April 2011 Newsletter
- A Message from the Chair
- Young Pros Should Have a Mentor
- Diverse Teams Yield Best Results
- PRSA College of Fellows and New Professionals Launch Mentoring Program
- PRSA New Pros Mentoring Program: Get a Mentor, Grow Your Career
- PRSA New Pros Blog – Recent Posts
- Member Spotlight
- Resources
- New Members
We all understand the importance of networking, and having mentors who can guide, uplift and assist us throughout our careers. But, how can you find a mentor? Do you ask? Does it just happen? In this month’s newsletter, senior practitioners provide their insight on how to seek and develop lasting mentoring relationships. We are also thrilled to announce the launch of our long-anticipated mentoring program in partnership with the PRSA College of Fellows. Read on to learn more about mentoring, and how to register today to be matched with one of PRSA’s elite.
Have a question for your peers? Post to our Online Discussion Forum or tweet with our hashtag.
Want to expand your network? Join our LinkedIn or Facebook pages.
Looking to get published? Apply to be a guest blogger.
Want to learn something new? Participate in a brown bag or webinar.
If you have any questions, ideas or feedback please feel free to contact me.
Best,
Sarah Siewert
PRSA New Pros Section Chair
Feature Articles
Young Pros Should Have a Mentor
Dan Orzano
I’m often asked, “Should I have a mentor?” The simple answer is “Yes,” however, there are few things young pros need to consider before moving forward.
As a professional adviser to The Ohio State University PRSSA Chapter for more than 25 years, I’ve coached and mentored hundreds of students and young professionals on a variety of career-related issues. I’m often asked, “Should I have a mentor?”
The simple answer is “Yes,” however, there are a few things young pros need to consider before moving forward.
First, what is a mentor? I would describe a mentor as a trusted, more experienced person who provides guidance, advice and resources to help those who have less experience gain additional knowledge and increase their networks to help further their careers.
A shorter way of saying that is, a mentor is someone who helps another person succeed.
Finding a Mentor
The definition above implies some kind of a relationship between two people. Finding the “right” person for you, however, is the key to a successful mentoring relationship. You can have more than one mentor, since different mentors bring unique experiences. But I’d suggest starting with one person, then add mentors if needed.
Consider these suggestions for finding a mentor:
- Decide if you want a mentor from work or from outside of the work environment, such as a former professor, a previous internship manager and so on.
- Look for someone who has the skills and traits that you wish to have.
- Determine what else you want to learn from the person. Consider whether you think the person might also learn something from you!
- The mentor does not have to be a senior executive or the most well-known person in the company. Sometimes the best mentor may be a colleague or co-worker who has some specific skills or other attributes you admire.
Before you make a final decision to approach someone to be your mentor, consider a short “test drive.” Meet with the person, explain what you are doing and then ask questions for discussion. Afterward, take some time to determine how the meeting went, gauge your comfort and compatibility levels, and decide if the person was truly helpful.
Like any relationship, a mentoring relationship takes work, and good communication is a key factor for success.
Formal vs. Informal
In my experience, mentoring can be either formal or informal, and there are pros and cons to each; what do you want to get out of it?
A formal approach means developing a fairly detailed plan with your mentor, with specific goals and objectives in mind. The plan may outline how often you meet, how long the meetings last, what the desired outcomes are and at what point the mentorship ends. An informal mentoring relationship may include all of the above but done so in a less-formal manner.
Informal mentoring could occur in a more casual setting instead of the mentor’s office or within the work environment. I often meet young pros for coffee, lunch or dinner and even on the weekends for breakfast. I think it provides more time to have a conversation, ask questions and just openly discuss things the young pro wants to know.
Managing the Mentor Experience
So, you’ve found a mentor and decided what kind of a mentoring process to follow. Now you have to put your plan into action.
