Party Like Its…1920?

So last night was our annual open house and, believe me, it is so much more than the traditional open house you’re probably thinking of. We literally transformed our office to look like a scene straight out of a Charlie Chaplin film. We had brick walls brought in, a live band, a blind pig (a.k.a. a bar, actually there were two of them), game cards, a dance floor, chocolate fountain, tons of amazing food, a popcorn machine, costumed characters, psychics (who hit a little too close to home for me), a timeline room, amazing 1920’s props throughout the office and even a bathtub! I was blown away by how incredible our office looked. All of the hard work and planning paid off big time! Everyone who walked through the door suddenly became part of the biggest Thursday night office party they have ever seen. Props to everyone who worked on the event!

Probably one of the best aspects of Public Relations is watching your event come to life and turn out to be so successful. From the very beginning planning stages to the last drink of the night, PR is responsible for it all. Even though I started here towards the end stages of planning I respect all of the effort and teamwork that goes into event planning. Many people just see the exciting event and don’t realize that there were months of planning involved, so I am thankful to have seen the “other side”. It makes me appreciate all the events I attended even more.

Public Relations has so many facets to it, so there is always something new to discover. Even though I have only been here a month I have already learned so much about a wide variety of subjects. This past month has been an education in event planning, which I decided is a new favorite of mine. I am interested to see what comes my way over the coming weeks. Stay tuned to find out along with me…

Should I?

I've had many students ask what it takes to be a successful PR practitioner. This article from the June 1983 Public Relations Journal describes ten characteristics that indicate whether an individual will be successful in public relations.

Yes, it's old. But, I think it has stood the test of time and is pretty accurate.

Third Weeks the Charm

I am finishing up my third week here and can’t believe how fast life is passing by. Happily, things are so much smoother here and I actually feel like I know what I’m doing =) The past three weeks have kept me very busy and that’s how I like it. I am starting to be self-sufficient now and have begun to learn the ropes of the PR industry. Actually I haven’t been learning about “ropes” per say it’s more about media relations and press conferences but who’s counting?

Last week I went to my very first press conference for Automation Alley. Eisbrenner was there to facilitate a press conference for the release of the Anderson Report (by the way the report provided confirmation that Automation Alley is leading the way in the new economy). Ok that was a shameless plug alert. Anyways, it was quite an experience for me since I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect. There were presenters, media and board members in attendance. I especially enjoyed the Q&A portion when the journalists are allowed to ask the speaker’s questions. Sometimes the media will be tricky in the type of questions they ask in order to get the spin they are looking for on a particular story. All in all it was a great learning experience for me, I especially loved watching the speakers and critiquing them on their performance. Since I have to give so many speeches for school it was interesting watching professionals speak. It almost makes me want to stand up and give a speech right now (almost).

Aside from the press conference, I also attended a “Meet the Media” session where a group of us met a few journalists who provided advice on how to pitch a story to them. I learned that most reporters won’t be annoyed with you calling/e-mailing them as long as you are to the point and relevant with your story.

Also I attended a professional development session, which was informative and fun (something that I didn’t even know was possible). Every week we have a guest come into our office and meet with us to share experiences, advice and knowledge on their field of expertise. Yesterday it was a Professor Emerata from Walsh College who spoke about new business language. We learned how to shorten wordy, cumbersome sentences into concise, clear ones. I was almost an English major so this was appealing to me.

Furthermore, I am working with a client on Thanksgiving cards. It’s a very fun project and it’s more work than it sounds. We have to pick out the type of card, inside verse, personalization and narrow down a list of 3,000 contacts to a few hundred to send out. I’ll let you know how that goes…speaking of Thanksgiving only a month away can’t believe it!

I could probably go on writing forever but I don’t think you would want to keep reading forever so I wont. I’ll try to update maybe twice a week in the future so you can be right there with me through my whole internship (if you want you can literally be right here with me I have plenty of extra room at my desk as long as you don’t mind sitting on a To-Do pile). Check back soon for more updates and events from my Eisbrenner internship.

First Things First

Well...here goes my first blog entry. First things first, I should probably introduce myself. My name is Kelly Post and I am a senior at Rochester College majoring in Business Communication. I am excited because I will be graduating in April with my Bachelors degree (the end is finally near)! With a few months left until graduation I decided it was probably a good time to explore career options and gain experience in the field of Public Relations. After hours of researching different PR companies I stumbled across the Eisbrenner Public Relations website. Any company that brags about an in-office pool table, beer fridge and plasma televisions sounds great in my book. So I sent off my resume and the rest is history.

The next thing you know I am sitting in a desk right next to a huge TV typing a blog for the whole world to see. I am still recovering from all the craziness that was last week. I just started here on October 3rd and had NO idea what to expect. I mean they can teach you all your brain can handle about Public Relations in school but until you are living it you don't have a clue. I was even scared to walk into the office on my first day (I'll admit it) because, once again, I was scared of the unknown. I thought they would sit me in my desk where I would write a million press releases, go to fun events all the time, file some paperwork and that would be it. Little did I know how much other work there is in PR. All the behind-the-scenes stuff is just as important as the lavish events they organize.

The first week was admittedly rough. I had to learn all the proper procedures and terms in the PR field. So far I have helped compile a few media lists (a list of all media who we contact for possible publication or press), attended specialized meetings on topics such as crisis management, met members of the press and typed documents for several clients. If you think that kept me busy try remembering everyone in the office's name and what they do, that was the real challenge. Luckily I pick up new things very fast and I already feel comfortable doing projects even though it has only been a week. The office and everyone here is so laid-back and friendly it has made my transition here so much smoother than I thought it would be.

As my semester here continues I will be updating you guys on the good, the bad and the ugly side of Public Relations. When I have a cool project it will be on here. A fun event, it will be on here too. A crazy mental breakdown (hopefully not) but that will be on here too. I'll even tell you more about that famous pool table, bootcamp, koosh balls, dogs, and the innovation room. That should keep you coming back for more. I want to keep this journal as real as my internship is. Feel free to comment with your thoughts, questions and remarks about anything in here, keeping with the interactive theme. I look forward to the next few months here and remember to check back often for new postings!

We're here

We’ve done it. We’ve started a blog. SPEAKeasy was created for up and coming PR professionals and will be written by someone who can relate - our current intern. Every so often you’ll see commentary or questions from folks like me, who not that long ago were taking it in from the same perspective. You’ll learn the inside scoop on life at a PR agency, the auto industry, Eisbrenner culture (and our beer fridge) and the important transition from college to the working world.

So read on and enjoy. Add a comment. And keep coming back.