Credentialing Corner: RPIE

Advice, recommendations and news you can use from the chapter’s seasoned professionals

By Angie Strait, APR

The holiday season is here and soon we will say good-bye to 2011 and step into a new year full of promise and possibility. This is a great time to recalibrate your settings and figure out what it is you want to accomplish in 2012. People start mentioning New Year’s resolutions this time of year, but I want to challenge you to go further. After all, you are PR professionals and the key to your “promise and possibility,” may be as easy as R-P-I-E.

PR plans have helped professionals navigate their work for ages. The research, planning, implementation and evaluation process (RPIE) is a systematic way to strategize and execute goals for your company and/or clients. This year, take your work home with you! Write a PR plan for yourself. We all have goals and RPIE is your chance to make them a reality. Where do you want to go in 2012? Do you want to take on a new job, a new event or even the APR certification? Here are some questions to get you thinking about achieving your professional and personal goals:

• Who am I (personally and professionally)?
• Where do I want to go?
• What do I want to learn/accomplish?
• How do I want to get there?
• Who can help me on my journey?

Take the time to write your plan. Identify goals, target audiences, objectives and even a timeline and budget. As you work through the process you will see RPIE for what it really is - a multi-purpose tool and something you can utilize to achieve that laundry list of goals you keep for yourself. Get back to your PR roots and use RPIE to help guide your path in 2012. When I see you next year at this time, what will you boast as an accomplishment?

APR Note: For those of you putting “get my APR” on your goals lists – your knowledge, skill and understanding of the RPIE model counts for about 30 percent of the questions on the written exam. Remember, practice makes perfect!