Breaking Down Barriers: Improving the Relationships Between PR Professionals & Journalists – April 16, 2014

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Yankee Chapter Professional Development Session

“The conflict between Romeo and Juliet can be compared to the relationship between journalists and public relations professionals. They rely on one another, but there are many forces that split them apart,” says blogger Adreanne Peters.

Although the two professions have different objectives at times, understanding one another is one of the most critical skills for successful PR professionals to have when working with journalists. This upcoming session, Breaking Down Barriers, will aid in breaking down the barriers between the two professions to help create a mutually beneficial relationship.

We will start with an overview of how to message your story in an environment where many struggle to transform traditional messaging to work in a social media context. Next, New Hampshire media professionals will give you their tips, outlook and advice. The PRSA Yankee Chapter media panel will walk you through how to break through the clutter, and how to connect with today’s reporters.

WHEN: Wednesday, April 16, from 2:30-4:30 p.m.
WHERE: Nackey S. Loeb School of Communications, 749 East Industrial Park Drive, Manchester NH.
COST: Members $20, non-members $35, students/interns $10.

Media panel to include:

Sarah Ashworth, news director, NH Public Radio
Kathleen Palmer, arts and entertainment editor, Nashua  Telegraph
Tim Buckland, reporter, The Union Leader
David Tirrell-Wysocki, former AP Bureau Chief and current Executive Director of the Loeb School
Matt Mowry, Editor, Business NH Magazine.
Moderator: Martin Murray, PSNH

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Photography for PR People – March 19

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Please join us on Wednesday, March 19 at New England College in Concord for our March PD session: Photography for PR People. We will also be holding a brief information session on the APR (Accredited Public Relations) program following the PD session.

Not all public relations professionals are photographers. With the changing media landscape, it’s more important than ever to include photos with press releases that are relevant, properly formatted and print-ready. Two professional print photographers will share their expertise, tips and an example workflow guide. John Hession, photo editor of New Hampshire Home Magazine, is a photographer with more than 25 years of exeperience in editing, advertising, public relations and magazine photography. Alexander Cohn, former photo editor at the Concord Monitor, has extensive newsprint, professional photography and photo editing experience.

Presentation to include:

  • Best practices 
  • What makes a print-worthy photo
  • File formatting….more than just jpegs
  • Simple photo corrections, tips and tricks
  • When you should take photos in house and when you should hire a professional 

There will also be ample time for a question and answer session.

About John Hession  
John W. Hession has 25 years experience shooting in all formats for clients ranging from Sony and IBM to Elle and 17 Magazine. John’s photographic specialties include architecture, commercial portraiture and food. In 2007, John became the founding photo editor of New Hampshire Home,  a position he still holds today. As photo editor he oversees the editing and prep for print of photographs from diverse professional and amateur sources. He has helped the magazine’s advertisers develop and refine their photography to improve their marketing and sales. He is well versed in all aspects of image acquisition, color correction, retouching and prep for print and web distribution. In addition to still photography, John is currently shooting two feature length documentary films using HDSLR technology, as well as acting as director of photography on numerous commercials and short films.

 

About Alexander Cohn
Alexander Cohn is a Manchester-based editorial and commercial photographer and multimediaproducer. From 2008 to 2013 he was the Photography Editor at the Concord Monitor. Despite growing up in Alabama, he now leads backcountry ski and rock climbing trips for the New Hampshire chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club. His work can be seen at: www.cohnphoto.com

 

 

Event Details

Where: New England College, Concord Campus, 62 North Main Street, Concord. Metered parking is available on Main Street, or in the Storrs Street Parking Garage.
When: Wednesday, March 19, 3-5 p.m.
Cost: $20 for members, $35 for non-members, $10 for students/interns

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*A brief information session on the APR (Accredited Public Relations program) will be held immediately following the PD session. If you plan to attend or would like more information, please contact Bob Lindquist at boblind@comcast.net. 

Thanks to New England College for allowing us to use their beautiful new campus location.