I mentioned earlier that a mentoring relationship takes work and good communication is vital. Arrange a time and place to meet with your mentor. During the meeting, discuss:
- topics they are familiar with as a subject expert
- experiences they’ve had in business and outside of the workplace that would be useful
- people they know and if they think it would be valuable for you to know them
Be sure to listen carefully, ask and answer questions. Feel free to take notes. Be willing to share your experiences as well. Be open, honest, discreet and be willing to maintain confidentiality if necessary.
You may not take every piece of advice your mentor offers and that’s OK. Be yourself and be careful you don’t become just a “clone” of your mentor.
Don’t Take Your Mentor for Granted
I feel like I’ve made a difference when students and young pros tell me that I’ve been helpful to them in some way, but you’d be shocked how many don’t even say thanks.
Be sure to show your appreciation every time you meet with your mentor, even if you only meet once. A simple note or email sent after the meeting goes a long way. And, if your mentor suggested something that worked for you, let her or him know. People appreciate knowing they have been helpful to you and will be even more willing to help you again if you just learn to say “thank you.”
Best of luck!
Dan Orzano is a member of the Nationwide Insurance corporate communications staff, where he counsels several internal clients and manages myriad public relations and internal communications projects. He was named PRSSA’s “Professional Adviser of the Year” for 2004. You can connect with him on LinkedIn and follow him on Twitter @danorzano.
Diverse Teams Yield Best Results
Deborah Charnes
…when people of diverse backgrounds—including age and levels of experience—work together, we are guaranteed that our diverse publics will be better represented.
I always say I must have ADHD. I love this profession. Multi-tasking is essential, and no two days are ever repeated. Likewise, no two pitches or interviews are ever identical – or at least they shouldn’t be.
While the wisdom of experience is always beneficial, it’s not everything. In the public relations industry, one needs to always think out of the box. Cookie-cutter approaches don’t cut it. Clients and campaigns require customization. We need to be on our toes in this business, always alert and ready for changes.
After working several decades in the industry, some things are still the same. Good PR people are creative and analytical. We identify solutions to meet the needs and challenges of the client or product or service. Our field is both an art and a science. Like art, the practice requires a fresh and strategic approach with every brushstroke. As a science, testing the waters that give way to new discoveries means growth.
The last 50 years has seen the advent of television, fax machines, DVDs, Internet, smart phones and satellite dishes. With all the growth and takeover of the new media, we’ve seen a sea change in the media. Citizen journalists and celebs who tweet are amassing huge followers while the traditional media are facing shrinking audiences and shrinking news rooms. More and more journalists are freelancing, as the media outlets are working with robotic cameras and skeleton crews stretched thin. TV reporters are shooting photos and writing online articles, while print journalists need to be proficient with a camera and online editing.
Change can be exhilarating, or it can be intimidating. It’s all in the eye of the beholder. If a PR professional is too comfortable with the routine, the best interest of the client or employer are probably not going to be met.
As a “seasoned” practitioner, I’ve found that young professionals or paraprofessionals often have a positive energy and enthusiasm that spreads. They were raised in an era of multi-tasking and short attention spans. Many learned how to maneuver a remote control or computer keyboard before they could string a few sentences together.
Twice yearly, I am energized when I meet with some of the brightest and best trained young college students at the University of Florida where I am a public relations advisory council member. After each conference, I leave touched by the spirit and talent of these kids who are already outstanding communicators and strategists.
For many of us “veteran” PR practitioners, we learned the trade in the hot seat. There were no PR degree options at most schools for our generation. We had no internships. We tended to gravitate to the field from journalism.
Today’s Gainesville grads are learning the ropes from one of the best PR schools in the country. They learn the theoretical and the practical. The UF Bateman team consistently scores among the nation’s top entrants. Its college grads are versed in all aspects of the communications field and are prepared to face this changing environment.
At the University of Florida’s biannual meetings between professionals and students, we each learn from each other. The Future Trends panel, for example, offers open discussion between both generations. Invariably there are different viewpoints, which help us all better understand the marketplace, media and trends affecting our profession. At the most recent spring session, a poll of the university students provided excellent directional data about social media usage. The responding college students confirmed they are almost always connected to social media. Today’s young adults are not just “checking in” periodically, but rarely disconnect. The poll also indicated that college students get the bulk of their news on the Internet, and that much of their shopping, especially for books and music, is done online as well.
