![]() by Casey Braun One of the noblest things a person can do is help someone else in a time of crisis. That is why I think crisis communication is one of the most vital, exciting and rewarding areas of public relations. In the session “How to Avoid a Dead-End Street: Crisis Communications” at the PRSSA National Conference, APCO Worldwide Executive Director Kent Jarrell and Crisis1 President Pat Philbin spoke about their experiences in the crisis and issues management field. Both spoke about how in a world where incidents like the Virginia Tech shooting and other salacious news are becoming commonplace, it is more vital than ever for organizations to be vigilant and prepared. Further, it is important for practitioners to understand the fundamentals of crisis communication even if they think they will never need to use them. Philbin discussed the PESTEL framework for analyzing internal and external factors that can affect an organization. PESTEL stands for political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal factors, all of which public relations counselors should be constantly researching and analyzing for risks and threats. Philbin went on to discuss how in a communication landscape like ours, it is important for practitioners to be able to engage in conversation about these factors. “In this politically correct age we live in, it’s almost impossible to have good discourse about anything,” Philbin said. It is the job of public relations practitioners to begin discourse about key issues in their organizations to help identify issues and plan for crises. Jarrell discussed different methods for predicting crises, including scenario mapping using a four quadrant model and risk ranking. “If you can determine how the risk will be assigned to certain stakeholders…what’s in the top right quandrant…is the most likely occurrence and could be the most catastrophic. That’s preplanning. But it’s the same model you use if a crisis breaks,” Jarrell said. Both speakers emphasized a need for sincerity, protecting people first in a crisis and facilitating knowledge and understanding. “In our business, integrity is the only currency you have,” Philbin said. “People are generally forgiving of mistakes, but people won’t forgive if they perceive that [organizations] don’t care or aren’t doing all they can… People want to know that you care before they care what you know.” Both provided more tips for communicating during a crisis, such as:
Both speakers concluded their portions discussing the most important element of effective crisis communication: telling the truth. “Communication has to be directly to policy or the truth… It starts at the top. You have to have a CEO or an effective management team that understands that without having a communications component, we are at risk,” Jarrell said. “Trust equals 1) doing the right things well and 2) communicating them well,” Philbin said. Basic crisis communication principles seem relatively basic. However, many companies and executives still get themselves in trouble by not understanding the basic tenets of what publics really want to know from a company and the best ways to communicate that information. Research, pre-planning, issues scanning and telling the truth are essential to preserving an organization’s reputation during a crisis.
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by Gabrielle Woodard There aren’t many people who see the opportunities provided by practicing public relations in the government or political realm. One thing to know is, often times, in the political world public relations is referred to as public affairs. As defined by prdaily.com: “Public affairs relates to matters that concern the public directly. This could include legislation, policing, and public administration, as well as other elements. Public relations on the other hand, focuses more on the company’s connection with the public." ![]() So, just know that as a PR practitioner, you are capable of doing public affairs work. In the political PR session at PRSSA National Conference the main speaker was Bob Lehrman, who currently works for the Federal Communications Commission. Lehrman got his first job thanks to one of his classmates at Tuft’s University, Kurt Vonnegut. Lehrman said after he was awarded the job he was able to read the letter in which Vonnegut had written. In the recommendation letter, Vonnegut had said he believed Lehrman was qualified for the job but would do much better in Hollywood. Due to the audience’s particular interest in internships within political public relations, Lehrman recommend when applying to internships to “cast a wide net” and apply to many places. He also recommended to “pick something you’re fascinated by” because when you are very interested in something, you are more likely to learn while doing it. Lehrman emphasized multiple times to research the organization and know as much as you can about it before interviewing. Much like the corporate world, government agencies want you to know the organization for which you are interviewing to the fullest extent possible. I highly recommend anyone interested in any kind of public relations researches jobs offered within the government. There are jobs in the corporate sector, non-profit and agency. Government jobs often provide stable work and allow for growth within multiple organizations. by Elline Concepcion
It’s what we, as public relations practitioners, are responsible for. We deal with brands and reputations, and we know the importance of maintaining a positive one. We always have room to learn from brand management stories; this is where The Captain comes in. Derek Jeter, The Captain of the New York Yankees, has retired from baseball after 20 years in the major leagues. Jeter has had amazing achievements throughout his career that can be summed up by the 2,734 games Jeter has played, the five World Series championship rings and the Yankee pinstripes he has been wearing since he began as a rookie. Since the beginning of this career he has kept his reputation positive and has mastered brand management. We can all learn from Jeter’s legacy. Professionalism is at the top of the list of what Jeter has done correctly over the course of his career. He remained professional on and off the field. He kept his private life private and allowed his achievements to show his character. Jeter’s loyalty to his team and to his fans also made his brand stronger. He was able to stay with the same team throughout his career and remained loyal to his teammates. Jeter was never one to talk about his teammates and kept their locker room conversations private. Another important takeaway from Jeter’s brand management was the manner in which he handled his endorsements. Jeter made his endorsements subtle and made his interactions with these endorsers natural. He didn’t tweet about the brands he endorsed or carry a Gatorade bottle with him everywhere he went. Jeter allowed his career and his performance on the field to be the focus of his legacy. Jeter was smart about how he handled interviews. He was a good listener and made sure what he said was thought out before he spoke. Jeter was respectful to other players, his team and to himself. Most important in relation to brand management is being true to your character. This is what Jeter did. He was always natural with his fans and stayed away from the typical cocky jock persona. The Captain knew what was important to him and made sure everything he did was true to his core values. Jeter’s ability to maintain a positive brand image for 20 years is one reason why he is remarkable. This ability has allowed him to have a positive foundation for future projects and endeavors. ![]() by Cindy Deng We have been waiting for this moment for years, and the day finally came. PRSSA Kent received the Outstanding Chapter Award at the 2014 PRSSA National Conference in Washington, D.C.! This is the highest Chapter honor, presented by the National Committee as part of the Dr. F.H. Teahan Chapter Awards Program. My emotions were running high that day. Being recognized at a national level was absolutely incredible for our Chapter. Why? PRSSA consists of more than 300 Chapters across the nation. Some of these Chapters do apply for awards and only a handful of them get selected. Since The Teahan Awards application must be submitted by the first week of June, submissions are based on that completed academic year’s accomplishments. The Teahan Awards honor Chapters for accomplishments in the following categories.
