Airfoil’s “Mission Control Team” is responsible for training executives and employees of client companies to communicate their mission and messages more successfully, especially during a crisis. The team devotes a significant proportion of its training program to crisis communications and prevention, frequently focused on workplace violence. Last week’s horrific events in Aurora, Col.—the largest mass shooting in U.S. history—furnish a scenario that can be translated to manufacturing plants and other business sites. Many lessons in preventing and responding to crises certainly will be learned from that terrible night. Here are eight of the most important that have become apparent even at this early stage:
In a workplace violence scenario, no two situations are alike, and the nature of precautions continues to evolve. A final recommendation, therefore, is to periodically review and analyze your crisis prevention policies and actions to ensure no gaps have arisen as your facilities and staff have expanded or your locations have changed.
--Steve Friedman is the director of marketing communications at Airfoil, a high tech PR/marcomm agency with offices in Detroit and Silicon Valley. Follow Steve on Twitter @prwritingpro
In the course of their careers, public relations pros build a long list of areas they need to study—how various industries operate, differences among markets, cultural traits globally, digital devices, media preferences and processes, not to mention grammar, spelling and writing skills. But the one area that many PR practitioners—especially younger ones—fail to study over the years is the years themselves.
Today’s account teams are intensely focused on the latest trends, emerging social media, pop culture, sometimes politics, but they often haven’t taken the time to understand the historical roots of these phenomena. As in changing lanes in a car, we can’t really appreciate our fast-changing current society without first looking back to see what’s behind us. Can you answer this 12-question quiz?
If you could only answer half of these or fewer, you might benefit by taking a little more time to look back.
When you’re promoting current bands, music and MP3 players, look back and you may discover that the melody or lyrics of a new hit song are an updated version of an old standard or novelty tune of the 1940s.
When you’re having conversations with editors, understanding the methodologies and equipment they and their predecessors used in the 1970s and ’80s may make today’s editorial processes more intelligible.
When a hot new fashion erupts from a popular movie, you could be surprised to learn that same starlet-inspired fashion caused quite a stir in the 1920s.
The past is vast, so how can you get started grounding yourself more deeply in version 1.0 of the current century? You might begin by researching the answers to the dozen questions above. They’re purposely not linked; their value is in doing the homework. In the process, you’ll discover some great sources to help you acquire a quick overview of past people, places and technology, from Wikipedia and Information Please to sites for bios, quotes and entertainment.
With a thorough grounding in the popular past, you may become as successful and famous as Bob Gaudio! One can only hope.
--Steve Friedman is the director of marketing communications at Airfoil, a high tech PR/marcomm agency with offices in Detroit and Silicon Valley. Follow Steve on Twitter @prwritingpro
Are you a gamer? Traditionally, we might think gamers are teens locked away in the basement playing games like Borderlands and Call of Duty for days on end. However, the traditional view of a gamer is changing as games like Farmville and Angry Birds are played every day by mass amounts of people. Even more, games are now being incorporated into classrooms and workplaces and “gamification” is growing as a method to impact everything from employee onboarding to internal sales processes.
Gamification by definition is the use of game theory to engage people in the performance of everyday tasks. Typically, gamification applies to non-game applications and processes to encourage people to adopt them or influence how they are used. Companies are now working to understand how these elements can be incorporated into traditional programs, especially as members of the millennial generation enter the workforce and push their organizations to find new ways to improve participation in activities that are thought to be routine or mundane. And gaming could be that solution.
The goal of gamification is to achieve higher levels of engagement, change behaviors and stimulate innovation. With the prevalence of Facebook, Twitter and Zynga, more and more companies are looking for ways to tap into the social networking and digital worlds to take game elements into areas that are unrelated to games, such as loyalty programs or sales training. In fact, according to Gartner, it is estimated that by 2015, more than 50 percent of organizations that manage innovation processes will apply gamification to those business processes.
The opportunity for businesses looking to use gamification is great, but is it a good investment?
Recently the Wall Street Journal spoke with gamification author Gabe Zichermann about whether gamification is a passing fad or a legitimate business investment. Zichermann explains that one of the biggest misconceptions, causing some to think this is a fad, is that “we’re trying to turn things into a game.” The goal is to use the best technologies being created through games to create engagement and change behaviors.
The idea for gamification is based on the fact that we are not a society free from structure, rewards, or penalty for bad behaviors, says Zichermann. Gamification is simply tapping into those natural instincts we have to keep score to motivate today’s workforce and can prove to be a strong tool for any company looking to improve even the most mundane tasks. Here is a sampling of a few games that companies are providing to their employees and customers:
Are you ready to join the ranks and make gaming a larger part of your organization? Share your feedback and if you think there is a place in business to play games.
-- Christine Kunde is a closet gamer and account executive at Airfoil Public Relations, a high tech PR agency with offices in Silicon Valley and Detroit.
