Deirdre Breakenridge

May 23 2014

Building Your Employee Social Media Champions

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Being in PR and marketing is an instant invitation to participate in your company’s social media program. You’re automatically designated as the “employee social champions” who in most cases will come together and be a part of your organization’s social vision and strategy, development of social guidelines and policies, creation and sharing of content and engagement with stakeholders in online communities.

Now that you’ve embraced your role, it’s time to open up the opportunity to others employees across the organization who can participate in your program. These champions may take on different roles … some will be listeners and conversationalists, and others may turn out to be great promoters and diligent sharers of content. No matter the level of participation, it’s time to build more brand champions on a larger scale. The biggest question, “How do you get your employees to become social media champions for the company?” In many cases, your employees are already participating in social media and simply choosing not to participate on your company’s behalf.

Look for the social media champions in unusual places … they exist in every department of your company. There are many employees who would jump at the chance to participate in your social media program. However, the problem is that no one has ever asked them join in the social communications and/or if they were asked, they may not know how to be strategic about their participation. For every executive that says, “Our employees really aren’t social,” the translation is “our employees really don’t want to be social for us.” You have to build champions and the first step is finding them in areas beyond the communications department.

Here are few ways to find the champions who would gladly raise their hands if asked to participate:

1. Survey the employee population to gauge their knowledge, perception and usage of social media. Use open-ended questions to allow these champions to stand out when they answer questions about their personal experiences. In many cases, the people you think want to learn more about social media for the company usually doubles or even triples in your survey results.

2. Conduct informal interviews with potential champions who stand out in the crowd. Look in your sales, customer service, HR and IT departments for people who want to share their thoughts about their own involvement, channel participation, engaging in conversations, as well as those who willing share their ideas on what the company could be doing to ignite deeper social media interactions for better engagement.

3. Spark ideation across the organization. You can invite your employees to participate in challenges and to submit their social media ideas on how they would increase stakeholder engagement and community growth. You will be surprised at the creative ideas that are generated and which areas of the company generate those ideas. The use of awards, recognition and even incentives will help to initiate more creative idea sharing.

4. Use social media on the inside of the organization. You can invite people to share, collaborate and innovate together. When people come together there is synergy and learning. You will not only find great ideas but also employee champions who will guide and educate their peers.

These are only a few ideas to help you find your social media champions beyond the marketing and PR departments. What are you doing to find your employee social media champions and how are you getting them involved in your social media program?

April 30 2014

The Three Things To Kill In Your Media Interviews

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A Guest Post By Brad Phillips, Author, The Media Training Bible

Memory studies consistently find that people forget the vast majority of what they read, hear, or see, especially if they are only exposed to the information one time.

One early study by Herman Ebbinghaus, the 19^th-century German psychologist who was among the first to study human memory, found that people forget most of what they learn within days. Although his pioneering research was conducted more than a century ago, it still rings true for those of us who can never quite remember where we left our car keys.

Therefore, successful messages must remain unburdened by three things: wordiness, jargon, and abstractions. The more a message tries to say—and the more abstractly it tries to say it—the less likely it is to be memorable.

As a general guide, aim for messages that: have no more than two commas; contain no more than 30 words; and evoke concrete images.

1. Too many words: Resist the temptation to jam everything you can into a single message—omitting less important details makes good sense. After all, if editors are only going to include two of your quotes in a finished news story, don’t you want them to choose your two most important messages? If the editor decides to run your fourth and seventh most important messages instead, I’d question whether your interview was a success.

2. Technical jargon: Unburdened messages require you to throw jargon overboard. Our clients in technical fields—such as scientists, physicians, and engineers—are the worst offenders of this rule. In fairness, their professional lives are spent awash in technical gobbledygook, their office conversations littered with words rarely used and barely understood by the general public. But considering that the public suffers from information overload, any words that prevent people from quickly grasping your meaning will result in messages that are quickly forgotten.

Even if you think your audience will understand more complicated terms as long as you use them “in context,” don’t use them (or at least define them if you do). They won’t hear the end of your sentence if they’re still trying to process the unfamiliar word you uttered at the beginning.

