Conversations!

From teachers to doctors, storekeepers to salesmen, there is one thing everyone in the work force will face sooner or later. Difficult conversations with co-workers and employees are inevitable. That dreaded moment, when you are the one appointed to talk with an employee about something difficult to address, may go more smoothly, if you’ve considered some professional strategies. Possibly you have been asked by other employees to speak to one of the men or women on staff about their body odor; or maybe it is somewhat simpler like inquiring why someone has been late three days in a row.

Either way there are good and bad ways to handle these situations. I recently took a short course at Poynter. News University. It was entitled Dealing With Difficult Conversations. Here Jill Geisler goes through the five styles of conflict resolution. She talks about how we all have a natural bent to try to solve conflict in one of five ways—competition, compromise, collaboration, accommodation, or avoidance. We may even have a combination of these, but Geisler goes through some of the most effective strategies.

Here are just a few pointers given by Geisler.

1. Use a collaboration form of conflict resolution; this way both parties can walk away feeling like they have been heard. In this case, an effort is made to put together all the ideas from two differing sides, in order to have the best possible outcome.

2. When you go to have a difficult conversation with someone pull him or her aside; don’t do it where others can hear and the individual could experience further embarrassment. Also get straight to the point and don’t try to put the blame on others, when explaining why a certain decision was reached.

3. Guard yourself; you may need to let someone over you know what is going on. In some circumstances it may even be good to have a person from Human Resources, be part of the meeting. Finally, when closing out conversations go back and review what has been said. Make sure you are both leaving on the same page.

I hope some of these pointers are helpful, and if you want to learn more, make an account at newsu.org and take the Dealing With Difficult Conversations course.

And Tonight’s Feature Film Will Be …

There was an air of expectation in the theatre on Friday night, as an array of colorful gowns and pristine suits and ties entered the grand Polk Theatre in Lakeland, Fl. It was to be the premier of Southeastern University’s first feature film Roundhousen’s Roast. With flash photography and the cameras rolling, it really felt like an authentic Hollywood premier. The guests attending represented a variety of students, faculty, staff, parents, and locals from the community.

The film started at around 7:30 p.m. and held our attention for the next 90 minutes. Afterwards the actors and crew “opened it up” for a time of Q&A. This was then followed by a reception with coffee and cupcakes. I have to say that I was very impressed. They produced the film with no budget and only one professional actor. Yet, you would have never guessed. The acting in particular, was exciting and professional, and the script was very clever with somewhat of a twist at the end.

It was a murder mystery and comedy at the same time (a little like the movie Clue). The film was engaging until the very end. I hope the University decides to make more films in the future. Dave DeBorde, a professor at Southeastern and also the director of the film, said that he hopes to produce another movie next year. If you are interested in finding out more about Roundhousen’s Roast or purchasing the film on Blu-ray or DVD, you can go to their facebook or contact Southeastern University.

Top Ten!

From resumes to twitter and from public relations professionals to corporations, this semester has been a wonderful learning experience. I not only have heard about topics I previously knew nothing about, but I have had several hands-on learning experiences, that helped shape the way I now view the field of public relations. I have a lot more respect for those in PR, and I also have a much better grasp of what it means to be a professional in public relations.

Number One— When first looking to start in public relations, the best way to get an interview, not a job but an interview, is by having a good resume. A resume should highlight strengths and accomplishments. Former places of employment and involvement are good to include. Try to have the resume cater to the place you are applying, and make it simple and easy to read. Finally keep it to a page; don’t go on and on for three pages about every little thing you have been a part of for the past ten years. This leads to the next point.

Number Two— Use LinkedIn in correlation with the resume. Although a resume should only be about a page, LinkedIn is a popular place for employers to go and see the more extended resume of a potential employee.

Number Three— Once you get an interview, there are other things to keep in mind. First do your homework, memorize names of people you will meet before you meet them. Find out what the company is about and know its history. Arrive in plenty of time and dress nicely. (A suit is normally a safe bet). Brush up on standard interview questions and try to predict what they may ask you. This way you are not caught off guard.

