2014 Program Wrap-Up

By: Sandra Brodnicki, APR

As the New Year gets underway, the Greater Fort Worth PRSA chapter is developing a roster of luncheons, professional development workshops, mixers and more for 2015. I had the opportunity to serve the chapter in 2014 as the programs chair by working with chapter leadership to bring members the programs they desired, based on a membership survey taken in early 2014.

Here’s a recap of the chapter’s luncheons:

January: Overcoming Challenges to Tell the F-35 Story Worldwide

February: What Makes Good Work “Award-Winning” Work?

April: Accreditation in Public Relations: Defining Standards of Practice for 50 Years

May: Pragmatic Measurement

June:  How to be Heard: Learning to Use Agility to Win the C-Suite’s Attention

August: Defamation and Invasion of Privacy: What Communicators Must Know in 2014 and Beyond

September: PR Ethics: Only Fifty Shades of Grey?

October: Social Media In-Depth: The Shifting Nature of Content Marketing

November: How Brands are Creating LGBT Communication Strategies

December: Retrospect: Merriment, Milestones & More

Our programming efforts in 2014 addressed six of the top eight topics our survey indicated were important to our members (31 responses). Those six topics are outlined below, the percentage of respondents requesting the topic is indicated in parentheses, and the specific program addressing that topic immediately follows.

• In-depth social media analysis; strategy, planning and measurement (74.19%) – Professional development and luncheon program in October
• Case studies/war stories from chapter members (74.19%) – Luncheon program in January
• Creative, low-cost ways of conducting research (70.97% ) – Luncheon program in May
• How quickly PR is becoming aligned with marketing (45.16%) – Professional development in October and luncheon in November
• Content development and coordination (45.16%) – Professional development in October
• Developing your personal brand/career development/leadership training (41.94%) – Luncheon programs in February, April, June and September

Rounding out the top eight were effective presentations (58.06%) and hosting a media panel (54.84%). Not to worry! Effective presentations were the focus of a late 2013 luncheon program, while new programs chair Claire Bloxom Armstrong has convened an amazing media panel for the Feb. 11 luncheon.

More than 70% of the respondents indicated that aligning programs with the professional areas most emphasized in the accreditation process was somewhat (46.43%) or very important (25%). Those professional areas are research, planning, implementation and evaluation; ethics and law; communication models and theories; business literacy; management skills and crisis communications.  GFW programming delivered programs in April, May, June, August and September that addressed these professional areas.

The chapter remains committed to listening to our members’ needs. Your input – whether it’s participation in a survey or making a suggestion on a possible speaker – is critical to making our chapter your chapter.

Thanks to all of those who participated in our last survey! And thanks to the Greater Fort Worth PRSA chapter leadership for all their assistance in 2014 for helping to bring meaningful programs to our members.