As an example, here’s an actual quote from a real press release: “The gradualness (oriented primarily towards actual users) of the new Handy Backup is the succession of interfaces. With all the maximal simplicity and refined usability, the new one is designed to look structurally associative to the previous version…”

3. Abstractions: Abstractions, or broad concepts or ideas, are difficult for people to visualize. “Justice,” for example, is an abstraction—just try instantly conjuring up a detailed image of that word. A more concrete message about justice might mention the need to punish thieves who rob old ladies by imprisoning them for the next 20 years. That type of concrete message is much more memorable, and therefore works better for media messaging than an abstract one does. Chip and Dan Heath, the authors of the excellent book Made to Stick, write that “trying to teach an abstract principle without concrete foundations is like trying to start a house by building a roof in the air.”

The goal of most communications is to move an audience from lack of awareness to awareness to action. The more unburdened your messages, the more likely you are to achieve that goal.

Brad Phillips is the author of The Media Training Bible: 101 Things You Absolutely, Positively Need to Know Before Your Next Interview. He writes the world’s most-visited media training website, Mr. Media Training and is the president of Phillips Media Relations, a media and presentation training firm.

April 22 2014

Relationship Building is My Career

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After working in public relations and marketing for many years, I’ve come to realize that relationship building is not just a handy skill or a tool in your PR toolkit that’s cultivated for the brands and companies you represent. Although it’s a huge part of your work, it also marks the cornerstone of a successful career in PR. Recently, I watched a Revolution episode with Brian Solis interviewing Porter Gale, who is a speaker, entrepreneur and marketing executive. Porter discussed her new book, “Your Network is Your Net Worth.” Although I haven’t read the book yet, just listening to the interview and reviewing the book summary, you can certainly relate to the value of an individual’s network.

In PR, we have the opportunity to build relationships with so many different groups. Our work creates the opportunity to engage the public; from the community groups, associations and partners you work with to the media, bloggers, and customers you help. At the same time, it’s your ability to not only make these connections, but to also cultivate and manage them for the long term. What you do for your company or for your clients is critical to apply to yourself. If you want to advance and grow, whether it’s in PR or life, your contacts are paramount.

Having a vast network helps you to create greater opportunities; ones that you wouldn’t necessarily be able to create on your own. When you commit to relationship building as your career and not just a part of your PR role, you are making a commitment to yourself that you will evolve your relationship building to a new plateau. Here’s what you need to keep in mind as your progress forward:

1. Keep your contacts sacred and don’t just share them freely with anyone. If you share a contact, then it’s only because you truly believe that you can create synergy between the professionals you know, and they will benefit and grow as a result. If you continue on this path, then your contacts will appreciate you as someone they can trust and regard you as a professional who creates great opportunities and impact.

2. Maintain the attitude that you will give more to your contacts than you will take from them. Having great connections means helping people, not because you have to but because you want to … it’s a part of your mantra to give back to the universe. Do this enough and the universe starts to give back to you.

3. Cultivate and stay connected with your contacts over time. The best relationships are only as good as the time you put into them. With collaborative technology there are no excuses. You can Skype or jump into a Google+ hangout. Technology allows us to cross borders and to be present at anytime.

4. Keep up with your networking. You shouldn’t place limits on growing your contact database. Just because you have many great relationships doesn’t mean you have to stop finding valuable connections. Not only will you continue to meet interesting people to involve in your next innovative initiative, but you will also be able to stay up-to-date with industry information and insights from your peers.

5. Realize early on that not everyone will be in your inner circle. This is where you learn to scale your relationships. Understanding which contacts are your closest and most beneficial confidants vs. those who will participate with you on a different level. I have contacts that I will visit when I’m traveling, and there are also those who I love to chat with on Twitter, because we share incredible insights. Knowing the dynamics in a relationship helps to frame out the different and valuable outcomes that can result from each relationship.

Some may see relationship building as a part of the communicator role. I see relationship building as my career, critical to everything that I do in business.

April 16 2014

PRStudChat April Session: Technology & Data Allows You to Target & Amplify Grassroots Efforts

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Today, with instant access to technology and an abundance of data, sharing information with audiences is quick, easy and can cross borders in an instant. The online grassroots effort has the potential to be highly targeted, achieve a greater reach, and create more impact than in year’s past.

On Tuesday, April 22, 2014 at 8:30 p.m. ET, the #PRStudChat community will take a deep dive into how technology and data can help marketers better target and then amplify a grassroots initiative.