Number Four— Before this semester I knew nothing about Twitter, but now I see how useful it can be. It is a wonderful way to stay connected and make connections. As a PR professional you will want to be in tune with what the world is talking about. What better way than Twitter.

Number Five— However, Twitter can also be used to really make those in the PR field work. For instance, if you are part of the public relations department of a large corporation there is a lot of pressure put on, when something goes wrong and everyone is tweeting about it. News that used to reach a few hundred people can now easily reach thousands or even millions. This leads to the next issue.

Number Six— I interviewed a public relations professional and one of the questions I asked him was, “What does a normal day or week look like?” He responded by saying that basically there wasn’t a normal day or week. I think part of this is you never know what might be the most pressing issue of the week. If Twitter explodes with bad publicity on your company, the whole focus of the PR department has to shift for that week or until things get cleared up. I also gained a lot of other interesting knowledge from my interview. If you want to read more about it you can click here.

Number Seven— Along the same lines. This semester I also learned a lot about corporations and the somewhat common mistrust that many of them face. Again, I saw the need for public relations, especially when the press or a customer doesn’t give an accurate portrayal of your company.

Number Eight— Moving into another area of thought. I have learned a lot about effective ways to listen and the importance of being a good listener. I took a NewsU course on listening, and I think it has truly helped me to be more conscious about how I communicate in conversations.

Number Nine— Another important lesson I gained this year was how to effectively deliver difficult information; like telling a good employee that they need to be more responsible in arriving to work on time, or their job may be jeopardized. This was also a NewsU course.

Number Ten— Finally, I learned the importance of staying current with public relations and some of the websites like prdaily.com that offer information to those looking to stay connected.

So, needless to say, there have been a lot of helpful tidbits that I gained from Professor Nixon’s Public Relations class. This was just a glimpse into three months of classes and learning — I hope you enjoyed it!

The PR Battle of Corporations

This past week I had the pleasure of talking to my Public Relations class about corporations, media relations, and customer relations. The information and statistics in  the following paragraphs are taken from chapter 17 of the ninth edition of Public Relations Strategies and Tactics. Here the authors, Dennis Wilcox and Glen Cameron, discuss the struggles that corporations face in today’s world. They also present the need for public relations and the many challenges that people in PR encounter.

For mega corporations, such as Walmart and Exxon Mobil, (with annual sales in the $300 billion range), keeping the public on your side can be hard. So many things can potentially go wrong, and all it takes is one disgruntled, combative employee or unexpected disaster to rock the ship. Only 27% of Americans say they trust corporations, and any frauds like the Martha Stewart stock scandal further damage the reputation of conglomerates. The tendency is to stereotype and believe that because one corporation’s practices are shown to be unethical, illegal or hardhearted, they all are.

This lack of trust builds a strong argument for the need for public relations. PR comes to the rescue when corporations find themselves on a sinking ship. Sometimes it is a slow leak that gradually takes down the crew and everyone on board. Other times it is a sudden storm that tears a ten-foot wide hole, leaving a quickly sinking vessel. The truth is that either way, something has to be done to fix the damage and reassure the passengers that the cruise line they chose to travel with is not as bad as many are saying.

Some of the key ways that the greater community hears rumors or distorted truths is by way of the press or customers. Most corporations fear the potential damage that reporters and journalists can bring to their business. However, customers these days can have almost as great an impact as a reporter, through the use of modern media. For instance, if someone has a bad experience at a store, they can post a critical article on their blog or tweet their experience, and soon thousands or even millions of people can hear about it.

The job, therefore, of public relations has become an even greater challenge than it has been in the past. There are so many probable loose cannons that could go off. The good part is that the same tools used against a conglomerate can also be used for it. If something positive happens, thousands and millions of people can quickly be notified through the use of the Internet and news stations. So, in essence, a public relations firm or department has the responsibility of getting the good news out to combat all the possible damaging reports. If they can be successful in this, the corporation will likely have wider doors of opportunity and heightened sales, and PR will have served its purpose.

Target Hits the Mark!

