Professional development programs and events

PRSA Boston Social Media Summit May 23

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PRSA Boston will host a half-day educational conference designed to help people take their social media game to the next level. While more and more organizations are using social media, many people are struggling with: achieving business-impact results, measurement and analytics, resources and internal organization, integration with other marketing programs, etc.  We’ve designed our event to get people talking about these critical issues, share their experiences and learn from each other.

PRSA Boston Social Media Summit
May 23, 7:30-11:30 am
Bentley University, Waltham, Mass.

Highlights include:

  • Keynotes by Todd Defren, recognized social media innovator, thinker and lecturer, and Prof. Bruce Weinberg of Bentley University, a leading authority on the online consumer experience and recent co-author of “What’s Your Social Media Strategy?,” published in Harvard Business Review
  • Industry breakout sessions – Deep dives into case studies from Staples (B2B), Wayfair (Consumer) and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (Health)
  • Tools & Techniques breakout sessions – SEO/SEM, Insights and Analytics, Social Amplification & Distribution

Yankee Chapter members receive special pricing for this event.  Those who sign-up (www.prsaboston.org<http://www.prsaboston.org>) before May 1 can use the Early Bird Discount and the same $75 rate as PRSA Boston members.  This is an incredible value compared to other social media conferences.

For more information and to register go to PRSA Boston Social Media Summit.

Loeb School Offers News Release Writing Workshop

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Have you ever wondered why some news releases make it into the media and others go nowhere?

The Nackey S. Loeb School of Communications is sponsoring a day-long workshop to help land your release in the news, not in the trash.

“Writing News Releases” will be presented at the school in Manchester on May 18, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

With reporters buried in news releases, instructors Stacy Milbouer and Karen Spiller will offer proven suggestions on how to stand out by delivering messages about your organization or business quickly, clearly and concisely. With all readers pressed for time, participants also will learn insider tricks about how to write releases that are informative, compelling and keep the reader’s interest.

The registration fee of $40 includes lunch.

Karen Spiller is manager of External Engagement for BAE Systems in Nashua. Her role includes writing news releases and creating and delivering communications campaigns for social media, broadcast and print audiences. She also had a decade of experience receiving news releases as a business writer for The Telegraph, also in Nashua.

Stacy Milbouer is reporter and columnist for The Telegraph, where she receives more than her fair share of news releases – some good, and some that could benefit from this class.

Register at www.loebschool.org or by calling 627-0005.

April is APR Month

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April 1, 2011

The Universal Accreditation Board (UAB) is giving away an iPad 2 and sponsoring a month-long series of activities to commemorate Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) Month in April. Events will communicate the value and benefits of the APR certification for public relations professionals and employers, while increasing awareness of the APR Program among the business community.

One highlight is a “Show the World Your APR contest,” which challenges each currently accredited professional to join the APR “sales team” and prominently display the credential as part of their email signatures and business cards. One randomly selected winner will receive an iPad 2, and year’s worth of data service, donated by The Frause Group, Inc.

All APR-certified professionals also are being asked to use PRSA’s Invite-a-Peer tool during the month of April, to encourage other professionals to pursue their APR certification. The month-long series of activities also features free and paid webinars introducing public relations professionals to the APR program.

For more information for any of the APR Month webinars, please visit the Universal Accreditation Board website.

PRSA Member Benefit – Free Webinars

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As part of the approved increase in annual membership dues, PRSA will offer its entire catalogue of professional development webinars to its members — for free — starting in 2012. This represents nearly $2,000 in annual savings for members who participate in one PRSA webinar per month. Check out PRSA professional development offerings HERE.

Accreditation Readiness Review preparation class January 28

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One of the biggest challenges for public relations practitioners seeking to gain respect in the field is the fact that there are many ways to enter the profession and (unlike, law, medicine, accounting and other credentialed professions) it is difficult to prove to employers that you are technically competent.

The Public Relations Society offers a professional accreditation program that gives experienced practitioners the opportunity to demonstrate their competence and awards them the industry’s only recognized professional credential – the APR.

One of the first steps in the accreditation process is the Readiness Review in which a candidate prepares a case study that demonstrates their ability and professional competence and presents it to a three-member panel.

The Yankee Chapter will hold a readiness review preparation workshop after the first of the year to help candidates prepare their readiness review application, case study (portfolio) and discuss their presentation strategy.

This session should be of particular interest to those who have previously participated in the chapter’s accreditation preparation classes, but who have not begun the accreditation process, as well as those who want to start the accreditation process .

Cost for this session will be $20. Location: Concord, NH. Date: January 28, 2012.

