By LaTricia Woods, APR, Owner, Mahogany Xan Communications

Picture this: 

• A magazine’s staff snaps a group shot of the team making “slanty eye” faces  
• The shooting of an African-American man by law enforcement makes national headlines and the local government hires an all-white public relations firm. Said firm is later replaced after being criticized for its lack of diversity
• A social media platform creates a blackface lens and then creates a yellowface lens, upsetting African-American and Asian-American consumers respectively
• Collegestudents dress up in Halloween costumes that feature various racial stereotypes and posts photos on social media

When situations like this develop, companies may instinctually turn to a public relations firm for guidance through difficult waters. But what happens if that firm is not fully equipped to grasp the situation at hand due to a lack of cultural fluency?

By Indra Gardiner Bowers, Founder/Chief Executive Officer, i.d.e.a.

There are many ways to be a socially, fiscally and environmentally responsible company. Some companies bake their mission into their product or service (think Patagonia or Method), but for many of us, our dream is to work with companies who are purposeful. 

Three years ago, my partners and I decided we didn’t want to just work for mission-driven clients we wanted to walk the talk ourselves. We hadn’t started that way, so we had to do some reverse engineering and figure out what we could do to be part of this new sector of the economy.

By Cindy Atlee, morning keynote speaker for upcoming Spring Conference.

I love a good story. You probably do, too. Stories influence, inspire and capture our imaginations like nothing else. We tell them all the time, whether we realize it or not. And they scare the heck out of many of my clients.  

I’m not talking horror stories here, and I certainly don’t mean my clients are literally afraid of narratives. What sometimes gets me a deer-in-headlights look is suggesting they need to know and live and tell their own story in the world to have a really successful brand. Maybe it’s a little intimidating to realize that answering the question who are you? is what jump starts a compelling brand identity—but it’s the surest path to being seen, heard and appreciated for something that draws the right clients to you.   

By Rob Biesenbach

Last year I attended a conference breakout session on a topic that really interested me. The room was packed with like-minded people, all hoping to get something of value from the program.

Then the presenter kicked things off by talking about himself, and only himself, for what seemed like 10 minutes. He walked us through every detail of his career history — the job titles, the degrees, the recognition and awards. It was like a LinkedIn profile set to live narration.

Predictably, the mood in the room quickly shifted from anticipation to annoyance as he violated the first rule of public speaking: it’s not about you; it’s about the audience. 

By Ken Jacobs, ACC, PCC, Jacobs Executive Coaching and Jacobs Communications Consulting

As an agency leader, what is the most important thing you can do for your agency’s success this year? Provide consistently superior client service? Achieve business development goals? Get closer to best practices in fiscal management and profitability? Build the second-tier? Do a more effective job of marketing to prospects?

The answer is yes. Well actually, it’s the classic “Yes, and...”

Driving across New Mexico, it is easy to get caught up in the sweeping views. Be it a quick trip to Santa Fe or a longer drive to Las Cruces, I watch those green signs with white numbering every mile, marking my travel. Crossing state lines, the numbers reset to “0” or indicate a much larger number.

Our culture has a thing for milestones and commemorating birthdays, Super Bowls, and miles run and/or traveled. Businesses celebrate anniversaries ending in “0”; though, post-recession, we really should celebrate every year.

A letter from our 2017 Executive Committee Chair, Tom Garrity: 

We are all pack rats in some form or fashion, right?

While cleaning out some older files, I came across my letter of application and acceptance to the Counselors Academy. “I am familiar with the focus and reputation of the Counselors Academy,” I wrote. “I am interested in pursuing membership…”

That was 10 years ago in January 2007.

And this week, accepting the reigns from Martin Waxman, I am honored to serve as chairman of this great section of Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). 

There is much to look forward to this year.