| March 9, 2010 |
The US Census in Brevard is looking for marketing and PR professionals to assist in creating a campaign to inform the public about the US Census and what it means to local residents. If you have a couple of hours to spare, please contact Mary Sharpe at 433-8525.
Two lucky winners will be randomly selected at the January 20th Professional Development Program. One will be chosen from those who joined FPRA or renewed their membership in 2009, and one will be chosen from the attendees at the January 20th program. Don’t miss out on the exciting opportunities and up-to-the-minute resources offered by the longest established professional public relations group in the USA. Learn more about FPRA membership, and log-in to your member account at www.fpra.org today!
PRSA offers playback of FREE Professional Development webinars: http://www.prsa.org/Learning/FreeWebinars/ Choose one to view at your convenience and keep current with the latest trends.
—Swing Like Tiger Woods— For an afternoon on the golf course- sure, but in the public relations sense, you may not want to follow the celebrity athlete’s lead when it comes to crisis management. Aaron Kwittken writes for Entrepreneur.com, “Tiger Woods’ public admission of his personal ‘transgressions’ holds valuable lessons for all of us on how to most effectively protect the integrity of a brand.“ You can read the entire critique at The PR Post.FPRA Space Coast is now enjoying the fresh air of Facebook and is tweeting away on Twitter…
Look for the Space Coast FPRA page on Facebook and be a fan!
Keep up with the latest announcements, FPRA member happenings, and PR-related news.
Don’t stop there- Space Coast FPRA is also on Twitter!
You can follow Brevard PR pros as they share up-to-the-second content in their field.
Julie’s HOT Social Media Tip:
Is your website social media optimized?
Have you started your blog? Are your keywords working? Have you bookmarked any of your pages or releases?
There are many free tools available to help you answer these, and many more, questions.
One of my favorites is the Website Grader by Hubspot http://www.websitegrader.com
This free resource provides information about On-page and Off-page SEO, Blogosphere, Social Mediasphere, Converting Visitors to Leads, Competitor Analysis, etc.
It also provides a grade for your site and offers you tips on how to improve your ranking and site structure. I use this tool whenever I am completing a site analysis or developing a digital PR strategy for a client. Hubspot (www.hubspot.com) regularly hosts webinars and online classes on many aspects of social media and web site optimization.
FPRA Space Coast member, Julie Arnold, is the Social Media Manager for Griffin Integrated Marketing and leads our chapter’s Tweet Team giving live updates from our professional development programs. You can follow @SpaceCoastFPRA on Twitter.
Public Relations professionals in Florida should be familiar with our state’s ‘Sunshine Law‘ about the release of public records, “It is the policy of this state that all state, county, and municipal records shall be open for personal inspection by any person.” Whether you work for a public agency or not, reading up on Statute 119 and thinking about how it applies to your daily work will bring your practice more creditability.
Who joins FPRA?
You have your reasons for joining up with PR pros on the Space Coast, and you should know that you are surrounded by good company. Many of our county’s best PR folks have answered the call to continue their education with quality professional development, and to make connections and share best practices through outstanding networking opportunities. Below is our current membership listing… Become acquainted with your fellow public relations practitioners at our monthly Professional Development Programs, or by joining our chapter’s Facebook and Twitter and social networks.
Do you know someone who should be on this list? Send the names of your prospective members to our VP of Membership, Amber Philman, amarek@cfl.rr.com, and we will introduce them to the outstanding benefits of FPRA membership!
One way to maximize your FPRA membership is to join one of our committees. Right now, we are looking for folks to help out with organizing our Corporate Spelling Bee and Roast & Toast events. If you have just an hour or two to give, our chapter’s events can be the best ever with your involvement. Contact Past President, Amelia Woodbridge, amelia@ameliawoodbridge.com to find out how you can help!
Also on deck is the annual Image Awards. Now is the time to create your entry to highlight your successful PR campaigns. No program is too big or too small for entry, and you will have help along the way! Look out for more information to be sent within the next few weeks on how you can get started. In the meantime, log-in to the FPRA website to see the past Golden Image Award Winners and read the case studies for the winning entries.
– Yet ANOTHER BENEFIT of FPRA Membership –
Our chapter board would like to announce another feature of Space Coast FPRA’s powerful PR network- Our mailing list! Available to members only, FPRA Space Coast will post community opportunities to our chapter website and will send an e-mail blast to our membership to promote your event.
The Tipping Point
The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell (2000, 288 pages)
If this isn’t on your bookshelf, it should be. This is a study in classic diffusion theory using modern day anecdotes. Especially applicable to today’s social media networks, The Tipping Point emphasizes affecting change though word-of-mouth information exchange.