For more information or to register your interest in participating contact Brett St. Clair, APR (apr@yankeeprsa.org) or Bob Lindquist, APR (apr@yankeeprsa.org)

Accreditation Readiness Review preparation class on tap in January

One of the biggest challenges for public relations practitioners seeking to gain respect in the field is the fact that there are many ways to enter the profession and (unlike, law, medicine, accounting and other credentialed professions) it is difficult to prove to employers that you are technically competent.

The Public Relations Society offers a professional accreditation program that gives experienced practitioners the opportunity to demonstrate their competence and awards them the industry’s only recognized professional credential – the APR.

One of the first steps in the accreditation process is the Readiness Review in which a candidate prepares a case study that demonstrates their ability and professional competence and presents it to a three-memberpanel.

The Yankee Chapter will hold a readiness review preparation workshop after the first of the year to help candidates prepare their readiness review application, case study (portfolio) and discuss their presentation strategy.

This session should be of particular interest to those who have previously participated in the chapter’s accreditation preparation classes, but who have not begun the accreditation process, as well as those who want to start the accreditation process .

Cost for this session will be $20. Location: Concord, NH. Date: TBD January 2012.

For more information or to register your interest in participating contact Brett St. Clair, APR (bstclair@lkarno.com) or Bob Lindquist, APR (boblind@comcast.net).

Once we hear from those who are interested, we will poll the group to select a date.

Nov 17, 2011 – How Southwest Airlines’ Communication Strategy Builds Brand Ambassadors and Contributes to Keeping Customers and Employees Happy

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Among the many accolades from this year alone, Southwest Airlines ranked fourth on Fortune’s World’s Most Admired Company list and has consistently ranked as one of the top companies in customer service by Consumer Reports, MSN Money, JD Powers, and many other reputable organizations. Southwest Airlines was even toted as the “Greenest Airline” by ClimateCounts.org. During this program, learn how Southwest Airlines’ communication strategy builds brand ambassadors and contributes to keeping customers and employees happy.

Presenter

Chris Mainz is a primary spokesperson for Southwest Airlines, the nation’s largest airline in terms of domestic customers boarded. In addition to handling the company’s regional media relations, Chris specializes in executive communication, reputation management, special event planning, and story placement in national and regional publications.

In addition to his media relations duties, Chris is chief writer for Southwest’s CEO Gary Kelly and founded the Speaker’s Bureau for Southwest Airlines.  In 2005, he lived, quite literally, in Southwest’s terminal at the Baltimore/Washington Airport as Southwest participated in the filming of a reality series for the Arts & Entertainment Television Network. Chris supervised the on-location production for the reality series, which filmed Southwest’s daily operations in four cities.

Chris began his career at Southwest Airlines in the Customer Relations Department as a writing representative, where he researched customer situations and drafted personalized responses in order to resolve conflicts and win customers back.  Chris became a senior writer and eventually served in a leadership role in customer relations before making the jump over to public relations.

Date/Time

Novemer 17, 2011
2 – 3:15 p.m.

Location:

Southern New Hampshire University
2500 North River Rd.
Manchester, NH

Cost:

$20 for Members
$35 for Non-Members
$10 for Students/Interns

Registration:

Click HERE to go to our registration page.

Help Yourself – PRSA PD Opportunities

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Find the public relations and communications training courses you need by topics, organized by category on the PRSA Calendar of Events. Topics include crisis communications strategy, digital media, public relations writing, branding strategies, community relations and employee communications, among others.

Upcoming Featured FREE webinars include:

Free Chapter Membership When you Join PRSA In October

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Get the best of both for one price.* Receive a free one-year local Chapter membership when you join PRSA National in October abd use promotion code OCT11. PRSA National willcover the cost of your first-year Chapter dues! Be a part of a community you can count on at any level of your career.

Go to PRSA membership page.

Invest In Your Public Relations Career – Join PRSA

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Invest in your career with a PRSA membership in May and receive a $25 Visa gift card, our gift to you!*

Go to http://www.prsa.org/JoinUs/ for more information.

PR Bootcamp – May 17

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PR Bootcamp

Facilitated by Robin Schell, APR, Fellow PRSA
Senior Counsel & Partner, Jackson Jackson & Wagner

When:  Tues. May 17, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. & Wed. May 18, 2011, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Where:  Metro Meeting Centers, 101 Federal Street, Boston, MA

This 2-day interactive, soup-to-nuts course is for pr professionals who would like to sharpen their skills & review the basics of behavioral public relations theories, research, internal & external communication, strategic planning, measurement & evaluation and future trends in the field.

To register, visit PRSA’s website at www.prsa.org under Professional Development.