PRxNE Conference 2024

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The Annual Conference of the PRSA Northeast District was held Friday, November 15 at the Marriott Syracuse Downtown and the Yankee Chapter was well-represented. Those in attendance and presenting included Robin Schell, APR, Fellow PRSA, Stacey Smith, APR, Fellow PRSA, and Lisa Lance, the 2025 Yankee Chapter President-elect. Thanks to all who made the journey and thank you to the PRxNE 2024 Conference host – the PRSA Central New York Chapter!

 

Reality Check! Real World Mash Up Arms Young Pros for Success

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What a great turnout for the Yankee Chapter’s Real World Mash Up! From free headshots to priceless advice from seasoned PR pros, the Mash Up brought together Communications students, young professionals and longtime Yankee Chapter members for a deep dive into the art and effort of getting that first PR job.

The event, held October 28 at Southern NH University, opened with a panel discussion about “Getting Hired in Today’s World.” Big thanks to our impressive panel of young PR pros and moderator Jon Boroshok, APR, professor in the SNHU Communications department. More than 20 students were on hand to hear our panel discuss the ways they used their contacts to land their first internships and jobs. Thank you to our panel:

  • Samantha Boselli, Freelance Consultant
  • Hannah Costello, Account Executive, Wireside
  • Sarah Davis, Marketing Specialist, Dartmouth Health Children’s
  • Lauren Materia, Social Media Coordinator, New England Center for Children

VIEW THE PANEL DISCUSSION HERE

Following the panel discussion, attendees engaged in a little “speed dating,” going from table to table to gain knowledge on topics of interest led by our industry experts. Thank you to our roundtable experts:

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI): Dave Humphreys, Director of AI Integration, SNHU
  • Communication Measurement: Katie Paine, Measurement, Insights, and Analytics Consultant, Paine Publishing
  • Crisis Communication: Lauren Keane, VP of Communications, SNHU
  • Effective Presentation Skills: Stacey Smith, APR, Fellow PRSA, Senior Counsel, Jackson Jackson & Wagner
  • Maximizing Social Media and LinkedIn: Keri Pappalardo, Director of Marketing, Lavallee Brensinger Architects
  • Personal Branding: Mary Flowers, Consultant.

    In case you missed it, you can view a recording of the panel discussion HERE

     

Member Mixer – Fall Fun at Mount Sunapee!

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Members of the Yankee Chapter of PRSA gathered at Mount Sunapee for the Upper Valley Member Mixer on Thurs. Oct. 24, 2024 – they worked with Ski NH to put on the event.

After a walking tour, Abi Allen, Communications Director of NH, spoke about “Navigating Change In The Ski Industry” and shared examples of how her team has used social media and campaigns to attract skiers to Vail Resort mountains. Thank you to our hosts for providing beautiful fall color and a fun time!

ICYMI: Ethics Month Professional Development Session

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Ethics Month Professional Development Session: Rebuilding Trust, Ethics and Communication In An Era Of Innovation

On Wed. Sept. 25th, the Nackey S. Loeb School of Communications and the Yankee Chapter of PRSA partnered to present a virtual “lunch and learn” featuring highlights from Edelman’s 2024 Trust Barometer.  Drake Baer, Senior Vice President, Thought Leadership at the Edelman Trust Institute, led the discussion.  Here are some observations from that session:

Trends

  • Rapid innovation offers the promise of a new era of prosperity, but also risks exacerbating trust issues, leading to further societal instability and political polarization.
  • More people are doing their own research (Googling, etc.) to find information they trust.
  • If you want people to trust you, give them a voice. “Your constituents want you to hear their concerns and let them ask questions.”
  • In a year when half of the world’s population will elect new leaders, our communities are more politically polarized than ever. Only 30% of those surveyed would want to live with, help, or work with people who have different political views than they do.

Trusted Sources

  • Business is seen as ethical and competent, but Government is seen as the least competent and unethical of the sectors studied (there is a 52-point gap between Business and Government in the Trust Barometer).
  • While scientists are trusted sources, there are concerns that the government has too much influence on science. One observation was made that “scientists don’t know how to communicate,” and they need to make info transparent and accessible.
  • Businesses are seen as making sure innovations are safe, ahead of the sectors of government and media. “The switch from NGO’s as trusted sources to Businesses as trusted sources is striking.”
  • But, lack of confidence in government means declining trust in the institutions responsible for steering us through change.
  • Peers are among the most trusted sources of information among those surveyed.

