Monday, January 17, 2011

Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. - Commitment to Service MLK 25 Challenge

Today marks the 25th Anniversary of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. federal holiday. The Corporation for National & Community Service is launching the MLK 25 Challenge, an initiative to encourage all Americans to honor Dr. King's work and legacy by pledging to conduct at least 25 actions during 2011 to make a difference to others and strengthen our communities.

You can find ideas on how you can make a difference in your community on MLKDay.gov or go to Serve.gov to search for volunteer opportunities as well as post your project and share your story of service.

Honor Dr.King by making today a day of service and continuing to serve. No matter how small or large the deed, he is smiling upon us all, realizing we are one step closer to his dream. #MLK25.





Monday, January 10, 2011

The Professionals of Tomorrow: Why You Should Make Time for Students Interested in Communications

An article in last week's PRWeek (subscription required) caught my attention. In essence, the piece highlights how some public relations/communication students are having trouble connecting with and learning from veterans in the industry.

Last year, I was contacted by 22 students seeking advice and information about what it is like to work in communications today. The majority of them found me through alumni association career networks or LinkedIn. More than half were undergraduates and studying disciplines such as communications, computer science, public relations, political communications, political science or journalism. I responded to all 22 and met with 18 of them in person. During all of these meetings, students asked for insight into how professional communications has changed and wanted my opinion regarding what types of skills would make them more marketable in an extremely competitive hiring environment. I enjoyed meeting with each and every one of the students and several of them have kept in touch with me.

That's why I was surprised by the PRWeek piece.

When I first started out in communications, I was blessed that several senior level communicators served as my official and unofficial mentors. I have reached out to other communicators at all professional levels over the years and have shared and received amazing insight and advice.

The number one reason I make time for students interested in public relations/communications is you never know what you'll learn. More importantly, the students are the professionals of tomorrow. They could be your future employees, future clients, or future boss. Engage with them now to impart your knowledge and learn as much from them as possible. You'll be very glad you did. Trust me.

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Happy New Year

Happy New Year!
I haven't blogged in quite some time and as 2010 ended, I realized how much I missed writing about our industry. As the public relations industry continues to change and communication disciplines become more integrated, I am going to make more of a conscious effort in 2011 to blog more often and focus on topics that mean a great deal to me. This includes focusing on client service, metrics and digital engagement.
I hope you are having a great start to this new year. May 2011 be a fantastic year for us all.