By Tamara Moore, Vice President at The Reis Group and Emerging Leaders Awards Committee Member
Since 2010, Washington Women in Public Relations has recognized young leaders in the DC communications area. Our 2015 class of three honorees included inspirations leaders that had proved to be outstanding individuals. In their young careers, these women have made a distinct mark public relations.
WWPR recently caught up with our 2015 Emerging Leaders honorees as they continue their professional journeys. These young pros continues to demonstrate what it means to “Make a PR Pro.”
Emily Rasowsky, Director of Marketing Strategy at Social Driver, recently launched two initiatives, #TechIsMore Virtual Events and InclusionDC. Of last year’s recognition by WWPR, she said, “Being recognized by such an established and respected group was a reminder of all the amazing people who have helped me along the way.”
The 2015 Emerging Leaders Awards kicked off a year of personal and professional growth for Sarah Coppersmith, Vice President of Scott Circle. Highlights included managing more than 300 media at a conference with the Vice President Joe Biden and many of the 2016 presidential candidates, as well as getting engaged to be married. Becoming an Emerging Leaders Awards honoree allowed her to reflect on her career. She said, “Sometimes we’re so caught up in our day-to-day work that it’s hard to step back and appreciate all of our hard work.”
Shannon Toher, Communications Manager at the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine had this advice for our 2016 finalists: “Think of the ELAs as a launching point. As an emerging leader, you have the opportunity—and in some ways the responsibility—to further develop your leadership skills. Listen to your fellow ELA candidates and discover new avenues to elevate your work. I was so inspired by the other women last year and tried to incorporate their leadership styles and initiatives into my own work.”
WWPR has an important role in recognizing and fostering the skills needed for “Making a PR Pro.” Our alumna honorees all note the inspiration, encouragement and network they took from their fellow emerging leaders. Secure your tickets to attend the 2016 Emerging Leaders Award to honor our upcoming leaders and get a first glimpse at these PR pros in the making.
Do you ever feel like your email inbox is literally dictating your life? This has become such a common phenomenon– dare I say epidemic –in today’s workplace. The irony is that the overuse and over reliance on email is leading us to neglect the truly important things – from a business perspective as well as in our personal lives.
How did we get where we are?The new normal business environment is defined by constant change, increased competition and challenging economic conditions.We feel more pressure to be “seen” to be working, and as more and more businesses operate across multiple time zones,the emails keep on coming, even when it’s supposed to be downtime!
Being great at responding to emails is not going to get you the corner office.In fact, I would argue, that it could actually be impeding your productivity and performance, and negatively impacting your health.Remember the S-T-A-R-S formula for effective goal setting which I shared with you in February? The first S was for Strategic. It’s crucial that you have clear objectives in mind that you want to achieve and keep focused on those.Emails are a tool, not an end objective.Constantly checking emails kills your productivity.Instead of your attention being directed at the business priority that you’ve set, you’re allowing others to dominate your agenda.
Emails are connected to poor health – really? You may think I’m overstating the case, but hear me out. Science tells us that being constantly present on email means our bodies are in high alert, or fright and flight mode. Why does that matter? In a high alert state (danger is imminent) are bodies are producing stress hormones, which when left unchecked, result in chronic headaches, sleep disruption, high blood pressure, and more. I have seen this first-hand, having worked in an organisation where every email had at least 30 recipients on it. Everyone wanted to be “seen”. Everyone was fighting for their individual survival in a time of great economic uncertainty. Sadly, the end result I witnessedwas too many talented professionals suffering from burnout and other stress-related illnesses.
Now understanding the consequences of letting emails control your life, what specific strategies can you follow? Always keeping in mind your strategic goals, here are my three top tips for managing email mania:
Set expectations with your clients, manager and colleagues about when you’re likely to be ‘on line.’ In effect, you’re teaching others about your email habits. For example, if you respond to emails late at night, others will be expecting you to do so in the future. Then you’ve fallen into a self-made trap! This also means it’s important to establish a standard form of communication when things are truly urgent. For instance,when you’re on holiday, say to your team and your manager, if something’s urgent the best way to reach me is by text.
