Like Fitness, Communications Is a “No Pain, No Gain” Exercise.
January 10, 2012
This might sound like a meathead thing to say, but as we begin the New Year, remember that the steps to success with a new workout routine can also lead to gains in your communications strategy.
1. Take a look around before you hop on the exercise ball. Whether you spring for a few personal training sessions or just get the free tour, having a vet show you the ropes will pay dividends.
What kinds of dividends? You’ll be less likely to commit the cardinal sin of gym newbies: working out directly in front of the weight rack. Don’t do it. Ever.
Communications translation: Whether you are looking to step up internal or external efforts, or start utilizing a new social media platform, talk to someone who is already doing what you want to be doing. There are bigger landmines in the communications realm than blocking the kettle bells, and you need to know about them.
2. Be there for the right reasons. Bathing in cologne before your workout and ogling the Zumba instructor between reps do not qualify as “the right reasons.” It does, however, alienate the people around you.
Focus on your routine.
Communications translation: Make sure you have a legitimate answer to the question “Why should my message appear in this space?” If you think you should be on Facebook just because a lot of other people are there, think again. You should be on Facebook if your audience is on Facebook, and if you have the time and content to properly maintain the page. As the saying goes, “Having a bad page is worse than not having one at all.”
3. Commit. The only good thing about all of the resolutioners currently screwing with my morning routine is that most of them will be gone in two months … just when I’d be starting to get used to them.
Communications translation: Commit. Sorry, but it doesn’t get much simpler than that. No successful communications effort lasts 24 hours. Heck, even viral campaigns take a few days.
In short: Do some research, clarify your goals and stick to your plan. It’s that easy. And if you are looking for more tips on hitting the gym in the New Year, check out “The 27 Rules of Conquering the Gym” in The Wall Street Journal. It’s hilarious.
Penn State: Outside Looking In
November 10, 2011
There have been so many disturbing aspects to the Penn State story over the last week, and one that has particularly interested me, when I view it through a PR lens, is just how clearly this incident has revealed one aspect of human nature – our tendency to defend our own – and the flipside to that truth: just how stupid that looks to people looking in from the outside when that defense is unwarranted.
In the years that Jerry Sandusky allegedly was raping young boys, Penn State coaches and administrators protected their own by not pressing the issue – more concerned about their football program than about children.
As the news of the scandal broke, Penn State students again protected their own by rallying in Joe Paterno’s front yard. Paterno led the students in cheers, as if this were the time for a public display of Nittany Lion pride.
When Penn State’s board of trust announced Paterno’s firing, there were audible gasps of disbelief from the room – apparently even members of the local media were so bought-in to the football program that they were shocked by news (news the rest of the country applauded). 
Many Penn State fans complained that Paterno’s firing could have been handled better – as if that was the tragedy in all of this. In the most regrettable display of all, Penn State students rioted over the fact that their football coach had been fired.
From a public relations perspective, this is a clear reminder that one of the most important ways we can serve our clients is to provide an outsider’s view. Many in the Penn State community apparently were too close to the situation to see what was obvious to just about everyone on the outside: as the PSU loyalists were scurrying about circling the wagons (rallying for their coach, chanting fight songs, standing strong for their alma mater!), the rest of us could see that the wagons were already ablaze.
As PR people, we often try so hard to gain a spot in our client’s inner circle, and in most ways it does help us do our jobs better when we have a seat at the table. But in doing so, we must not sacrifice our ability to help our clients see the truths that are evident to everyone but them. Only then can we help them begin to rebuild public trust and their reputations.
- Andrew Maraniss
Dwight Lewis Knows What Truly Counts
October 4, 2011
Growing up, I was a news junkie. I loved opening up a fresh paper and peeling back each page as though it were an onion, uncovering some new piece of information with each page I turned. Some would make me cry, some would make me laugh, others would make me angry. It is the angry part that would lead me to write a letter to Mr. Dwight Lewis and in turn uncover a story that made me laugh, made me cry, and but most importantly made me thankful for Dwight Lewis, who recently retired after working more than 40 years as a journalist for The Tennessean.
I cannot recall why I had become so angry at the article Mr. Lewis had written that day; perhaps it had something to do with being 18 and stubborn as a mule or simply the fact that I wanted to disagree with him that day. Whatever it was, I felt compelled enough to write about it. After reading his article I put down The Tennessean and headed straight for the computer. I was armed with his email address and my keyboard. Twenty minutes later I pushed the send button and awaited his reply. In the meantime I vented to my mother about how wrong he was and how right I was. I mentioned Mr. Lewis by name only in passing, focusing instead on my argument; but his name had caught the attention of my mom. I was seated at our kitchen table still rambling on before she finally stopped me and cautioned me to be mindful of my words. In her loving yet stern motherly voice she tempered my anger by instilling in me the notion that just because you can yell the loudest does not mean you should drown out others.
I had described my triumphant email to her, and she seemed disappointed, not that I had disagreed, but the manner in which I had done so. “Words are powerful tools, and it is how you use them that determine what kind of person you are,” she told me. I was about to learn just how true her motherly wisdom was. As I sat there stewing at the kitchen table I had not realized that my mom had vanished out of the kitchen and was making her way toward her room. To say I was perplexed was an understatement. She is not one to just leave a room unannounced, much less in the middle of a teaching moment.
