January Lunch: Let the Discussion Continue...

As we promised during the lunch, we're hoping to keep the discussion rolling with both attendees and those who couldn't attend but are invested in this topic. To that end... the questions we presented at the lunch for discussion were:

• How have you successfully leveraged the resources of your organization to benefit broader coalition efforts?
• Based on your previous experience, describe what you perceive to be pitfalls/obstacles that may impede a coalition’s success.
• How do you effectively integrate coalition objectives and messages into your organization’s daily activities and communication?
• What are the keys to sustaining participation and engagement from stakeholders in coalition activities over the long-term?
• What tools (Web-based and other) have you found to be effective to promote community building, collaboration, and networking among coalition participants?

And taking advantage of our largely non-scientific audience…

• Based on your personal observations and experience, what do you perceive to be key shortcomings in science outreach and communication that ought to be addressed for the COPUS effort to succeed?

So now it's your turn to write. Answer the questions. Give us your thoughts. Post new questions...

January Lunch: Redux

So we held our January lunch. And in the words of one of our presenters: "Today's lunch was a smashing success."

We're happy to hear our presenters were happy, and just hope our guests were as well.

I'm sure our January speakers will be sending us an overview on their presentations to post here, but in the meantime, a few notes from me about what our speakers said about coalition building:

• You need to get everyone involved and engaged. This may mean having to hold focus groups with your "crossed arms" attendees.
• You, as moderator/creator of the group, must be neutral.
• Stay calm. Most things blow over.
• Don't let the difficult people in your coalition control the agenda.
• Buy in is often easier when there isn't a member fee involved. (Don't we know it!)

For those who attended January's lunch, we'd love to hear what advice you walked away with that you found particularly helpful. So reply in the "comments" section with your take-aways and let's get the discussion started. (And keep checking back, because later this week I'll be posting our "discussion questions" from the session so we can keep the discussion going...)

January Lunch Is Full!

For the second month in a row, our CCG lunch was booked full within 24 hours of announcing it.

Howdy Partner: How to Bring Together a Coalition of Agencies, Companies, and Other Entities to Work on a Larger Initiative

If you were interested in attending and didn't RSVP in time, we hope to see you next month.

Do you BigThink.com?

So today's New York Times featured an article about a new social networking web site called BigThink.com (tagline: We Are What You Think).

Read the NYT piece. It's a cool idea: A social networking site for the discussion of "big ideas." It started with the site creator uploading "hundreds of hours of direct, unfiltered interviews with today's leading thinkers, movers and shakers." His hope is that you'll watch the videos and then respond, either with a video of your own, a slideshow, or just a simple text answer. And, eventually, he wants you to upload interviews with the leading "thinkers" that you know.

But will it succeed? I venture to say yes... and not just because of the buzz that I'm sure will be built by the NYT piece. I say "yes" because of the experts they've managed to get on-board -- everyone from novelists and CEOs of large companies to professors, politicians, and (yes, really) yoga masters.

But I say "yes" with a caveat... he's got to get the viewers. One suggestion: Reach out to colleges. Hope university professors will integrate projects dealing with this site into coursework. Get some buzz going in these environments that naturally deal with "big ideas."

I'd love to do a Q&A with the BigThink.com creator for this blog, but first I have to show him that I have the readership to do that. We've got 600+ members in this group. Those of you reading: encourage the other members and other PR and communications professionals to come here and post a comment saying they'd like to hear more from Peter Hopkins. If I get enough support on the site, then maybe I can convince him to answer some questions so I can give you the inside track on BigThink.com.

(And if you think BigThink.com is destined to fail, please let me know why. And comment. For the love of all things holy, comment!)

What Is PR Anyway?

Maybe that sounds like a funny title to some of you, but it's been the subject of a lot of conversations -- both in person and via various listservs and groups -- that I've had lately.

So many people seem to think that PR = media relations. And yes, media relations and all that goes with it -- pitching stories, monitoring media coverage of your organization and its competitors and allies, building relationships with reporters and editors -- is part of public relations.

But PR does not just equal media relations.

True public relations professionals are strategic advisers to their organizations. They provide guidance not just in terms of media relations, but also in customer relations, employee communications, community relations, investor relations (when applicable)... the list goes on and on. (Seriously, this is just the tip of the iceberg. There's marketing communications, crisis communications, you get the idea...)

All these conversations have led me to become a little worried about the state of our industry.

The best of the best whom I deal with seem to get it. They understand what their role should be and they work to make it just that. But too many others -- myself included at times -- get lost in the tactical, day-to-day details of the job. Did they get the clip they wanted? Is the text right for the company newsletter? And these details mean they stop worrying about the bigger picture.

So what say you? Do you agree with me? And if so, what tips or tricks can you offer as to how we can all better balance the two dimensions of the job? How can we become better, more valued strategic advisers?

I Hate to be Cliche, but...

... it is December 31st, and it's possible I'm the only person working today. (At least, working until noon, when my office closes.) That being the case, it seemed like the right time to blog. Plus, during my morning scan of a variety of websites and blogs, I came across a post that got me thinking.

One of my favorite sites, for its educational value and it's snarkiness (and let's be honest, most of us enjoy some good snarkiness) is the Bad Pitch Blog. (To their credit, those who get 'snarked' at by the site's bloggers deserve it. And seriously, if you haven't checked out the Bad Pitch Blog, do so. It's an invaluable learning tool for any PR professional.)

Anyway, the Bad Pitch Blog had a post about Industry Predictions and New Year's Resolutions.

So in the spirit of the season, my New Year's Resolutions for this blog and for CCG:

1. To continue to put together top-notch monthly lunches (okay, an obvious one, but important nonetheless).
2. To make this blog a more vibrant community, which means: more posts (so you all will make this one of your morning must-reads) and more contributions from speakers and the CCG community. Please, let me know what you want to see here. Do you want this to just be your site for updates on our lunches, i.e., not a true blog? Or do you want more?

My New's Resolutions for work:

1. OK, so maybe this is every PR professional's goal, but it's important anyway: To create better pitches that result in more significant coverage for my employer.
2. To get at least one good, meaty story in The Washington Post. (Though truthfully, I'd really love 3 or 4. But maybe that's just greedy.)
3. To keep my office organized.

And, of course, my New Year's Resolution for my personal life:

1. Less clutter at home. (The "I get distracted" reason as to why there are piles of stuff everywhere only appeases my husband so much.)
2. I'd say "Get better about working out" or "Eat better" or some of that nonsense, but I've decided to be more realistic this year. Sure, I'd love to work out consistently or eat fewer morning pastries, but making that a resolution will probably only lead to disappointment. So why do it, right?

And now, I want to turn this over to you, my 2 or 3 readers? Any New Year's Resolutions you'd like to share? Or feedback on what you'd like to see from CCG and/or this blog?

-- Robin

January Lunch...

Howdy Partner: How to Bring Together a Coalition of Agencies, Companies, and Other Entities to Work on a Larger Initiative

Wednesday, January 30, 2008
noon – 1:30 p.m.

District Chophouse
509 7th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20004

Speakers:

• Nick Ramfos, Director of Commuter Connections, Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments
• Holly Menninger, Public Policy Associate and COPUS Activities Manager, American Institute of Biological Sciences

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An email will be sent out to CCG members in early January asking for RSVPs for this event.

If you're not currently a CCG member and would like to become one so that you hear about this and future CCG lunches, send your name, title, employer, and email address to the group at capitalcommunicator (at) gmail (dot) com.