Guest Speaker Bryon Riesch

On October 18^th my PR Tactics 2 class got the chance to hear from Bryon Riesch. Bryon Riesch is a Marquette graduate who currently works for R&R Insurance. When Bryon was in college, some friends decided to have a slip ‘n slide at one of the house parties that they were attending. When Bryon went down the slip ‘n slide he ended up with a neck injury that ultimately paralyzed him. He had to spend three months in the hospital and 26 days in the ICU. He has a C5 injury which means that he does not have any use of his wrists or his fingers. After Bryon came out of the hospital, he decided to go back to college (specifically Marquette) and finish his degree. In 2001, Bryon started the Bryon Riesch Paralysis Foundation that gears towards raising money for those who are in a situation similar to his. This money helps pay for expenses, which for those with disabilities is very costly.  

I really enjoyed Bryon Riesch as a speaker. He has learned how to manage his life with a disability. He has turned what some may see as a shortcoming into a way to help others by speaking to individuals like those in my tactics class, and by creating his foundation. Bryon’s personality definitely came through while he was speaking to our class.  He was great to listen to because it was easy to tell that he is very open about his disability, willing to answer questions and even make jokes. You could also tell that he has public speaking experience and that he is very comfortable when talking about his accident and hardships that have come with having a disability. The fact that Bryon is a very positive and witty person made the whole class more comfortable when it came to asking questions and listening to him speak.

There were two items that Bryon said during his speech that surprised me. One thing was that there is a 75% unemployment rate for people with disabilities. I also think that the whole class was taken aback when he said that a new wheelchair can cost as much as $30,000. Bryon also talked about the fact that once you get your wheelchair, you will  need to purchase a van, spend about $25,000 for a ramp, and more money ($20,000) to put aside for controls.

Bryon also had some tips for communicating with people with disabilities. When communicating with people with disabilities, one of Bryon’s key points was to be sure to talk to the person with the disability, not the caregiver. Another point that Bryon made was that it’s ok to ask if they need help, just don’t ask it over and over again. Something else that was brought up was to not touch the wheelchair; it should be seen as a part of them. The last thing that was stressed was to not apologize. Bryon used the example of someone asking a person in a wheelchair “want to go for a walk?” He said that if you apologize, it will only make the situation more awkward.

Bryon was also able to give the class a few lessons about life. One of his key lessons was to not be afraid to dream. Something that he said that I feel stuck with students was to “live your reality now to get to your dream later.” Something else that Bryon mentioned was to learn how to be creative; there is a way to do it, you just have to figure out how. I feel that that statement goes for people with and without disabilities. Something else that he said that goes along with that is “where there’s a will there’s a way.” But, probably the biggest inspirational message that stuck out to me when Bryon was speaking was “reach out your hand and you’ll be amazed at what you get back.” I think that Bryon has shown that he lives by this statement through his journey of having a disability. Through learning to deal with his disability, he has had to ask others more frequently for help physically and through building his foundation, which has grown rapidly. Bryon is a true inspiration.

PR Tactics 2 Speaker- Trish Skram

On October 4, 2011 Trish Skram, the new media and Public Relations manager for Mercy Medical, came to speak to Ann Knabe’s PR Tactics 2 class. Trish is from Madison and told the class that she came to Whitewater because of the small class sizes. Trish graduated in 2006 and double majored in Speech with an emphasis in Public Relations and in Marketing. Trish is also the owner and brand visionary of PR Gal and a professional blogger for the Gazette. For the jobs that she has, Trish blogs about current events, tips and tricks on certain subjects, conducts interviews, writes about her opinion on certain issues, and manages different twitter accounts.

While attending UW-Whitewater, Trish had a job at the aquatic center as a lifeguard. Through that job, Trish learned of an internship through Mercy Medical. With the connections that she had at the aquatic center, she was able to get an interview which lead to her receiving the internship. She only had this one internship while at UW-Whitewater and has stuck with Mercy Medical since then.

Trough her job, Trish realized that she needed to start blogging, not only for work, but for the personal experience. Trish set up her own blog and has her own website. Through blogging, she was able to attract the attention of employees at the Janesville Gazette who ended up asking her if she would write for them. Trish also created a personal blog strategy. If it doesn’t grow her network, help to better the PR/communications industry, or let her talk about what she knows and loves, she doesn’t blog about it. Through her experience, Trish has also found what some hot topics are when it comes to blogging. Trish stated 8 main ones that have helped her generate conversation on her page.

