What I learned from the PRSA Midwest District Conference: OCTO PR FEST 2023
The PRSA Iowa Chapter welcomed more than 120 public relations professionals to the PRSA Midwest District Conference, Sept. 20-22 at The Rewind Hotel in Des Moines. It was a pleasure to see a few other Wisconsinites at the conference: PRSA Madison members Lynn Perez-Hewitt, APR, consultant; Sandra Mason, APR, Association of Equipment Manufacturers; and Amanda Wegner, Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District; and from the Southeastern Wisconsin Chapter: Patrick McSweeney, APR, Fellow PRSA.
On Thursday morning, we heard a keynote address by Dr. Felicia Blow, APR: “Transforming the DEI Landscape through Leadership in PR/Communications.” Blow stressed that communicators help others find their voice, advance dialogue and discussion, and get beneath the surface to understand real issues and challenges. In a world full of discord and mistrust, our profession can help.
“The need for authentic relationships is driving growth in the PR profession,” said Blow.
She also noted that work in diversity, equity and inclusion is imperative. By 2024, less than 60 percent of the US labor force is expected to be defined as “white non-Hispanic.” The importance of DEI affects and influences everything we do.
“DEI is about bringing people together and finding commonalities, and every message we deliver should be examined through a DEI lens,” said Blow.
Throughout the day, artificial intelligence (AI) dominated many conversations and presentations, including “Digital Literacy in the Age of TikTok and ChatGPT” with Professor Michael Bugeja, Iowa State University, and “The (Not So) Odd Couple: AI (Artificial Intelligence) and Human Coaches: The Pros, Cons and The Way Forward” with Kris Patrow, Padilla. According to Patrow, while AI is helpful for key points, word usage and brevity, the human touch is essential for strategy, substance, style and tactics.
In “Beyond the Press Release,” presenter Sandra Mason discussed how to share owned media to get earned media. She encouraged us to create our own news through surveys, whitepapers/studies, propelling a story idea further, webinar/virtual events and guest blogs.
Stephen Dupont, APR, Fellow PRSA, of Pocket Hercules, and professional futurist, talked about “How to Communicate Your Organization’s Desired Future.” According to Dupont, when we think about the future, keep it human: people want to know how the future personally affects them, their friends and family. He said to scan various types of news daily to identify topics that may affect your organization. At the end of the day, communicating the future is about inspiring action.
The day wrapped up with a high-energy session by Drew Harden, Blue Compass: “Intentional Ways to Craft an Incredible Company Culture That Makes Mondays Fell Like Fridays.” Harden shared five types of appreciation in the workplace: visible values, appreciative acknowledgement, jovial joy, constant connection and genuine growth.
“Culture is how we feel when we log off at the end of the day,” he said.
Artist Nathan T. Wright captured the key points from the day in the above image.
On Friday morning attendees were able to attend three breakout sessions, choosing from a variety of topics including gaming, the state of journalism, corporate storytelling, strategic content, building a brand and misinformation.
Some attendees participated in a three-hour Crisis Communications Workshop, presented by Eileen Wixted of Wixted & Company. I found this training to be incredibly valuable, and I feel better prepared to update my current crisis communications plan and face a stressful situation should one arise.
We discussed building a culture of readiness, analyzing risk, how an issue becomes a crisis and how to create messaging. Always remember the four-part message model when creating your crisis response to the media and your community:
Show care and concern
Detail responsible actions
Describe cooperative efforts
Demonstrate resolve
Attending the PRSA Midwest District conference is a worthwhile way to network and develop professionally. Plan to attend next fall’s conference if you can!