PRos in Training

Category: Professional Advice

  • The Way You Speak Sort of Like, Matters, You Know?

    I’ve often remarked on the speech affectation of undergrads in my classes. With “likes,” “ums,” “kind ofs” and “you knows” peppering their speech along with this almost valley girl-esque speak pattern. In more than one case, I’ve thought that those students with particularly distracting speech patterns would be taken so much more seriously if they, as the comedian in this video says, would just speak with authority.

    Not sure if you have these speech patterns? Or what to do about it? Some tips:

    Rowan Manahan suggests tape recording yourself in natural speech and listening for the cues: kind of, like, sort of, you know and the myriad of fillers that sneak into our conversations.

    A Real Simple article about identifying and correcting eight common speech problems offers tips about everything from interrupting to correcting speech tics.

    Fast Company also has a article that’s a bit old, but still has great advice for thinking about your speech patterns and what they say about you.

    (hat tip, Lindsay Olson)

  • What Does the PRo of the Future Look Like?

    The very ground on which we stand in public relations is shifting. Like tectonic plates colliding miles under the surface, these changes are shaking up the industry. The PRos of the future will need to have different skills and use more traditional skills in new ways. These changes are creating new opportunities for smart, creative thinkers.

    John Bell at Ogilvy’s 360 Digital Influence Team offers 13 skills that will be required for PR professionals to succeed in the future. His PR Brain for 2009 looks different than the PR brain looked even seven years ago when I finished my undergrad degree.


    You can read John’s post, but the point of his skills that I take away are that you have to be quick, responsive (not reactive) and creative. You also must know how to think in terms of measurement, ROI and be able to talk business.

    Katie Paine offers six skills that PRos of the future need to have in a recent newsletter article. Katie offers that incoming professionals must be able to listen, create campaigns with the audience in mind and value truth and transparency. She reinforces John’s point about measurement. PR professionals must know how to measure and make decisions based on data.

    They’ll make decisions based on data, not gut feelings. Yes the gut will still be a powerful tool, but in an environment that morphs faster than you can say “Utterli, Seesmic, Plurk, and Twittergrader,” the gut will be a very difficult thing to read and rely upon.

    Amy Ziari, rounds out these three recent posts with insights from a (fairly) recent grad. Amy is an Oregon alum and has a very forward looking perspective about new PR grads as the future of the industry. She offers this:

    I’m proposing that recent grads have such an incredible knowledge source at their fingertips. We will be the leaders in advancing our profession forward, and teaching our agencies and many of our coworkers about these changes. We will also be the ones brainstorming ways to take our profession to the next level in the future as human communications and media continue to evolve. We are a generation like no other. That can offer to our profession like no other.

    I am excited for my students. It’s a new world with tremendous opportunity and they will be ready for the future.

    What do you think? What skills do new PRos need to have? How is the industry changing?

  • Need Help Understanding the Financial Crisis?

    I know I do. I was lucky enough to catch the episode The Giant Pool of Money on This American Life a while back when it first aired. That helped. A lot. I’ve found some other resources that you might find helpful.

    This is important stuff. Take a couple of hours and educate yourself.

    This American Life

    Do you have any helpful resources that have aided your understanding? Have you been ignoring this financial crisis? Why is this important for PR people?

  • How to Blog, Comment & Manage Your Brand (A Brilliant Presentation!)

    Corinne Weisberger of St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas designs a mean presentation. Content is outstanding and definitely worth a look (or two or three), but hello? the design is gor-geous! I have design envy. Enjoy!

    Blogging & Managing your Personal Brand

    View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: commenting identity)

  • Multi-Tasking is Hard

    Busy students and young professionals have to wear a bunch of hats: student, PRSSA member, student-run firm associate, intern, part-time employee, sorority or fraternity leader, son or daughter, friend and the list goes on.

    Multi-tasking is hard. It’s easy to get spread too thin and not do a great job on any one thing. You’ll find lots of tips on productivity all over the Internets. Some of my favorite sites are Zen Habits, Dumb Little Man, 43 Folders and Freelance Switch.