Our Chapter certainly accomplished a lot during the 2013-14 academic year, and I’m proud to have led such an amazing year with a strong team of leaders and members. Based on our meeting evaluations, 88 percent of the participants felt PRSSA Kent was a welcoming organization, which was a 21 percent increase from fall 2012. A few other notable accomplishments include securing 64 renewed/new members (compared with 59 renewed/current members during the 2012-13 academic year), earning honorable mention in the Bateman Case Study Competition (and 2nd place the previous year), collaborating with Akron Area and Greater Cleveland PRSA on more than 15 meetings and five special events, raising $7,750 to send members to National Conference and more. A wave of excitement came over me when the National Committee announced Kent State University as the winner. You can confirm this with anyone who attended the awards dinner ceremony, but I literally ran and skipped my way over to the stage to receive the award on PRSSA Kent’s behalf. I probably could have knocked the wind out of PRSSA National President Heather Harder after giving her an enormous bear hug. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw our Chapter run toward me to reciprocate the hug. I completely lost my composure and bawled my eyes out with tears of joy! I’ve been a member of PRSSA Kent for about three and a half years. Two and a half of those years I’ve held several leadership positions and worked closely with fellow members pouring my heart and soul into the activities we do every year. Without the encouragement and support from fellow members, faculty members and PRSA members, we would not have been able to make it this far and earn this much recognition today. We can, now, respectfully brag about being the top Chapter in the nation! Special thanks go out to the 2013-14 executive board (Cindy Deng, Chapter President; Bobby Batyko, VP of Professional Relations; Caitlin Potts, Secretary; Meghan Caprez, Web & Content Creator; Kirsten Bowers, Intercampus Liaison; Emily Komorowski, PRSA/PRSSA Liaison; Bethany Johnson, Community Relations Manager; Matt Gilkerson, Social Media Manager; Chelsea Graff, Treasurer; Lyndsey Sager and Samantha Tuly, Co-VPs of Public Relations; Shannen Laur and Amanda Knauer, Co-VPs of Fundraising; Michael Lopick and Erica Batyko, Co-VPs of Membership) and professional advisers (Carrie Kandes, Lindsay Ridinger, Allison Ewing, Tim Roberts, Jenn Yokely-McElhatten, Erin Orsini) who contributed their time and effort in helping PRSSA Kent earn this honorable recognition. And last, but not least, another special thanks goes out to our Faculty Adviser Michele Ewing. She’s truly the backbone (our support system) to our Chapter’s professional development and success. I could not be any more proud of PRSSA Kent. We absolutely earned it! by Meghan Caprez
When the Smithsonian National Museum of American History was creating an exhibition about immigration to the U.S., it conducted research, collected items and listened to Pitbull. The international music sensation invited museum staff to his concert while they were planning its newest displays. “It just goes to show that you never know what will happen when you work in a museum,” said Melinda Machado, the museum’s director of communication and marketing. Machado led the session, “A Monumental View: What It Takes to Work In Museums and Historical Places” at the 2014 PRSSA National Conference. In her session, she shared several case studies with challenges related to the Museum of American History’s special events and potential crises. Because I’m in Washington, D.C. for National Conference, I can’t wait to visit the Museum of American History to see Dorothy’s ruby slippers from the classic film “The Wizard of Oz.” Apparently, my excitement to see Dorothy’s slippers isn’t unique; many of the museum’s five million yearly visitors most look forward to seeing the costume piece. A few years ago, the slippers were loaned to a museum in London. “We had to create comprehensive plan to manage the type of coverage,” Machado said. “We had to do our best to make sure it was positive.” After announcing the loan through a press release and writing numerous blog posts to help museum visitors “cope when the ruby slippers step out,” the museum decided to bring in a new piece from the Tony Award-winning musical “Wicked.” The show “Wicked,” the story of the Wicked Witch of the West, donated an original Broadway costume. To promote the inclusion of the “Wicked” costume, the museum hosted a press event where the musical’s two lead actresses sang several songs from the show, in addition other paid, earned, shared and owned media initiatives. Let’s just say Dorothy’s ruby slippers aren’t the only items on my list of must-sees here in D.C. now. Attendance at the Museum of American History drops in the winter months. Museum communication staff members were challenged to increase visitation during winter…with a zero dollar budget. Using a combination of earned, shared and owned media, the museum released a poll; people could vote for which two vehicles they’d want to be released from the vault to be put on display in the museum. Not only did the museum receive more than 53,000 views on its related blog posts, it saw a 6.5 percent increase in visitors. While evaluating, the museum communication team learned that its best practices were customizing content to the platforms on which they were released and tapping into existing communities (such as car clubs) via social media. They also learned that social media does not help bring people to museum programs; advertising and marketing efforts are much more effective. After hearing several other case studies, students were interested to learn how they could get involved in museum communication. Machado said students don’t necessarily have to have museum experience, but they do have to be expert writers. “Not only writing, but you have to be able to sell it,” Machado said. “You can’t be shy. You have to think creatively.” If you'd like to learn more about her work, email Machado at [email protected]. |
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