We had four fantastic breakout sessions during this month’s PR University half-day seminar, and in case you missed them or need a quick refresher on what was covered, check below for a quick study guide.
During one of the breakout sessions of our PR University half-day seminar, Ken Jokisch of Sarasota Metropolis Football Club spoke to our group about how to build a team. The key takeaways for bosses or leaders:
- Identify the strengths of your team members and utilize their talents properly. “Put them in the right place to win,” he said.
- Be open with each other.
- Regardless of everyone’s background and roles, the team should all focus on the same goal.
- Build deep relationships within your team.
- Be willing to give up the ball. In other words, delegate.
- Be willing and able to pick up the ball if a team member is unavailable.
Monica Yadav brought her years of experience as a broadcast journalist to life with key tips for PR practitioners on how to create media relationships and how to train your key team members for media encounters.
Top takeaways for media relationship building are:
- You know them through the friend of a friend
- Be a good friend
- Ask them what they want: press release vs. heads up text
- Be available and call or text them back
- Always walk them out for an extra five minutes of pitching and relationship building
Top takeaways for media training:
- Plan – what are your 3 key points?
- Practice – use notes and speak in headlines and sound bites
- Don’t preach – stay in your lane and keep it conversational
In the world of public relations, poise and polish are typically celebrated, Cedric Hameed a fierce arts advocate challenged attendees to be vulnerable and transparent in his breakout session, Find Your Voice and Turn Your Life. Through his compelling stories and impromptu poetry, which brought tears to the eyes of attendees, he demonstrated the power of authenticity. Hameed encouraged participants via hands on exercises to not overthink it and trust their inner voice. His creative approach reminded many that the power of PR really comes down to the honest story behind the pitch. Hameed’s key point was to understand that self-editing is self-doubt and even in a professional like PR we need to be ourselves.