Digital Media and Today’s Digital News Release

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Please join us on Thursday, January 23 from 3-5 p.m. at New Hampshire Housing, 32 Constitution Drive in Bedford, NH for a webinar and post-webinar discussion. This event is free for Yankee Chapter PRSA members, $20 for not yet members and $10 for students/interns.

Webinar: Digital Media and Today’s Digital News Release, 3-4 p.m.
Newsrooms have changed dramatically, and traditional news release distribution methods no longer meet the needs of journalists. As new technologies and staff cuts change the way newsrooms operate, journalists are busier than ever. Bloggers also add new challenges and opportunities. Take advantage of this trend by making it easier for the media to pick up your story. Digital news releases are designed to get all the information a journalist or blogger needs — contact links, images, video, backgrounders, bios, social media elements and more — directly into the inbox of your targeted list of journalists.

You will learn:

  • What more than 200 journalists told us in a recent survey regarding press release preferences.
  • What journalists and bloggers really need in-hand to cover your story, and in what format they want it.
  • How to use segmentation and long-lead/short-lead distributions to make your release more effective.
  • How to optimize your digital news release to maximize Web exposure.
  • How to analyze digital new release vendors.

Speaker: Malayna Williams, Ph.D.

Photo of Malayna Williams, Ph.D.Williams has worked in the digital communications field for seven years, focused primarily on the execution of electronic press kits. She works with clients ranging from associations to CPG firms to some of the country’s largest and most innovative public relations firms. She earned her master’s degrees at the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Chicago, and has a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago.

 

Post-Webinar Discussion: Using Digital Media, 4-5 p.m.

Speaker: Carol Robideau

Carol Robideau of the Nashua Patch will lead a discussion about digital media, how the Patch uses digital news releases and how “everyone is a reporter” in this environment.

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Dunkin Hot PR & Branding, Annual Meeting, Awards and Chapter Elections – November 21

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What does it take to stay in the running in the coffee market? With beverage and food competition brewing strong, Dunkin’ Donuts was recognized again this year for offering a superior experience in customer loyalty in the coffee category and in the packaged coffee category in Brand Keys surveys.

Our keynote speaker, Michelle King, is director of global PR for Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc., and is responsible for external communications for Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins in the United States and worldwide. In her dozen years at Dunkin’ Brands, she has helped develop and implement award-winning communications campaigns for many of the brand’s most important initiatives, including Dunkin’ Donuts’ return to California, its first mobile app for payment and gifting, the company’s IPO in 2011, and the launch of literally hundreds of innovative new foods and beverages.

Find out about Dunkin’s public relations planning, and get some ideas on how to keep your company’s public relations in the running. As you might expect, Dunkin’ Donuts coffee & donuts will be served. (Also, we’ll have delicious appetizers and a cash bar!)

Where: Red River Theatres, Concord, NH

When: November 21, 2013, 3 p.m.

Timeline:

3 p.m. “Dunkin’ for Hot PR & Branding Ideas” Michelle King, Director of Global PR, Dunkin’ Brands
4 p.m. Annual Meeting Yankee Chapter PRSA Awards — Lifetime Achievement Award Isobel Parke, APR, Fellow PRSA and 2013 Summit Award, recognizing excellence in strategic public relations objectives through a special event.
4:45 p.m. Networking — Hors d’oeuvres, cash bar & Dunkin’ coffee and donuts

Cost: 15 members (bring a colleague – $20 for both), $25 non-members, $10 students/interns/AmeriCorps members

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Thank you to our sponsors

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Summer Social with the Fisher Cats July 16

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Join the PRSA Yankee Chapter for Their Annual Summer Social at the Fisher Cats Gamefisher cats logo

Play Ball! Join fellow members of the Yankee Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America at Northeast Delta Stadium in Manchester on July 16 for a summer social. Ask a colleague to join you, bring the family, have a good time—and introduce everyone to our greatest asset: the members of YPRSA.

