Delegates to PRSA’s 60^th Assembly, and the inaugural PRSA Leadership Assembly, turned their attention toward the Society’s strategic planning as they met prior to the start of PRSA’s 2010 International Conference, “Powering PRogress.”

Delegates were provided with a vision for PRSA’s future as part of the annual State of the Society Report, given via a joint presentation by Gary D. McCormick, APR, Fellow PRSA, 2010 PRSA chair and CEO, Rosanna M. Fiske, APR, chair-elect of PRSA and William M. Murray, CAE, PRSA president and CEO.

Continue reading " Leadership Assembly Focuses on Future, Strategic Value of Public Relations "

I was honored to convene the first 2010 meeting of PRSA’s Board of Directors this past Friday and Saturday. We took stock of our organization, participated in engaging discussions and planned for the coming year. I think I speak for the entire Board in saying that we left PRSA’s headquarters energized, excited and enthused about the year ahead, both for the Society and our profession.

We began the meeting by discussing the top-level trends impacting our members. To prepare for this discussion, I had asked the Board to canvass PRSA members and other public relations practitioners in their geographic areas to determine how the economy is affecting them, the biggest challenges they are facing and how they measure success in their places of employment.  The findings from this informal, “Pulse of the Profession” research, our third such study, will be the subject of a future blog post.

Continue reading " PRSA’s Priorities for 2010: Easy as “A, B, C, D, E” "

It hardly seems as though a year has passed since I began my service as PRSA’s 2009 chair and CEO.

There’s no doubt that the past 12 months have been extremely challenging for many of us. At the same time, it’s been a period of tremendous personal fulfillment for me. As a second-generation public relations counselor who literally grew up in and around the public relations profession, my term as chair and CEO has been a unique and incredible opportunity to give back to both the profession and organization that have given me so much.

Continue reading " 2009: A Year of New Beginnings at PRSA "

In professional tournament play, Tiger Woods is well-known for insisting on silence during his pre-shot routine and swing. He dresses down disturbers of the peace by yelling “not in my swing!” or by dispatching his caddie, Steve Edwards, to enforce a somnolent decibel level on the course.

Perhaps it’s to be expected, then, that Woods hoped the consideration routinely given to Tiger the golfer would likewise be extended to Tiger the husband, father and tax payer.  But one of the world’s richest and most-marketable athletes hoping for personal privacy is a bit like a weekend duffer hoping for a hole in one: Odds are, it’s not going to happen.

Continue reading " Off-Course, Request for “Quiet Please!” Hurts Tiger Woods "

Ask a public relations professional, “What do you do for a living?” and you may get as many different answers as there are practice specialties and organizational settings. Ironically, defining the discipline can be nearly as tough as combating the persistent stereotypes that denigrate its value and reputation.

To foster more accurate and better-informed perceptions surrounding the value and roles of public relations, PRSA today rolled out “The Business Case for Public Relations™.” This advocacy campaign, which was created with input from senior industry leaders, is intended to drive industry recognition and growth by helping professionals in the field educate key stakeholders about public relations’ functions and outcomes, demonstrate its strategic value and enhance its reputation.

Continue reading " Building a Case for Public Relations "