The discussion is open to those in public relations and marketing, who are looking to take their grassroots efforts to a new plateau. Questions to be answered by the community include:

1. How does a grassroots communications campaign differ from other types of PR campaigns?

2. Have you ever participated in or managed a grassroots campaign? What resonated most?

3. What are the strengths of grassroots marketing ? Why should companies bother?

4. Are local initiatives helpful for a national or global brand?

5. What are some of the key tactics for implementing a grassroots initiative?

6. How can technology help facilitate your grassroots marketing?

7. What considerations should you have in measuring a grassroots campaign?

8. Which is more important- reach or passion?

9. When narrowcasting, as opposed to broadcasting, is it possible to scale?

10. What are some examples of successful grassroots efforts?

11. What are the biggest challenges in successfully launching a grassroots initiative?

If you have any questions around the topic or thoughts you want to share, in advance of the session, feel free to DM us or post your questions in our LinkedIn Discussion Group. We hope you’ll join us for a dynamic Twitter chat session focused on technology, data and the grassroots effort. We look forward to “seeing” you on the 22nd!

More About PRStudChat:

It began with a simple question asked by Angela Hernandez, then President of PRSSA at Central Michigan University (CMU). “Is PR Right for me?” A follow up blog post by PR 2.0 expert Deirdre Breakenridge inspired a series of direct messages on Twitter between Breakenridge and fellow PR industry pro, Valerie Simon. This was an important question and one that should be explored beyond one student or one blog post. Why not build a community to help students across the country, and even the globe, learn from the experience and perspective of industry professionals… A community where everyone can learn and grow together. Read more

April 14 2014

Travel Will Change Your View on Life

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A Guest Post By Drew Slater

Typical excuses I hear are, “it is too pricey” or I don’t “have time,” but the truth is everyone is busy and everyone is strapped for cash sometimes – so those aren’t good excuses. Quit rationalizing about how it makes sense not to do it because this one thing will change your view on life. What am I talking about?

Traveling.

Traveling throws a curve ball in your routine and allows you to meet new people, taste new food, explore a new city and learn something new about yourself. What more could you ask for?

No matter where you go – a different city, a different state or a different country – traveling shows you something you didn’t know and gives you a different perspective on life. You may think to yourself, “psh…I live in the best city ever, why do I need to go anywhere else?” How do you know? How do you know you wouldn’t like another city if you’ve never been?

I have been fortunate enough to be 26 year old who grew up in Miami and now lives in St. Petersburg to have traveled to the Caribbean, Israel, NYC, DC and Austin along with some other cities. Every single place I have visited; I have always enjoyed and have taken something away from. For example, I loved touring NYC and DC and seeing what they each have to offer, but I don’t think I could live in either.

Austin on the other hand? Austin is an awesome, awesome place. If you haven’t been, you need to go. It is known for SXSW and ACL, but you don’t have to go when it is jammed pack and more expensive to experience it the right way. In my opinion, Austin has a feel about it. A certain feel that sticks with you. The music. The food. The corkyness. It’s all amazing. It’s such an alive city, with always something to do, but also the feeling of being able to do whatever you want. There is a lot of young professionals there who are paving their own path and doing their own thing. In my opinion, it is contagious.

As someone who has a steady, good job and makes a decent salary, I left Austin wanting more. I left realizing I don’t have to be in a cube or an office building forever. I’ve always been driven person, but now I feel like it’s at a whole new level. I sat back at my desk and went back to work, but I wasn’t the same before I left. I’m different. More focused and thinking bigger than I have before.

How did I discover this new desire to want more than before? It was traveling. Traveling allows you to experience so much. Maybe Austin isn’t for you? Maybe wanting more isn’t for you? There is nothing wrong with either of those statements. But not traveling and experiencing something new and only thinking you don’t want more because you don’t know what more is – is not okay. Go visit a new city. Maybe somewhere completely remote? Even if it is somewhere you know you won’t ever live, go visit. Go see what is about. If you stay in your world and bubble, you won’t ever grow and find out all there is about you. Promise.

“Travel far enough, you meet yourself.” – Cloud Atlas

Drew Slater is a Miami native who graduated from the University of South Florida and is currently an account executive in the marketing departments for a Fortune 500 company. He has a strong passion for education, whether it is learning or teaching, and sees education as the key to success. In his spare time you can find Drew marathon training, soaking in the sun at the beach or cheering his hometown Heat or Dolphins on TV.