The 8 are:
   10 Best/Worst Tips and Tricks
   How To
   Lists 
   Interviews (video or blog style)
   Economy 
   Technology/Innovation  
   Local and Regional News
   Opinions

Trish uses blogging and twitter in her jobs to promote and to gain a trusting relationship with readers through her posts relating to the field. Trish also uses twitter and blogging to answer any questions that the reader might have in hopes that it will generate positive feedback and recognition of herself, Mercy Medical and the Gazette. Trish also said that using such social media sites is all about branding. Facebook, twitter, and blogging help you put yourself out there to your readers and hopefully they will gain a positive image of you and your organization. Trish also said that she used blogging in the work place as a way to help generate SEO results when people are searching for specifics on Google. In her personal life, Trish also uses blogging and twitter as self promotion, branding, and a way to write about what she is passionate about and gain insights and knowledge from others.

Most of Trish’s speech dealt with advice and tips on blogging that can be applied in a PR student’s life.  Trish started off her speech by giving us some statistics on blogs. She said that 55% of corporations use social media to seek job applicants and that 77% of internet users read blogs. This is definitely important to students when we are looking for jobs. Having a blog on our resume and frequently posting will help us stand out from other applicants. Trish also gave students 8 tips to building a brand (whether it be personal or for a company) with a blog.
-What do you want to get out of your blog?
-Know your competency
-Listen and learn about your audience
-Add a personal touch (photo, humor, tasteful jargon)
-Be positive
-Encourage Engagement
-Research Keywords
-Be Consistent

In the end, I feel that Trish’s main points when it comes to having a blog were that it will only help you in the long run if you keep it updated, stay positive and are yourself. It’s extremely important to be able to talk about what you’re interested in and leave room for people to generate feedback. 

PRSSA Speaker- Karin Conway

On October 3, 2011 Karin Conway from PRO Alliance Resources LLC came to speak to PRSSA and other Public Relations students at UW-Whitewater. The main focus of Karin’s speech was networking. Subtopics of networking included why people should network, effective places to meet people, networking tips before you attend an event, and more.

            One of the first points that Karin talked about was why people should network. Karen said that it can be a pain filling out job application after job application and getting rejected over and over again. Networking helps lower your rejection rate. Karin said that “people hire people they know or those who are referred by someone they trust.” Another piece of advice that Karin gave about networking was to “build your valuable network before you need it, whether you are an employee or business owner.”

            The next topic that Karin covered was effective places to meet people. Karin’s list included Chambers of commerce, business mixers, networking groups, open houses, gallery night, church functions, school functions, social groups, personal development sessions, and online (LinkedIn, Facebook, MeetUp).

            Another topic that Karin talked about was general networking tips before attending an event. One tip was to create a plan. This involved thinking about who you are going to meet and how many people you will have time to follow up with. Karin also brought up a good point when she stated that if you are not in the right frame of mind before an event, you should try to snap out of it. If you cannot snap out of it, it is best that you do not go to the event. Karen stated that your bad attitude will show and you do not want your future business connections to have a terrible first impression of you. Karin also pointed out that it is important to wear the proper clothing when attending a networking event. Something that Karin said that she did was hiring an image consultant. She said that the image consultant cost her money, but ended up saving her money in the end because she knows what kind of clothes fit her well, what is in style, and what she should buy that is business appropriate for the events that she attends. While listening to Karin speak, I noticed that she was wearing her nametag. Karen said that at any business event, it is important to get a real name tag printed, not one that’s on paper.

            Karin also had some networking tips for while at an event. One tip that I learned was “introduce people who can help one another because then you will be seen as a connector.” Karin also talked about the “elevator pitch” that Matt Scherer mentioned in his LinkedIn speech last week. Karin added that people should try to have a creative elevator speech (maybe more than one) and to practice it with friends. Karin said that she knows of people who have made a rhyming elevator pitch and put their own spin on it in many other ways. Another item that Karin mentioned was time management. She said that sometimes she has problems at networking events where she meets one person who tries to grab her attention and carry on a conversation with her for too long. She states that at networking events you’re there to meet people and mingle, not chat with just one person the whole time. A method that she uses is having a wingman to help get her out of those situations. It’s important not to stick with a clique because you could miss the chance to meet new people. “You’re there to make connections” One of the biggest points that Karin made was to use business cards, which is also something that we have talked about in class. Karin also mentioned that Vista Print was a great site to go and get business cards.

