Where Experience Counts . . .

Professional Writer, Issues Management, Strategic Communication Planning/Execution, Customer Communications, Strategic Event Management, Employee Communications, Media Relations

Professional Writer

If you need expert writing with solid research, creative wording, accurate grammar and polished formatting, Karen Rayl Bassham is your choice. Her writing career spans more than 25 years in corporate, agency and independent communications. Karen has extensive experience writing employee communications, speech writing, feature articles, e-books, e-classes and more on a wide range of topics. Check out her portfolio!

Issues Management

As agency account manager, worked with a large energy company in North Texas to develop a successful issues management and community relations campaign to ensure that significant audiences understood the company’s goal to be a responsible corporate citizen and neighbor. Plan included employee community outreach program, issues ad campaign in community newspapers, community leader forums, media relations, crisis/issues message development and ongoing community relations program management.

Strategic Communication Planning/Execution

As agency account manager, developed and executed a strategic communications plan for a new nonprofit coalition of business leaders working to improve area transportation issues. Plan included branding/logo development, press conference, quarterly newsletters, web site development, speaker presentations, membership and public landowner meetings and media contact.

Customer Communications

As independent consultant for a major Texas bank, developed and executed a plan to communicate bank mergers and product changes to customers in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Michigan. Plan included customized letters explaining new services, process changes and timetable as well as an accompanying plan to inform employees of the same changes and how to handle customer inquiries. 

Strategic Event Management

As onsite consultant, planned quarterly economic forums for a financial institution at which top speakers provided insight into key financial issues to the organization’s top customers and local business leaders. Plan included booking speakers, setting up venue and stage design, writing introductory/bio remarks for company CEO, keeping tabs on attendee responses and registration and working with event co-sponsors.

Employee Communications

As senior manager at a regional headquarters for an international telecommunications company, worked with top executives to plan and provide employee communications for 4,500 local employees. Plan included weekly newsletter, voicemail updates, regular all-employee meetings for two divisions, speaker bookings for employee/management meetings, executive presentations and benefits communications.

Media Relations

As spokesperson for the central region of a major long-distance provider, planned media tours and managed internal and external communications plan for 10 states in the Midwest and Southwest. Plan included setting up in-person media contacts in major regional media outlets, accompanying executives at media interviews, providing both proactive and reactive information to reporters on major company actions and setting up events to attract customers, business leaders and the media.