Who are the current leaders in the PR industry? You may know of them or you follow their Twitter feeds or ask to connect with them on LinkedIn and Facebook. Perhaps you may even know them in “real-life.” But do you know who will be the up-and-coming, new PR leaders? Who will be the next “person to follow” in the PR industry?
When you mentor students, you have an opportunity to meet these new leaders. Arik Hanson recently wrote about going back to his alma mater, Winona State University, for Pro Am Day. It’s a way for PR professionals to share their experiences and offer advice to students. My colleague, Tressa Robins, also attended St. Louis PRSA Pro Am Day, and discussed the event here on BurrellesLuce Fresh Ideas.
Twitter discussions are another great way for PR folks of different levels to discuss issues and find who’s fast becoming a rising star. Heather Whaling, @prTini, leads the #PR20 conversation on Tuesday nights. She recently blogged about pros you might not know, but should.
And she isn’t the only one drawing attention to emerging PR leaders. For the past 20 years, Washington Women in Public Relations (WWPR) has honored a female leader in the Washington PR industry. This year, the organization is looking to honor three emerging leaders on June 15, 2010. Although there are several criteria, in a recent informal poll, respondents felt the main quality of an emerging leader was “innovation.” It will be interesting to see how the honorees exhibit this quality.
“In today’s industry, there are many emerging leaders in the field – intelligent, budding PR leaders and creative practitioners. It is important to recognize these innovative communications professionals as knowledge experts and up-and-coming leaders in their chosen fields,” says Lauren Lawson, media relations manager at Goodwill International and past president, WWPR. “By motivating and inspiring these young leaders, you will help to grow and hone the skills of these communications professionals.”
Do you know an innovative young PR professional? How will you help promote them?
Last week, my colleague, Tressa Robbins, reviewed some ideas for PR resolutions. She referenced a post by Charlotte Schaff, who is looking to get more involved in her local PRSA, which made me wonder why people take the time to join a professional organization? My own personal thoughts aside, I queried my network on why they join professional organizations, and what are the advantages. Considering the economy, why are they paying their dues? (Full disclosure, I am a member of several organizations, and the current president of Washington Women in Public Relations.)
Networking The top advantage cited by everyone was networking. Lauren Lawson, Goodwill Industries, met her future boss at an accreditation event. Lawson told her of her goal to work at a nonprofit. They kept in touch, and her goal came true. You need to look at networking as building relationships. Lawson’s advice, “It helps to be persistent (without being annoying), look for likeminded individuals or people you’d like to achieve to be and also offer help when you can to that person. You never know what inside knowledge you have that might be helpful to someone else.”
Anne Lasseign Tiedt, APR, Momentum Public Relations writes, “I joined the Austin AWC professional chapter my senior year in college. The instant connections and access to networking opportunities helped me land my first job.”
For anyone who travels or has moved cities, a professional organization can be a life-line, offering activities and a network of people with similar interests. I experienced this when BurrellesLuce first moved me to Washington, D.C. a number of years ago. Some of my best friends were found at professional development seminars.
In the video below, Robin Lane, ZComm, explains why being a part of a professional organization is important.
Enhance Business and Learn About the Industry Networking can lead to new business opportunities as well. Beth Keller Legate, Image Base, joined IABC over 12 years ago to drive new business, and she has remained a member because it worked.
Organizations give members an opportunity to learn more about the industry and relevant topics through panels, speakers, events and conferences. Melissa Chang, APR, has found PRSA’s Travel and Tourism Conference to be helpful, and she especially enjoyed a “lightening round” pitching session one year.
Volunteerism Opportunities to volunteer run ramped. Independent writer and editor Richard Buse says, “I think the greatest benefits I’ve gained have come from volunteering. There are lots of great workshops and seminars out there, but I find that I learn much more through the hands-on experience I get from volunteering for various chapter functions.”
Meghan Sager, New Media Strategies, explains how membership in a professional organization recently helped her career:
Leadership Your needs may change as you progress through your career. Jeff Ghannam, Biotechnology Institute, commented, “Ten years later (after joining PRSA), the chapter now offers me something totally different. It gives me the opportunity to explore and enhance my leadership abilities… This service on the board has allowed me to enhance my people management skills, public speaking ability, and my ability to organize and delegate, just to name a few benefits.”
Additional advantages:
Resources and publications.
Learning new relevant information and tactics
Meet potential partners
Network of resources for questions
Job boards
Mentoring programs
Friendships
While there are many benefits to joining a professional organization, you may wish to exercise caution and do some research before committing to a membership. Consultant Robin Smothers says, “One thing to keep in mind is to make sure the organization will meet your needs: I wanted to expand into a new industry a few years ago, so I plopped down $200 to join a organization I thought was a good fit. Turns out that although the people were nice, they did not have the power to hire or even offer recommendations to those who did hire.”
And Meredith Mobley, marketing communications coordinator and PRSA Hampton Roads board member, reminds us that “with any membership, it is what you make of it.” Simply attending events, is not enough, you need to get involved.
Why have you joined a professional organization? Please share your thoughts on making the most of membership.