The chapter will have dinner in the Den before the game. Event starts at 6:35 p.m. Enjoy an all-you-care-to-eat buffet of grilled treats from chicken and Italian sausages to hamburgers and hot dogs, with salads, desserts, drinks and chips.

Then at 7:05 p.m. watch from our own deck as the Fisher Cats take the field for a matchup against the Red Sox-affiliated Portland Seadogs. Great networking and a chance to catch up with colleagues old and new; bring the family, and enjoy a ball game with dinner.

Cost $18 per member, $18 for non-members.

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Essentials of Public Relations

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In this interactive session, facilitators Robin Schell, APR, Fellow PRSA, Rosemarie Rung, APR, and Pat McGee, APR, Fellow PRSA will give an overview of essential information for today’s public relations practitioner, including:

  • Behavioral public relations theories and how to apply them to your organization
  • Self-assessment and discussion on the six roles of the PR Practitioner
  • Trends in Internal and External Communication
  • PR Research for Planning and Measurement
  • Media relations, including how social media has changed the way we build relationships
  • Crisis communications
  • Future trends in the PR field

Presenters:

Pat McGee

Pat McGee is secretary for development and communication at the Diocese of Manchester, responsible for assisting all diocesan institutions, parishes, and schools in acquiring the funds necessary to support the mission of the church and to provide clear and open communication with the faithful and the public regarding church issues, diocesan policy, programming, and special messages. He is also a past president of the Yankee Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America.

Rosemarie Rung, APRRosemarie Rung is principal of Higher Rung Communications, providing strategic communications planning, leadership communications training, and general public relations counsel to business and non-profit clients. She has more than twenty years of corporate communications experience, serving as a subject matter expert in crisis communications, change management communications, and community relations for a Fortune 50 company.

Robin Schell, APRRobin Schell is senior counsel and partner for Jackson Jackson & Wagner, a behavioral public relations and management consulting firm serving a national base of clients.  Robin’s specialties include employee communications, issue anticipation and crisis communication programs, community relationship-building, behavioral research & strategic planning.  The firm’s clients range from nonprofit organizations to Fortune 100 companies to government entities.

Event details:

WHEN:  Wednesday, April 17, 2013, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
WHERE: Long Term Care Partners, 100 Arboretum Dr. on the Pease International Tradeport in Portsmouth, NH.
COST: PRSA Members $30, Non-members $50, Students/interns $20.

All proceeds from this event will go to the James H. Bradley Memorial Scholarship Fund.  Named in honor of the Yankee Chapter’s “founding father” James (Jim) H. Bradley, the scholarship is presented annually to a student with a declared major in a public relations-related field who is studying at an accredited college or university in Maine, New Hampshire, or Vermont.

 

 

Special thanks to our professional development supporter:

Webinar and Panel Discussion: Now They See It — March 21

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Get the Message Across With Graphic Storytelling

Words and pictures communicate better than either one alone. Years of research show that graphic storytelling gets people to pay attention to messages, and understand, remember and act on them. In this session, you will learn:

  • Why it makes sense to add words and pictures to your campaigns. (Use this research to sell your approvers on the approach.)
  • About award-winning communication campaigns that relied on comic strips, cartoons and other graphic storytelling approaches.
  • How to get more graphic stories into your communications.
  • To consider no-cost, low-cost and worth-the-investment tools for creating graphic stories.

Webinar presenter:

Ann Wylie

Ann Wylie is president of Wylie Communications, Inc. She works with communicators who want to reach more readers and with organizations that want to get the word out. Her workshops take her from Hollywood to Helsinki, and to organizations like NASA, Nike and Nokia. More than 14,000 communicators worldwide subscribe to her e-zine, Wylie’s Writing Tips. She has earned more than 60 awards, including two IABC Gold Quills, for her work.

 

Discussion Leaders:

Ben Frost is the director of public affairs at New Hampshire Housing, where he coordinates legislative activities at the state and federal levels, and provides direct technical assistance to municipalities that want to develop regulations to promote affordable housing. Frost is an attorney and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners.