            Overall, Karin had a lot of helpful insights when it came to how to prepare and handle yourself at a networking event. 

PR Tactics 2 Speaker- Amy Paul

On September 20^th, 2011 a recent Whitewater graduate Amy Paul came to speak to Ann Knabe’s PR Tactics 2 class. Amy graduated in May of 2011 with a Public Relations major and a music minor. Her first three years at Whitewater consisted of her working towards a music major. After those three years, she switched over to the college of business. After one year, she found that she did not like her business major, so, she then switched to the College of Communication and decided to try the Public Relations major, and loved it.

Currently, Amy is a Public Relations assistant at the Milwaukee County Executive’s office. Amy stated that she is interested in sports PR and never thought that she would work in politics. But, during her senior year, she was notified from Professor Ann Knabe of the position, got in touch with the Executive’s office, had an interview and accepted the job.  At the Milwaukee County Executive’s Office, she manages their social media sites, composes press releases/media advisories, monitors media coverage, manages their website, plans major events and writes constituent letters. Amy shared with us that her first big assignment was to put together the “Milwaukee County Remembers” event which honors those that lost their lives on September 11^th, 2001. Some of Amy’s duties for the September 11^th event included putting together the design for the programs, calling local media to cover the event, scheduling the speakers and overall, making sure the event ran smoothly.

During her speech, Amy emphasized the importance of internships and stated that she had four while in college. The internship that Amy seemed to be most passionate about was her street team internship with the Milwaukee Admirals. During this internship, she promoted the Admiral’s home games, worked on their social media sites, managed their website and more. Amy also worked for Qdoba as a brand ambassador, the UW-Whitewater development office as a student assistant who helped bring alumni back to campus and Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin as their fundraising/ special events intern.

While attending UW-Whitewater, Amy was very involved on campus. One organization that Amy was a part of was PRSSA.  During her time in PRSSA, Amy held the positions of the secretary, insight editor and the professional development chair. As mentioned in the previous paragraph, Amy was the brand ambassador for the Qdoba of Whitewater and was a student assistant for the University Development Office.

Amy also had a lot of great advice for current public relations students. One thing that Amy touched on was being careful when using social media. Amy said that especially when students are on Facebook, they should be careful with what they post and if you do have your boss as a friend on Facebook, use lists so that they don’t have access to your pictures. When using twitter, Amy said that it is important to follow people and companies that you would be interested in connecting with or working for.  When using LinkedIn, Amy brought up adding professionals that you don’t know. She says to connect with professionals that you know or who you have met at least once before because nothing is more annoying than a random add. Amy also had a slide that showed some main bullet points on making your college experience beneficial and enjoyable. One of those points was to have at least one internship. While in that internship, make sure that you’re making the most of it. Amy emphasized that students should not be afraid to ask questions because one of the main ideas of an internship is to have it be a learning experience. She also brought up the point of networking with those from your former jobs and past internships. She said that it is very important to keep in contact with bosses from your past internships so that you can ask for references and because you never know who knows each other. Another main point that Amy brought up was getting involved on campus. It looks great to an employer if you were in a leadership position to a student organization related to your major. Amy highly suggested that PR students get involved with PRSSA to help themselves expand their knowledge about the field.

I also feel that I received another great piece of advice when I asked Amy if there was any one thing on her resume that helped her “stand out.” She indicated that there wasn’t just one thing because employers like seeing that you were a diverse student that had internships, was involved in school activities and had diverse experiences in different areas of your field. Amy also said to take your internships seriously because they are the first people that potential employers call when trying to see if they should hire you. Perform well so that you can get a great reference!

