- Date: March 24, 2006
- Location: University Club of Toronto, 380 University Avenue , Toronto
- Cost: $ 299.00 +GST
Agenda | Buffet Lunch Menu | Biographies | Details | Gallery
We developed the “Putting It In Writing” seminar because we’ve noticed that too many organizations spend too much time and resources preparing too many documents that just don’t work.
At the “Putting It In Writing” seminar you’ll hear from elected officials and their staff – and from experienced government program and policy people – about the ways documents can help or hurt efforts to persuade government, and from our consultants about proven ways to spend less time and resources while preparing documents that will actually work.
Who should attend the “Putting It In Writing” Seminar? Is it a workshop for writers or is it aimed more at the management level?
“This is not a work shop for writers (although we can provide that for organizations who are interested) but we hope the seminar will be attended both by those who prepare documents in an organization and by the people who set goals and policies or have direct responsibility for government relations.
“That’s because we think some of the biggest gains the seminar can help achieve will come from improvements in the way the people who write the documents and the people who use the documents work and communicate together.”
Is the seminar about preparing documents that are aimed at the government only?
“No, it’s not. That’s partly because we don’t believe there should ever be such a thing as a document that’s aimed at the government only any more than we believe that there is ever really any such thing as a confidential document.
“We should always assume that anything we put in writing is going to be known by all. There’s an old saying in politics: ‘Never put anything in writing you’re not prepared to see on the front page of the Globe & Mail tomorrow’.
“So in this seminar we’ll be focusing on ways to prepare documents that are effective in meeting their primary goals – whether that be qualifying for a grants program, persuading an official to take or support specific actions that benefit the organization (or to work to prevent actions that would be harmful) or simply to enhance understanding of the organization’s concerns – while also contributing to the broader goal of strengthening support and respect for the organization in the community.
“That’s why one of the questions we encourage clients to ask as they’re preparing written messages is ‘Who else should we sending this to?’ or “Who else should we be telling about this?’
Are you suggesting that organizations should be preparing more documents? It sometimes seems like we’re drowning paper already.
“No, we don’t think most organizations should be preparing more documents or putting more things in writing. In fact, if you adopt the approaches we recommend, you’ll probably find that you need fewer different documents. That can lead to big savings in time and resources.
“It can also help to keep your messages consistent. “One of the most important reasons for putting things in writing in the first place is to make sure that all your publics are receiving the same message; the more different documents you prepare, the greater the chances that different wording may lead to confusion about your real message.
“So – reducing the number of individual documents your organization produces can be one of the greatest benefits of the approach we’ll be recommending at the “Putting It In Writing” seminar.”
What do you think are the most important reasons documents fail to achieve their goals?
“In our experience, there are two main reasons documents don’t work – despite the face that organizations have invested huge amounts of time and effort in their preparation.
“The first is that, far too often, organizations write documents that simply fail to speak to the concerns or requirements of the people they’re trying to influence or persuade. It may be a grant application that fails to respond to the program guidelines of criteria. It might be a background paper trying to arrange a meeting with a Minister or other elected official that fails to identify ways the meeting can help meet the government’s or the individual politician’s own goals. The document might include policy suggestions (or demands) that are, on the face of it, impossible to meet.
“If your document doesn’t meet the guidelines the government has set out, or speak to the government’s objectives as well as your own, or if it asks the impossible – you’ll just be wasting paper and time.
“The second reason documents fail to achieve their goals is that they’re just too hard to read. They’re too long, they contain too much information, they use unnecessarily difficult language; they don’t get to the point or have a clear ‘ask’ – a call to action.
“Remember – the people you’re trying to influence are busy people with many different groups competing for their attention. If your document is too hard to read, chances are it will just keep getting shuffled to the bottom of the pile on a busy official’s desk.
“If you use the approaches we’ll be suggesting at the ‘Putting It In Writing’ seminar, you won’t be producing those kinds of documents in the future.”
That seems like common sense. Why do organizations continue to make those mistakes when they’re preparing documents?
“The biggest single reason document go wrong is that people start writing too soon – before there’s a clear understanding of the goals, the information required or the audiences involved. It’s important to ‘get it right’ before you ‘put it in writing’. If there’s one single idea we hope people will take away from the ‘Putting It In Writing’ seminar – that’s it.
Agenda
8:30 AM – 9:00 AM |
Registration – Continental breakfast |
| 9:00 AM – 9:30 AM | Leonard Domino - Introductions and Update From Queen's Park |
9:30AM – 10:30 AM |
Douglas Scott – “Putting It In Writing” – practical steps for documents that work. Too many organizations invest too much time and too many resources preparing too many documents that just don’t work. This presentation focuses on common sense steps to help develop more successful documents – from grant applications to annual reports to advocacy pieces to briefing papers – more quickly.
