Report from Maine PR Council Annual Conference
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.