Carve out chunks of time to deal with email. This not only avoids the constant disruption preventing you from focusing on your important strategic goals, but it also improves the quality of your email responses. It’s essential to respond in order of importance of the emails, rather than what comes in first. In fact, using your strategic lens, some emails don’t deserve a response at all! Some issues are just not deserving of your attention, and other issues can’t be resolved efficiently by email. A telephone call for instance may be more effective in dealing with emotionally sensitive issues or where a misunderstanding has occurred. Learning not to respond, or even not to respond right away are also learned skills, but equally valuable as learning to respond to truly significant issues.
Avoid looking at emails before you go to bed, and the first thing in the morning. Looking at emails before you go to bed, makes it more difficult for your brain to switch off from the fright and flight mode, and into the rest and digest mode that’s key to keeping your body healthy. As you fall asleep, you’re likely to be thinking about that work email! Looking at emails when you first wake up hijacks the day’s agenda. What’s strategically important to you for that day? Giving yourself some head space to think about you approach to the day and how to resolve some tricky key issues puts you in a position of control, and therefore reduces stress and improves not only your well being but your productivity.
Given email mania is a widely recognised problem,there are a number of tools out there in the various email systems to help you implement your newly found email strategy – filtering tools, colour coding for priority emails, shutting off pop ups, etc.Be brave– you may be swimming against the tide in your organisation, but the benefit is huge – you’ll be happier and healthier in your career!
Molly Mitchell, Scott CircleChintimini Keith, Edelman
Molly Mitchell is a communications associate at Scott Circle and member of WWPR.
Chintimini Keith is Vice President and Head of Integrated Production at Edelman’s DC office. She is also a proud WWPR member and credits the organization with helping her navigate the DC communications world. When she’s not taking the PR world by storm you can find her enjoying time with her family, decorating cookies in her kitchen or sharing a special meal at Rose’s Luxury in Capitol Hill.
WWPR’s Molly Mitchell sat down with Chintimini for the May edition of Power Points to learn more about the career lessons she’s learned, what advice she would give her early twenties self and where her you can find her go-to-margarita.
MM: Thank you for taking the time for WWPR today!
CK: Thank you for having me!
MM: I know from your LinkedIn profile you started out as a marketing coordinator for a radio station. How did you eventually get on the agency track?
CK: It wasn’t planned to be that way! I studied communications in college and thought I would end up at an agency. But toward the end of school I did an internship at the radio station — which I thought would be fun and it was! And just before I graduated my boss at the station left and a position became available which hardly ever happens. I thought it would be a fun, great first job. So I put my agency plans on hold for a few years.
MM: You’re very involved with WWPR. How did that start and how has that impacted your career?
CK: Greatly. I tell everyone that WWPR is one of the most dynamic, interesting and valuable groups of women to get involved in. I have been helped so much by this partnership and collaboration over the years. Early on in my career I got involved right away and WWPR definitely helped as I was looking to transition to an agency career path.
MM: How would you describe your current role at Edelman?
CK: Multifaceted. I do a lot of things, which I think is really common these days. You may have a title with a specific role but you actually end up doing many different jobs. Currently, I lead a team of producers and technical project managers working on creative projects, website builds, and coordinating with our strategy and planning team to ensure that the things we are creating match up to our standards.
MM: What’s the most gratifying aspect of your job?
CK: I would say the caliber of people I get to work with every single day both within Edelman and colleagues in the DC community.
MM: What experiences have you grown from or learned the most from in your professional career?
CK: Those moments when you realize how important it is to take risks and that you can take risks. When you’re starting out, that’s the last thing you want to do. You want to take the safe road, you want to do what you’re supposed to do. But there comes a time when you get a little more confidence and you start trying things. I would say to do more of that. Really that’s how you learn! If you fail, you also learn. Then you know for the next time.
