Networking Know-How

This semester, I willingly chose (was forced) to take public relations campaigns. PR campaigns is the class dreaded by most and feared by all.  Mostly because of the huge project we complete in about three weeks. The project is extremely daunting yet I’ve learned so much about public relations and about my strengths as a future PR executive. I have learned that I need to focus on my writing skills and how to format my ideas on paper. Raw ideas are great, but if they are not formatted correctly, they mean next to nothing.

While recognizing my opportunities for improvement, I also assessed my strengths. I am great at creative. I am great with coming up with concepts and marketing tactics that others might not have thought of. Simply knowing my strengths will prove advantageous to my success post-graduation.

Yet, neither knowing my strengths and weakness has been the most valuable lesson of my UNT 4460 campaigns class, it was the PRSA communications summit. More specifically, it was the networking at the PRSA summit.

I believe I am a natural introvert. I remember as a child hiding behind my mother’s leg when she would try to introduce friends to me. That characteristic has morphed into this happy medium I like to call “extroverted-introvertedness.” This means that with people my own age, I am the most ambitious and outgoing person in the room. I can make friends with anyone and become the light of the party. Yet in the business world, I become introverted. Every word I say is a calculated move, which often results in my coming off as shy or standoffish.  As a public relations executive, the majority of your business will come from relationships and connections with various people. A previous intern captain once told me, “You are only as useful as your address book.” I believe this saying to be completely true.

Needless to say, networking is crucial. It’s not all about whom you know, it’s how you know them. Are you on a friendly basis with them, are they an occasional client of yours, are you golfing buddies? Each one of these scenarios can result in work and potential revenue. 

During a previous internship with Dykeman Associates, I learned the basics of networking.  The CEO, Alice Dykeman, would bring her interns to whatever networking event she was attending for that week. I learned the proper way to shake hands, eat a meal that had multiple utensils, and to always have business cards ready to distribute.

I employed all these tactics at the PRSA communications summit and to my success landed a pretty amazing deal with Chevy for a fully-paid NASCAR experience. Another classmate from the same class landed a full-time PR job from networking and connections alone. Networking has the power to produce employment opportunities, generate new revenue for companies, and widen your social network. For these reasons, and so much more, is why I believe how to be a successful networker as one of the most valuable lessons I have learned in my public relations campaigns class. 

Good Hair

Actor/Comedian Chris Rock recently became a popular topic in pop culture. He released his documentary, "Good Hair." This documentary was about hair in the African-American community. Hair is huge topic in the Black community. The emphasis is always on "good hair," and yes--there can be "bad hair"

Hair in the Black community is used to distinguish beauty. The smoother,more refined your hair is, the more beautiful you are. Rock's documentary delves into the basis of this mindset. Where did originate from and who made it ok the believe this? He ties in pop culture and current Black celebrities and interviews them on their take of "good hair."

I praise Rock for this documentary. For such an important topic in the African-American culture, it has rarely been talked about and really explored.

The Double Standard

The Double standard. Being a Black, female entering into a business field, I have grown accustomed to this topic. The double standard is when a woman gets chastised for an action and when a man makes the exact same action, he is praised for it.

A woman in an executive role in business is a rare commodity. And often the connotation with these women is that they are ball-busters. That they are rude, conniving, perhaps sexually aggressive, and will do anything to reach the top. Male executives are viewed as normal. They need to be aggressive (usually in every sense of the word), rude, pushy, and willing to do anything necessary to reach the top. 

Why are men praised for these actions yet women chastised? I believe this goes back to the mindset of the 1950's women. The housewife that cooks, cleans, and caters to her husband. In that era, men had complete dominance, and unfortunately, that mindset has remained to this day. Women are deemed as innocent and pure, they must remain calm and often silent.