Target is not about to give up the gold!  Walmart has always claimed to have the lowest prices, and in past years that has been true, but according to a recent article by Alan Peary at PR Daily, Target is gaining ground. Customer Growth Patterns released a report that found Target to be the better buy, on 35 brand-name items. Although the differences in price were not huge, they still represented Target as the better place to purchase certain products.

This is a big deal for Target, because although it has been a huge competitor of Walmart for many years, it has generally gained its status because of the unique things it has to offer. Maybe a cleaner feel, more selection of stylish clothes, or the increasingly common Starbucks at the front has helped Target win its appeal, but now it may have another hook.

The truth is Walmart, since around the year 2000, has consistently been the low price super store of the nation. Yet, if Target keeps on this track there may be a new first place winner. However, the climb to the top will not be easy. Davis Tovar, the spokesperson for Walmart, says that if their customers find lower prices somewhere else, they will match the prices. A tough lead to follow but not impossible, and Target seems up for the challenge.

What Happened?

I don’t know if you ever played telephone when you were a child, but the grownup version seems to be occurring through blog sites. Everyone likes a good story and what better one, than a reporter being stuffed in a closet for the duration of a political fundraising event?  Scott Powers, from the Orlando Sentinel, wrote on his blog that the whole thing has been blown way out of proportion. Last Wednesday he went to cover Joe Biden’s fundraising event for Sen. Bill Nelson.

When he first arrived, he was asked to wait in a small kind of storage closet. He willingly went in, but ran into problems on trying to leave. The staff member guarding the door would not allow Powers to interview or talk with any of the guests, and asked him to remain in the storage area. He was only allowed out, after the speakers had begun, and then ushered back to the closet before the event closed, again prohibiting him from having any interviews with those who attended.

Powers got tired of the way things were being handled, and took a picture of the room he was in. He then sent the photo to his editor, explaining that because of the restricted access, he would not be able to provide much, if any information, about what went on before or after the main presentation.

Now, in some articles and blogs this account has spiraled so far out into left field that the story is hardly recognizable.  It may read that Powers was kidnapped or that he was held in the closet for the whole fundraiser, and not allowed out to hear the speakers. Anyway, it is amazing how fast word travels and how screwed up it can become. I think this is just a reminder to anyone in the field of journalism or public relations that it is of key importance to get facts straight before releasing them to the public.

Twitter Chat

What is a Twitter chat? Well if you are anything like me you have no idea. The good part is that we are about to find out. Sending a Tweet is simple enough once you get the hang of it, and viewing others’ tweets is fairly easy to figure out. However, knowing how to plug into a chat feels like a whole different communication game.

For those of you who don’t know, Twitter chats are conversations had through twitter, and they are geared more towards covering specific topics. Some chats occur weekly and some are monthly. There could even be a one-time shot. The topics cover anything from recent technology upgrades to special recipes.

However, the challenge for me comes when I first try to log into a chat. I found this You Tube video to be helpful, and I think it will do a better job of explaining what I am trying to express. Take a look and see what you think — maybe it will clear up some confusion.

So what did you think? I would like to touch on a few things that stood out to me. First, there is the importance of a hashtag. The hashtag allows you to block out all the other “stuff” going through twitter, and focus on those who are only interacting with the subject you are meeting about. Without the hashtag it would be virtually impossible to hold a chat.

Secondly, there is the possible annoyance of spam, but the block allows you to easily cut out any interaction from an unwanted source. You also have the ability to highlight the messages from people you like, by putting their addresses in the feature area.

Finally, keep in mind that, although you are only viewing messages that have to do with the subject connected to the hashtag group, your posts are still being displayed on your main twitter page. So what you write does not stay restricted to the tweet chat you are on. I hope this helped! I don’t know about you, but I think I am ready to give it a try.

A Few Good Tips!

Nancy Duarte, an accomplished businesswoman from California, recently spoke at Southeastern University. I had the privilege of hearing her talk about Duarte Design, the business she started with her husband more than 20 years ago. They have been very successful, developing and presenting nearly half a million presentations for various companies, corporations, and businesses. These include, but are not limited to, Hewlett Packard, Apple, Chick-fil-A, and ted.com.

