public relations practice: December 2008 Archives
Courtesy of Bulldog Reporter's Daily Dog, here's some familiar material. Let's do better in 2009, please!
Congratulations! You're almost out of here. Don't forget a few tasks before you're gone for good:Thank mom, dad and all the adults who have cheered for you, paid for your car insurance, hired you, and took the time to get to know you as an adult. You can never have enough good people in your corner.
As you know, public relations is also personal relations. Collect physical addresses, emails and other points of contact. Obtain a permanent email address and share it with everyone. Buy some note cards and send some thank-you notes. Take care of your friends, and someday they'll be the best thing: old friends.
Come to play. You're going to need business cards, a really good resume and a portfolio (you should also have an online portfolio). You should never be without these assets. As you gain experience, update your portfolio.
Buy a great suit, all the accessories that you need to make it work (guys, that includes a tie and dress shoes), get it tailored and have it ready. When you get the call, then you just put it on like a uniform. Easy.
If you anticipate needing a new computer, use your student status to get a discount on hardware and software. It would be a good thing if Santa brought you Adobe Creative Suite 4 (retail price is $1,400; student price is $300). You can order through the university bookstore or a third-party store like JourneyEd.
As a recent graduate, you can join PRSA at a great rate - just $60 plus local chapter dues. I strongly recommend that you join and turn out at local meetings.
I'm truly sorry there aren't more jobs. But even so, opportunities abound. I know you'll find and seize them.
You have accomplished a great deal; savor it. And then get to work.
All the best,
Dr. K
photo credit by M00by
The U.S. automakers are again asking Congress for money, and public opinion thus far has been surprisingly negative about the prospect of more loans. So it really caught my ear when I heard Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm talk about the need for the loans on the NPR program Day to Day.
Granholm put on a clinic on how to handle the spokesperson role. If you've ever done it, you know how hard it is. Of course she was articulate and empathetic. But more than that, she framed the issue in a way that puts Americans - not the car companies - first. I suggest you click, listen and follow along. And learn. The interview runs just under eight minutes.
Here are Granholm's main points:
Frame it as an investment - the loan helps our economy, keeps people working, and helps the auto makers transition to a new economic environment with new (green) products.
Energy independence - the loan will help create American energy independence.
There will be blood - Granholm acknowledges that the auto industry is prepared to accept some downsizing, some loss of jobs. That takeway? The industry is sacrificing, just as all Americans are also sacrificing in this down economy.
Empathy - she shows acknowledges the pain caused by the transition in the auto industry. Many of the soon-to-be unemployed are Michigan residents.
Hang the problem on someone else - in this case, the financial industry, whose careless investments in housing have crashed, taking down the entire American economy. "We're victims, too."
Acknowledge past mistakes - shows humility, that the industry is capable of recognizing and learning from past mistakes.
Dire consequences - without the loan, it's "game over" for Detroit, says Granholm. It will also bring up to three million lost jobs on the industry. Again, mostly in Michigan.
Reiterate the key point - It's a loan, not a giveaway. Again, in contrast with the financial industry. She also brought up the case of Chrysler in the 1980s, which repaid its loan in full and with $300 million in interest to U.S. taxpayers.
Granholm is better suited to taking the case of the auto industry to the hill because:
- she's smart, well informed and articulate
- she's not from within the auto industry (for example, doesn't go to meetings by private jet)
- is able to tell the bigger story
There are many reasons to take issue with loaning more than $35 billion to the U.S. auto industry. Kudos to Jennifer Granholm for effectively representing why the loans would be good for America.