A few minutes later she returned and handed me an old clipped article from The Tennessean. There was Dwight Lewis’ familiar face staring back at me, albeit a little younger Dwight, but nonetheless him. The paper had faded with the years, and as I scanned to the title I could only stare blankly at the words I was reading, “Kennedy Knew What Truly Counted.” The article publication date was listed as January 29, 1998, three days after my father Jim Kennedy, former deputy governor to Governor Ned R. McWherter, had died unexpectedly. I sat there and started to read the words Dwight had composed and began to cry. I use the word compose because Dwight’s words were composed like Mozart composed a symphony. He brought my father to life like bagpipes do to the notes of Amazing Grace. It had been 10 years since my father had died of a heart attack while playing tennis, and like the paper I was holding in my hand, my memories of him had faded.
Dwight began to tell a story about a phone call he had had with my dad a few days before Christmas about a recent story regarding a grand jury hearing that my dad had been seated on. My dad let Dwight know that he did not want to be “the source” for the information; rather he just wanted the full story to be looked into because the he felt the public deserved to know. My dad was suspicious of the work that the DA’s office had done because of the time frame of the investigation, and after the story was investigated his hunch proved to be right. But the point of the story is not who was right or who was wrong; it is that honesty is what truly counts. If you are honest, you have nothing to hide, nothing to fear. The public deserved to know the full story no matter the consequences because it was their right. A title or a position does not make one privy to being above the law. My dad trusted Dwight and knew he would do the right thing; he would publish the honest truth regardless of what it was because the public deserved to know.
Most of the memories I have now are times that stick out in every child’s life; either I was in a lot of trouble or I had done something really good. I remember the night I refused to say yes ma’am to mom before my dad slammed on the car brakes, reached back, grabbed my leg, looked me in the face and informed me that I would respond with “yes ma’am” and “no ma’am” and there would be no questions asked. Needless to say, I still say my sirs and ma’ams today. I remember the last time I saw him, telling him I would wait until he got home to watch the Super Bowl, only to have him never come back. I remember his laugh and his contagious sense of humor that could put everyone around him at ease. I remember his love for his boss, former Gov. Ned R McWherter, and everything he stood for. He was a man of love, character and honesty, just like the man my dad hoped I would one day become.
Well dad, I have to say you owe Dwight Lewis a few beers one day because his article helped me to understand what you wanted in life not just for me but for every person, what it meant to be a decent human being. Dwight, my dad may not be around to thank you for your words but for both us I say thank you. For my family I say thank you. You have given us a gift that will give forever. I wish there were more people out there like you, a man of love, character, honesty, and not to mention a heck of a writer. Life brings many obstacles, but because of Dwight Lewis I have one less to navigate. A little boy who had searched for his dad now has him forever thanks to a few honest words by Dwight Lewis. My mom was right; words are powerful tools and it is how you use them that determine what kind of person you are. I am thankful that Dwight Lewis used his words to make a difference and speak for those who cannot.
It’s all in your head
October 3, 2011
I’ve never been a runner. Ironically, my husband runs and has since the day I met him. It took serious urging of co-workers to sign up for a half marathon that is in less than two weeks.
After some brain fumbling, I went online and paid the registration fee. What I didn’t know at the time was that my grandfather would pass away that very day, six hours after I paid the registration fee.
Sad – that’s what I was. He had been sick for a while, so it wasn’t a complete shock. Motivated – not in the least bit, at least not at that moment. I have always enjoyed walking, but I couldn’t even imagine myself running a quarter of a mile. Why in the world did I sign up to do this?
Then it dawned on me. I can do this. I can do this for him, in his memory. I may not be able to run the full thing or even half of it, but I am going to try at least. I can do this for my husband, who loves running. I can do this for my two small kids, who love my newfound energy. I can do this for ME.
The moral of the story is sometimes it’s all in your head. Don’t do the old “I think I can, I think I can” song and dance; just get out and do it. This doesn’t speak just to running, but to life in general.
Push yourself beyond your normal day-to-day limits and your whole world will be a new place. Mine is.
It has been three years. Three years since I moved to Music City. Three years since I was the “new girl” at MP&F. I’ve spent that time learning my way around the office, the Tennessee media landscape and the public relations industry. I have learned a lot – both in the office and outside it.
As a fairly fresh, young professional living in what I believe is one of the best cities for recent graduates (especially those of the SEC), I’ve found the most effective way to establish roots and build both business and personal relationships is to pack the social calendar.
I’ll admit, though, that I’m often the first to complain about a busy schedule:
- How about dinner on Tuesday? - You have a Nashville Junior Chamber meeting? What about Thursday? - Right, Live on the Green, I totally forgot. I’ve got it – let’s meet for lunch on Friday. - Seriously? A company lunch outing? How about some time in 2012?I struggle to balance a busy social and professional development schedule with the downtime this introvert needs to recharge her batteries. But, as a family-free young professional, I know I will never have more free time than I do now. Carpe diem, Elizabeth. Get out there and be active.
I don’t necessarily mean taking up extreme activities like skydiving or roller derby – but how about a kickball league or trivia night? Visiting a new museum? Attending a fundraising gala? Taking advantage of Tennessee’s outdoor offerings? Signing up for a class or volunteering with a nonprofit organization? Joining a professional organization?
The key to not feeling overwhelmed is twofold:
- Pinpoint activities that genuinely interest you.
- Never feel guilty for discontinuing an activity you are not genuinely enjoying.
When planning my schedule for the month, I find it helpful to regularly browse a variety of blogs, websites, e-newsletters and magazines (and keep an eye on Twitter, of course). A few resources I find particularly helpful are below.
Once you have pinpointed the activities you are interested in, the only thing left to do is get out there! See you around town, Nashville. Come say hello (if you can track me down) via Twitter or Foursquare.