You can follow Drew on Twitter @drewhslater

April 7 2014

Reassessing Your Passion

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Now that Q1 2014 is underneath your belt, do you feel satisfied with your performance, or do wish you were accomplishing more? And, if it’s the latter, do you have a long list of excuses? It’s easy to convince yourself as to why this may be happening … you’re not getting along with your co-workers, you feel like you’re not being tapped for your true expertise, or the campaigns you’re working on are not going as well as you had imagined. Perhaps, you’re just not feeling at your 100% best lately, and you have to drag yourself to work everyday. Well, guess what, any one of these reasons and more could be on the list. However, you shouldn’t address the excuses until you get to the heart of the matter. It could be the your passion factor is slipping. Don’t feel alone, it happens to everyone.

There’s one thing that’s always helped me when it comes to passion and my happiness . It’s passion realignment. Getting your passion in check and back on course is the very first step to feeling like you’re able to achieve your goals. When you reassess, rediscover or even find a new passion, then you’ll have the drive and motivation to get you past any of the excuses mentioned earlier. You will quickly find yourself propelling forward, regardless of what may have looked like lousy circumstances. In fact, if you successfully reassess and / or realize your true passion, then suddenly none of the circumstances will ever appear as lousy as you may have thought before.

I think about what drives me all of the time. It’s people and relationships. Knowing that I can interact and learn but also educate and help people to connect and grow. That’s my driving force. However, every so often, I too need to step back for a quick passion reassessment to make sure I’m maximizing what’s important with five simple questions:

– Are you focused on your core skills and competencies, or going off in directions that move you away from your area of expertise? Losing focus can decrease your drive and passion. There are times we will always try new directions, but don’t lose sight of what makes you feel great because you excel in these areas. When I left marketing agency life back in 2011 to become a communications consultant I was able to reignite my passion by focusing on strategic planning with the C-Suite. Running an agency removed me from the work that I loved so much.

– Are you fragmented, spreading yourself thin over a number of projects? They say creative people tend to have many different efforts going on at once. However, too many initiatives can lead to a lot of little efforts spread out, rather than really concentrating and giving your best effort in a couple or a few areas. The best answer here is to learn to say a simple word, “No.”

– Is your network growing and are you taking advantage of these great connections? There are so many intelligent, passionate people out there, whether they are in the PR world or any other industry. When I find them, I want to maximize the connection, so I can continue to learn and grow and also feel energized. They say that “passion breeds passion.”

– Are you using your resources properly to help you to achieve your goals? There’s nothing wrong with taking advantage of the smart people in your life. We surround ourselves with intelligent people, colleagues, peers, family and friends. We do this for a reason. When they offer to help, take them up on it. There’s synergy in numbers. And, know that these folks will call on you at some point to help in the same fashion.

– Do you need to take a PLAY day? It’s the best thing to get refreshed and refocused. When you can step away and just clear your mind, you go back into your work and life ready to tackle the challenges that are ahead. Stepping away, being unplugged and completely removed from your day-to-day activities is the best way to refuel the engine. Be good to that engine and it will run longer.

Answering these five simple questions allows you to reassess your passion, and move forward with renewed energy. These aren’t the only questions to answer, but they are certainly a good start. How do you reassess your passion and is realignment in your future?

April 1 2014

Six Times You Should Call a Press Conference

Deirdre Breakenridge Guest Post, Media, Media Relations, PR 2.0, Public Relations Brad Phillips, Deirdre Breakenridge, Media Relations, PR, PR 2.0, Press Conferences, public relations 1

By Brad Phillips, Author, The Media Training Bible

Press conferences aren’t as common as they used to be. Technology has allowed companies to disseminate information to reporters (and the public) without gathering the press in a single place—and that’s a good thing, since reporters have less time than ever to leave their desks to attend a press conference (and many won’t).

Press conferences can also be tricky, since reporters in packs sometimes play a game of one-upmanship, in which each reporter tries to ask a tougher question than the last. Still, press conferences can play an essential role in media communications.

This post will help you identify six times to call a press conference.