After learning that blogging at Airfoil was a hot trend, I knew I wanted to start contributing. I opened up a new Word doc in an attempt to start writing my first post. Immediately, I started sweating dreading the thought of my new fellow ‘foilers and other blog readers not only reading what I produce from various combinations of 26 letters, but judging my diction and grammar, too. Let’s be honest, us grammar competent PR people inevitably half read and half edit at all times. These thoughts were treading through my mind while the blank page on my monitor simultaneously seemed to be getting bigger and whiter.
Since I didn’t exactly know what to write about, I brainstormed. I thought about recounting the details of the wonderful and intelligent people I have met here – but ultimately ruled that out; there are too many people to write about. On the other hand, I could highlight the new technology, policies and clients I’ve learned about – but that didn’t seem exceptionally groundbreaking given that any new employee has to learn these sorts of things (side note: the technology we use and clients we service are honestly exciting). Adhering to the old adage of “write what you know” I decided to explore some of the topics that every recently graduated professional, no matter the industry, has to face. Ready, set, go!
The business of being business causal
I recently read an article in Forbes that entirely explains my daily dilemma: how do I know what the dickens to wear to work? Yes, we’re a business casual workplace - but if I emphasize the “business” part of business casual, I look like a teen girl playing dress up in her fashionable mother’s work clothes. Conversely, if I highlight the casual, how do I maintain a distinction between work clothes and everyday clothes? I thought about tons of different outfit combinations and realized I was getting desperate when I started to seriously consider wearing my egg costume to work (side note: apparently Gwen Stefani owns it, too).
Ultimately, I would advise recent grads to watch what everyone else at your workplace is wearing. For the first week I dressed to the nines daily to make a good first impression. After that, I modeled myself after other people’s wardrobes that I liked, while keeping in mind my own personal style. Now, I try to strike a balance between business and casual.
The art of walking in and out
Maybe this makes me sound too “recent grad,” but besides the coffee maker (it’s a Keurig!) and endless snack supply (seriously mind-blowing), what else astonishes me on a daily basis is that I come to work and no one calls out my name from the attendance list, I don’t swipe my student ID and I don’t find my manager to make sure someone knows I’m “P” (present). When I leave for the night, I merely walk out. It may sound trivial, but it’s not.
The bigger picture is that it means my employer expects and trusts that I am putting in my time. It means Airfoil isn’t my babysitter and isn’t trying to hold my hand. On my end, it means that I’m accountable for myself. Skipping a day of work is obviously not like skipping class (not that I ever did that…). Honestly, I enjoy being held accountable for myself and the hours I work. I am officially living in “the real world,” so I should act like it.
Lessons from the infamous 1:1s
As a “newb,” I talked with several ‘foilers with different titles and different experiences during “get to know” you meetings we call a “1:1.” I’d like to share some of my favorite tips that all recent grads might find valuable.
- From Megan S: Pitch from your desk. Pitch fearlessly. Be flexible. Think of all possible options before asking a question (not that asking questions is a bad thing, she notes). Allowing people to hear and learn from you and vice versa creates a culture of education, no matter what industry you’re in.
- From Sadie K: When put on a new team, it’s important to ask questions so you know your role, how often to report back and client goals and expectations. Doing so gets expectations on the table and helps you find your pace and helps with time management. Make connections with your managers. They want to hear from you.
- From Mary B: Don’t get distracted by your computer or phone during meetings; it’s easy to tell when someone’s not paying attention. Always listen, always be present. Your coworkers and your clients deserve your attention and respect.
Fin
Well there you have it— my insights into the professional, “real” world after college. What advice would you add to this list? What was the biggest change you experienced in your first professional role after school?
-- Jamie Favazza is an intern at Airfoil Public Relations, a high tech PR agency with offices in Silicon Valley and Detroit.
Aside from surprising some parents, Ted, the movie, awakened Teddy Ruxpin from its ‘80s hibernation. Ruxpin’s creator is miffed and horrified that his bear, who promoted stories about friendship and love, now guzzles beer and swears like a sailor.
I contest that it’s The Snuggle Bear from the fabric softener commercials and his creators that should be complaining. The resemblance is definitely there and The Snuggle Bear has much more to lose reputation wise.
See the comparisons for yourself. Aside from this whole bear-brawl, it was a rough week for mascots. A French track star assaulted an innocent mascot while she was trying to hand him a gift bag after the race. Ouch! Perhaps mascots worldwide should approach the UAW and organize. It’s a thought…or just hire a great PR firm.
-- Leah Haran is Senior Vice President, Client Services at Airfoil Public Relations, a high tech PR agency with offices in Silicon Valley and Detroit.
To me, the term “Generation X” has always suggested mystery—most appropriate, I can confirm from having fathered two members of this crowd. “Gen Y” sounds like a question—also apropos, since these Millennials seem to question traditional workplace processes and revel in “What’s on your mind?” posts, tweets and text.
