Conference coverage How to survive social media

It’s the same old story: Communicators understand the power of social media but their senior managers remain wary

We’ve heard the question a thousand times before: How do communicators steer a safe passage between senior managers who fear social media and the Facebook-generation of tech-savvy workers now streaming into the workplace?

For the second straight year, that question topped all others for communicators arriving in Chicago for Ragan’s three-day Corporate Communicators Conference.

Social media guru Shel Holtz opened his “Social Media 101” session Wednesday with a simple question: How many communicators have senior leaders willing to embrace blogs, wikis, online employee forums and other new social media tools? Only half of the attendees raised their hands.

Gerry deSimas, a communications specialist for the Northeast Utilities System, summed up the dilemma facing his communication colleagues: “The challenge is to convince older executives who don’t see the value.”

But how do you win support from senior management?

Conference speakers leading the event’s early sessions offered a few answers: