Professional development programs and events

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

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

     

BLOG: Purposeful Partnerships:  Building Trusted Relationships Among Collaborating Organizations

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.

Rebuilding Trust, Ethics, and Communications in an Age of Innovation

Rebuilding Trust, Ethics, and Communications in an Age of Innovation

Wednesday, September 25, from 12-1pm EST, ONLINE

FREE

REGISTER HERE: https://loebschool.org/register/trust2024

 

Now in its 24th year, the Edelman Trust Barometer is a global research study measuring trust in society. The 2024 report highlights broad gaps in the public’s trust in government leaders, business leaders, journalists, and technology companies. The findings serve as a wake-up call for business and policy leaders to better manage communications to regain and grow public trust and have implications for organizations of all sizes which serve customers and stakeholders.

 

Your Instructor: Drake Baer is Senior Vice President, Thought Leadership at the Edelman Trust Institute, where he guides the narrative development of research.  A former editor-at-large at Business Insider and senior writer at New York Magazine, Drake has authored two books, including Perception: How Our Bodies Shape Our Minds.

 

This PD session for Yankee PRSA is offered in collaboration with the Nackey S. Loeb School of Communications.

REGISTER NOW: Purposeful Partnerships: The Role of PR In Building Trust Among Collaborating Organizations

Title:  Purposeful Partnerships: The Role of PR In Building Trust Among Collaborating Organizations

Date:  Thursday. Aug. 15, 2024 12-1 p.m., via Zoom

Cost:  Free to PRSA members and Maine PR Council members; $20 for non-members

Registration Link: lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/tykyyxe

Teamwork makes the dream work! We all know the saying, but in today’s cluttered communications and nonstop marketing environments, collaboration with external partners and like-minded organizations is a fundamental necessity. As many businesses undergo post-pandemic ‘re-sets’ or try to engage or retain audiences, partnerships or collaborations can help like-minded organizations achieve success by sharing resources, elevating messages, and broadening markets. But in reality – how does that collaboration flow? How do you build positive relationships, set goals and execute actions? How efficient is it? Where does conflict resolution come in? And what does ‘success’ look like?

Join the Yankee Chapter of PRSA August 15 for a productive one-hour lunch and learn session exploring this topic with leaders who are forging collaborations or have implemented successful partnerships. Jill Kimball, APR and the Marketing Manager at Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital in St. Johnsbury,

Vermont, will moderate the session.

MODERATOR:

 

Jill Kimball, APR is Marketing Manager at Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, where she works with internal and external partners to demonstrate the value of high-quality health care services to community. Prior to NVRH, Jill was Community Relations Director at Ammonoosuc Community Health Services, Inc. a Federally Qualified Community Health Center in northern New Hampshire. She is the current VP of Public Relations for North Country Toastmasters, and founding member and Co-Chair of North Country Pride of Littleton, NH.

SPEAKERS:

Kate Luczko is the Senior Director of HealthForce NH, where she serves as a statewide leader on healthcare workforce issues. She promotes solutions to healthcare workforce challenges by engaging, collaborating with, and soliciting input from partners, employers, higher education, policymakers, funders, the public, groups representing historically underserved populations, and other stakeholders. Prior to joining HealthForce, Kate engaged with many community partners through her work as the President & CEO of the Greater Nashua Chamber of Commerce, and as the founding President & CEO of Stay Work Play New Hampshire.

 

Peter J. Wright, FACHE is the President & CEO of Northwestern Medical Center in St. Albans, Vermont. Prior to coming to Vermont in January 2023, he served as the President of Bridgton & Rumford hospitals, two rural facilities within Central Maine Healthcare where he also served as a CMH Senior Vice President. Starting his career in marketing and public relations, he has more than two decades of leadership experience in healthcare operations and executive leadership. Peter served as an ACHE Regent for NH, Chair of the AHA Regional policy board for New England and as a Trustee for the American Hospital Association. Currently, Peter leads the New England Collaborative Health Network, a partnership of like-minded independent healthcare organizations established to enhance economic and financial stability, support clinical excellence, and strengthen communities for partners in the New England region.

Highlights from “What’s Your Organization’s Secret Sauce?

The Role of Marketing & PR In Building Your Brand”

Over 60 PR practitioners registered for Yankee Chapter’s March 13th “lunch and learn” session on the role of marketing and PR in building an organization’s brand. Themes from this excellent panel discussion, facilitated by Clark Dumont, APR, Fellow PRSA, with Gail Winslow, APR, Head of Marketing for Halloran Consulting Group; Sarah Moore, SVP of Marketing for MGM Resorts and Lauren Keane, APR of Communications for SNHU (Southern NH University), include:

Be Clear On Your Goals

“At MGM, we talk about ‘ruthless prioritization,’” says Moore. “We want to make sure we allocate our time and talent to the right things. Silos are born out of misaligned goals and misaligned priorities.”

“We have corporate goals and marketing goals; whatever we do ties directly back to either our vision, our purpose, our 5 competencies or our four core values,” adds Winslow.

The Power of Storytelling Is Real

“Storytelling – sharing the stories of our students — has been the root of our success,” says Keane. SNHU is a university with a global footprint that now has 22,000 students, 2,500 alumni, and 10,000 employees. Keane describes SNHU as a university for those “for whom higher education is not a guarantee.” She told the story of a recent graduate, 63-year-old Robyn Roberts, who is “a grandmother of 33 and completed her degree while driving a truck.” Good Morning America and the other Robin Roberts picked up the story and gave SNHU some national exposure.

Be Strategic

“Marketing without data is just guesses,” says Moore. “Our use of attribution modeling and measurement has skyrocketed. It all depends on what you are trying to do. We’ll go more ‘upper funnel’ to raise awareness about a new restaurant, but if we are trying to fill hotel rooms, we’ll go full lower funnel to drive those bookings. The most important thing to do is get out there and test.”

At Halloran, Winslow’s number one goal is lead generation. “I’m not afraid to leave channels behind,” she says. “We’re not going to get business on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram in our business, so I focus on LinkedIn.”

On PR/Marketing Tools

“We use social media to reach reporters – social media can be your friend,” said Keane. She described a “diploma drop” done on Broadway (one of the cast members from the play ‘Come From Away’ earned their SNHU degree). When the quick-turn video was picked up by the Broadway crowd, reach exploded – “especially after actress Sara Bareilles put it out there”. Keane put a plug in for Muckrack as a media monitoring service offered “at lower cost with great customer service.”

“Content is my number one weapon,” says Winslow. “Know that you can implement low-cost tools. We’re using digital advertising and workflow automation through Hubspot.”

AI: Best Used In Combination With The Human Touch

“We’ve learned what we’re NOT going to do with AI,” says Moore. We’ll use it, but our rule is ‘last touch human.’” Winslow agrees, saying they use AI as a “jumpstarter” but “nothing goes out the door unless it’s been edited by a human (and sometimes, too many humans).” Keane chimes in that she has seen content generated by AI only, humans only and a combination of the two; and often the combination of AI and humans produces the best result – “it is content that is more clear and precise.”

It’s All About Measuring Outcomes

Panelists agreed that while revenue is a mark of success, there are behavior-based metrics – like the number of hotel reservations, and the number of contacts with an organization – and more surface metrics like press coverage, hits to the website, and social media “likes”. We know from PRSA’s Barcelona Principles that the PR field is moving toward more outcomes vs. output measurement.

Nackey S. Loeb School of Communications logo

Nackey Loeb School Launches 2024 Pro Series

The Nackey Scripps Loeb School of Communications announces the launch of a new Pro Series—affordable online trainings designed to elevate communication skills, featuring expert instructors and accessible content.

Each course in the Pro Series runs for four weeks and is curated by seasoned communicators who have extensive experience in their respective fields. Drawing from their real-world experience in strategic communication, public relations, marking, and more, instructors provide invaluable insights and practical skills to help students gain skills for professional development. Pro Series trainings require advance registration at loebschool.org/register. Course fees support the nonprofit School’s mission. All classes and events, including seven free Winter 2024 classes, can be found at the School’s website: https://loebschool.org/register

 

Connect with Industry Professionals

 

PRSA offers members a variety of ways to network with industry professionals, both online and in-person.

By Location

If you would like to connect with your local peers than joining your local PRSA Chapter is a must!

PRSA has more than 100 local groups, known as Chapters. PRSA Chapters are based on geography and are located in all 50 states, with some states having multiple Chapters. Click here to find your local Chapter.

What You Will Gain by Joining a Chapter:

  • Become better known in your local public relations community
  • Learn about business and career opportunities
  • Engage in professional development
  • Volunteer leadership opportunities
  • Discounts to events (when applicable)
  • Valuable industry contacts and lifelong friends

By Industry

Not all PR is the same. A PRSA Section membership is for those professionals looking to connect with other public relations and communication peers in their industry.

PRSA has 14 professional interest groups, known as Sections. Each Section focuses on a specific industry that public relations and communication professionals serve, and a few of the Sections are geared towards career level and business owners.

Members of these Sections are able to connect with industry peers who have similar needs and share the same challenges. These groups share important and relevant information about their area of interest through a variety of channels throughout the year.

Click here to learn how to join a PRSA Section.

PRSA’s Professional Interest Sections:

Each Section provides members:

  • Professional development opportunities
  • Networking opportunities online and at select events
  • Volunteer opportunities
  • Section newsletter
  • Discounts to Section sponsored events (when applicable)

Online

MyPRSA is our  members-only, secure, private community that empowers our members to create meaningful communication and share resources. It is a great place to connect with more than 21,000 PR and communication professionals, get answers to your most pressing questions and share your own insights and experiences with other members.

With more than 800 discussions the community has quickly become a popular member benefit as it provides members with a new way of engaging with peers all over the country.

What PRSA members using the community for:

  • Share information and resources quickly
  • Collaboration
  • Solve problems
  • Ask questions
  • Get feedback
  • Seeking out recommendations

 

APR Prep Class & Professional Development

The Yankee Chapter is offering a four-session public relations course beginning Wednesday, October 29. It’s designed to prepare students for professional accreditation (APR) but is open to any practitioner interested in increasing their professional skills.

Sessions will be held at Severino Trucking’s Concord Field Office at 9 Hills Ave. in Concord, NH Wednesday evenings from 5:30 to 8 p.m., October 29- November 19.

Sessions will cover:

  • Research, planning, implementing and evaluating public relations programs
  • Ethics and law
  • Communication models and theories
  • Business literacy
  • Management skills and issues
  • Crisis communication management
  • Media relations

View the course syllabus.

Cost for the four-session program is $40. The fee will be waived for those accepted as APR candidates.

For more information contact: Brett St. Clair, APR, 603-224-5566, bstclair@lkarno.com or Bob Lindquist, APR, 508-932-0137, boblind@comcast.net.

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Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) Celebrates 50th Anniversary Year

2014 marks a landmark year for the Accreditation in Public Relations (APR). The credential, the only nationally recognized certification of the public relations profession, celebrates 50 years in 2014. Currently, more than 5,000 professionals from the agency, corporate, association and education fields hold the APR mark.

Established in 1964, the Accreditation in Public Relations is the profession’s only national postgraduate certification program. It measures a public relations practitioner’s fundamental knowledge of communications theory and its application; establishes advanced capabilities in research, strategic planning, implementation and evaluation; and demonstrates a commitment to professional excellence and ethical conduct. The skills acquired through the process are applicable to any industry or practice area. Granting of the APR is overseen by the Universal Accreditation Board (UAB).

Unlike other professional certifications, such as CPA, Accreditation in Public Relations is a voluntary demonstration of competency; as such, it reflects a strong commitment to the profession. Earning Accreditation also provides a distinction that can set individuals apart and open doors to career advancement and higher compensation. Through their high professional and ethical standards, Accredited professionals contribute to greater understanding of public relations as a vital management function, and undermine those who would refer to our craft as spin, our professionals as flacks, and our currency as misrepresentation and disinformation.

Universal Accreditation Board (UAB)

The UAB oversees the APR program and provides a balanced blend of backgrounds in a number of public relations specialties, with representatives from each public relations participating organization. The UAB grants Accreditation, develops the Examination for Accreditation in Public Relations and policies, and reviews appeal cases. The public relations organizations that are members of the Universal Accreditation Board include the Agricultural Relations Council, Florida Public Relations Association, Maine Public Relations Council, National School Public Relations Association, Public Relations Society of America, Religion Communicators Council, Southern Public Relations Federation, and Asociación de Relacionistas Profesionales de Puerto Rico (Puerto Rico Public Relations Association).

NE District Conference Sept 18 & 19 in Rochester, NY

Rochester is proud to be the host city for this year’s Northeast District Conference on Sept. 18 and 19  with our theme, “Blurring the Lines: The New PR Invasion of Marketing, Media and Mindshare.” This two-day  event  at RIT and the RIT Inn & Conference Center will be packed full of PR and communications experts sharing their knowledge on the latest and greatest tools, techniques, trends and industry knowledge. Mark your calendars for this event; stay tuned for more information!

Check here for more information.

Early bird registration is July 25. Don’t delay, register now.