In Session

Woo hoo! Let’s barbecue!

In a short series of posts over the next few days I hope to provide In Session readers with a preview of my Sunday pre-conference session, Communication Cookout: Everything I Know About Communication, I Learned From My Barbecue. As you can gather from the title, I intend to use barbecue as a metaphor for organizational communication. I figure, if others can use sailing, or mountain climbing, or golf as analogies for business, why not barbecue?

I’m uniquely qualified to lead the session on Sunday, which is sold out. As the chief cook of Rockin’ Ronnie’s Butt Shredders barbecue team, the Dean of Barbecue Academy, and the author of two barbecue cookbooks, I’m a self-proclaimed barbecue evangelist. And, as the author of the IABC Knowledge Bank’s new handbook, Writing and Editing the Internal Publication: Delivering Employee Communications with Impact, Integrity and Style, I’m well-versed in the ways of organizational communication.

On Sunday, my passions for barbecue and communication will collide, with what I hope will be tasty and entertaining results. Here’s the menu:

Grilled Asparagus with Roasted Garlic and Chipotle Mayo

Grilled Quesadillas with Smoked Gouda and Jack Cheese with Fresh Rosemary and Granny Smith Apples

Cedar-Planked Salmon with Whisky-Maple Glaze

Classic Barbecued Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Tidewater Coleslaw

Grilled Rack of Lamb with Balsamic Reduction

Mission Hill Planked Pears with Rhubarb Compote and Icewine Reduction

It sounds like lot of food, but the portions will be fairly small and it will be spaced out over the three hours of the session. With every course I’ll serve up some thoughts about organizational communication, using the food and how it’s cooked to represent the concepts I’m planning to present. There will be no PowerPoint show — just me and the food…and about five cases of superb Okanagan wine.

In my next post I’ll start exploring the menu, and its connections to great communication. Stay tuned.