The PR Student

September is upon us, and it’s time for school to begin..again. For anyone that doesn’t know me, my name is Courtney Omernick and I am starting my junior year at UW-Whitewater. Last semester was my first semester as a Public Relations student.  I switched my major from Elementary Education to Broadcast Journalism, and finally to Public Relations. Last semester I also added my minor, Arts Management.  This summer was extremely busy! I was able to find an internship in Glendale, Wisconsin where I worked for Sustainable Supply Company. Sustainable Supply sells eco-friendly products that help individuals work, live, and build green. During my time at Sustainable Supply, I promoted the company by managing their Facebook and Twitter pages, composed descriptive content for the products on their website, and I also composed blog posts for the company’s Wordpress site.  During the summer, I also babysat and was a math and language arts tutor for seventh graders. I am very excited for this year because I recently got a job with the UW-Whitewater Alumni Association. My duties at the Alumni Association will include managing their website and Facebook account, updating alumni information, and more. I am also very involved in Golden Key Honors Society. This semester I will get to use my promotional skills as their new VP of Marketing. 

You got yourself a summer intern!

I am happy to report that I found a summer intern position with Sustainable Supply Co. in Glendale, WI. The mission of Sustainable Supply is to build, work and live green. They supply green products from backpacks to dog treats. During my time at Sustainable Supply, I am going to be helping the company establish a greater presence on the internet through their social media sites, and I am also going to be writing product content for their new website which is scheduled to launch at the end of Summer 2011. I am very excited to work along side my boss Brian who is a UW-Whitewater grad, along with his wife, father, and one of his partners in the business, Paul. I begin my second week tomorrow, but I feel as though I've already learned so much within just one week of working for Sustainable Supply. I can't wait to expand my knowledge on promotions and I can't wait to learn how to write great web content. This is definitely going to be a summer spent writing, learning, and developing my business skills. Thanks for reading and be sure to check out Sustainable Supply Co. at http://www.sustainablesupply.com/ :)

Sustainable Supply and Social Media
Twitter: @SustainableSply
Facebook: sustainablesupply
Youtube: SustainableSupply

YouTube videos of UWW PR Alumni

Watching interviews from past UW-Whitewater Public Relations students left me inspired and excited about my future as a PR professional. There were three videos in the UWW PR Alumni video series that stuck out to me.

The first video that stuck out to me was the interview with Jenna Darling http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Yh2JwEuvn8. Jenna graduated from UW-Whitewater in May of 2010 and is a marketing assistant with MLG Commercial. It was great to hear from a recent UWW graduate. Jenna emphasized internships as being a very important component when building your resume and getting a job. It was great to hear that the job that she received after graduation was mostly because she had an internship working in the similar field. Jenna seems to be extremely busy with working on her companies web site, sending out press releases, maintaining the social media sites, updating media contacts, graphic design work, etc. Jenna also emphasized that putting her work from college online is great because that way you have all of your work and creativity in one spot. That is something that everyone in our PR Tactics class can relate to because we have been creating sites that showcase our work, such as our Weebly site.

The second video that stuck out to me was the interview with Merri Oxley http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDUWZEc2Nws . Merri graduated from UW-Whitewater in the late 1960's and is the owner of 'The Communication Team.' It was great to hear an older alumni's perspective on Public Relations. Something that Merri stressed was networking and not just through the internet and social media but through face to face events. As a generation who uses the computer more than anyone, it is also important to personally meet with those who you want to network with outside of the internet. Merri stressed doing many community outreach activities as well as going to business events. Learn how to follow up and do what you say you're going to do.

The third video that stuck out to me was the interview with Cassandra Sura http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_rIR3EDxPM. Cassandra graduated from UW-Whitewater in 2006 and is the Public Relations Coordinator for Elmhurst Memorial Healthcare. Something that got Cassandra where she is today is by being a very curious person as a college student. Cassandra emphasized doing possibly more than one internship during your college career as well as going on site tours, and interviewing other PR Practitioners.  Cassandra also said to do something that you love and that you're passionate about. You should love having to get up and go to your job!