Hopefully with help of Oprah, other powerful women executives, and the new generation of future business executives (like myself), this mindset will change

Checkerboard Chick Speaks Out

In the words of the 2007 Disney hit, Hairspray, I am a self-proclaimed "Checkerboard Chick." Which is slang for, I am in an interracial relationship. I am an African-American woman dating a White male. Now, you would believe that in the grand year of 2010 that publicly there would be no problem with this, and for the most part there's not, but I've come to find it's the little things that make an impact.

For example, if my boyfriend, Cody, and I are simply strolling around the mall hand-in-hand, we will get the lingered looks, the shocked faces. It's as if people are honestly surprised that an interracial relationship exists. My request: please don't gawk at us like we have a third foot or some deformity; we are simply two people in love-that is all.

I will admit it is rare to see an interracial couple, especially in the south, and being different will cause people to stare. But let it be known that we are exactly the same as any other same-race couple. We are in love and love knows no skin color :)

A True Sex Symbol

I am a huge fan of the AMC series, "Mad Men." I love the throw back to the 1950's era. Personally, I think that  era exudes a natural sex appeal. Progressively, since the 1970's the idea of sex appeal has morphed into the idea that whoever wears the least amount of clothing is deemed sexy. I don't agree with this mindset at all.

I think Joan Holloway of Mad Men is the sexiest TV character on-screen today. Joan, played by the gorgeous Christina Hendricks, is a full-figured woman. By full-figured, I mean has breasts and a shape to her body. She is not stick thin, she is voluptuous.Joan is fully covered and extremely sexy, she doesn't need to be naked to be attractive.

I believe characters like Joan Holloway and others like her will slowly change the public mentality that thin and unclothed is sexy. They convey that a womans natural figure, presence, and subtle sex appeal is what truly makes a sex symbol. Hopefully, this trend will catch on and the idea of what is sexy will change along with it.

The FIFA Fail

On December 1^st, 2010 it was announced that the FIFA World Cup would be hosted by Russia in 2018 and Qatar in 2022. Immediately following the announcement, there was an internet uproar regarding the decision.  I decided to analyze this decision from a public relations perspective and then from a sports marketing point of view.

Although I am not an avid soccer fan, I do like to watch the occasional game. The 2010 World Cup was amazing to watch and even through the television screen, it was an epic experience. Yet when I read about the locations the committee decided to pick for 2018 and 2022, I was shocked and confused. It was only 20 years ago that David Hasselhoff sang on the crumbling Berlin Wall and I honestly don’ think that 80% of Americans can point to Qatar on a map. So why would the committee choose such controversial locations. I believe the answer is simple; the committee was rooting for the underdogs. With bids from the Belgium-Netherlands for 2018 and a very strong bid from the United States for 2022, the underdogs prevailed. With the example of selecting South Africa to host the 2010 World Cup, the President, 74-year-old Seep Blatter, wants to represent world class soccer as “without politics;” that the committee does not only choose soccer-loving nations but also the countries with growing economies and social growth.

“We go to new lands,” said President Blatter of his decision.  I believe that choosing Qatar is an extremely risky move for FIFA. Not only is the country smaller than Connecticut and has less inhabitants than the city of Dallas, Texas, they did not even participate in the most recent world cup. To prepare for the 2022 World cup, they will have to undergo $50 billion worth of infrastructure upgrades and then another $4 billion on top of that to build nine world-class stadiums. This small country will be invaded by tourist, I wonder if Qatar’s tourist industry and police force will be ready. Will there be social dissonance during the games; will the inhabitants be able to deal with the influx of Western society into their culture?

I will admit that part of me thinks these are brilliant selections. As we learn in every public relations and marketing class, controversy equals coverage. The monetary goal of the world cup is to sell tickets to the games. With the controversy already elevated, this makes these two world cups even more intriguing and increases their chances of selling tickets, obtaining advertisements and the best television spots.

Overall, I would commend the World Cup committee on their lofty choice of these two locations. They are succeeding in their goal to showcase world-class soccer to a new audience, but I believe in doing so, they alienate a huge portion of their audience and could possibly have negative repercussions that we have yet to see.