On March 15, members of the Department of Transportation’s Communication Team spoke to PRSA members about the challenges of communicating the massive Zoo Interchange Project. They provided an overview of the project and some strategies and tactics they use for communicating to the many target audiences they have. Here is a link to their informative presentation. PRSA would like to thank member Brian DeNeve for making this event happen.

All members are hereby notified that the Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Wisconsin Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America will be:

Tuesday, December 7, 2016 at 6:00 pm  at:

Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum, 2220 N. Terrace Ave., Milwaukee

The following item of business will be brought before the members:

Election of 2016 Officers and Directors

The following persons have been nominated by the Chapter’s Nominating Committee:

President – Sara Rude

President-Elect – Patrick McSweeney, APR, Fellow PRSA

Treasurer – Jeff Dardis

Director at Large – Emily Bultman

Assembly Delegate – Holly Haseley

Assembly Delegate – Michael Pflughoeft, APR, Fellow PRSA

Previously elected and also serving will be:

Immediate Past-President – Heidi Fendos

Secretary – Phill Trewyn

Director at Large – Kelly Savage, APR

Director at Large – Meg Hemmelgarn

Director at Large – Don Klein

Assembly Delegate – Audra Jacobs

Ethics Officer – Karren Jeske, APR

Membership Officer – Tim Olsen, APR

The weather may be fine now, but in a few short months it will be icy cold – and the homeless will be looking for a safe, welcoming place to stay. For many years, Repairers of the Breach, Milwaukee’s only daytime refuge and resource center for homeless adults, has met a vital need in our community. You’re invited to support this worthwhile organization though an upcoming afternoon of service through PRSA of Southeastern Wisconsin.

This opportunity is an extension of the ongoing PR, marketing and social media strategy offered to Repairers of the Breach by PRSA’s Community Outreach Committee. Volunteers will be asked to clean and organize the center.

Details:

3 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 29

Repairers of the Breach, 1335 W. Vliet St.

Note: If you can only help part of the time, that’s okay!

 RSVP to Don Klein by Thursday, Sept. 22, at donklein99@wi.rr.com.

Want to join our chapter’s board in 2017? We’d love to have you! For a complete description of all of our board roles, click here.

Download the board nomination form here, and send your completed form to Heidi Fendos at heidi@fendospr.com.

By Sarah Feldner

When considering the corporate communication function of an organization, discussion often starts with questions of corporate reputation, employee engagement, shareholder relations, issues management and key issues of the day.

As communication professionals, we know that we add value to corporate enterprise, and we work to ensure that the C-suite understands the value of this enterprise. But what if we reframe our questions and shift our focus? What happens when we start not with how communication strategy leads to business outcomes, but rather start with desired business outcomes and then work back to communication strategy?

These were the questions posed by Cree CEO Chuck Swoboda at the annual Corporate Communication Summit at Marquette University.

Swoboda offered a CEO’s view of communication function. Hearing what a CEO thinks about communication provided a view of the work that often does not get addressed. Communication conferences often tap the best minds in chief communication officer roles and provide invaluable insights into the profession. Yet this approach can be akin to us talking to ourselves. Bringing in the CEO view allows us to hold a different kind of mirror up to our work.

What we learned from Swoboda is not that our work is off track, but rather he underscored the need to think in terms of business strategy – framing communication as a business strategy itself. This view fits with the Arthur W. Page Society’s latest report on the CCO role. In this, the CCO works directly with the C-suite and acts as a business leader.

A renewed and strengthened focus on business outcomes as the driver of communication necessitates a different kind of professional. A solid foundation in communication skills, concepts and perspectives continues to be essential but not sufficient. Professional communicators need to hone their understanding of business fundamentals to get ahead.

We are actively engaging in these conversations at Marquette and thinking about the next generation of corporate communicators. The intersection of communication and business outcomes is where we situate our newest graduate degree program, the master’s degree in Corporate Communication.

Just as business outcomes need to drive communication strategy, our program combines the expertise of two of our colleges, the Graduate School of Management and the Diederich College of Communication, into a single program. To learn more, visit go.mu.edu/corporate-comm.

