EVENT REPORT: Supporting & Empowering Employees Keeps Delta Climbing

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KEEP CLIMBING DELTA:  AN ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE SUCCESS STORY

The Yankee Chapter of PRSA (Public Relations Society of America) invited Delta Air Lines communicators Kristin Seay, Managing Director of Operations Communications and Laura Smyth, General Manager of Employer Brand Communications to share their wisdom on how Delta has built a strong, people-centered culture, at their July 31st virtual lunch & learn.

Founded in 1925, Delta celebrates its centennial anniversary this year.  The airline remains focused on their mission of “connecting the world better than any other airline.”

According to Seay and Smyth, “it’s the people of Delta that make it all happen”.  Supporting them are:

  • A staff of 100 communicators (serving a workforce of 100,000) – though Seay admits, “even 500 would not be enough!”
  • A CEO and leadership team that fully support the investment in communication, employee engagement and appreciation

Size of budget and staff aside, here are words of wisdom from Delta Air Lines that we can all apply to our organizations:

  1. Give your employees a boost when they need it most.  Summer is an extra-busy, extra-challenging time for the airline industry – there are customers flying off to vacation, weather challenges etc.  Their “summer boost” campaign consists of everything from movie ticket giveaways to a “mid-summer cool down” with employee toolkits to an end of summer celebration featuring  food, fun and the presence of senior leaders.
  2. Target communication with personalized messages for different stakeholder groups. The communications team leans heavily on email, but they streamline it, and send personalized weekly messages to their internal stakeholders: Airport Customer Service; Flight Operations; In-Flight Service; Operations & Customer Center  (aka the “nerve center”); Reservation & Customer Care and Tech Operations.   “We keep the weekly communication focused on what’s most important to each group.”

In addition to email and Thursday updates, Delta offers:

  • DeltaNet (intranet) as its “communication of record”
  • SkyHub, an internal FB platform that offers employees an opportunity to share feedback, personal photos etc.
  • Life@Delta, a new platform used to showcase “a day in the life of a Delta employee” Side benefit: it’s a great talent acquisition tool!
  • Delta Vision, 800 strategically-placed digital billboards with attention-grabbing headlines
  • Delta News Hub, primarily used for press releases and other external announcements
  1. Share profits with employees. Delta’s “work together, win together” program means that when the company does well, so do the employees.  Profit-sharing is announced on Valentine’s Day and is reported to be “the happiest day of the year for Delta employees.”
  2. Offer feedback mechanisms for employees. Don’t just listen — act on their ideas.  Delta offers a variety of in-person and on-line opportunities to both celebrate employees and listen to them, including:
  • “Velvet” conferences (up to 20 per year); Two-day meetings that offer in-person updates from executive leaders for frontline employees –wildly popular!
  • Town Hall meetings – Virtual, 45-min updates, as needed (note: during COVID, these meetings happened up to 3X a week!). Done at both the corporate and divisional levels.
  • Base and station visits: An authentic way for senior leaders to meet Delta team members in their workplaces to get to know them.
  • Email the CEO: CEO Ed Bastian invites any member of the Delta team to email him directly with feedback or ideas. Some recommendations are implemented quickly; others take more time.  “We had a flight attendant who pointed out that pizza was being served on a morning flight and within a week, Delta made the change to a more breakfast-sensible inflight meal”.  Other examples include changes in family leave policy and establishment of the emergency savings fund.  “Some of the best ideas come from our frontline employees.”
  • Employee engagement surveys: These annual surveys demonstrate how the communication team “moves the needle” on engagement each year.
  1. Engage in storytelling that highlights employees. Smyth shared a heartwarming video of Delta team members who were supported by their teams during cancer treatments, highlighted for acts of heroism at the “Chairman’s Conference” and engaged in acts of extreme kindness (e.g. one Delta employee donated a kidney to a regular customer she befriended over the years).
  2. Create activities that foster teamwork. From the annual leadership conference to the “Jet Drag” competition that raises money for the American Cancer Society to the Boulevard Bash that celebrates employees, retirees and their families – Delta knows the importance of fostering collaboration and team spirit.
  3. Measure your success. Delta’s leadership team sees the impact of making their people the center of all that they do, through metrics on employee engagement and behavioral results. In addition to measuring click-through rates and engagement in activities, the annual engagement survey includes questions like, “Are you proud to work at Delta?” and “Do you have the tools you need to do your job?”.  Third-party advocates also recognize Delta’s success (Delta is #15 on Fortune 100 list of “Best Places To Work”): https://news.delta.com/delta-earns-no-15-spot-fortune-100-best-companies-work-forr-list

 

Robin Schell, APR, Fellow PRSA is Senior Counsel and Partner at Jackson Jackson & Wagner, a behavioral public relations and management consulting firm based in the Seacoast of NH.  rschell@jjwpr.com.

 

OCT. 6, 2025 – Interact AI: Workshop for Communications and PR Professionals

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Practical Intelligence about Artificial Intelligence

Date & Time:

Monday, October 6, 2025 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Optional hands-on workshop add-on from 1-2:30 p.m.

Location/Venue:

Southern New Hampshire University, Manchester, NH

Description:

Join Yankee PRSA for a high-impact workshop exploring how public relations and communications professionals can harness the power of artificial intelligence in real-

world, strategic ways. From content planning and brand messaging to research, crisis response, and internal use-case development – this session will equip attendees with the insights and tools needed to apply AI with purpose and precision.

The main program features expert-led sessions focused on how communications leaders can guide AI integration, strengthen business strategy, and stay ahead in a fast-moving digital landscape. Speakers include:

  • Rebecca Emery, APR – Founder and AI Marketing Advisor, Seacoast AI
  • David Humphreys – Director of Artificial Intelligence Integration, Southern New Hampshire University
  • Cameron Shilling – Director, Litigation Department & Chair, Cybersecurity and Privacy Group, McLane Middleton

 

Want to go deeper? Register for the optional hands-on workshop, AI in Action: Tools, Prompts, and Real-Time Insights, led by Rebecca Emery. Learn to build effective prompts, train AI in brand voice, explore tools for crisis response, and practice live demo scenarios you can bring back to your team.

Registration Fees

Main Program (8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., with coffee and networking 8:30-9:30 a.m., program starts at 9:30 a.m.) Early Bird: $55 members / $75 non-members (Early Bird Deadline: Sept. 8, 2025) Registration After Sept. 8th: $75 members / $95 non-members

Optional Workshop Add-On (1-2:30 p.m.) Additional Cost for All: $45

Coffee, continental breakfast, and boxed lunch included. Event will be held in the banquet room above the dining hall at SNHU.

CHECK HERE SOON FOR REGISTRATION LINK!

The Ins and Outs of Influencer Marketing

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Hey Vermont, we’re headed your way!!


The Ins and Outs of Influencer Marketing

Friday, Sept. 5, 2025; 2-4 p.m.

Hula – 50 Lakeside Ave, Burlington, VT 05401

$25 Yankee Chapter members and friends; $35 non-members  $15 Virtual

Join us for an engaging panel discussion featuring leading voices in the influencer marketing space. You’ll hear firsthand from:

  • Nick Mattera, Vice President at Ykone, a global influencer marketing group
  • Lindsay Bumps, Influencer Marketing Consultant, former Influencer Relations Lead at Ben & Jerry’s
  • Erin Torres, Social Media Influencer for Travel Like a Local: Vermont and VP of Communications & Culture at Livian Realty Group.
  • Learn how to effectively incorporate influencers into your PR and marketing strategy, build lasting and authentic relationships, and stay ahead of industry trends. Stick around after the conversation for an hour of networking, complete with light fare and refreshments.

REGISTER HERE!

 

From Noise to Noteworthy: Turning Media Intelligence Into PR Impact

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From Noise to Noteworthy: Turning Media Intelligence Into PR Impact

Thursday, August 14, 2025 3-4 p.m. Virtual

Free for PRSA members; $200 for non-members

REGISTER HERE: PRSA Storytellers: From Noise to Noteworthy: Turning Media Intelligence Into PR Impact | PRSA

August 14, 2025 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. (Eastern Daylight Time)

In today’s fast-moving digital landscape, PR professionals are bombarded with data from news coverage and social chatter to stakeholder reactions and crisis signals. But how do you transform that noise into a strategic advantage?

Join Onclusive for an inside look at how real-time media monitoring, social listening and insights-driven planning can help communicators drive measurable impact. Discover how top PR teams are using media intelligence to shape campaigns, protect reputation and deliver C-suite value.

Whether you’re navigating a crisis or planning your next big campaign, this webinar will equip you with practical tools to elevate your communications strategy. We’ll explore best practices in social listening to uncover audience sentiment, identify trends and inform storytelling.

By the end of this webinar, participants will:

  • Understand how to leverage real-time media monitoring to track brand coverage, spot emerging issues and measure campaign effectiveness.
  • Learn how to turn data and insights into actionable strategies for proactive PR planning and crisis readiness.
  • Gain practical tips for integrating media and social intelligence into executive reporting and communications strategy

May 21 Crisis Communications Panel Wrap up

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It was a great turnout for the Yankee Chapter’s May 21 panel discussion on crisis communications. Our homegrown crisis communications experts, Clark Dumont, APR, Fellow PRSA and Lauren Collins Cline, explored how to build communication strategies in an unpredictable and ever-changing world.