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10:30 AM – 10:45 AM |
Refreshment Break |
10:45 AM – 12:00 PM |
Panel Discussion
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12:00 PM – 1:30 PM |
Luncheon Speaker Peter Finkle, Chief Operating Officer - Southlake Regional Hospital |
Buffet Lunch Menu
Mirror of Atlantic Smoked Salmon with Bermuda Onion & Capers
Baby Mesclun Greens with a Raspberry Vinaigrette
Spinach Salad with Sour Cream & Chive Dressing
Tiger Shrimp with Grilled Portobello Mushrooms & Vegetable Niçoise
Grilled Boneless Chicken Breast with Sundried Tomatoes & Parmesan
Poached Salmon Fillet with a White Wine & Dill Sauce
Rosemary Roasted Leg of Lamb
Medley of Seasonal Vegetables & Gratin Potatoes Dauphine
Chocolate Raspberry Cream Cake
Key Lime Pie
French Brie with Water Crackers & Grapes
Coffee & Tea
We will try to accommodate any dietary needs - please inform us in the registration form
Speaker Biographies
Peter Finkle
Chief Operating Officer
Southlake Regional Health Centre
As of November 2005, Peter Finkle accepted the role of Chief Operating Officer at Southlake
Regional Health Centre in Newmarket, Ontario. In this role Peter is responsible for the overall day-to-day operations at Southlake.
Prior to joining the Southlake Team, Peter Finkle had been seconded to the position of Acting Director of Hospitals Branch of the Acute Services Division of the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care. He is now an expert on proposal writing since he was the target of hundreds of proposals sent in by various hospitals throughout Ontario.
As well, he is the Executive Lead for Hospital Multi-Year Funding. Peter held the position of Regional Director, Eastern Region, Health Care Programs which he's occupied since1999. Prior to this appointment, he was the senior consultant for the Health Services Restructuring Commission.
He began his career with the ministry in 1987 as an economist and has held a number of
positions in the Institutional Health are~ including Director of Central Region and Manager of Planning and Operations. From 1982 to 1987, he worked for the Ontario Division of the Canadian Red Cross in Care Services/Homemaker Services and in Community Services. Mr. Finkle's educational background consists of a Master of Arts in Public Administration, as well as a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Public Administration, both attained at Carleton University in Ottawa. He also holds the designation of a Canadian Health Executive (CHE), as awarded by the Canadian College of Health Service Executives. Mr. Finkle was the recipient of the Ace Award
in 2001. He has lectured on health administration at several universities, as well as been a guest speaker at numerous conferences.
Ted McMeekin
Parliamentary Assistant To The Minister Of Government Services
Ted McMeekin was elected to the Ontario legislature in a by-election in 2000. He was re-elected in 2003. His career in public service has included serving as mayor of Flamborough, as a Hamilton city councillor and as a leader in several community organizations.
In the legislature, Mr. McMeekin served as critic for tourism and for municipal affairs. He has been a strong advocate for children with special education needs, seniors, the environment and community development.
Mr. McMeekin holds a master’s degree in social work from Wilfrid Laurier University. He served as executive director of the Burlington Social Planning Council and chair of part-time studies at Mohawk College. He was responsible for social justice issues as a regional staff person for the United Church of Canada. For eight years, he owned and operated a small bookstore.
Mr. McMeekin’s volunteer work has included executive positions with the Hamilton Mental Health Association, Operation Lifeline, Circle of Friends and the Wesley Urban Ministries. He also served on the board of directors of the Chamber of Commerce. He has coached baseball and soccer and volunteered as a Youth Group Leader.
Mr. McMeekin lives in Carlisle with his wife, Dr. Barbara McMeekin, and his three daughters.
Kim Alexander Fullerton
Barrister & Solicitor
Professional Corporation
Kim Fullerton graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1980 and was called to the Bar in Ontario in 1982. His office is located in Oakville and his practice is restricted to representing First Nations and Organizations as legal counsel: in land claims against Canada and Ontario; in negotiations with major corporations such as Hydro One, Bell Canada, Bowater Pulp and Paper and Canadian National Railways; in fishing negotiations; and as general legal counsel. He was an appointed Trustee for three First Nation Land Claim Settlement Trusts. From 1993 to 1996 he was Chief Counsel for the Indian Claims Commission, a Federal Royal Commission with authority under the Inquiries Act to inquire into and report on land claim issues across Canada. Previously Mr. Fullerton acted as Senior Solicitor-Native Affairs, with Ontario Hydro. Prior to that, Mr. Fullerton acted as Counsel, and Director of Self-Government Negotiations, to the Indian Commission of Ontario.