    I’ve pulled some of my favorite tips from these sites (and my own experience as a master multi-tasker) to share with you.

    To start, generally multi-tasking is bad. It takes precious time to shift from task to task (I’ve heard it takes 20 minutes to refocus after an interruption). Minimizing interruptions and creating time and space for each task separately – to the best of your ability – is important. 

    And remember, it takes longer than you think it will to do anything.

    1. Recognize each of the roles that you must play and define each. For example, think about the environment that you’re in when doing your “job” as a student. This isn’t just class time, of course, but study time, team time, etc. What do you need to do to be successful in each role? How much time does each take per week?
    2. Schedule time for each task/role/job. If you don’t have a schedule and stick to it, the squeakiest wheel will get the grease. That is to say you’ll pay attention and respond to the task that is right in front of you or the teammate who is demanding a response immediately and not necessarily the most important or highest priority task.
    3. Establish clear goals and objectives for what you want to accomplish in each role and work toward those goals with tasks that you can break down into parts every week. 
    4. Make sure you have the necessary tools to do the job (or have access to the tools). There are a gazillion Web 2.0 tools that can help with task lists and organization, time management and collaboration.  But necessary tools might also mean a clean workspace or a quiet corner of the library.
    5. Focus. Prioritize. Prioritize. Stop Procrastinating.

    If you’ve slain the multi-tasking beast and have some tips to share, please! Leave them in the comments.

  • Don’t Forget Your Manners – Tips for Reference Relations

    Don’t Forget Your Manners – Tips for Reference Relations

    Searching for a job or internship? Part of the process is tapping your contacts and supporters for references. Whether it’s a formal reference or an informal introduction, your references can be a crucial factor in your successful search. I’ve talked about this before, but a recent incident brought it back to my attention and it’s certainly worth another post.

    Your personal & professional references do need some care and feeding to ensure that they are able to help you in the best way possible.

    Some tips:

    1. Ask your prospective references if they are willing to speak to potential employers on your behalf. I have received calls about a student and had no idea that I was listed as a reference. Awkward!
    2. Provide your reference with a copy of your CV or resume.
    3. If you anticipate that your reference will be called, give him or her the heads up. For me, a quick email works just fine. Include a link to the company or the specific job post for which you are applying. I know how to talk the talk for PR gigs and can speak to the specific position for which you are applying.
    4. Keep your reference up to date on how your search is progressing, particularly if they have provided a recommendation for a particular job. Whether or not you get the job, let your reference know. Recently, I introduced a former student to a friend of mine at an agency who I knew was looking for interns. I heard from my friend that the student was hired, but never heard a peep from the student directly.
    5. Say thank you. Send an email or a card. Make a phone call. Providing a reference takes time. I’ve had reference calls that have taken 30 or 45 minutes. That’s a good chunk of time! Just let your reference know that you appreciate their effort on your behalf.

    Use common sense and be polite – who knows, it may help you get your dream job.

  • Following Your Heart… And Other Lessons Learned in a Job Search

    Following Your Heart… And Other Lessons Learned in a Job Search

    I made a very difficult call today. I withdrew my name from consideration in a search for a job that seemed, on paper, to be the perfect fit for me. But let me back up a minute.

    About six months ago, I decided to pursue life outside of academia and go back to the “real” world. I began to wrap up client projects, complete contracts and stopped doing business development in anticipation of discontinuing my consulting work. I told my department chair and even talked to a lot of my students about it.

    A lot of things led to this decision. The frustration of balancing school, consulting and mommyhood mounted and I decided that I couldn’t keep it up and keep my sanity. A couple of difficult clients (one that decided they didn’t want to pay their bill) helped push me over the edge.

    I’ve applied for probably a dozen jobs. The job market for senior level folks in this neck of the woods is less than ideal – particularly for in-house positions. I assumed I’d have to move to Portland and was even considering Las Vegas (where my parents live).

    Ups and downs, cover letter after cover letter I have been at it very steadily for about 3 months.