MM: So it’s good to be out of your comfort zone?
CK: It’s essential.
MM: Circling back to mentoring women. At Edelman you’re involved with GWEN (Global Women’s Executive Network). Why do you make time for that?
CK: It’s one of the reasons that I came to Edelman when I was being offered the position way back when. I found out about GWEN and it was one of those things that sold me on Edelman. Not only was this a great company but also this was a company that had an initiative for women and was really putting their money where their mouth was when it came to getting women in the senior most positions at the company.
MM: What do you see as the major trends in marketing communications today?
CK: Well I think it’s no longer that digital is the future. Digital is here – we’re in the future and everything is digital. Even a few years ago people were still saying things like, ‘Well digital has to be involved but…’ Now we’re there and digital is really running everything.
MM: Going off that – what are your thoughts on the constantly evolving social media landscape? How critical are those to a successful communications campaign?
CK: No doubt they are highly critical. I think it’s in the way that companies and brands are using them. That’s really where the trick lies. Every brand shouldn’t necessarily be engaging on every channel all the time. That’s where the strategy comes in and you have to look at what the companies’ goals are and who their audience is. The reality is people can talk about your brand anywhere at anytime. Even if you’re not necessarily active on a channel or a platform you still need to know what’s happening because it’s important for your holistic communications plan.
MM: How do you define success for an effective marketing communications campaign?
CK: Before you start to plan the campaign, and this is where a lot of campaigns can fall down, you need to talk about what success really means for that company or client.Right at the beginning, before you jump into cool, fun and splashy tactics: What are you trying to do? Who are you trying to get to do it? Who’s your audience? Setting up the foundation of how you’re going to be measured. Oftentimes that isn’t happening or not to the level that it needs to be. Clients are still really focused on “likes” or things in that vein but at the end of the day what does that “like” really equal?
MM: Does it translate into money, brand awareness or new business for the client?
CK: Exactly. Is it converting to sales?
MM: Turning to fun lifestyle questions. I know your twitter handle is @chintiminibakes. What’s your favorite thing to whip up in the kitchen?
CK: This is my side hobby that I do at 2 a.m. because that’s the only time I have. I specialize in decorated sugar cookies. Some people know that’s my secret side activity – even though I don’t have that much time for it these days. But I have made everything from a power drill to a baby to a Yo Gabba Gabba! character cookies. It’s my secret hobby!
MM: Where’s your ideal place to get a drink after work?
CK: One of my favorite places to go when I do have time is Lauriol Plaza. I love a good margarita – this time of year especially.
MM: After that, where’s your favorite place in the city to eat?
CK: I love to eat! My favorite place to go changes with the seasons. These days it’s Rose’s Luxury or the Tabard Inn. Rose’s Luxury is just fabulous they have really great fresh ingredients and mixed drinks. But you can’t go wrong in DC, the restaurant scene is exploding and it’s really exciting.
MM: Any DC hidden gems you love?
CK: One of my favorite places to go and take the kids is Gravelly Point right by the airport. You can see the planes landing and taking off. I just think that is so fun. You feel like the plane could touch you. It’s an experience unlike any other.
MM: Last question, what advice would you give to your early twenties self?
CK: Oh, so many things! I would say learn how to take risks, make decisions and go with them, go with your gut and just be fearless. And if you don’t feel fearless or confident – fake it till you do. A lot of other people feel the same way.
Washington Women in PR is proud to announce the winners of the 2016 Emerging Leaders Awards.
The Emerging Leaders Awards is a special accolade for young women active within the communications field who have made a significant impact on the industry. The seventh annual awards ceremony and cocktail reception will bring together more than 140 communications professionals to hear Case Foundation’s Senior Director of Communications Jade Floyd explore this year’s theme “Making A PR Pro.”