1. When There Is High News Interest

Since many reporters are reluctant to attend press conferences, your news story must rise to a certain level of newsworthiness before it makes sense to arrange one. If you’re an attorney in a high-profile case, for example, odds are good that the assembled reporters will appreciate your on-camera statement. Doing a press conference may also help prevent you from spending hours doing dozens of one-on-one interviews (which, in some cases, might be a better option).

2. When Reporters Are All In The Same Place

If reporters are already gathered in one place or locale, it might make sense to hold a press conference. As examples: a few dozen reporters are attending your scientific conference; you’re a New York financial firm making a major announcement to the financial press; or you’re a sports coach debriefing with the press following a game.

3. During Political Campaigns

National and many state political campaigns come with a trailing pack of reporters. If you’re running a competitive Senate race in California, for example, odds are that your candidate will have several reporters nearby at any given time.

4. When Public Safety Is Involved

The media are rarely a greater ally than when you need to disseminate critical safety information to local communities quickly. As an example, imagine you’re the public safety officer for a municipality when a gas line erupts, jeopardizing local lives. It’s probably a good idea to hold a press conference (outside the “danger zone,” of course).

5. In a Crisis

You won’t call a press conference in every crisis, but if it meets some of the criteria listed above, you might consider doing so. A press conference in a crisis not only satisfies many of the reporters’ questions, but sends a strong message that you’re in control, willing to talk, and not in “duck and cover” mode. For some scandals, a press conference can help shrink the news cycle, as it did in this case.

6. When Announcing a Loss of Life

In many cases, it’s a good idea to put a human face on tragic news. If you’ve lost a colleague in an explosion at your plant or you’re a public safety officer who knows how many students died in a bus crash, you might consider telling the press in person and on camera. Be careful to notify immediate family members before releasing names through the press.

March 24 2014

Whether You’re Giving or Receiving Feedback, it’s a Gift

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I remember first learning about the “gift” of feedback in grad school. Up until that point, I had looked at feedback differently. I wasn’t thinking about the “gift” part, which means it’s just as much of a privilege to offer helpful feedback, as it is to receive it. The keyword here is “privilege.” Because it’s such a special gift, focusing on the delivery of feedback is critical. You have to know how to give feedback in a manner that allows people to appreciate it and make them want to move the needle forward by acting upon your counsel.

Feedback has always been an important part of my career. With years of practice behind me, the feedback I offer today is for senior level executives. However, whether you are first starting out in your “gift” giving or you are 20 years in, here are a few quick tips for you to consider:

– Point out the positive first when you deliver your gift. This tip should always come first because it sets the stage for successful feedback. By pointing out the positive, you can then segue into what needs work. It’s important to have a good balance between the positive performance and the areas needing improvement. Let’s face it, we’re all human and we prefer to hear the good with the bad.

– Be specific and use examples so your gift can be fully visualized. I’m frequently asked to watch / listen to my clients present, whether it’s a conference setting, media interview or analyst briefing. When I’m reviewing an executive’s speaking performance, I have to give specific examples of what needs an adjustment. Pinpointing examples and when they occur, from the habitual “um” to important company messaging that’s inadvertently omitted, is the only way to let someone know exactly what needs to be corrected.

– Deliver feedback in private and with full attention. Important feedback should not be on the fly and it shouldn’t really be in a group setting, unless, of course, it’s a part of a team building exercise. You want your executive, co-worker, employee, etc., to be fully focused and prepared to receive a gift. Sharing information that affects performance deserves attention and should not get lost in the daily workday shuffle.

– Along with the feedback, offer ideas / solutions that are not too complicated. Busy professionals at every level of the organization need laser focused counsel with actionable solutions. If you can break the solution down and provide a clear approach, then you’re making the follow through much easier for them. Lengthy feedback, filled with complicated suggestions may get pushed into the parking lot quickly. It’s the streamlined approach and targeted actions that will get implemented.

– Realize not all of your feedback will be set into action. Remember, whatever your critique, it’s not about you or the ideas you present, even if they are all very good. As a counselor, your role is to offer the honest assessment with a high level of certainty. However, it’s always up to the receiver if your gift is put to good use.

From executive communications and programs to media interviews and analyst meetings, in my experience, the more you can perfect your gift giving technique, the more likely your gift will be accepted with open arms. How do you give the gift of feedback?