PRSA

A Lesson in Governance by Mike Greenberg

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There’s the concept, and then there’s the reality. The former involves the process, customs and rules by which an organization such as PRSA, is run and the manner by which its members participate in their Society. The reality: that I had the privilege to observe first-hand as our Section’s Delegate to the Leadership Assembly, which met in Washington, D.C., on October 16.

The session began with a review of the Assembly procedures, a report on the financial health of the Society and a review of key accomplishments during 2010. We also voted to keep 2011 PRSA dues at the 2010 level. In other business:

  • There was a much-anticipated and hotly debated amendment to the Society’s by-laws that would allow persons who do not have the APR (Accredited in Public Relations) credential to be nominated to serve on the national Board of Directors. Presently, non-credentialed members cannot serve on the national Board even though they may have held other PRSA leadership positions, such serving on the Board of their local Chapter or national Section, and worked in public relations for at least 20 years.  To me, the strongest argument for change was the fact that only about 16% of Society members carry the APR credential; thus, national leadership opportunities are limited to a small minority of PRSA members. I was convinced that we will be a better Society if we can draw on the talent and experience of more, not fewer members. I voted for the amendment, but the motion failed.
  • Prof. Donald Wright, APR, Fellow PRSA, and Christina M. Darnowski, who heads the PRSA research department, presented their early analysis of a survey of employers on what  knowledge, skills and abilities tomorrow’s PR professionals will require. Future employers will expect new professionals to be proficient in media relations and social media engagement. Polish-up on your writing and listening skills, too. The full report is expected to be released in 2011, but you can see their presentation here.

What impressed me about this experience was the respect, despite their passion, that the Delegates displayed to each other. They clearly shared a deep commitment to the success of PRSA and enhancing the value the profession. As New Professionals, we should follow their example. Yes, we are busy with our new careers, or working to land that first job, but I encourage you to take an interest in serving your Society; and getting involved with the New Professionals Section is a fine way to start. If you want to learn more about opportunities to volunteer your time and talent, e-mail me.

Mike Greenberg is Director of Membership for the PRSA New Professionals Section. He is a member of the PRSA National Capital Chapter and co-Chaired the Chapter’s Volunteer Committee for the 2010 PRSA International Conference in Washington, DC

Summer Book Club… Get Ready! Discussion Begins the First Friday of June

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Remember summer reading? Like it or not, extracurricular reading ensures that you stay on top of your game, and as New Pros, anything we can do to keep ourselves more knowledgeable than expected will only benefit us.

Enter the New Pros of PRSA Summer Book Club!

We invite you to join us and our members as we read and discuss 3 books this summer.

Here’s how it will work: From June through August, everyone interested is invited to read the month’s book selection. On the first two Fridays of each month, we will post interviews with authors, discussion questions, and other things to the blog. You can participate by reading and commenting or simply following along.

Start your reading engines

Here are the books we plan to include in this summer’s Book Club: (Remember, the discussion will take place on the first and second Fridays in June; so make sure you have a copy of the June selection and start reading before then!)

Vote for the August book by May 31

You can help us choose which book we should read in August. Vote on our Facebook Page by May 31. Here are your options:

Intro to series…Small Business PR by Janet Krenn

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Odds are, as a new PR professional you may find yourself working for a small business. What makes me say so? For starters, half of all private sector employees work for small businesses and small businesses generated 60 to 80 percent of new jobs, so says the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Many of these businesses need PR help. A small business might higher young talent to keep expenses down, and you, as the young talent, might be interested in the additional responsibility that comes with working for a small business.

When working for a small business, your employer is your client. Small businesses offer a lot of opportunity for new PR pros like you, who might gain access to projects and responsibilities you might not get at larger companies. On the other hand, the smaller the business, the more non-PR work you might be expected to do, anywhere from admin to marketing to taking out the trash.

The term “small business” is allusive. The U.S. SBA tailors its definition of “small business” based on industry, but typically small businesses have fewer than 500 employees and make fewer than $14 million. This covers a huge spectrum, and it has a bearing on what you can expect from working in at a particular small business.

For an idea of what it will be like to work for a small business, pay attention to the number of employees a company has.

What PR activities could you expect to do?

The smaller the company, the more likely that you’ll be asked to take on multiple PR tasks. For example, if you’re the only PR professional at a small business, you may be required to write press releases, conduct media relations, and work on internal communications. On the other hand, the larger the company, the more likely that you will have a well-defined role and might have specialized work.

What are industry-specific challenges?

The major challenge to small businesses is limited resources. This might mean you have to get creative with your project budget. It also means you may have to learn to go without something that you previously thought was non-negotiable.

Working for a small business can also pose a professional challenge. You will probably be challenged to develop a skill set that you lacked. You will probably be challenged to multitask several various projects and tasks on a regular basis.

What kind of non-PR coursework/skills/interests could be helpful?

