Tiffany Esposito – Communications Manager, Bonita Springs Chamber of Commerce –  cheerleader, recruiter, campaign manager, sales manager, graphic artist, event planner, volunteer coordinator

She is responsible for the writing and distribution of press releases, weekly e-briefs, event promotions and planning as well as branding and marketing. It’s a non-profit organization that isn’t funded by the state or government. She has the opportunity to wear a lot of hats within the organization and has recently begun working in sales as the industry demands more of all PR professionals. Esposito is also new to the work force.  
read more »

As you decide when to embark on your journey to destination APR, think about what is in your public relations “experience case.”

To prepare for your journey, make a checklist and consider:
read more »

With only a month to go until Election Day and an electorate distracted by an historic presidential election, Ron Sachs Communications used limited resources to launch an Internet-based campaign to highlight Amendment 4’s conservation message.

In a breakout session, Erica Villaneuva, Senior Account Executive at Ron Sachs Communications, shared insights into how the Ron Sachs’ team designed and implemented a simple, strategic, funny and memorable campaign that educated and motivated Floridians to approve the statewide amendment. The novel campaign, featuring talking animals, helped to vault voter support from 37 percent to 68 percent on Election Day.

Villaneuva also won the Dick Pope Golden Image Award at the 2009 FPRA Annual Conference for this campaign.

read more »

When it comes to persuasive writing keep in mind that you have two audiences:

• Central: Main audience, receptive to message, engaged. Persuade them with facts and figures.
• Peripheral: Not main target, not tuned into message. Persuade with non-message cues, including mood of environment, attractiveness of source, etc.

Surprisingly, most persuasion occurs peripherally!

Everything from your audience’s education background to interest level affects how your message is received.

Contact:

Spiro K. Kiousis, PhD, APR
Phone: (352) 273-1220
E-mail: skiousis@jou.ufl.edu

Now into month three of the disastrous BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, PR professionals across the state are dealing with the fallout. During lunch we heard from a panel of PR experts who are on the front lines of the crisis. 

Q1 – for Carol Dover, FMP, president/CEO of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association – When was the first moment you realized the impact this event was going to have on your industry? 

Carol shared that things have actually gotten worse, because now we’re moving into the claims process and it’s become very challenging for her industry. This is so different from anything ever dealt with before. In Florida, we’ve learned to deal with hurricanes and as a country we had to deal with 9/11. If you put all the hurricanes together and 9/11, Carol expressed that this oil spill is still much more than what we have had to deal with in those events.
read more »

James E. Lukaszewski is an expert in managing and reducing contention, counteracting tough, touchy, sensitive corporate communications issues. He is a prolific author (six books, hundreds of articles), lecturer (corporate, college and university), trainer, counselor, and internationally recognized speaker.

He led a stimulating session discussing the managerial perspective, including how to think strategically and be trustworthy in order to be the one that your boss wants at the table. Lukaszewski said he was happy to be discussing his most favorite subject, “You.”

read more »

In this session, Dr. Ferguson presented the results of research on how corporations with excellent reputations for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and sustainability effectively report on their CSR programs.  In her research on CSR, Dr. Ferguson took a close look at the Forbes list of 20 Most Responsible Companies, including their reports, activities and results.  Many of those companies were featured in today’s discussion.

So what is the definition of social responsibility, also referred to as sustainability?  It is an attitude of good citizenship. Organizations prosper as communities prosper.  Good CSR requires an attitude of responsibility to all stakeholders.  Sustainability includes environmental, economic and social aspects – what some call the triple bottom line of social responsibility.  The Dover Corporation is an example of a company expressing sustainability in this way.
read more »

Bio: Jenny Dervin joined JetBlue in 2005 as Director of Corporate Communications, and is responsible for the execution of the value airline’s media relations and crewmember communications functions. Prior to joining JetBlue, Jenny was with Delta Air Lines in a variety of communication positions, including speech writer for the president and program director for the operations functions. Jenny got her start in communications at Trans World Airlines as staff writer, eventually running the monthly newspaper and internal communications for the St. Louis-based airline. Jenny graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a degree in journalism and now calls New York City home. She feels lucky to have been able to combine her love of travel with her passion for communications. “Working for an airline is the best communications job ever,” Jenny says. “Every day you deal with something new, and communicators are a respected business partner.”

With social media taking the place of traditional media in breaking news and spreading information, how do communicators change their crisis communications plans? Jenny Dervin, Director of Corporate Communications for JetBlue Airways will discuss tips and techniques to monitor, respond, react to and influence social media that also benefit more traditional media coverage and internal communications.
read more »

Writers are artists, and artists need to be nurtured and encouraged. Their creative process is emotional and personal. So what can you do to motivate and inspire your writers?

• Improve your own skills continuously. This encourages your writers to work on their own skills, allows you to keep up with the writer’s lingo and keeps you sharp and credible.
• Leave it alone! The piece might not be exactly like you would write it, but that is ok. You guide the writer, don’t do it for them. By supporting their final product, your credibility increases in their eyes.
  read more »

As part of Jennifer Flake’s presentation on telling the Ford story, conference attendees have the unique opportunity to preview the new car models from Ford. Thanks for supporting our conference, Ford!