Duarte, after sharing a little about herself, opened the floor to questions. One of the first asked, was: “How can college students benefit from using LinkedIn?”

Her response was very clear and straightforward. She explained how when her company goes to hire a new employee they always check LinkedIn, as well as Facebook and Google, to see what information comes up about the person they are considering. LinkedIn also can provide information about what previous co-workers thought of a person. So, if you are having a hard time nailing down a job interview with just a resume, you may want to try LinkedIn. This way you can share more about your gifts and talents without the on page resume limitations.

Another question of interest was — “What advice would you give to a student who is trying to follow in your steps?”

Duarte said the best way is simply to “Wake up every day and ask God what you are supposed to do that day.”  She continued to explain how important it is to be following the Lord in correlation with seeking a profession. She also said, “To go into public relations you have to be a good communicator, and some graphic design classes would help as well.”

A few questions were asked pertaining to how to put together a good presentation, and then what ways are the best for presenting the information.

“You have to know the group you are speaking in front of, and no matter what, you want people to feel that you are warm.” She also added that presentations should be entertaining in order to keep people’s attention. Her basic point was, know your information and know the group you will be in front of. You would present differently to a group of CEO’s than you would to a general public that was coming to hear about a product.

Finally she said, “Know your material and be sharp on your feet. Have a printout to be safe.” Technical difficulties will occur so you should be able to present and hold people’s attention with or without media help.

These are some of the highlights from a wealth of material she presented, following her own advice and holding our attention. If you ever have a chance to go see her “live” I would strongly recommend you take the opportunity. Her years of experience and successful company make her a great source of information.

Guest Blogger-Christina Harden

This is a blog post by Christina Harden. I read it a few weeks ago and really enjoyed it. I thought I would pass it on. If you want to go to her blog, click here.

Really?

So according to Patrick Wintour’s article “Facebook and Bebo Risk ‘Infantilising’ the Human Mind,” ‘Social network sites risk infantilising the mid-21st century mind, leaving it characterised by short attention spans, sensationalism, inability to empathise and a shaky sense of identity(sic).”

But how accurate is that really? Here’s a small test for you.

Odds are like me, you did your best to focus very hard on the team in white. You wanted to prove you have a good attention span and watched the players. But your ability to focus on the whole screen was impaired. This is dangerous on the road, and when looking up information.

I feel this article is a little strong, but at the same time may contain some truth. Focusing on marketing, I remember when commercials lasted a whole minute, now they’re cut into 30 seconds of flashing lights and fanciful arrangements. Even public service announcements (PSA) are being treated in this manner. Any PR practitioner trying to relate with this generation has to be quick and concise, and building the relationship between the company and clients has to be just as fast.

During my Education classes I’m constantly being reminded that technology must be actively used whenever possible in order to keep students’ attention. My pastor checks his watch during sermons so not to hold the congregation too long. Hundreds of self-help books have emerged on how to handle procrastination; almost all of which point out distraction (a short attention spans best friend) as one of the problems to combat. Even company websites are lessening the word content and amp-ing up the visual effects. Are we losing our attention spans?

In a world where we expect our news in 140 characters or less, no doubt we are. I wouldn’t say social networks are the cause of this breakdown, but a result of it. Because people are feeling such a need to rush from one activity to the next, we are shorting the time we are willing to spend on any transaction, and this includes communication and information retrieval.

We want to connect to others, but there simply isn’t time to chat with all 500 people that cutler our friends lists. And at the same time the sad reality is, none of our friends are making time for us. We post blurbs of our lives in an attempt to be known and are turning up empty. Likewise we aren’t really connecting to anyone based off a few status updates.

We want to know what’s going on all over the world, and we want to know now. But extensive study of any one subject means we’re missing info somewhere else. Tweets flyby in an instant. If the space allotted were any longer we’d miss what was being said altogether. So we look for quick snips of knowledge here and there, from marketing to PSAs, and were actually learning very little.

Our minds are being programmed to enjoy the ‘short’ which in turns means we’re losing the discipline needed for a long-attention span. I could be wrong on all these points, but still the trend remains; short and sweet.