Takeaways for Communicators

  • If more people are seeking their own information rather than relying on sources from sectors they trust, consider how your own organization’s SEO can help share information and drive inquiries to you. Build more online assets for independent research by your publics. How can you be a better, more trusted source of information about your sector?
  • Give your constituents more agency—help them to learn your goals and why they should align with your organization. “Paint the vision,” says Baer.
  • Know that the CEO is not always the best person to put out there, given subject matter expertise and peer influence—think about the best, most trusted messenger.
  • Implementation is as important as innovation. (it’s one thing to invent it and another to anticipate the issues that come along with that innovation).  Think: Issue anticipation.
  • Business must partner for change.  Think: Build collaborations with partners.
  • Science must integrate with society, as they are trusted. Think: Who are your subject matter experts? How do you build trust in these sources?

 

Laura Simoes is a member of Yankee Chapter PRSA and serves as Executive Director of the Nackey S. Loeb School of Communication.  For more information on other professional development workshops available, visit: Nackey S. Loeb School of Communications.

BLOG: Purposeful Partnerships:  Building Trusted Relationships Among Collaborating Organizations

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Purposeful Partnerships:  Building Trusted Relationships Among Collaborating Organizations
by Robin Schell, APR, Fellow PRSA

“Trust is key to having successful collaborations”: that was a major takeaway from the powerful Yankee Chapter PRSA (Public Relations Society of America) Lunch & Learn session on Aug. 15th. Special thanks to moderator Jill Kimball, APR, Marketing Manager at Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital and panelists Kate Luczko, Sr. Director of HealthForce NH and Peter Wright, President & CEO of Northwestern Medical Center, for sharing your insights.

VIEW LUNCH & LEARN SESSION HERE

 

Other Key Takeaways Included:

 

  1. Collaboration works when the participating organizations understand what they are going to get out of the collaboration. It’s very important to listen and not make assumptions – take the time to understand, what are their needs?  What are their concerns?
  2. Trust is the foundation for effective collaboration. Everything comes back to trust – what is the history of trust?  What are the psycho-social dynamics of trust?  How do I build trust?  “The more you are able to ‘let go’ to your partners, the more likely you are to get to that level of trust early in the relationship.”
  3. Define your shared vision and your objectives. “Take a step back and look at the big picture – where are we all trying to get to?”  Define your goals and objectives – start with the low-hanging fruit to get some early wins.  Use those goals and objectives to measure success.
  4. Be clear when you set expectations. This applies when working with all the collaborating organizations, but also when you are reporting back to your own organization – they may be looking for a “return on investment” sooner than is realistically possible.  Communication about that is key.  Sometimes the arrangements are more informal (e.g. feedback from an advisory board) and sometimes more formal (a signed Memorandum of Understanding)
  5. You need both accountability and flexibility. It’s important to have basic systems in place for clarity on how the organizations will share information, communicate between meetings, complete tasks etc.  Meeting minutes will capture who is responsible and what deadlines are involved.  Note: collaborations can start to fall apart when these expectations are not met – but sometimes, it is important to be flexible and “give each other some grace”.  Even with a plan, it’s important to be open to what you don’t expect. “Sometimes we have to fix the plane while it’s moving.”
  6. Not everything will go smoothly – expect that and make time to discuss “lessons learned” as intel for moving forward.
  7. Find the common ground. What will be beneficial for both sides?  Start with what is most easily acceptable and move forward.  “For example, people may not want to give away all their trade secrets when it comes to recruiting … but they can rally behind a goal of, ‘What can we do collectively to make healthcare more attractive’?”
  8. Get the right people in the room for decision-making. It is difficult to control which representatives an organization sends to the meetings of the collaborating partners – and if they don’t have decision-making power, they need to go back to get organization’s blessing and that doesn’t always work well.  “It’s best to define for the representatives what decision-making power they have, so they know that going in.”
  9. Renew and refresh. Specific partnerships may align for a certain period of time and in pursuit of a certain objective or audience. As organizational goals, priorities or circumstances shift, understand that partnerships – even long-serving relationships – may have to shift as well. Accept and embrace the opportunity, because it is a terrific way to align with new ways of thinking and foster additional beneficial relationships in your industry or community.

When asked what HealthForce is most proud of, Luczko talked about identifying barriers for hiring more respiratory therapists in NH.  “Instead of playing the middleman, we got practicing respiratory therapists in a room together with members of NH OPLC (Office of Professional Licensure and Certification), the NH Hospital Association, and River Valley Community College (who offers the Respiratory Therapy program) and facilitated a discussion on how to solve the problem – while an informal collaboration for now, this felt like a big win.”