Malcolm Gladwell compiled the material for the book from his time spent as a staff writer with The New Yorker. Gladwell says, “As human beings, we always expect everyday change to happen slowly and steadily, and for there to be some relationship between cause and effect. And when there isn’t — when crime drops dramatically in New York for no apparent reason, or when a movie made on a shoestring budget ends up making hundreds of millions of dollars — we’re surprised. I’m saying, don’t be surprised. This is the way social epidemics work.”
According to www.gladwell.com, “It’s a book about change. In particular, it’s a book that presents a new way of understanding why change so often happens as quickly and as unexpectedly as it does.” Understanding diffusion and the tipping point is absolutely critical to successful public relations programming. Check out more reviews and prices on new and used copies of The Tipping Point at Amazon.
Barry Eager was given a Crystal Reel Award at the 20th Annual Florida motion Picture and Television Association awards.
His award-winning work producing a six-minute video, “The Scott Center for Autism Treatment,” was done in partnership with Florida institute of Technology and showcases the university’s work in treating autism.
Barry is a 1989 graduate of FIT and currently serve’s as the FPRA Space Coast Chapter historian. This is his second Crystal Reel Award, his first was presented in 2007 for his production of FIT’s Golden Anniversary Campaign video for their 50th anniversary.
The Florida Motion Picture and Television Association created the Crystal Reel Awards to highlight outstanding achievements in the television, motion picture, digital media and recording industries in Florida.
Barry is founder and president of Phantom Films of Florida.
FIT President Dr Catanese and Barry Eager
This is a great chance to meet and mingle with some of the brightest creative minds and best marketers on the Space Coast. All attendees are encouraged to bring a new, unwrapped toy to donate to Toys for Tots. Come enjoy live music, Hors d’oeuvres and the spirit of the season. Exciting prizes will be raffled throughout the evening. The event is open to the public and offers the opportunity to network with Admission is $10 for potential members and guests.
For further information, contact Katherine Sonn at 321.243.9520 or sonncenturyoaks@cfl.rr.com.
Senior Manager of Regional Communications for ATK, Jessica Rye, APR, will be presented with the Harry Kolcum Memorial News & Communication Award on November 10, 2009. Long-time member and Past President of the Florida Public Relations Association, Jessica will be recognized by the National Space Club Florida Committee (NSCFL) at their November luncheon.
Each year, the Kolcum Award “recognizes area representatives of the news media and communications professions for excellence in their ability to communicate the space story along Florida’s Space Coast and throughout the world,” according to the National Space Club website. Also being recognized this year is Scott Harris, Anchor for Channel 13 NEWS.
Prior to joining ATK, Jessica served as the Chief of External and Internal Communications for United Launch Alliance, and she served as NASA’s primary spokesperson and public affairs officer for the Shuttle Program at Kennedy Space Center. Prior to joining NASA, Jessica served as strategic media relations specialist for United Space Alliance.
In August, Jessica was named the Public Relations Professional of the Year by the Space Coast FPRA. In 2007, Jessica served as State President of the Florida Public Relations Association, a 1,500-member organization. Jessica earned her Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) from the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) in 2001.
The Kolcum Communications award is named in honor of Harry Kolcum, the former managing editor of Aviation Week & Space Technology, who was Cape bureau chief from 1980 to 1993 prior to his death in 1994. Kolcum was a founding member of the NSCFL. In 2008, the award was presented to Leigh Holt, Brevard County’s Government Relations Manager, and Justin Ray, editor of Spaceflight Now, a Cape Canaveral-based space news website.
To be selected, honorees must be either a public affairs professional who speaks on behalf of a corporate, government or military organization that is involved with launch or mission operations along Florida’s Space Coast, or a professional member of the news media who regularly covers space and launch operations at the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
The NSCFL November luncheon and awards presentation is being held at the DoubleTree Oceanfront Hotel in Cocoa Beach on Tuesday, November 10, 2009 from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm EST. The cost to attend is $17.00 for NSCFL members, $20 for non-members. Payment may be made at the door. More information can be found at http://www.nscfl.org.
Overview: Despite equal intellectual capacity, training, or experience, some people excel while others of the same caliber lag behind. Ever wonder why? More than 25 years of research in the neurological field and specific study about factors contributing to success in the workplace have resulted in breaking through perceptions about intelligence. Quantifiable data on performance across a myriad of industries and organizations has resulted in a body of study called emotional intelligence (EQ), the “intangibles” that predict success in the workplace.
Highlights & Objectives: People rarely derail because of the lack of technical skills, but rather because of emotional failings. This presentation gives leaders a solid understanding of emotional intelligence factors, how EQ impacts the workplace, and competencies related to developing higher levels of emotional intelligence.