    Then the fall teaching schedule began to circulate among the department. My heart sank. How could I give up teaching? I love it! Love, love, love it! At that point, I began bartering with myself… maybe I could still teach a class a term… maybe this or maybe that.

    Last night, I literally had an epiphany. It was the middle of the night, the toddler had decided that sleeping next to mom was the way to go, and I was wide awake.

    And that’s when I decided that I had to make the call.

    I followed my heart. I love my students, I love my department, I love consulting (for all it’s ebbs and flows), I love Eugene and… I love my family. And despite long hours and sometimes endless days, I can always be there for my son and my significant other. Always.

    I’ll post more soon about lessons learned and some things I’ve taken away from this process to bring myself back to center and feel excited about the possibilities going forward.

  • Talk is Cheap: Six Ways to Align Your Actions & Your Words

    Talk is Cheap: Six Ways to Align Your Actions & Your Words

    [this post originally appeared on my agency’s blog. As I phase that blog out, there are a few posts worth reposting, this is one.]

    If you’re representing or working for an organization that is serious about being “green,” sustainable, eco-friendly, community-oriented or… [fill in the blank], remember that actions speak louder than words. In a recent survey by Cone, a cause marketing firm in Boston, more than 2/3 of American consumers consider a company’s business practices when making purchasing decisions.

    BusinessWeek’s David Kelly pens the “Brand New Day” column online. His analysis of the Cone survey is that people just want to be aware of what companies and organizations support.

    The New York Times just took on the issue of “Greenwashing,” and showed how “third party endorsements” are being more necessary to validate a company’s claims of “greenness.”

    Of course, you cannot just “say” you support a cause or you’re committed to a movement or issue – you have to be doing something about it. Your organization’s actions have to show your support and commitment. Then, you have to turn around and do a good job communicating what you’re doing to your core audiences.

    Before you start, think about what it is that you want your organization to be known for. What are the core values that should infuse everything from the signage on your building, to your Web site and even your employee-customer interactions.

    1. Examine what you’re saying: Do this by looking at all the ways you communicate with your customers, clients, employees, vendors and community. Some common “channels” for communication might include: brochures, Web site, email newsletters, product collateral, store environment, sales presentations, etc.

    Looking as objectively as you can at each of these channels. If you were reading/listening/watching these things for the first time, what would each say about what is important to your organization? Is that in line with what you want to say is important?

    2. Next, take a look at your company’s programs, products and environment (your actions). Again, remaining as objective as possible, look at your programs as a customer would. What are your actions saying is important to your organization?

    3. Spend some time talking to your staff and employees. Does the front-line of your organization know what your organization stands for? Can they articulate your values? And importantly, do they see any discrepancy between action and words?

    This might be tough to do without some outside help. Employees may be reluctant to be critical of the company. Finding someone who can serve as an objective third party that can help give employees freedom to speak openly. Or devise a survey of sorts that can collect data anonymously. Of course, interviews provide much more context and often, employees have the best ideas to overcome challenges.

    4. Talk to your customers and clients. Conducting informal focus groups or even email surveys can give you a glimpse into how your organization’s words and actions are perceived by your customers and clients. Find out if you’re effectively communication your values and if your customers think your actions support those ideals.

    5. Figure out where the trouble spots are and fix them. Is what you’re doing in line with what you’re saying?

    Based on what you learned in steps 1 through 4, what do you need to change?

    I have two examples, each organization with a different challenge:

    My agency’s client Cafe Yumm! does an outstanding job of doing. With a “triple bottom line” focus, this growing company puts equal emphasis on planet, profit and people. Cafe Yumm!’s challenge is the telling. People don’t know all the great things that it’s doing. They don’t know that much of the interior build-out of the new Cafe Yumm! are biocomposites (things like counters of recycled paper and wall-covers of sorghum.)

    What people know about Cafe Yumm!, they know because they are fanatical Yumm! eaters, which is terrific. Supporting its actions (which are loud and clear) with words and some creative communication would go a long way to further reinforce the organization’s values.