Enhance Your Customer Experience: Create Positive Interactions with Frontline Ambassadors

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Enhance Your Customer Experience: Create Positive Interactions with Frontline Ambassadors

By Robin Schell, APR, Fellow PRSA

We all know there are no shortage of difficult situations frontline employees face when dealing with the angry customer – whether you work for an airline or a municipal utility or a retailer.

It’s important to remember that leadership’s job is to support those customer service representatives and other “customer-facing” positions so that customers walk away feeling positive about your organization, even when they are dissatisfied about a situation…

READ MORE HERE

 

Report from Maine PR Council Annual Conference

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By Robin Schell, APR, Fellow PRSA, Yankee Chapter President

On Friday, Nov. 8th, I had the pleasure of representing Yankee Chapter PRSA at the Maine Public Relations Council annual conference, “Positivity and Progress: Adapting Your PR Strategy For A Changing World.”

Rebecca Emery, APR, Chair of MPRC’s Professional Development committee, and her crew put together an A-plus program of presenters, including a media panel discussion with moderator T.J. Winick, Essex Strategies, Morgan Sturdivant of WABI-TV, Micaela Schweitzer-Bluhm of the Maine Monitor/Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting and Megan Gray of the Portland Press Herald.

We also heard words of wisdom from Michael Smart, CEO of MichaelSMARTPR, who gave us an overview of “The Realist’s Guide to AI and Communication” and asked us to think about how we use AI in these categories:  “Training Wheels”, “10-Speed” and “E-Bike.”

Mark McClennan, APR, Fellow PRSA, General Manager of G&C talked about “Training Your Ethical Mind:  Preparing to Survive and Thrive in Our Dynamic AI Environment,” urging us all to include AI in our crisis plans and be clear on our AI policies.  As an added bonus, I had a front-row seat to watch Rebecca Emery receive the Edward L. Bernays Award for her outstanding work on behalf of MPRC.

I really enjoyed the presentation by Felicia Knight, President of The Knight Canney Group, entitled, “How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love PR”.  After a 20-year career in journalism, Felicia had a successful 27-year career in PR and shared these 8 Life Lessons:

Lesson 1:  Don’t be afraid to change your situation. It was scary to pivot from her broadcast journalism career to serving as Communications Director for Sen. Susan Collins in DC, and then Communications Director for the National Endowment for the Arts.  But she was passionate about being able to make a difference and “be a part of history” and loved that she learned something new every day in these new roles.

Lesson 2:  Recognize and believe in your own success. Tired of being on the road and missing family events, she founded Knight Vision International, strategic media solutions, in 2008.  Not the best timing to launch a new business in a recession, but she succeeded – and at this point in her career she overcame the “imposter syndrome”.  She also joined the PRConsultantsGroup and the peer support and opportunities to collaborate were invaluable.

Lesson #3:  Delegate!  Felicia realized she would rather spend her time working directly with stakeholders, getting clients and offering strategic advice.  She hired her first employee and used contractors to get the rest of it done.

Lesson #4:  It is helpful to have backup.   You never know when life will throw you a curveball, and you’ll be out of commission for health issues or other reasons.  She made the decision to merge with Canney Communications and form The Knight Canney Group.

Lesson #5:  If you’re unhappy, speak up.  Though The Knight Canney Group was a great partnership, the pressure to support employees meant Felicia was taking client assignments just to pay the bills – so she pivoted again, going from an S-Corp model to an LLC.  She was loving PR again!

Lesson #6:  Life Is Short, No Matter How Long You Live.  Felicia suffered traumatic grief when she lost both her father and her brother in 2016.   It was an “aha” moment and she began letting go of the things she didn’t want to do and making more time for the things she DID enjoy.  She got more engaged in her Board roles and did more traveling for fun.

Lesson #7:  Let Go of What You Can’t Control.   COVID-19 hit everyone hard, so she did what everyone else did – joined the great baking frenzy!   She also got help from PPP (the Paycheck Protection Program).  Her business was back at full strength 18 months later.

Lesson #8:  Plan for your retirement.  Her message to everyone in the room was, “start now.”  Get a financial planner, put money aside from every paycheck and take advantage of company retirement or pension plans and 401K matches.  Her official retirement date will be Dec. 2024 at which point she will be very selective of the client assignments she will be taking.  “No more phone calls at 11 p.m.!”

We wish Felicia the best in her next 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

     

Mix & Jingle – Yankee PRSA Annual Meeting December 11, 2024

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Yankee Chapter PRSA Invites You to Save the Date:

Wed. Dec. 11, 2024

Meet The Media “Mix & Jingle,” presented by the Nackey S. Loeb School.

Location: Nackey S. Loeb School, inside the NH Institute of Politics on the campus of Saint Anselm College, in the West Wing room.

After our media panel, join us for mocktails, appetizers and holiday cheer sponsored by Northeast Delta Dental

SEE EVENT PAGE HERE FOR MORE INFO AND TO REGISTER

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.