Since our profession requires us to be nimble, creative, strategic and sound marketing savvy people with appreciation for the bottom line, the best PR teams tap into people with varied backgrounds and talents so that together, they are providing the best possible PR thinking and execution.
Maybe all of us need to be in the hot seat, daily, to be abreast of all issues and matters that affect our industry. Finally, when people of diverse backgrounds — including age and levels of experience — work together, we are guaranteed that our diverse publics will be better represented.
Deborah Charnes has been a PR practitioner for 30 years, having worked for agencies including Golin Harris and Ketchum. She has been VP, Director of PR at Bromley Communications since 1998 where she represents a wide range of clients including the San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau, National Pork Board and Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
PRSA College of Fellows and New Professionals Launch Mentoring Program
Tom Gable
After almost one year of research, brainstorming and planning, the PRSA College of Fellows and New Professionals are launching a New Professionals Mentoring Program.
This one-year pilot program is aimed at connecting College of Fellows mentors with mentees from PRSA’s New Professionals Section. The results will be monitored during the year and used to develop recommendations for evolving the program in 2012 and beyond.
Why New Pros and Fellows?
Research by the New Professionals Section showed that having a mentor from the College of Fellows was considered to be one of the most valuable steps its members could take in professional advancement. Based on this input, the College of Fellows executive committee convened a special task force to develop a pilot program. The committee developed a draft strategic plan in mid-2010 and surveyed the Fellows membership as a first step in determining interest and possible direction.
More than 25 percent of active PRSA Fellows responded to a survey, which asked members to rate their levels of interest in the New Pros mentoring program and rank potential criteria. From this input, the task force advanced the plan and devised the following initial guidelines:
- Commitment by PRSA Fellows to be mentors for one year minimum.
- To be matched by industry, profession or other areas of mutual interest.
- Matching geographically as best possible.
- Commitment by each mentor to spend 4-5 hours per month in helping his or her New Professional mentee.
- Participating in brief, quarterly webinars or teleconferences for program updates and group discussion of new ideas for the program, new resources and potential changes for the long term.
- Completing a five-minute survey each quarter on program progress, areas to improve, eliminate, modify and lessons learned.
- By the International Conference in 2011, have recommendations for evolving the program into 2012 and beyond.
- Coordinate with the overall mentoring integration effort underway at PRSA to ensure consistency of standards in all programs.
The mentoring program will be supported by continuous communications and promotion using existing PRSA newsletters, Issues & Trends, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn groups and other means to ensure constant awareness of the program and sharing of ideas.
Time to Launch!
Some 20 PRSA Fellows signed up for the program after the initial solicitation. More will be added during the year.
For matching, Heather Ritchey at PRSA HQ will be linking Fellows and New Pros. Once the matches are made, the Fellows task force will be working with New Pros leadership on developing the quarterly Report Card for program measurement and continuous improvement.
The executive committee of PRSA Fellows is enthusiastic about the potential for the program and has made it part of the educational component of its strategic plan for 2012. The ExCom also offered special thanks to Crystal Olig of the New Professionals section for her insights, hard work and thoroughness in helping advance this pilot program, which everyone believes has the potential for advancing the profession and our PRSA professionals in new ways.
Tom Gable, APR, SAGE, PRSA Fellow, is CEO of Gable PR, San Diego (www.gablepr.com) and chairman of the College of Fellows and New Professionals Mentoring Task Force.
PRSA New Pros Mentoring Program
Get a Mentor, Grow Your Career
New Professionals, here’s your chance to get connected with some of the most prestigious leaders in our industry – and even better, they want to help you personally.
The New Pros Section of PRSA kicking off our pilot mentoring program, matching New Pros with members of the College of Fellows. Only New Pros members will be accepted for matching with these distinguished pros, a huge perk for official Section members!
