By Emily Gralak
This month, I was privileged enough to attend the 2016-17 PRSSA National Conference in Boston, Massachusetts along with six other Ball State PRSSA chapter members. It was my first National Conference, and needless to say it was an experience I will not soon forget. I learned specific skills that are practical and applicable to my future job, and I gained knowledge and advice that will certainly serve me well.
Below are the highlights from some of my favorite sessions I attended over the four days.
“Sports Public Relations” with Nikki Barjon of The Barjon Group
Barjon delivered an incredibly inspirational message in her session and gave us tips on how to succeed as professionals, all through a series of sports metaphors. One of her prominent points was about determining your life’s path. She said, “don’t use someone else’s playbook for your own life.” In other words, don’t look to someone else for the answers to life’s hardest questions. You have to find those answers within yourself. You have to have your own playbook because your gifts are unique to you. Barjon also stressed that coaches, or mentors, are invaluable to you as a young professional. When you have a chance to be around a coach or someone who is willing to give you the tools to your success, you should empty yourself and be ready to receive what they offer.
“Corporate Social Responsibility: Doing Well by Doing Good” with Carol Cone of ON PURPOSE
This session was particularly interesting to me because it opened my eyes to an area of PR I had never thought about pursuing: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Cone explained that CSR in not a philanthropic effort and it’s not all about giving away large sums of money. Rather, it is an essential business strategy that should be integrated into your company. Cone provided us with 5 pillars of CSR, which I have explained below.
Integrity: Using ethical and transparent practices.
Trust: Putting customers ahead of profit.
Products and Services: Creating products that are made with good or produced for good.
Purpose: Using purpose as a lens to make every important company decision.
Operations: Emphasizing employee engagement and putting action behind words.
“Sticking to the Brand” with Jonathan Yohannan of Panera Bread
Yohannan opened his session by explaining that brands are ever-evolving and shouldn’t stay static. Panera’s brand is not the same as it was when the company started, nor will it be the same years from now. During the Q&A section, Yohannan was asked by an audience member about dealing with negative feedback. He replied by saying this: “If you haven’t made someone mad, you probably haven’t stood for anything.” Not everyone is always going to be happy about absolutely everything a brand does, and that’s ok. As long as you are advocating for the people who matter to your brand, you’re doing the right thing.
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