 

 

George Reagan is the administrator for the housing awareness program at New Hampshire Housing. He supports the activities of the New Hampshire Workforce Housing Council, which is made up of six regional workforce housing coalitions and other local, regional and statewide organizations that work to educate employers, community leaders and officials, and the public about the connection between economic stability, growth and the need for a balanced and diverse supply of housing for our state’s workforce.

 

Event details:

WHEN – Thursday, March 21, 2013, 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

WHERE – NH Housing Finance Authority, 32 Constitution Dr. Bedford, NH.

COST – $20 Members;  $35, non-members, and $10 students/interns.

Note: Participants earn 1.0 APR Maintenance Credits for a webinar. For more information on Accreditation maintenance, visit http://www.prsa.org/Learning/Accreditation.

Special thanks to our professional development supporter:

Breaking Down Barriers – Media Roundtable – February 21

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The conflict between Romeo and Juliet can be compared to the relationship between journalists and public relations professionals. They rely on one another, but there are many forces that split them apart,” says blogger Adreanne Peters.

Although the two professions have different objectives at times, understanding one another is one of the most critical skills for successful PR professionals to have when working with journalists. This upcoming session, Breaking Down Barriers, will aid in breaking down the barriers between the two professions to help create a mutually beneficial relationship.

We will start with an overview of how to message your story in an environment where many struggle to transform traditional messaging to work in a social media context. Next, five New Hampshire media professionals will give you their tips, outlook and advice. The PRSA Yankee Chapter media panel will walk you through how to break through the clutter, and how to connect with today’s reporters.

WHEN: February 21, 2013, 2:30-4:30 p.m.
WHERE: Nackey S. Loeb School of Communications, 749 East Industrial Park Drive, Manchester NH. (Directions)
COST: Members $20, non-members $35, and students/interns $10.

About the Presenters:

Media panel to include:

  • Jeff Feingold (editor of NHBR)
  • Rob Levey (freelancer, but largely works for Seacoast Media Group)
  • David Sakowich (WMUR Assignment Editor)
  • Keith Shields (NHPR’s “The Exchange” Executive Producer)
  • Mark Hayward (Union Leader)
  • David Tirrell-Wysocki, former AP Bureau Chief and current Executive Director of the Loeb School
  • Moderator: Martin Murray of PSNH

REGISTER HERE.

Special thanks to our professional development supporter:

PRSA Webinar Dec. 4 – Eight New Strategic Practices for the PR Champion

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Eight New Strategic Practices for the PR Champion

Dec. 4, 1–2 p.m. EST

Because social media has reignited the public relations profession and influenced a new world of communications, public relations professionals are increasing their roles and responsibilities. Today’s practitioners are shifting from communication handlers and facilitators to strategic public relations influencers and champions. When public relations meets social media, and communication unites with technology, public relations professionals have the opportunity to expand their skill set and their public relations practices.

PR professionals will learn new practices and be actively involved in social media as:

  • PR Policymakers to spearhead a team of social media visionaries and strategist in their organizations who participate in audits, policy development and social governance;
  • Internal Collaboration Generators and COMMS Organizers who, through collaborative technology, create more opportunities to innovate and develop meaningful content for productive and targeted communications programs;
  • PR Tech Testers and Relationship Analyzers, using new competencies in Information Technologies to experience the latest social media tools from monitoring and measurement to influence and engagement;
  • Pre-Crisis Doctors and Members of the Reputation Task force, becoming more proactive and fully prepared for social crisis, upholding and maintaining the image of their brands, at all times; and
  • Masters of the Metrics, who will also be able to build programs that offer executives the metrics they expect, revealing communications impact and valuable business outcomes.