Kevin Sandy
Kevin V. Sandy is a member of the Six Nations Grand River Territory, Hodinoh:so:ni Confederacy, Cayuga Nation, Wolf Clan.
Mr. Sandy’s vision is to inspire and motivate individuals to achieve their dreams. He operated his own sportswear/lacrosse equipment business for five years in Six Nations and Kahnawake. In May 2002, he sold the company to his Retail Manager.
Now, he operates a management consulting company, providing advisory, research and business development services to clients in Southern and Eastern Ontario. The company is entering the sixth year of operation.
The company has assisted non-profit corporations, small business and individuals in securing over $22M for start-up, working capital, operating, training support, business expansion, grants & contributions, foundation and private support.
Prior contract positions have included: City of Windsor, Parks and Recreation; Project Consultant, Program Coordinator and Business Development for Six Nations Council, Greater Toronto Aboriginal Management Board, Niagara Peninsula Area Management Board, Grand River Employment and Training, Ontario Federation of Indian Friendship Centres, Ojistoh Management Services & Niagara Regional Native Centre.
In March 2003, he completed a Can-Fit Pro personal trainer course. Since the age of 15, he has delivered sports instruction camps in Oneida, Beausoleil First Nation, Kahnawake, Manitoulin Island, Six Nations, Windsor, Brantford and Toronto.
Two memorable highlights include sponsoring a youth lacrosse/cultural experience to Novato, California and coordinating a basketball trip to Arizona for high school youth. Mr. Sandy has participated in seven national and provincial lacrosse championships winning gold, silver and bronze medals. He’s a coach for Team Ontario’s Midget Field Lacrosse team participating in the 2006 North American Indigenous Games.
He completed school at St. Clair College studying business (advertising) and finished his secondary education at Caledonia High School. In 1997, he completed a Small Business Certification Program offered by Mohawk College and the Canadian Bankers Association.
He spends his leisure time reading, golfing, playing volleyball, running, biking, watching amateur/collegiate sports and participating in resistance training exercises.
Jane Armstrong
A social activist most of her working life, Jane Armstrong was a national representative with the Canadian Auto Workers union for twenty-five years, including being the energetic Communications Director of the CAW from 1992 to 2004. Prior to becoming director Jane was a union organizer and actively involved in many social issues including participating for almost a decade with the South African Congress of Trade Unions Solidarity Committee in the struggle against apartheid.
More recently, she was part of the Canadian delegation to the International Labour Organization (ILO) for the establishment of a new ILO Convention to bring about an end to the worst forms of child labour.
Jane earned her Master of Librarianship degree from Dalhousie University and a BA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia.
Douglas Scott
His track record includes providing writing and consulting support to governments, industry, labour unions, and not-for-profit agencies across Canada. Scott offers a unique combination of skills: on one hand, he brings an in-depth understanding of politics and the public policy process, of issues management, conflict resolution, compliance and scope of practices issues – plus marketing, advocacy and persuasion; on the other hand, he has the style and turn-of-phrase of a gifted writer. That gives him the capacity to help clients get the message across – and also to express it forcefully and memorably. He also likes to teach and train: he has helped our people get better, and he’ll help your people get better, too..
We’re telling you about Scott now because, as organizations adapt their messages and communications strategies to deal effectively with the new McGuinty Government in Ontario, we think his knowledge and skill set can help you achieve your goals and generate communications – proposals, presentations, grant applications, submissions, speeches and even letters – that will work better and cost less in terms of total time and resources than those you’ve done in the past.
Details
- Location: University Club of Toronto, 380 University Avenue , Toronto
- Date: March 24, 2006
- Full Cost: $ 299.00 +GST for full conference
- Early Bird Cost : $ 225.00 + GST - for payments received before Mar. 6, 2006
- Elected Speakers Only: For those who wish only to participate in the discussions with elected officials, we are offering a package that includes free access to the MPP panel and lunch speakers, however you must register and pay $50.00 + GST to cover the cost of your lunch.
*Please note that if you are non-profit whose annual budget is less than one million dollars we will provide you with a complimentary admission
*Three can attend for the price of two
- We are expecting this to be an intimate engagement limited to 36 registrants. If you wish only to join us for the luncheon speaker you may do so for free, but we ask that you register in advance for $50 to cover the cost of food.