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Real Talk in Tough Times: Communicating for Change

Reposted from Natalie Tindall, Student Advisory Committee for the National Black Public Relations Society (NBPRS)

Would you like a chance to win a scholarship to attend the NBPRS Conference and Career Fair in Atlanta (November 12-16 2008) –the largest gathering of African American PR Professionals?

The conference will provide four inspiring days of networking, training and honoring those who have paved the way for African Americans in the PR field.

Themed “Real Talk in Tough Times: Communicating for Change,” the conference will offer solutions for the practice of public relations in the economically, socially and politically challenging times society now faces.

Write a 250-word essay about our conference theme – “Real Talk in Tough Times: Communicating for Change.” Tell us how you will make your community better with Real Talk.

Send your completed essay to Dawn.jones@nbprs.org

Limited student scholarships available—All applications must be received by October 1, 2008.

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WSAV’s Obama Oops

My husband noticed this on the news at 6:31 this morning (July 8, 2008). I jumped out of bed, grabbed the camera and took a picture of the TV screen. WSAV had a video of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, with the caption saying “Ardsley Park Shooting Suspect.” They ran this not once, but twice. I bet someone’s in trouble now. . .

It will be interesting to see if WSAV apologizes for this mistake.

 

UPDATE: During the 6:30 a.m. hour on July 9, I heard Kim Gusby apologize for the mis-captioned video clip.

 

 

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New Media Academic Summit 2008 : People Are Talking

People are talking. Actually, they are blogging about their experiences at the New Media Academic Summit 2008, co-sponsored by Edelman and PR Week.

If you attended the Summit and I have not mentioned your blog here, please drop me a line.
 

 

Photo credit: kryptonite, originally uploaded to Flickr by ? marc_l’esperance

 

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Pix from New Media Academic Summit 2008

The Flickr photostream for items tagged with Summit08 is an interesting conglomeration of photos from several of us who attended Edelman’s New Media Academic Summit. Below are a few of my favorite ones.

Here’s a photo of me with Neville Hobson (blogger and co-host of For Immediate Release), taken by Edelman’s Rick Murray.

Barbara Nixon and Neville Hobsom

Charlene Li, author of Groundswell, posed with me for this one. (I’m the queen of arm’s length self-portraits.)

Charlene Li and Barbara Nixon

At the Avenue Hotel, there was a zebra chair in every room. Not knowing this, I brought my zebra shirt with me. I couldn’t resist another arm’s length self-portrait.

Barbara Nixon in a zebra shirt on a zebra chair

And finally, Clarke Caywood, one of the participants at the conference, carried the Beijing Olympic Torch in China in June. He graciously allowed many of us to pose with it.

Barbara Nixon holding a Beijing Olympic torch

 

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Sound Bites from the New Media Academic Summit 2008

Edelman and PR Week hosted the New Media Academic Summit 08 last month in Chicago. It was a fantastic opportunity for public relations educators from around North America to learn how new media is being applied and measured in companies around the globe. Below are some of my favorite soundbites from the Summit. For an almost-complete transcript of the dozen or so sessions, visit Edelman’s site where the sessions were live-blogged. Edelman has also posted video of all of the sessions.

Richard Edelman, President & CEO, Edelman

Weeklies (weekly newspapers) are in terminal decline.

Obama has surround sound; he is everywhere.

Google never forgets.

Conversational crack [view complete presentation]

Julia Hood, Publishing Director, PR Week

Pitching is broken art in public relations. [view complete presentation]

Alexandra Wheeler, Director of Digital Strategy, Starbucks

It’s not just launch and abandon; it’s also care and feeding.

Anyone with a keyboard has a voice. [view complete presentation]

Jim Kirk, Associate Managing Editor of Financial News, Chicago Tribune

The newspaper industry was in a recession before the recession. [view complete presentation]

Troy Mastin, Media Analyst, William Blair & Co.

You rule out a large portion of your potential audience if you force them to pay for content.

Most people will probably participate in a maximum of three social networks, one personal, one professional and one for their passion. [view complete presentation]

Neville Hobson, Blogger & Co-Host of For Immediate Release podcast

There is an educational need for the older audience in public relations because of the way we now share messages and information; the older generation helps the younger generation learn how the corporations work and communicate, and the younger generation helps with the new way their generation shares ideas and news. [view complete presentation]

Wolfgang Luenenbuerger, Director Europe, Edelman

The Internet is not yet 5000 days old and yet it’s this complex. [view complete presentation]

Marshall Manson, Director of Digital Strategy, Edelman

[There’s] a tension between language and geography in Europe. [view complete presentation]

Mindy Finn, Director of Finn Enterprises

Buzz is nice, but don’t do something for buzz only. [view complete presentation]

Mike Krempansky, Senior Vice President, Online Advocacy, Edelman

It’s happening whether you drive it or not. [view complete presentation]

Mark Monseau, Director of Corporate Communications, Johnson & Johnson

You don’t create communities; communities create themselves. [view complete presentation]

David Rubin, Brand Building Director, Unilever

We sell bottles of shampoo not entertainment.