    A previous client-who-shall-not-be-named developed a unique business model that they purposed for solving the nonstop funding scramble that most nonprofits experience. There was a lot of “telling” and almost no “showing.” You’d read on the organization’s Web site about how they are making a big difference, but this information was too much-too soon. There were no happy customers, no success stories – no one saying, “yes! this worked for us!”

    In all fairness, the vision that this organization has for changing the landscape of nonprofit fundraising had a tremendous potential and the individuals behind the company were sincere in their motives. But in terms of communication, the words were virtually unsupported by actions.

    It takes both to effectively identify, support and communicate your organization’s values.

    6. Be transparent!

    Once you have figured out if and where the discrepancies between words and actions lie and have made efforts to bring them into alignment, continue to be transparent about what you’re doing. Keep a blog, have an active press room on your Web site, participate in community events and organizations.

    Photo by adebⓞnd

  • Your Email Signature Block is Not a Resume

    Your Email Signature Block is Not a Resume

    I’ve noticed a trend.

    Students who are heavily involved in activities will be quick to let you know… in their email signature block.

    Like most (all!) of what we write in public relations, your email signature line should be appropriate to your target audience. The advice on email signature lines will vary dramatically (just do a search). But here are a few tips for students and young PRos to make the most of this tiny piece of real estate:

    1) Keep it simple: Less is more! Include the info your recipient needs – name, basic contact info – and avoid information overload.

    2) Create more than one signature block: Your email signature block should not substitute as a resume. If you’re an intern, an account manager at the student-run PR firm, serve on the PRSSA executive board and participate in your sorority or fraternity, that’s all wonderful. However, each of those roles serves different purposes, and your signature line should, too.

    If you were my intern, I would want you to represent my clients as a member of my firm (not as a student leader or participant in campus activities). If you were my intern, you’d also be using a company email, so putting that info on your personal signature line doesn’t seem appropriate (although I’m glad you’re proud!).

    Put your Web site or blog address in your subject line and provide your resume there.

    3) Avoid quotes. I might get in trouble for this… I know lots of people who have quotes in their signature blocks. I’d say if you want to include a quote, make it a positive one and keep it short. But generally, think about the point and think about your audience. Is it necessary info?

    4) Don’t use lame fonts. Lots of fonts don’t translate from machine to machine or from HTML or “rich text” to a plain text email system. If you’re trying to do something fancy-schmancy… don’t (refer to tip 1).

    5) No personal info. Keep the info business-oriented. No one needs to know how many days left until graduation.

    So what should you include? No more than five or six lines and keep any “mini commercials” to one line.

    • Name
    • Credentials relevant to the email and to the recipient
    • Phone Number
    • Email
    • Web site or blog address

    For other tips, look here, here and here.

  • Pleasure Reading: Made to Stick

    I rarely read for pleasure. And by rarely, I mean r-a-r-e-l-y.

    Between prepping for class (I enjoy the material, but it’s not for “pleasure”), client work (research! research! research!) and raising a happy, healthy, if not a little goofy, 14 month old, it’s all I can do not to drop into a coma at the end of the day.

    However, I broke this trend recently when I kept hearing so much great stuff about the Heath Brothers’ book Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die. A little click-click here and a click-click there and Amazon delivered in just a couple of days.

    It took me longer than it should to get through the book (review paragraph 2), but let me tell you… I loved it!

    The Heaths break the concepts of “stickiness” into six major criteria. They give lots of great examples and make it easy to think about how this information might be useful for lectures, clients, getting my partner to work on his honey-do list…. okay, maybe not the honey-do, but very useful nonetheless.

    I’ve already started doing a mini “lecturette” on the six criteria and I start with the same story that starts the book – the kidney heist legend. I’ve done this in two classes now. The first class… very savvy. They’d either heard the legend, or they were Nip/Tuck fans. So that ruined the punchline (even though they still loved the example). The second class had never heard the story before! Not one! The looks on their faces were priceless.

    We’ve been working with a lot of start-ups and small companies lately and for the work I do for them, the sticky criteria have been a great start to some creative thinking.

    It’s an easy read with lots of fun stories (principle #6) and food for thought. You can read an excerpt here.

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