Social Media and PR

A trend in Public Relations that I am interested in is social media and how Public Relations professionals are using social media for real results in the work place.  It was something that I was interested in because on March 9^th Emily Lenard from Comet Branding came to talk to PRSSA about using social media to help your clients business grow.  Comet Branding bases their services off of using social media as a promotional tool.  On their website (http://cometbranding.com/) their informational statement is, “Comet is a unique kind of agency. One that helps clients match the power of message to the voice of its customers. Simply put, we help you use social media to achieve your business’s objectives.”  Emily Lenard talked about social media in ROI which is the return investment factor. When working with a client, you have to make sure that you are meeting the objectives and that what the client is paying for, is what they’re getting.  Sometimes that means that you have to think outside the box. Thinking outside the box could mean using Twitter and Facebook to promote the clients company in a positive light and using social media to expand the professional network and reach your targeted demographic. Something that I found interesting from http://www.proactivereport.com/c/social-media/social-media-roi/  was the statics on companies and how a lot of them don’t realize the positives in creating social media sites to help broadcast their company.  A few of those statics that I was surprised at were only “23 percent of companies use social media analytic tools.”  “Overall, over half of companies are using social media strategies to advance their companies but only 7 percent are integrating social media into their overall marketing strategy.”  Something else that I found off of http://mashable.com/2010/03/16/public-relations-social-media-results/  was measuring ROI in business to business Public Relations.  For a lot of the companies that were surveyed in the article, their main focus on using social media in business relations is to increase potential customers/clients awareness of  their company and the companies service.  The last article that I looked at http://www.livingstonbuzz.com/2011/03/07/the-five-dumbest-things-pr-pros-do-with-social-media/ was an article that I found off of Twitter. This article reinforced what not to do on social media websites and how sometimes, they do not help gain positive publicity for your company. Some of the “accidents” that PR professionals are finding with social media websites include “repurposing press releases for Facebook and Twitter updates, maintaining the same formal board meeting type tone on social networks, using social media only to broadcast NOT to get feedback, treating social media as a one-person job within PR/Marketing and joining the shiny object band wagon without a strategy.”  I feel that from listening to Emily Lenard from Comet Branding, who helps build social media sites for her clients, social media is a positive if it fits in the clients objective and if the clients are willing to learn how to use the social media sites to reach their targeted demographics.

BMA Event

Links:
http://www.bma-milwaukee.org/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/BMA-Milwaukee/143605512066
http://www.cvent.com/events/bma-lighting-round-speed-interviewing-resume-review-event/event-summary-1CAD7F737CF24EC6B222F48344C0DD5B.aspx
Last night was the BMA event at Manpower Inc. in Milwaukee. Personally, I felt that the evening was a success. Getting tips on how to better your professional self is always helpful. Especially when you're a college student trying to look for internships or jobs and trying to figure out what will make you stand out in the crowd. It also helped that we were able to get our resumes reviewed by more than one professional and interview with more than one professional. Personally, each professional that I spoke to had different tips and suggestions for me to walk away with. The part of the event that I liked the best/was most nervous for was the interviewing process. At first I was very nervous for the questions that I would be asked and I wasn't sure if I would be able to think on my feet. I feel like this part of the night was the most successful because I was able relax knowing that it wasn't an actual job interview. I liked that each professional had comment cards and were able to rate you on each aspect of the interview and still had time to personally give you tips on how to better your interviewing skills. Five minutes may not have seemed like a lot of time, but I learned a lot about myself in each five minute section. Overall, I had a great time and was thankful that I was able to meet as many professionals as I did.
Companies & People:
http://seroka.com/
http://www.johnsoncontrols.com/publish/us/en.html
http://www.insidesh.com/
@FullhouseCareer
@stratocasting
@apiwarun
@HaleyLandsman

The PR Student

Hello readers! My name is Courtney Omernick and I am a sophomore at UW-Whitewater. I am a Public Relations major and my minor is Arts Management.  At Whitewater I currently work for the University’s cable TV station where I spend most of my time filing paper work and making copies. Next year I hope to work for SEAL (Student Entertainment Awareness League) in their promotions department to help gain PR experience. In my free time I like being around my friends and family, running, dancing, reading and watching movies. At UW-Whitewater I am involved in PRSSA (Public Relations Student Society of America), Golden Key National Honour Society, Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society and Dance Company. I’m hoping to get a PR internship for the summer of 2011 for a PR firm in Milwaukee.  In the summer of 2012 I hope to gain an internship for my Arts Management minor that will focus on doing some form of PR (promotions) for a band, theater, or an arts facility like the Milwaukee Public Museum. After I graduate from college my dream involves moving to California and working as a celebrity assistant. Although, one of my greatest loves in my life is music. I would love to work as a talent agent for a record label or stick to one band and tour do promotions with them.