No one really wants to visit a deodorant website.

The newer the new media gets, the more important it is to get back to communication fundamentals. [view complete presentation]

Marcel LeBrun, CEO, Radian6

The social medium is the message. [view complete presentation]

Charlene Li, co-author of Groundswell

Listening, talking, energizing, supporting and embracing [view complete presentation]

Rick Murray, President, Edelman

Look to others for innovation; look to yourself for innovation in process.

(Regarding current college students) Social media is part of their work and part of their world. [view complete presentation]

 

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Join a Social Network, Get a Job?

Can joining a social network get you a job?

Perhaps, if you’re like Allie Osmar, Edelman‘s newest Social Media Analyst. Watch the short video below to see Robert French, PROpenMic founder, interview Allie at Edelman’s New Media Academic Summit last week.


Find more videos like this on PROpenMic

What is PROpenMic?

PROpenMic? A metaphor. Step up and speak your mind. Our goal is to be the social network for PR students, faculty and practitioners worldwide. Already, we have members from over 45+ countries and 130+ universities worldwide. Meetup and share. From future internship & job searches to discussions about class projects and activities … PROpenMic is your network for connections and learning. Ultimately, the network is about you helping others. Our focus is to help students & faculty explore answers to their questions with a perspective from around the world. Enjoy!

So, what are you waiting for? If you’re a public relations student, faculty member or practitioner, join PROpenMic. You’ll be glad you did.

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New Media Academic Summit 2008

Later this morning, I will travel to Chicago for the New Media Academic Summit 2008, co-hosted by Edelman and PR Week.

As Edelman’s President and CEO Richard Edelman says,

This year’s program has 11 in-depth sessions addressing how new media affects corporate reputation; the traditional media industry; the regulated health industry; how NGOs engage their stakeholders: and the US Presidential Election, among other topics. Each session features a panel of noted experts and a moderator … who will facilitate an open discussion between you and the speakers. Recognizing your own expertise on the issues presented, we intend to make the program to be as interactive as possible, so please feel free to ask questions, and make comments.

Though I am definitely looking forward to learning from the guest speakers at the sessions, I’m looking forward even more to the face-to-face networking that we’ll have with practitioners and educators. There’s even an informal meetup planned with one of my favorite bloggers and podcasters, Neville Hobson of For Immediate Release fame. It will be interesting meeting him in person, after the numerous hours I’ve spent listening to him and Shel Holtz during my 100-mile-a-day commutes.

Highlights of the Summit will include:
  • Brands: Engaging Customers Through Social Networks
  • NGOs: Advancing Issues and Galvanizing Support Using New Media
  • Global Perspective: How New Media is Changing Communications Outside of the U.S.
  • Corporate Reputation: How Companies are Using New Media to Protect Reputation: The Role of Wikipedia; Employees as Spokespeople; Search Engine Optimization
  • Traditional Media Companies & the Media Industry: How are Traditional Media Companies Changing their Business Model to Adapt to Social Media
  • Health Industry: How Regulated Industries are Using New Media to Connect and Educate Consumers and Create Communities
  • Elections 2008: Best and Worst Uses of New Media during the U.S. Presidential Race
  • Monitoring and Measuring Conversations: Defining Convergence between Traditional and Social Media, Best Practices in Measurement
  • Teaching Social Media: Best Practices
  • New Media in 2012: What jobs will the class of 2012 have?

As the Summit proceeds, expect to see my thoughts and observations at Twitter. If we’ll be live blogging the Summit, I’ll update this posting to point to the live blog site.

PS: Thank you, Edelman & PR Week, for hosting this Summit at no cost to the educators.

Photo Credit: Navy Pier and Chicago from the Ferris wheel, originally uploaded to Flickr by nouQraz
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Listen Through a Window, Not a Mirror

[Cross-posted from my blog Listening Matters.]
What’s a great way to listen to another person? As Michael Wade notes in his article from a recent US News & World Report:

Look through a window, not a mirror. Don’t assume that the person means what you would have meant under similar circumstances.

Interesting approach, isn’t it? Let’s think about how “listening through a window” might work in practice.

As an educator of students in the Millennial Generation, it’s critical that I listen to my students through a window. For years, if I was planning on meeting someone somewhere, I might say, “We’re going to hook up later.” Now if I was to use the same expression in one of my classes at Georgia Southern University, I’d probably be met with snickers (and not the candy bar) from my students. Why? The term “hook up” has changed over the years. This doesn’t mean that I need to use their language, but I do need to be aware how my choice of words may be interpreted.

Wade contends that there are six ways to be a great listener. Rounding out his list are:

  1. Listen for a theme.
  2. Recognize that the speaker might not know the real message.
  3. Subdue your ego.
  4. Act as if you are listening.
  5. Use an old investigator’s trick.

In future postings to Listening Matters, I’ll apply many of Wade’s other tips.

So, how can your life change if you listen through a window instead of a mirror? Please share your thoughts by commenting here at Listening Matters.

Photo Credit: Thanks go to asmundur, who posted this gorgeous photo titled “In the Foyer” to Flickr.