From the six finalists, three Emerging Leaders Awards honorees will be named at the ceremony and cocktail reception onTuesday, June 21 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The event will take place at the Morning Consult offices located at 729 15th Street N.W., Washington, D.C. To register for the event, click here.
Emerging Leaders Awards Finalists:
Brittanie Clement, Delucchi Plus. Often spending hours perusing the fashion glossies in the grocery store as a teenager, Brittanie Clement’s passion for unconventional storytelling started at an early age. Today, Brittanie now proudly places her client’s stories in the same publications she once coveted as a young girl. As an award-winning public relations specialist and agency “PR powerhouse,” her work with the retailers and restaurants at Washington’s regional airports and the iconic beauty brand Sassoon Salon and Academy, have earned top tier editorial placements in VOGUE, Women’s Wear Daily, USA TODAY, CBS’s Emmy-Award Nominated Daytime Talk Show, “The Talk,” E! Fashion Police, CNBC, US Weekly and the Washington Post.
Cait DeBaun, U.S. Travel Association. Cait DeBaun joined the U.S. Travel Association in April 2014. As Director for Project: Time Off, Cait is responsible for day-to- day strategy and execution of communications activities for Project: Time Off. Under Cait’s leadership, Project: Time Off garnered more than 200 million media impressions, including exclusive coverage on NBC Nightly News, CBS This Morning, and a TIME magazine cover story. Cait is also the General Manager for Project: Time Off’s Upside of Downtime Forum, started in 2015 with feature speakers Arianna Huffington and Randi Zuckerberg to discuss the value of vacation to personal wellbeing, professional success, and business performance.
Sarah Hubbart, Michael Torrey Associates, LLC. Sarah leads the firm’s communications program and develops and implements government affairs,issues management, and coalition building projects. She has extensive issues management and media relations experience, honed at positions at the Animal Agriculture Alliance, where she helped lead a national coalition of livestock industry leaders, the National Association of Conservation Districts, and as a journalist. Hubbart is a Northern California native and has a master’s degree in media and public affairs from George Washington University and a bachelor’s degree in agricultural communications and political science from California State University, Chico. She was named a Bryce Harlow Foundation Fellow for advocacy with integrity and is active in several professional agricultural communications organizations, including the National Association of Farm Broadcasters and Agriculture Relations Council.
Rachel Racoosin, LEVICK. Rachel Racoosin is a Senior Digital Strategist at LEVICK specializing in search engine optimization (SEO) and marketing (SEM), reputation management, and social media strategy. Rachel previously worked at Ketchum, a global Public Relations firm, in addition to, RepEquity, an online reputation and brand management firm where she developed impactful digital strategies to build and protect some of the largest brands in the sports, entertainment, health care, advocacy, and non-profit arenas. Prior to joining LEVICK, Rachel managed the social media strategy and message execution for the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services with more than 63,000 Twitter followers.
KC Sledd, Atlantic Media Strategies. KC Sledd is a leading strategist at Atlantic Media Strategies (AMS), developing campaigns for leading organizations at pivotal moments of transformation, across philanthropy, social marketing, and corporate social responsibility. Prior to joining AMS, she developed public/private partnerships at Ogilvy Public Relations’ Social Change practice, raised money for DC’s Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, and supported GlobalGiving’s mission through social media, customer service, and corporate partnerships. She is also the Vice President of Communications for the local chapter of Net Impact, an organization that uses the power of business to create a more socially and environmentally sustainable world. KC earned her B.A. from Virginia Commonwealth University and her M.P.S. in Public Relations and Corporate Communications from Georgetown University.
Melissa Zuckerman, JPA Health Communications. Holding an M.A. in integrated marketing communications and a certificate in project management, Melissa is well-versed in both the academic and practical aspects of planning and executing comprehensive programs that engage target audiences across channels to achieve business and communications goals. Melissa specializes in strategic communications, planning and research, branding, message and materials development, partnership outreach, media relations, digital strategy, and event planning. Currently, Melissa is an account supervisor at JPA Health Communications where she specializes in health and nonprofit clients. At JPA, Melissa oversees high profile initiatives for the American Medical Informatics Association, the College of American Pathologists (CAP), Lamaze International, and Together for Safer Roads.
