Thursday, May 22, 2014
Friday, March 8, 2013
Building Public Relations on a Foundation of Friendraising- Dr. Dan Eller
Most public relations professionals are quite adept at building relationships with their clients and publics, but how do we carve out a pathway that facilitates a smooth road for these relationships to travel and ultimately expand? What I’ve found in my professional public relations practice is focusing on friendraising. You ask, what is friendraising in terms of public relations practice and how do I get started?
Really the answer is simple…FOCUS ON THE FUTURE! Who are the people that you need to network with today, and how will this experience create future opportunities for everyone involved? How does friendraising differ from networking?
First, be on the lookout for new individuals and groups that will allow you to build effective and sustainable relationships by developing your use of friendraising. Don’t stay inside the box, or just look outside the box, throw the box away and be open to creating and seeking new opportunities to meet and develop a relationship with those who haven’t yet discover what you have to offer to meet each other’s needs.
Second, develop the strategies necessary to implement your friendraising tactics. Do your homework to actively seek out and interface with those who will benefit through a mutual relationship. Craft the message that will resonate with these new friends that draw them in to what you have to offer and how what they bring with them helps each other.
Third, develop and implement the tactics that will allow you to practice the art of friendraising. Be creative and do the things that show your forward thinking as a public relations practitioner. Remember not everything we do always hits a homerun, but choosing a different bat may be just what you need to hit the ball out of the park.
Finally, always look at the new people you meet, and who they represent as an opportunity to collaborate with to build a relationship through friendraising. Now that we have successfully created new relationships through our friendraising efforts, focus on continued collaboration and look for further friendraising opportunities that create almost a domino effect. I am always actively looking for new opportunities to develop friends, and foster a relationship with them that will build the foundation of my public relations efforts to develop and succeed!
Most public relations professionals are quite adept at building relationships with their clients and publics, but how do we carve out a pathway that facilitates a smooth road for these relationships to travel and ultimately expand? What I’ve found in my professional public relations practice is focusing on friendraising. You ask, what is friendraising in terms of public relations practice and how do I get started?
Really the answer is simple…FOCUS ON THE FUTURE! Who are the people that you need to network with today, and how will this experience create future opportunities for everyone involved? How does friendraising differ from networking?
First, be on the lookout for new individuals and groups that will allow you to build effective and sustainable relationships by developing your use of friendraising. Don’t stay inside the box, or just look outside the box, throw the box away and be open to creating and seeking new opportunities to meet and develop a relationship with those who haven’t yet discover what you have to offer to meet each other’s needs.
Second, develop the strategies necessary to implement your friendraising tactics. Do your homework to actively seek out and interface with those who will benefit through a mutual relationship. Craft the message that will resonate with these new friends that draw them in to what you have to offer and how what they bring with them helps each other.
Third, develop and implement the tactics that will allow you to practice the art of friendraising. Be creative and do the things that show your forward thinking as a public relations practitioner. Remember not everything we do always hits a homerun, but choosing a different bat may be just what you need to hit the ball out of the park.
Finally, always look at the new people you meet, and who they represent as an opportunity to collaborate with to build a relationship through friendraising. Now that we have successfully created new relationships through our friendraising efforts, focus on continued collaboration and look for further friendraising opportunities that create almost a domino effect. I am always actively looking for new opportunities to develop friends, and foster a relationship with them that will build the foundation of my public relations efforts to develop and succeed!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Social Media and Networking
A few thoughts regarding social media and social networking:
1. The fastest growing demographic on Facebook are 50-65 year old woman subscribers.
2. Traditionally woman decide the vacation for a family, so it makes sense with your employer to focus on this segment.
3. Facebook is a two way communication that overshadows advertising, so create a dialog (conversation) between you and your publics.
4. Social media is instantaneous dissemination of news, information, images, audio, video (link to Youtube).
5. Purchase a Flip HD Camera (approximately $130) so you as the administrator can film video and take images to post on a regular updated basis.
6. Keep thing current and up to date, too many sites are out of date.
7. Cross link to reach target markets to build and maintain reputation and branding.
8. Authenticity: put a face to your brand, company, and individuals to create scale, long-term storytelling, and pull).
9. Remind your employer that social media is relatively inexpensive to publish and is accessible to all, in comparison to traditional media such as radio/tv/print advertising.
10. Be interesting to your publics, create a "Buzz", and provide solutions to problems or objections.
1. The fastest growing demographic on Facebook are 50-65 year old woman subscribers.
2. Traditionally woman decide the vacation for a family, so it makes sense with your employer to focus on this segment.
3. Facebook is a two way communication that overshadows advertising, so create a dialog (conversation) between you and your publics.
4. Social media is instantaneous dissemination of news, information, images, audio, video (link to Youtube).
5. Purchase a Flip HD Camera (approximately $130) so you as the administrator can film video and take images to post on a regular updated basis.