PRSA Southeast Wisconsin partnered with the Greater Kansas PRSA Chapter to judge our awards’ programs this year. The Greater Kansas Chapter judged our Paragon Awards this May and now we need your help to judge its awards. We have created judging options we hope fit your schedules.

Option 1: Tuesday, July 14, 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m., Bader Rutter

• Bader Rutter will host a judging event from 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m. on Tuesday, July, 14 at its office located at 13845 Bishop’s Drive in Brookfield. PRSA Southeast Wisconsin will provide pizza for attendees and Bader Rutter will provide meeting space and beverages. Participants will need to bring their own laptops and provide their email addresses in advance to Samantha Andrews.

Option 2: Thursday,  July 16, 1:30-3 p.m., Potawatomi Hotel & Casino’s Innovation Room

• If you can stay a few hours after our July 15 luncheon we will have a group judging event at Potawatomi Hotel’s Innovation Room. Participants will need to bring their own laptops and provide their email addresses in advance to Samantha Andrews.

Option 3: Judge awards remotely before Aug. 7

• If you cannot attend our group judging events on July 14 or July 16, but would like to help judge awards remotely, please email Samantha Andrews. Remote judges will be assigned entries to judge prior to Aug. 7.

Questions? Please email jessk@z2marketing.com or Samantha.Andrews@froedtert.com as soon as possible so we can make meeting plans and count on your support.

What’s in it for you?

Not only will you learn more to apply to your public relations practice by judging awards, but your time commitment can apply as credit toward the APR recertification requirement.

Thank you for your support of our PRSA Chapter.

Following the successful wrap up of the 2014-15 Mentor Program, the upcoming season is well underway! Thank you to Evan Zeppos, APR and Jerry Topczewski, APR for the wonderful insights they shared regarding crisis communications.

This is our 4th year of building mentor/mentee relationships and we’re expecting more participation than ever. As we continue the work and evolve to best serve those involved, there will be a few changes and additions to the coming season.

The first change is within the profile survey to match mentors and mentees. Along with basic information, interests, and areas of expertise, the survey will also compile information about the expectations of the mentor/mentee and the program.

In an attempt to create more opportunities to foster connections, this year there will be four mentor events instead of the previous three. These events are strictly Mentor Program events and are separate from our chapter’s monthly luncheons and Young Pros events.

The biggest change this year is the addition of a newsletter. Every month, mentors and mentees will receive an email compiled with ideas and information, aiding the process of creating a truly mutually beneficial relationship. Included in the newsletter will be potential articles to discuss, webinars to watch, places to meet, and more. Ideas and suggestions on content are always welcome.

The final change is the option to rematch halfway through the program. If you want to network further than your first assigned mentor and grow your network, you will have an option to do so. This will take place between the second and third events.

Please contact Christine Piela with any questions or comments. As Mentor Program Chair I look forward to the upcoming season!

Happy Friday! One of the biggest media events of the year took place this past weekend and unless you’ve been living under a rock I’m sure you’ve heard some sort of news about the Super Bowl. Since my beloved Green Bay Packers weren’t participating this year, like many others, I tuned into the game for the sole purposes of watching the commercials. As PR folks, there are countless lessons to be learned from these advertisements. Below are just a few articles to guide us. Enjoy!

Marketing Land
Super Bowl commercials with hashtags slipped to 50% In 2015 Read>>>

Business Insider
Nationwide was the most mentioned Super Bowl advertiser on social media — but not for the right reasons Read>>>

The Atlantic
The selling of the avocado Read>>>

Kristin Rabas (@krabas)
Sr. Public Relations Advisor
Aurora Health Care

Well, we’re nine days into 2015 and I’m wondering how many of us have already broken our New Year’s resolutions. While I’m sure everyone made a comprehensive list of how they’re going to work differently, more efficiently or more happily this year, here are some tips and pointers for ways to make 2015 the year that helps boosts your career to the next level. Enjoy!

Digiday
5 things we learned about content in 2014 Read>>>

Forbes
2015: Social HR becomes a reality Read>>>

Forbes
10 surefire ways to boost your productivity in 2015 Read>>>

Kristin Rabas (@krabas)
Sr. Public Relations Advisor
Aurora Health Care