Open to Strategic Communications students only.

The television industry is in the midst of a digital revolution, evolving from a one-screen medium to a multi-platform experience on mobile, computer and internet connected television screens, creating a new creative entertainment landscape. In this interactive workshop, participants will learn how to use digital video to communicate with consumers, gain practical knowledge of the digital marketing landscape, and walk away with new ideas to drive future career decisions.

This event is free and open to the public.

This interactive workshop will teach you how to use visual techniques to focus attention, clarify complexity, drive understanding and build memorability. Through a combination of real world examples, case studies and in-session teamwork, participants will learn and apply visual techniques that result in more strategic and successful communications.

This event is free and open to the public.

Bill Schroeder
For nearly 20 years, Bill Schroeder has worked with consumer, business-to-business and not-for profit organizations to help them develop brand strategies, visual identity systems, strategic presentations and design management methodologies. He has worked with entities as diverse as Timberland, BBC News, Eurovision, IKEA and Rainforest Alliance. Bill began his career in news and information graphics where he served as the Director of News Graphics for The Associated Press, the world's largest newsgathering organization. Subsequent to that, he was Director of Project Management for Landor Assoicates, the premier global branding agency within the WPP family of companies. Bill has taught and lectured at Pratt Institute, The New School and New York University, presented at several conferences and published articles on branding and leveraging design for competitive advantage. He holds a bachelor's in Architecture from Virginia Tech and a master's in Design Management from Pratt Institute. Bill was born in Okinawa and lived in Thailand, Greece and Germany before returning to the United States. His early years abroad and passion for experiencing diverse cultures has resulted in his penchant for working with global organizations.

Download Presentation:
Design Strategies: Visual Communications to Drive Your Message Home (PDF)

Students will learn how to use The Playmaker's Table--the world's first "periodic table" of influence strategies --to recognize and make "plays" in a competitive marketplace. Through case studies, you'll learn how to advance ideas, defend reputations, position brands and build coalitions.

This event is free and open to the public.

Alan Kelly is a business strategist, political commentator, and award-winning CEO. In 2006, Kelly founded The Playmaker's Standard, LLC, a management consulting and software services firm specializing in communication and competitive strategy, and developed a breakthrough "periodic table" of strategy--a system that names, describes and prescribes the work of playmakers everywhere,and which is catalogued in his landmark book, The Elements of Influence: The New Essential System for Managing Competition, Reputation, Brand, and Buzz.

Download Presentation:
Cracking the Code of Communication Strategy: How to Use the Periodic Table of Influence by Alan Kelly (PDF)