A Peak Inside the Life of a PR Professional

For many, the lines between advertising, marketing, and public relations seem blurry. Unless you have personal experience in these fields or close connections with someone who does, these three entities can remain vague. So, hopefully this article will help to dissipate some of that confusion, at least in the area of Public Relations.

I interviewed Gary Kimler, who is the Public Relations Director at Southeastern University, where I am a student in Lakeland, Florida. He was very gracious, and took nearly an hour out of his day to thoroughly answer all my questions in a face-to-face interview. I would never have guessed how much there is to public relations. It is not an easy job by any stretch of the imagination, but if done well it can be very rewarding.

According to Kimler “no week looks the same.” Last week from March 8^th to the 10^th was the “craziest week of the year” for him. Southeastern held their 2011 Leadership Forum. The speakers included a wide array of professional businessmen and women, great influencers in the realm of politics, as well as well-known pastors and heads of ministries. Names that drew the large crowds were Franklin Graham, Anne Beiler, Condoleezza Rice, and George W. Bush.

Kimler was in charge of all the media that covered the event, as well as overseeing the extra photographers, hired by Southeastern.  At the end of each day of the three-day event, Kimler was the one responsible for sending out a press release that went to PR Newswire. In the final analysis everything got done, and the event was a huge success but not without a ton of work.

But, Kimler is not a stranger to hard work. He was a writer for five years at the Tampa Tribune and then another five years at the Lakeland Ledger. So when he accepted the position of Public Relations Director at Southeastern he was stepping into a different role. Yet, he said it was not hard to make the adjustment; there was nothing that really surprised him when he started. He has been able to tie a lot of his past work experience into his new job.

In fact, his college degree in journalism and his writing and reporting experience with the Tribune and Ledger have served him well in this key SEU position, writing press releases, communicating with reporters, and producing Southeastern’s 75^th Anniversary Tabloid. He says this publication, commemorating Southeastern’s 75^th year, is his most prized piece of work, as head of PR.  Kimler was the one assigned to write, research, and design the tabloid written in honor of this important milestone.

According to Kimler, writing plays a big role in public relations, whether it is writing a press release or a statement from the president of the company. However, this former reporter does not see PR as being unique in using the written word. He said, “I think anyone in any business needs to be a good communicator.” With that comes responsibility to tell the truth.

When asked if there is anything he would pass on to young people just starting in the field he said, “One area I would pay a lot of attention to is social media. You need to be aware of it and how it can contribute. Also young people need to know the importance of trust — they need to be ethical and honest and never compromise their ethics or the media will take them apart.”

He continued by explaining that if a company tries to hide the truth, and later it is uncovered, the media will come down hard. Everyone will know what your business did. So when the media gets wind of something that is not going to show the organization in the best light and they call you asking for information Kimler said, “Get it all out at the same time.”

Don’t say a little, and then risk a lot more being discovered in a few days or weeks. If bad news trickles out it means the company reappears in the news again and again, but if it is all released in one shot it may not be good, but it will be less damaging in the long run. Kimler also brought up the point that being honest is simply the ethical thing to do, and he is committed to never compromising his ethics.

Finally, when asked what he does to stay current in the PR industry, Kimler said, “I read Barbara Nixon’s blog.” However, he did not single out himself as being the only one who should have an understanding of public relations. “Every employee in every organization is in Public Relations.” His point here is that one person cannot set the tone of a whole organization, company, school, or business.

Wow, what a great point! Kimler really seemed to have a handle on Public Relations, and he was a great help to me. I feel after my interview with him a lot of things are clearer. I have a better grip on PR and what it looks like as a profession, and it seems a little less intimidating than it did before.

I was primarily surprised by the amount of ethics involved in this field. I told Kimler that I was not particularly thrilled about the idea of going into an occupation that involved so many ethical decisions. Yet, he pointed out that any field I go into is bound to have some level of challenge in this area. So in the long run, I believe I am more likely to pursue a career in PR, as a result of my interview with Mr. Kimler.