6. Keep thing current and up to date, too many sites are out of date.
7. Cross link to reach target markets to build and maintain reputation and branding.
8. Authenticity: put a face to your brand, company, and individuals to create scale, long-term storytelling, and pull).
9. Remind your employer that social media is relatively inexpensive to publish and is accessible to all, in comparison to traditional media such as radio/tv/print advertising.
10. Be interesting to your publics, create a "Buzz", and provide solutions to problems or objections.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Educational Leadership and Communication
Educational Leaders need to ask themselves, “How transparent and how broadly shared are the communication systems in our organization”? If the answer is, “communication systems stop at some point within the organization, then there is a lack of trust because of stasis developing within the organization.
As leaders, the language that we use is our most powerful tool in the organization. We as leaders need to understand the language that we use, and that what I say and how I say it can influence those in the organization. By using our influence and not our power, we can increase the value in the people around us and validate their contributions to the organization.
Transparent communication validates everyone in the organization, and does not undermine the power of those higher up the organizational chain of command. In direct contrast; as those around are fully informed, they come to understand the knowledge and credibility of those individuals that they work with. It is at this point that the educational leader’s tacit knowledge becomes increasingly apparent and the members of the organization see the big picture.
As leaders, the language that we use is our most powerful tool in the organization. We as leaders need to understand the language that we use, and that what I say and how I say it can influence those in the organization. By using our influence and not our power, we can increase the value in the people around us and validate their contributions to the organization.
Transparent communication validates everyone in the organization, and does not undermine the power of those higher up the organizational chain of command. In direct contrast; as those around are fully informed, they come to understand the knowledge and credibility of those individuals that they work with. It is at this point that the educational leader’s tacit knowledge becomes increasingly apparent and the members of the organization see the big picture.
Friday, January 16, 2009
FORMING / STORMING / NORMING / PERFORMING
As a graduate student of Education Leadership in a cohort based doctoral program, matriculation to graduation is always a concern. The impact of the cohort structure to facilitate students through the coursework, research, and ultimately graduation is based on building and maintaining a cohesive cohort group.
Bruce Tuckman in 1965 proposed a model of group development; that the group decision making process entails four stages of forming, storming, norming, and performing. These four steps can be defined as:
Forming: getting to know each other, team building, and learning about the opportunities and challenges that the group will face.
Storming: the group breaks down barriers and focusing on the task at hand; the members work independently and together they will grow as a team.
Norming: the group will focus on work now; and the tasks at hand as shared.
Performing: the group works to a common goal as a unit.
As a member of a highly efficient doctoral cohort, the processes and ultimately the tasks that I must master to achieve my goal of matriculation is fostered by my cohort. This process is a reality because as we formed, stormed, and normed, we now continue to work independently and together to perform with a common goal of academic success.
Bruce Tuckman in 1965 proposed a model of group development; that the group decision making process entails four stages of forming, storming, norming, and performing. These four steps can be defined as:
Forming: getting to know each other, team building, and learning about the opportunities and challenges that the group will face.
Storming: the group breaks down barriers and focusing on the task at hand; the members work independently and together they will grow as a team.
Norming: the group will focus on work now; and the tasks at hand as shared.
Performing: the group works to a common goal as a unit.
As a member of a highly efficient doctoral cohort, the processes and ultimately the tasks that I must master to achieve my goal of matriculation is fostered by my cohort. This process is a reality because as we formed, stormed, and normed, we now continue to work independently and together to perform with a common goal of academic success.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Validation and Educational Leadership - Revisited
Posted 10/13/08: The effective leader is one that displays consistent behavior and that is respectful through personal validation of others. Validation is to focus on someone's feelings, accepting someone's feelings, understanding them, and followed by nurturing them. By validating someone, we provide a safe environment for them to share their feelings and thoughts with respect. This process allows people to feel that their ideas were heard, acknowledged, understood and accepted. As educational leaders validate the people we work with, we enhance those around us, and add value to them in a learning environment without dictating to them.
Posted 1/10/09: Validation: people are emotional beings in a social setting that need to be validated or things DO NOT work. In an organization every person needs to be both formally and informally validated to empower and motivate individuals. The effective educational leader utilizes communication that displays respect of other’s opinions and communicates acknowledgement that they are heard and respected. Regardless of whether or not the leader actually agrees with the opinions of others; not dismissing or marginalizing people’s feelings with a genuine respect as a legitimate expression of their feeling will validate others and this DOES WORK.
Posted 1/10/09: Validation: people are emotional beings in a social setting that need to be validated or things DO NOT work. In an organization every person needs to be both formally and informally validated to empower and motivate individuals. The effective educational leader utilizes communication that displays respect of other’s opinions and communicates acknowledgement that they are heard and respected. Regardless of whether or not the leader actually agrees with the opinions of others; not dismissing or marginalizing people’s feelings with a genuine respect as a legitimate expression of their feeling will validate others and this DOES WORK.
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