Not only should be well-trained in writing and PR, it would be helpful for you to have some coursework in
(1) the specific industry in which the small business belongs. You may not know exactly what you want to do; you probably couldn’t predict exactly where you will end up working; so dabble in anything that seems interesting to you. If you’re still in school, don’t be afraid to use those elective credits to explore the world beyond PR.
(2) marketing and business. Working for a small business may mean that you will have to take on business and marketing functions as well as PR ones.
(3) design. Again, the smaller the business, the more odds and ends you’ll have to take on. Having an understanding of web and print design could go a long way in a company with no designer or one who is out sick in the middle of a pressing deadline.

How can I find a PR job in a small business?

In one word: Networking. The smaller the business the less likely they will (1) know how or where to advertise a position or (2) be willing to pay fees to advertise a position only to receive a grab bag of candidates. Aside from networking, check publications and websites that offer localized listings, as small businesses might be unable to pay relocation fees and instead hope to draw a pool of candidates that are already living in their area. Local small business associations and bureaus might be another good place to start.

Janet Krenn is a Sea Grant Communicator at Virginia Sea Grant.


professional development…Mentorship: What New Pros Have to Offer by Sommer Caraway

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Throughout my life, I’ve been advised that I should always have a mentor and be a mentor.  When I first joined PRSA, a mentor program is something I searched for but found was nonexistent.  Shortly thereafter, I became a Phoenix PRSA New Pros leader and about a year ago, we divided our responsibilities into two keys areas: events and mentorship.  A passionate advocate of the latter, I was tasked with developing a mentor program, in which we New Pros would mentor others.

We developed the first mentor program between the PRSSA students at Arizona State University with the goal to simply bridge the gap between the academic and professional worlds.

We set small goals, knowing that we could build on them later. The PRSSA liaison (a PRSA member) and I decided to pair up New Pros group leaders with the student leaders.  We would try it for a semester and if it worked, we hoped word-of-mouth would yield greater participation the next semester.

So I sent out mentor and mentee interest forms to the most active New Pros and to the PRSSA president. To our surprise, 14 students signed up to be mentees the first semester!

We designed the mentor program to be informal so that people wouldn’t feel the time commitment was unattainable. For one semester, every other month, pairs were to meet one-on-one; on the off months, all pairs would meet as a group.

Because of the commitment of the PRSSA leaders and the gracious mentors, the program has been a success, and we look forward to implementing it again this year!

Thinking of starting a New Pros/PRSSA Mentor group? Here are five ideas for group meetings to get you started:

  1. Plan a kick-off happy hour (with options for students under 21, of course!) to discuss the importance of mentoring, expectations and topics students care about.
  2. Schedule a volunteer group event in lieu of a happy hour so mentors and mentees get to know one another outside of work.
  3. Pair up with the local Master’s SIG for a “speed mentoring” event that includes students, New Pros and seasoned pros.
  4. Offer a Shadow Day so students can see PR in action at local agencies and corporations. Encourage mentors to schedule a group lunch the same day so mentees can discuss what they learned.
  5. Plan a holiday, spring or graduation party to conclude the semester of mentoring. Host at someone’s house for a casual, fun celebration!

Sommer Caraway is a public relations professional in Arizona and a New Pros Committee Leader in Phoenix PRSA.  She may be reached at sommercaraway@yahoo.com.

The Changing of the Guard – New Professionals Section Relaunches Blog…

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We’re Back! It’s that time of year again folks, where the old Board is ushered out and we say hello to the newly appointed 2010 New Professionals Section leadership. But before we introduce ourselves, we would like to thank last year’s Board for their time and hard work in making this blog and the New Pros section such a success!

As your newly appointed Communication Co-Chairs (the people who manage this great blog), we would like to express how excited we are to serve you! The New Pro’s blog was created to be a resource for young professionals and communications-focused students and we can’t wait to bring you posts on the latest industry trends and technologies, PR best practices, and other topics to help jump-start and navigate your New Pro career.

Along with providing the best-in-class reading in which you have become accustomed, we will be launching some great new features this year:

“Intro to…” Series – We have all wondered what it would be like to work in our dream industries (for Andi it was always the fashion industry!), but many of us don’t know the first thing about how to break-in. For the “Intro to…” series, we will profile a new industry each month (i.e. corporate, agency, non-profit, entertainment, travel, fashion and more) and report on industry-specific PR challenges, the glamorous and not so glamorous aspects of the industry, important skills to possess and tips on how new professionals can break-in and find a job.

Summer Book Club – May through August, we will be reading and reviewing the top books every New Pro should crack open. If you’re looking for a great book to read when sunbathing this summer, stop back in for our recommendations!

Now a little about us!

Andi Wilmes directs the PR and marketing activities of Beringea, Michigan’s largest venture capital firm located in Detroit.

Brian Camen is a brand new Illinois resident. He left higher education PR and the sunny skies of Arizona behind to work in digital media at Weber Shandwick in downtown Chicago.

We really hope you get a lot out of this blog. If there is a topic you want us to cover or if you’re interested in writing a guest blog post, don’t hesitate to contact us! We are always looking for new and experienced pros to share their experiences, lessons and expertise.

If reading this blog doesn’t provide you with your fill of New Pro info, feel free to visit the New Professionals on Facebook and LinkedIn.