According to Wright, the New England Collaborative is working well, with some early group purchasing wins and they have established themselves as a legal entity, hired an Executive Director and reached agreement on how they would be funded.  They are well-positioned for future progress. “Relationships are a marathon, not a sprint,” he said.

 

Robin Schell, APR, Fellow PRSA is Senior Counsel and Partner at Jackson Jackson & Wagner, a behavioral public relations and management consulting firm in the Seacoast of NH.  She is currently serving as President of the Yankee Chapter of PRSA.

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How Did Delta Reach A 95% Vaccination Rate With Employees?

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Insights From Gina Laughlin, Managing Director of Employee Communications at Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines was on top of the world at the start of 2020, with a workforce that was 90,000 people strong.  They were winning awards for customer experience and paying out $1.6 billion in profit-sharing to employees.

Six weeks later, COVID gut-punched the entire airline industry — along with many other industries – and Delta Air Lines had to simultaneously figure out how to continue doing business while keeping employees and customers safe, all in a constantly-changing environment of rules and regulations, while adjusting to a harsh new financial reality that saw business and leisure travel come to, effectively, a screeching halt.

Gina Laughlin, Managing Director of Employee Communications at Delta Air Lines, described the strategies the company took to get through their 3 Phases of COVID-19:

  1. Phase I:  Crisis Mode (March 2020 – Sept. 2020).  This included working with HR to downsize the workforce without involuntary furloughs, offering unpaid leaves of absence and retirement packages and communicating daily to employees as the CDC and World Health Organization issued rapidly-changing operation guidelines for the airline industry.  Fortunately, Delta had built a culture of open, two-way communication – and they found employees were hungry for as much information as possible during this uncertain time.   They ran weekly town hall meetings with CEO Ed Bastian and other key leadership team members; brought in medical expert partners for updates and sent out daily emails in support of the Stop The Spread-Save Lives campaign.  All communications could be accessed after the fact – key for a 24/7 traveling workforce.  All messaging revolved around 3 basic tenets:  Take Care of Delta Employees; Take Care of Customers and Preserve the Liquidity of the Company.  Communication professionals listened to employee feedback via a quarterly Pulse survey and adjusted any communication that would make Delta appear “tone deaf” in this new environment.
  2. Phase II: Adjusting To The New Normal (Oct. 2020 – Oct. 2021).  As spring/summer travel started to come back, Delta focused on the best way to accommodate the increase while hammering home messages on what to do to keep employees and customers safe, which included cleaning protocols, providing free testing and, when the vaccine became available, getting employees vaccinated.  They adjusted communication frequency to “pre-COVID levels”, and laid the groundwork early with vaccination messaging in a highly-targeted campaign that rolled out state-by-state.  They partnered with state officials and CVS on the distribution of vaccines and worked with the community to make them as accessible as possible under the “Connected Together-Protected Together” campaign.  Because the culture of rewarding employees for making responsible health choices already existed (e.g. earning Delta health rewards for actions like getting physicals and flu shots), they were able to get 50% of employees vaccinated (1 dose plus) by April 2021 – an impressive number.  They then focused on removing all barriers to getting the vaccine, including offering it in the airport, via “vaccine trucks” on the ramp and in employee parking lots, offering personal paid time off to recover from any vaccine side-effects and allowing employees to bring family members to get vaccinated with them.  To get to the goal of 75% (considered at the time to be the herd immunity benchmark), they used an incentive drawing with cash and travel prizes, spotlighting the role models by sharing footage of the winners in their communications.  Important point:  although leadership was clear they wanted everyone to get vaccinated, they made a promise not to mandate it – so no employee would lose their job as a result of not getting the vaccine. Instead, they gave employees a choice – they could get vaccinated, or pay a healthcare surcharge.  They talked openly about this decision in town hall meetings, sharing the “why” behind the decision and providing a two-way forum for employees to ask questions and give feedback. This open communication platform was important for employees to both agree and disagree with Delta’s decision.
  3. Phase III: Living With The Changing Face of COVID.  (Nov. 2021 – Present).  This is where “optimism meets reality” as new strains of the virus appear, and regulations are issued (e.g. Federal mask mandate).  With more than 95% of the workforce vaccinated, Delta is now focused on reinforcing key messages delivered by trusted leadership and making testing as convenient as possible (Delta employees are able to order boxes of 6 online and also can be tested weekly at work).  Another strategy:  Delta is leveraging the compliments they get from customers by sharing them with all employees, building pride and morale.  Finally, a simple piece of advice that costs nothing – recognize and thank employees often for a job well done in difficult circumstances!