At the end of this session, participants will:
1. Understand the definition of Emotional Intelligence.
2. Recognize the impact of Emotional Intelligence on the work place.
3. Learn how Emotional Intelligence is measured.
4. Learn how to improve their Emotional Intelligence.
Suzie DeBusk is president and founder of three companies including her most recent, CxO Value Partners, Inc., an international consulting company focused on sales, marketing, strategy and leadership. She is a risk-taking adventurer, African guide, professional speaker, serial entrepreneur and leadership best practice thought leader.
Whether it’s coaching CEOs and management teams on how to increase their team’s performances or tromping through rain forests, standing down charging elephants, galloping on a horse through the savannahs of Africa or tossing spears with Masai warriors, Suzie brings a unique, proven approach to drive success through real-world techniques. Through her best practices approach, Suzie turns strategies into action steps that everyone can use.
Suzie’s experience ranges from providing executive and leadership coaching to Fortune 50 executives to sharing proven success methodologies to start-up entrepreneurs. Suzie and her team of facilitators integrate practical business examples with the laws of jungle leadership survival.
Suzie is a featured author in the book, The Advantage of Leadership, released in 2007 and is a contributing author to Space Coast Business Magazine. She has been featured in or interviewed by The Orlando Business Journal, The Charleston Regional Business Journal, Executive Traveler Magazine, Rosewood Magazine, Space Coast Living Magazine, Brevard Technical Journal, US Chamber News, Tampa Bay Tribune, Florida Today and The Hometown News, just to name a few.
A noted keynote and workshop speaker, Suzie uses audience engagement techniques and provides thought-provoking introspection. In a world of commodity communication and management models, Suzie imparts unique strategies that drive performance.
11:30 networking with noon program and lunch.
$20 for members, $25 for non-members
Meal choices include Roast Pork Loin with Stuffing and Baked Apples or Roast Turkey and Dressing with the Trimmings
RSVP by Monday, Nov. 16th to tlange@spaceflorida.gov
11:30 networking with noon program and lunch.
$20 for members, $25 for non-members
Meal choices include Chicken Piccata or Roast Beef with Bordelaise Sauce, with Duchess Potatoes and Green Beans Almondine
RSVP by Monday, Jan. 18th to tlange@spaceflorida.gov
**Save the date and look for more details to follow!**
We are pleased to announce this year’s incoming Board of Directors of the Space Coast Chapter of FPRA!
Members were installed by Past President, Suzanne Sparling, APR, at the Professional Development Program on September 16th.
Amelia Woodbridge, Geo Ropert, Cyndi Hernandez, David Waters, Carey Beam, Suzanne Sparling
Geo Ropert, APR, Tina Lange, APR, Suzanne Sparling, APR
Geo Ropert, APR, Katherine Sonn, Suzanne Sparling, APR
Passing the gavel
A very warm round of thanks goes to Immediate Past President, Amelia Woodbridge, as her leadership in the 2008/9 term earned chapter awards and delivered quality membership benefits.
Thank you Amelia!
Looking ahead, the incoming board is focused on meeting goals in areas such as Community Service, Customer Service, Fundraising, Leadership Development, Professional Development, Senior Member Development, and Accreditation
If you are interested in learning more about Space Coast Chapter leadership opportunities and the benefits of the Florida Public Relations Association, please contact our Membership Chair.
Are you in need of some quality professional development? Would you like to attend FPRA state conference but just are not financially able?
Because we value quality professional development, the board of directors for the Space Coast Chapter voted to provide one conference scholarship to an active, deserving member of our chapter with a professional level membership (i.e. this is not for associate members whose primary job is not public relations).
To apply for consideration to receive a conference scholarship, all you have to do is send a letter that outlines the following:
1) A short paragraph about you and your job — what your role involves and what your public relations duties are in your work.
2) A paragraph about your past experience with regard to conference: have you been before? what did you find most beneficial? How does attendance help you in your job? If you haven’t attended, why is the main reason you want to go?
3) The conditions surrounding your financial need.
Send your eligibility letter to:
Amelia Woodbridge
McBride Woodbridge Marketing
150 Coconut Drive, Indialantic, FL 32903
Deadline: June 15, 2009
Recipient will be notified by July 1, 2009
Questions: call Amelia Woodbridge at 837-1000.
This year, as part of an initiative to raise awareness for Public Relations initiatives, and the Space Coast Chapter of FPRA, senior members of our local chapter will be providing articles to Space Coast Business Magazine each month.
The articles will focus on public relations topics, trends, issues and management that affect the variety of businesses in the area, as well as provide visibility for our professional organization and its mission. Hopefully this will be the start of a very valuable relationship that can help strengthen public relations as a valuable tool for our business community. Keep an eye out for the articles and provide topic suggestions at our monthly programs.