The Role of Public Relations in Politics is a monthly column written by WWPR member Margaret Mulvihill, examining the role of PR in politics.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of Washington Women in Public Relations
pub·lic re·la·tions
noun
the professional maintenance of a favorable public image by a company or other organization or a famous person.
the state of the relationship between the public and a company or other organization or a famous person.
What is public relations today? It’s still media management, by and large, although I like the explanation that “it’s the state of the relationship between the public and a company or other organization or a famous person”.There’s just so much more involved today than there was eight years ago, when Barack Obama was elected President. The 24-hour news cycle has definitely had an effect, as has the increased and increasing usage of social media platforms by the candidates themselves.
The current presidential race has thrown traditional political public relations into high relief. As each candidate faces obstacles and crises, the strength and power of their campaign’s PR has and continues to be tested. Each and every candidate faces issues worthy of traditional PR intervention. That only Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, and Bernie Sanders are still in the running tells us much about how that’s all working out.
Donald Trump, of course, has relied heavily on himself and on his own staff – notably his children – this election cycle, rather than on outside PR firms. Many of his PR crises have been, and continue to be, self-inflicted, with Twitter being his weapon of choice. The missile makes a direct hit on his intended target, in some cases causing lasting reputational damage, and the candidates relying on traditional PR struggle to react. Do you fight back immediately, or do you hold yourself to a higher standard and refuse to get involved?
Trump uses his own Twitter account, his own voice, to reach out to his base. He uses it as an attack launch-pad, firing verbal missiles at his competition. In these interesting times of the 24-hour news cycle, he has shown, and continues to show, that the American people are sick and tired of parroted soundbites from campaign spokespeople. Trump strikes in the middle of the night, when most of his competition and their traditional PR people are sleeping. The PR world awakes to mayhem, already a few critical steps behind in rebutting whatever negative message Trump has put out about them while they slept. By speaking directly to his base and to the media, his supporters and his media coverage have expanded hugely.
Hillary Clinton is the poster-child of the traditional PR media management, and faces a different scenario when it comes to media management. Many of her crises have been imposed upon her by serving Republican Senators and Congress people. Her campaign was targeted from the outset by special-interest groups, with Trey Goudy battering her on Benghazi, and other candidates targeting her husband’s NAFTA and romantic liaisons.
She has been remarkably flat-footed in fighting back, not seeming to understand that the goal-posts have moved. From a PR point of view, it will be very interesting to watch her campaign adapt after the Democratic convention – if she is the party nominee.As Trump is the presumptive nominee for the Republican Party, her campaign needs to do a lot of catch-up to stay relevant in the general election. He is the master of the personal sound-bite.
While one could argue that traditional PR still has its place in traditional business settings, I would dispute its effectiveness in modern-day politics. It just doesn’t work for the 24-hour news cycle. However, for political campaigns and other dynamic organizations, we need the full spectrum of media management, digital outreach, and in-person appearances.
Margaret Mulvihill is Director of Communications at Lawson Mulvihill Media Inc., in Washington, DC. Follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/political_pr
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Brittanie Clement
Cait DeBaun joined the U.S. Travel Association in April 2014. As Director for Project: Time Off, Cait is responsible for day-to- day strategy and execution of communications activities for Project: Time Off. Under Cait’s leadership, Project: Time Off garnered more than 200 million media impressions, including exclusive coverage on NBC Nightly News, CBS This Morning, and a TIME magazine cover story. Cait is also the General Manager for Project: Time Off’s Upside of Downtime Forum, started in 2015 with feature speakers Arianna Huffington and Randi Zuckerberg to discuss the value of vacation to personal wellbeing, professional success, and business performance.
Sarah Hubbart
Rachel Racoosin
KC Sledd
Melissa Zuckerman