If you’re interested in being matched with a mentor, fill out this form. Matching will take place on a first-come first-serve basis, taking geographic location or industry specialty into account. You will be contacted by PRSA if you are a good match for an existing mentor. As this is a pilot program, we appreciate your patience as we kick it off.
Questions? Contact Crystal Olig, New Professionals section mentorship chair.
PRSA New Pros Blog – Recent Posts
Check out our latest blog entries written by New Pros for New Pros!
We invite members of the New Pros Section to contribute posts to our blog, and we invite everyone, including non-members, to contribute comments. Blog posts may consist of career advice, personal experience, case studies and more. If you are interested in contributing, please reach out to Blog Chairs Heather Sliwinski or Diahnn Henderson.
Creating a Blog Strategy that Works: 10 Tips for Company Bloggers and Teams by Crystal Olig
Intro to Small Business PR by Diahnn Henderson
Taylor A. Gaspar
Communications Specialist, Huntington National Bank
Type(s) of work performed:
Internal communications, media relations and social media.
Specializations or areas of interest:
Social media, graphic design.
Educational background:
Ohio University, B.S.J. ’10
Hobbies:
Exploring downtown Columbus, playing recreational softball, being outdoors!
Community service or extracurricular activities:
Columbus Young Professionals, Ohio University Volunteer Alumni Admissions Network.
Awards/Honors:
None so far!
Mentors that have had the greatest impact on you and why:
My current boss, LuJean Smith, has been a great mentor to me. She brought me on as an intern two years ago at a previous company and hired me on when she joined Huntington. I am grateful for the support she’s given me since I’ve started my professional career, and I admire her as a colleague and a professional. She’s always willing to give feedback and encourages me to take on projects to further my experience.
Memorable moment in your PR career so far:
My most memorable experience was being involved in Pelotonia last summer, an annual bike ride in Columbus, Ohio that raises money for cancer research at the James Cancer Center at The Ohio State University. Huntington is a sponsor, and we planned and executed a rally on the Ohio Statehouse lawn for our colleagues who were riding the week before the event. It was well attended by local media, and featured speakers from the James and Pelotonia.
I was also fortunate enough to be at the finish line of the 23-mile course on the day of the ride to assist a film crew with interviews of the riders. Hearing stories of why our colleagues were riding was really touching – some were riding for family affected by cancer, others for friends. We produced a video as well as articles for our intranet featuring these colleagues.
I was able to take away some valuable lessons in event planning, and I’m so grateful that I was able to be involved with the event. I’m looking forward to participating again this year.
Find more conferences, seminars, webinars and on-demand professional development opportunities from PRSA: PRSA Event Calendar
The following members have joined the New Professional Section in March. You can view the entire Section roster on the PRSA Member Directory.
Julie Balzarini, Wayne, Pa.
Danielle Boenisch, The ROHO Group, Belleville, Ill.
Lorina Brabaw, Barnhizer & Associates, Inc., Richmond, Ind.
Shane Carpenter, Boise State University, Nampa, ID
Ivy Coleman, Clarke & Associates LLC, Waldorf, Md.
Meghan Lauren Ficarelli, Edelman, Chicago, Ill.
Amanda Rose Frasca, Wilmington/Cape Fear Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau, Wilmington, N.C.
Jonathan Ghent, Eastman Kodak Company, Avon, N.Y.
Charles Hampton, Houston Texans, Houston, TX
Lauryn Brooke Harris, Fort Worth, TX
Danielle L. Hoffman, Tiffany & Co., Farmingdale, N.Y.
Linda Jordan Dalrymple, Extreme Media, Honolulu, HI
Rebekah Mueller, Select International, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Whitney Morgan Oppenhuizen, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyo.
David Pawlik, Fairlawn, OH
Tatum Elaine Schafer, Fort Worth, TX
Meghan Elizabeth Smith, Allison & Partners, Atlanta, Ga.
Shasta Walton, Blog Friendly PR, Mobile, Ala.
Natalie Lauren Wilson, Levenson & Brinker Public Relations, Dallas, TX