So where does that leave “Generation Z”—the term we might use for post-Y youngsters born over the past seven to 10 years? Will they be the sleepy generation? Probably not. But we might end up calling them the Zoomers, an homage to their Boomer grandparents.
Zoomers are being socialized in a very different world from that of their parents—who adopted new technology and created new online services every other month—and their parents’ parents—who reveled in their own invention in the form of the Internet, chat, online games and e-commerce. Here are six phenomena we might witness as the Z Generation fashions its own place in a maturing 21st Century:
The seeds for most of these activities already have been planted, while others are educated guesses. One thing that won’t change, however, is the competitive nature of the human population. So those who Z-z-z will be those who lose. Maybe they’d prefer to be called the Mid-Millennials.
--Steve Friedman is the director of marketing communications at Airfoil Public Relations, a high tech PR agency with offices in Detroit and Silicon Valley. Follow Steve on Twitter @prwritingpro
Is it more important for organizations to communicate when economic times are good or bad? It’s a conversation I’ve had with many businesses, especially over the last few years as clients debate the relative value of their investments. Maybe not surprisingly, my answer is a valid “both.” However, nonprofits face a different set of communication challenges when our economy – and funding – fluctuate.
Coming off several years of downward giving trends, it’s awesome to read the recently released GivingUSA 2011 report detail positive gains in both individual and corporate giving in the last year. Great news, right? Sure, but nonprofits still have a steep hill to climb because most spend money the year after they earn it. So, when the broader economy or even, specifically, charitable giving improves, the nonprofit recovery suffers from a systematic lag.
But nonprofits can meet this challenge with communications. I was honored recently to have a discussion around these issues with a group of graduate students seeking a nonprofit management certification. I shared with them some communications best practices that can help them close the gap between giving levels and nonprofits’ recovery, including these:
Can you think of other for-profit communication practices that nonprofits can use to climb the hill to recovery? Share your ideas…crowd-sourcing is another efficient way nonprofits can gather information!
-- Janet Tyler is a co-CEO at Airfoil Public Relations, a high tech PR agency with offices in Silicon Valley and Detroit. Follow her on Twitter @Janet_Tyler
Have you been searching madly for a good book to keep you up nights, curl up with on the hammock or enjoy during a leisurely day of sailing? Look no further. Airfoil’s eBay Trading Assistant team – comprised solely of self-declared bibliomaniacs (loosely defined as those with an “excessive fondness for acquiring and possessing books”) – have searched high and low through dusty stacks and electronic libraries to bring you this Summer Reading List of the Biblio-Obsessed. Happy page turning!
From the Library of Caitlin Cassady
The book you’re too embarrassed to read in public, but it’s so good you do it anyway
20-Something, 20-Everything: A Quarter-life Woman’s Guide to Balance and Direction, Christine Hassler
The book you give to the family literati as a gift
The Thirteenth Tale, Diane Setterfield
The book you should re-read once a year
Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
The book that makes you become a bit of a conspiracy theorist (and chess master)
The Eight, Katherine Neville
The book your man-friend makes you read and you secretly love
Sahara, Clive Cussler
From the Library of Lisa Turner
(aka The Literary Elitist’s Guide to Summer Reading)
For the Jay Gatsby in you
Rules of Civility, Amor Towles
For the Sookie Stackhouse in you
The Historian, Elizabeth Kostova
For the Ophelia, Regan or Lady Macbeth in you
The Weird Sisters, Eleanor Brown
For the Lady Brett Ashley or Jake Barnes in you
The Paris Wife, Paula McLain
For the Hermione Granger in you
Discovery Witches, Deborah E. Harkness
From the Library of Jamie Favazza
For American lit lovers
For Whom The Bell Tolls, Ernest Hemingway
For history buffs
Maus, Art Spiegelman
For thinkers
Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle
For French speakers
Kiffe kiffe demain, Faïza Guène
For poets
The Yale Anthology of Twentieth-Century French Poetry, edited by Mary Ann Caws
From the Library of Kate Eidam
For the writers and journalists among us
Going to See the Elephant, Rodes Fishburne
For the closet Vulcans
Ender’s Game, Orson Scott Card
For (wild) animal lovers
The Daily Coyote, Shreve Stockton
For short story fiends
Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage, Alice Munro
For the poets who didn’t know it
The Trouble with Poetry, Billy Collins
Agree? Disagree? Have your own summer reading recommendations? Please let us know here, on Facebook or at @airfoilpr.
When Caitlin, Lisa, Jamie and Kate don’t have their noses buried in books or flipping pages on an e-reader, they hang out at their day jobs (which helps fund the cost of the book obsession) at Airfoil, a high-tech PR and marketing communications firm with offices in Silicon Valley and Detroit.