 

For further questions, Gina Laughlin can be reached at gina.p.laughlin@delta.com.  To read more about Delta Air Lines and CEO Ed Bastian, view the recent article from PRSA Issues and Trends https://chiefexecutive.net/delta-air-lines-ceo-ed-bastain-we-keep-climbing/.

For information about Yankee Chapter PRSA Membership, visit www.yankeeprsa.org.

 

 

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Beyond COVID-19 Issue Anticipation for 2022

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Thanks to everyone who participated in the 2021 Yankee Chapter Annual Meeting! Our panel presentation (Beyond COVID-19 – Issue Anticipation for 2022) was a valuable tool for communicators looking to identify challenges and opportunities in a post-pandemic world.

In case you missed it, a recording of the panel discussion and presentation are available here:

Panel Discussion and Presentation

Beyond COVID-19 – Issue Anticipation for 2022 PDF Presentation:

PDF of Presentation
Yankee Chapter PRSA logo

2019 Annual Meeting — How SNHU Uses Marketing Communications Throughout the Student Lifecycle

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Join Yankee Chapter PRSA for its annual meeting at Red River Theatres on October 30, from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. The event includes a continental breakfast and networking at 8:30 a.m., followed by a presentation from Kristin Lamas Patterson, from Southern New Hampshire University, on “How SNHU Uses Marketing Communications throughout the Student Lifecycle.” The chapter will hold its brief annual meeting, including election of offices, immediately following the presentation.

Southern New Hampshire University has increased its student population exponentially in the last 10 years. SNHU Marketing and Communications leader Kristin Lamas Patterson will share an overview of the university’s marketing approach and how communication is critical to the student experience.

Kristin Lamas Patterson is a marketing and communications leader with more than 20 years of experience, most recently at Southern New Hampshire University — one of the fastest-growing universities in the country. She oversees the university’s prospective and current student marketing and communications, marketing automation and social media. Prior to joining SNHU, she held leadership positions at PR/advertising agencies and served on the Maine PR Council board.

PRSA/VT/NH Marketing Group members: $25.00
Member & Guest: $30.00
Not-Yet Members: $35.00
Students/Interns: $5

 

 

2020 SLATE OF OFFICERS

President, Stefanie Breton (**), City of Concord

President-Elect, Amber Bedi, APR (**), Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center

Past President, Andy Morse, Concord Regional VNA

Secretary, VACANT

Treasurer, Seth Wheeler, APR (**), New Hampshire Electric Cooperative

Assistant Treasurer, Susan Geier (**),Citizens Count

Director, Roz Whitaker’Heck, APR, Champlain College (Term expires 12/31/20)

Director, AnnMarie French, New Hampshire Fiscal Policy lnstitute (Term expires 12/31/20)

Director, Lloyd Ziel, American Red Cross (Term expires 12/31/20)

Director, Mary Ellen Hettinger, APR, Breathe New Hampshire (Term expires 12/31/20)

Director, Michelle Dunn, Southern New Hampshire University  (Term expires 12/31/20)

Director, Kristen Lestock (**), New Hampshire Motor Speedway (Term expire s 12/31/21)

Director, Audra Burns (**), Dartmouth-Hitchcock Media Relations Manager (Term expires 12/31/21)

(**) Requires Vote

 

 

 

 

 

When “It” Hits The Fan!

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A crisis can strike any business at any time. Join Scott Spradling of The Spradling Group to learn how to anticipate likely scenarios and how they can impact your stakeholders. You will get a plan for rebuilding corporate and institutional image and enhancing positive relations with the public, customers, opinion leaders, and the media.

WHEN: Wednesday, September 25, 2019 from 3 to 4:30 p.m.
WHERE: Nackey S. Loeb School of Communications, 749 East Industrial Park Drive, Manchester, NH 03109
COST: Members and VT/NH Marketing Group Members – $20; Nonmembers- $25; Students/Interns – $10

Registration link for Loeb School PD Session

Katie Delahaye Paine, aka The Measurement Queen

Measurement Base Camp – May 16

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Most communications professionals have listened to at least one, if not many, lectures on how to do measurement right. The challenge is, once they’ve heard the theory, how do they implement it at their place of work?

What sounds great in a lecture hall or at a conference can end up being a complex situation when one is faced with a limited budget, no staff, and competing priorities. To help individuals prepare and manage these hurdles and more, Paine Publishing is holding a Measurement Base Camp—a one-day intensive training session that will cover all things measurement—on May 16. Attendance is limited to 25 people, so don’t wait.

Where: Shankhassick Farm, 51 Durham Point Road, Durham, NH

When: Thursday, May 16, 2019 — 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Cost: Early Bird Rate — $350; Regular Rate (After April 1, 2019) — $400

Information and Registration