A New Journey

Hello! I'm Jessica Postema, the other summer intern at Eisbrenner Public Relations.

I recently graduated from Michigan State University, home of the almighty Spartans (GO GREEN!) with a Bachelor of Arts in communication and specialization in public relations. Prior to joining Eisbrenner PR, I interned with Mittenberry, Triterra and CRT Medical Systems in various public relations and communication positions. Throughout my internships, I have learned how much I enjoy working in public relations, in particular, the media relations and writing components. They also have helped prepare me for the busy-ness, and sometimes craziness of agency life!

Outside of my education and experience, I'm an avid baker (particularly known for my red velvet cupcakes), dog lover and aspiring marathon runner (although I'm a long way from it). I love traveling the world (hoping to visit Greece and South Africa next), spending time with my friends and now that I've graduated, having time to read something other than textbooks; which currently is "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett.

So far, my internship at Eisbrenner PR has been great! They work hard, but definitely know how to have a good time. My co-workers have been so welcoming and willing to go above and beyond to ensure Greg and I have a good experience.

Well, that's a short introduction about me, more about my new journey as an Eisbrenner PR intern to follow. Stay tuned!

Raise Your Hand & Ask

Reflecting back on my education, I’m convinced everything you need to know is taught in kindergarten. I realized this after reading an excerpt from Robert Fulghum’s book, “All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten.” “Wisdom,” as Fulghum put it, “was not at the top of the graduate-school mountain, but there in the sand pile at Sunday School.”

Believe it or not, we were all taught life’s biggest lessons at an early age. We left kindergarten knowing it was right to share, apologize and treat other people the way you’d like to be treated.

One lesson that has continued to guide me well past kindergarten is the notion that there’s no such thing as a stupid question. While growing up, I was constantly told by my teachers to ask questions, no matter how elementary the question might seem because questions are essential to learning.

This lesson has continued to reiterate itself, as I begin my career. Just as I was taught in kindergarten, I’ve found the basis of learning starts with a good question. However, in my internship, I’ve found the best lessons come with asking the right questions.

Jodi Glickman Brown, a communication consultant at the Harvard Business School, offers some advice on asking the right questions. Through the Harvard Business Review’s blog, The Conversation, Brown offers three steps to asking for help. Brown suggests by following these steps, you will show your colleagues what you already know, even if you are calling to question what you don’t. Here’s how you do it:

1. Start your question with what you know.
Before resorting to the simple question, “how should I do this?,” present the information you’ve already obtained. This starts by doing research and understanding the task at hand. Brown says, “Give the other person an idea of what you’ve completed to date or what you know already and then proceed to explain what’s outstanding, where or how you’re struggling, or what you need help with.”

2. State the direction you want to take and ask for feedback, thoughts or clarification.
In your dialogue, propose the course of action you think should be taken. By formulating your own opinion, you may be able to develop the right choices on your own in the future. From there, the individual helping you can provide proper feedback or offer suggestions for an alternative approach.


3. If you don’t know the direction to take, ask for tangible feedback.
If the answer still remains unclear, ask where you can find it on your own. Ask for tools that may show you the answer, such as past examples or templates. Another option, says Brown, “Is to ask for a referral to someone who has worked on a similar initiative or project in the past.” This referral can offer insight, advice and tips based on their past experiences.

Just as Brown has demonstrated, the key to learning is in the questions we ask and how we ask them. By asking questions the smart way, you’re guaranteed to not only impress your coworkers, but learn something valuable in return.

Share with me your questions about communication and we can uncover the answers together. If you’re still hesitant, please remember, “There’s no such thing as a stupid question.”

Transparency

Transparency.

This word has received a lot of attention lately. Though, it hasn’t been so much about who is using it, but who hasn’t. From the recent sentencing of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick to the controversy surrounding the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, a lack of transparency may partially be to blame for creating bad reputations.

These cases and many others are creating a demand for transparency among businesses and organizations of every size. This thinking is establishing an environment of accountability and is encouraging open communication between all invested stakeholders, which in turn is creating a more honest, open approach to business practices. At the 2010 Public Relations Society of America Michigan Conference, Peter Shankman even said, “Transparency has become the new pink!”

I’ve learned this whole transparent train-of-thought can easily transfer to my day-to-day activities as I take on new projects at Eisbrenner Public Relations. In the short time I’ve been here, I’ve already found that open communication is vital to my team’s success. The dialogue between my teammates and I upon receiving an assignment must include the logistics (who, what, where, when and how) and also the obstacles I may need to overcome. Whether these obstacles include a timing conflict or difficulty comprehending something, they must all be addressed. Ultimately, a transparent discussion helps efficiently produce something everyone can be proud of.

As I continue my internship, I aim to carry this lesson out on a daily basis. I also pledge the counsel I provide to my clients and bosses during my entire career will reflect this lesson of transparency.

Do you have any life lessons or stories to share about transparency, or maybe some helpful articles?

Inauguration 2009: Communication Galore

Yesterday was incredible. Not because of politics or the number of people who peacefully gathered in one place to be part of a moment in history. It was incredible because of the sheer volume of people who used new forms of communication outlets to watch the inauguration events and to interact with each other.

Long gone are the days of families sitting by the radio or the TV and simply talking about programs with their families and friends. From now on people will turn to the internet and social media sites, as well as radio and TV. There will be more two-way communication between people from across the globe and yesterday proved it.

People viewed the inauguration festivities from their TV and computer screens and listened to it on the radio. People tweeted about it, blogged about it and changed their Facebook and MySpace statuses to reveal their feelings or to describe what they were doing to celebrate the moment. These responses were in real time and allowed for communication between people from all over the world. To me, that is incredible!

The historic moment opened my eyes and revealed to me that new communication outlets will be introduced all the time and they not only influence how we communicate with each other, but it changes the way we do business and how we handle various situations. We are more interconnected than we’ve ever been and in the PR realm it’s so important for us to stay current with these changes because it will help us do what we do best – communicate and build relationships!