PR Buzz Session Brings Together Our Best Lessons Learned

Rockhelle Johnson (left) and Laura Fontanills (right) organized the breakfast event at Datz

By Joseph Priest, APR

What a difference three years make! After having to do most of our meetings by videoconference and limited in-person events since 2020 because of COVID, in February, for one of the first times in a few years, PRSA Tampa Bay was able to fully return to fulfilling one of our organization’s core missions: to provide members with opportunities to network, share ideas, and grow professionally. 

On Feb. 28, the chapter hosted an event called a Public Relations Buzz Session, in which about 15 attendees broke into small groups and addressed a series of hot-topic questions posed by two moderators, Laura Fontanills, APR, our chapter’s president-elect, and Rockhelle Johnson, our chair for the Programs Committee, who both also organized the event. The event, which was held at Datz and also served breakfast, included Laura and Rockhelle taking turns to ask three groups for their take on several timely topics.  

“The format was designed to bring together a mix of public relations professionals and allow them to break into groups and get to know each other, discuss their learned experiences within their groups, and then present the best of their lessons learned to all the attendees,” said Rockhelle. “Ultimately, the goal was to get everyone’s perspectives on how they’re tackling common challenges that many of us are facing in today’s post-COVID, distributed work environment.” 

Here's a rundown of some of the top questions and answers that were addressed by the groups:

How do you decline participation in a news story for your company? 
Try to educate and redirect the news outlet. If this is unsuccessful, participate in the story to at least get in your company’s perspective, even if the story will likely be negative. 

Since moving to a remote and hybrid work model, we’ve all had to learn new techniques for managing employees. What are some recommendations for effectively managing remote and hybrid employees without coming across as a micromanager?
Hold weekly videoconference meetings for planning and taking next steps with projects. Also, plan monthly outings to provide opportunities for team building. Finally, keep in mind that managers need to trust their team members, but if someone is slacking off or isn’t pulling their weight, this will become clear quickly. 

                                                                             Groups discuss their answers to Laura and Rockhelle's questions.

Oftentimes, the communication team is seen as a support function, brought in on projects after the fact. How do I persuade the executive team to see the communication team less as a staff function and more as a line function that should be brought in on things from the beginning?
Be proactive, regularly engage with the C-suite, and be clear on how you create value and how that value can be measured. 

When coming into a new organization as a manager of a team that has been in place, it can be challenging to build trust and respect. What has worked for you?
Listen, create team-building opportunities, form one-on-one relationships purposefully and set clear expectations. Also, stay focused on the needs you were brought in to address, set a deadline for yourself for making progress on these needs, and then create a plan for listening, observing, and, ultimately, implementing the changes you deem necessary.    

“Seeing everyone become engaged and share their experiences was the most rewarding part of this event for me,” Laura said. “I’ve received a lot of positive feedback and am so glad that those who attended found it useful and enjoyable.”

“It was rewarding to hear how others overcame or thrived in the face of a challenge or opportunity,” Rockhelle said. “Realizing that all of us PR pros are in this together and will experience similar challenges at some point in our career was powerful and inspiring.” 

The Programs Committee is always interested in getting ideas from chapter members for future programs or guest speakers. If you have a suggestion for a timely public relations topic to explore at a future monthly program, please send it to [email protected].