Presenter:

Deirdre Breakenridge is Chief Executive Officer at Pure Performance Communications. A veteran in PR and marketing, Breakenridge has counseled senior level executives at companies including the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Empire Today, Hershey’s, JVC, Kraft and the World Bank. Breakenridge is the author of five Financial Times books. Her most recent book, “Social Media and Public Relations: Eight New Practices for the PR Professional,” was published in May 2012 and is available in print and all digital formats. Her other books include, “Putting the Public Back in Public Relations,”  “PR 2.0, New Media, New Tools, New Audiences,” “The New PR Toolkit” and “Cyberbranding: Brand Building in the Digital Economy.”

To Register: Contact Tom Bebbington at tbebbington@ltcpartners.com for registration information.

Bishop Gene Robinson to receive Pat Jackson Award

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Bishop Gene Robinson to receive the 2012 Pat Jackson Award on November 15th

Manchester-based Dyn wins Summit Award in recognition of employees who serve as ambassadors

Bishop Gene Robinson will be awarded the 2012 Patrick Jackson Award on November 15, 2012 by the Yankee Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. The award will be given at the Yankee Chapter’s annual meeting at UNH’s Franklin Pierce Law Center in Concord.

Established as the Yankee Award in 1988, the Patrick Jackson Award recognizes a professional who is not in the public relations field but nonetheless successfully uses public relations principles to benefit his or her organization and society.  The idea of the Patrick Jackson Award is to recognize excellence in the practice of public relations and acknowledge the recipient’s proven track record of building relationships that earn trust.

Gene Robinson is the Ninth Bishop of the EpiscopalDiocese of New Hampshire. Widely recognized for his work on civil rights for gay, lesbian, and transgender people; he is also a known advocate for debt relief, socially responsible investment, and access to healthcare. He initiated “Fresh Start,” a two-year mentoring program for all clergy in new positions in New Hampshire, and co-authored the Fresh Start curriculum, now in use in nearly half of the dioceses of the Episcopal Church. Co-author of three AIDS education curricula for youth and adults, Robinson has done AIDS work in the United States and in Uganda and South Africa. He holds two honorary doctorates and has received numerous awards from national civil rights organizations including the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force and the Equality Forum. Bishop Robinson gave the invocation at the opening inaugural ceremonies for President Obama at the Lincoln Memorial on January 18, 2009.

Some past recipients of the Patrick Jackson Award include: Thomas Raffio, President and CEO, Northeast Delta Dental; Mary Allen Lindemann, Co-owner, Coffee By Design; Sylvio Dupuis, President, Catholic Medical Center; Shirley Ganem, Exec. Dir., NH Task Force Against Child Abuse and Neglect; Steve Barba, President, Balsams Grand Resort & Hotel; Lew Feldstein, President, NH Charitable Foundation; William Frain, President, CEO, PSNH; Walter Peterson, Governor NH; Michael Hickey, CEO, Verizon Wireless; John Crosier, President, NH Business & Industry Association.

The 2012 Summit Award –

Dyn, the world leader in Internet infrastructure-as-a-service, will be given the Summit Award for excellence on November 15. The annual Yankee Chapter PRSA Summit Award recognizes excellence in a specific area of focus, which varies year-to-year. The 2012 Summit Award recognizes excellence in the engagement of employees as ambassadors as an integral component of an organization’s public relations philosophy.

Dyn (pronounced “dine”), based in Manchester, was recognized for believing in the value of employees as ambassadors, applyingthis philosophy to nearly every aspect of their operations. Rather than simply relying on their sales force or marketing team, they see every single employee as an ambassador of the Dyn brand: in product and culture.

As a result, Dyn was named one of the most democratic workplaces of 2012 by WorldBlu, and has been repeatedlynamed one of the best places to work by Business NH Magazine.

Dyn  powers managed DNS and email delivery for more than four million enterprise clients, small businesses and home users. Dyn helps websites run faster and be more reliable, while also ensuring that transactional emails that consumerswant and need reach their inboxes.

The Yankee Chapter of the Public Relations Society holds professional development and networking sessions every month. Meetings feature workshops and first-class speakers on topics of interest to public relations professionals and the opportunity to meet and exchange ideas with colleagues from throughout northern New England.

 

To attend the event or for more information go to www.yankeeprsa.org/