President's Word

From Heidi Taulman, APR

Well, hello their FPRA champions!  I am humbled and honored to be the new President of the Southwest Florida Chapter of FPRA – the 3^rd largest in the State I might add! I'm excited to start this journey together with you and the terrific team of professionals on the leadership team.  I encourage you to take a look at the Board and Leadership team members and get to know them. We are lucky to have such a dynamic group.  I also encourage you to reach out to me if you have questions and just to say Hello!

This year’s theme will be about superheroes and we hope you will use the tagline #findyourPRsuperhero throughout the year to congratulate others on their work, share great tips with others and encourage your FPRA team to develop professionally. As this year’s State President of FPRA, Rachel Smith, APR, CPRC, says “Accelerate your career at light speed with FPRA.”

 I encourage you to take a look at the excerpt from Jason Nazar about Superheroes’ traits in the newsletter.  I like all of these traits, but this one stands out for me and FPRA – Superheroes can do it by themselves but are more powerful in teams… (www.JasonNazar.com)  The Southwest Florida Chapter of FPRA is a team of superheroes working towards the betterment of you and your profession.  Thanks for being part of that team!

Don’t miss out on your first superhero mission – Attend PRU on Oct. 10^th.  It is truly going to be a great educational opportunity you won’t want to miss!

I appreciate all of you, your ongoing support and look forward to working with you!

#FindyourPRsuperhero

-Heidi Taulman, APR

Traits of a Superhero

A superhero is a type of hero or savior possessing extraordinary talents, supernatural phenomena, or superhuman powers and dedicated to protecting the public.

1.    Superheroes never give up.

2.    Superheroes always get the job done.

3.    Superheroes are the best at what they do.

4.    Superheroes are crystal clear of their purpose.

5.    Superheroes are NOT flawless.

6.    Superheroes do not seek glory…but they get it anyway.

7.    Superheroes help others.

8.    Superheroes can do it by themselves but are more powerful in teams.

9.    Superheroes’ true strength comes from their character.

10. Superheroes accomplish huge feats.

**Ten Lessons Start-ups can learn from Superheroes – www.JasonNazar.com

FGCU Internship Fair

PARTICIPATE IN FGCU PUBLIC RELATIONS INTERNSHIP FAIR

FGCU public relations students and communications students will hold an Internship Fair on October 7th from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m in the Cohen Center Ballroom located on FGCU Campus.  If your company is interested in participating in the fair, please contact Molly Nurcyzk, FGCU Florida Public Relations Association Student Chapter President, at menurczyk1826@eagle.fgcu.edu.

Social Media and Your Brain

Do you ever check the clock and wonder how you wasted away hours of your day on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter? Ragan Social Media breaks down what's happened to our brains over the last 14 years with the constant use of social media. Is social media your brain's favorite drug or is it still that morning cup of caffeine? Click the infographic below to visit Ragan.com and learn more.

In 2000, a person's average attention span was 12 seconds.

In 2013, that dwindled down to 8 seconds.

Here's the humbling part: The attention span of a goldfish is 9 seconds.

With this (horrifying) statistic and others, an infographic from TollFreeForwarding.com explains how social media affects our brains. Here are a few insights:

• Tweeting for 10 minutes can raise your oxytocin level (the hormone that reduces anxiety) as much as 13 percent.
• A majority of 18-to-85-year-olds found social media is harder to resist than smoking, drinking, spending money, sleeping and sex.
• Facebook users are on the social network for an average of 81 hours per year.
• People switch between devices an average of 21 times per hour.

Take a look at the infographic and let us know: Do you think social media is good for the brain?

Leadership Corner - by Mike Jackson, APR

Public Relations is the glue that connects an organization to its publics; and it is often the catalyst that helps organizations overcome their internal silos.

You’d think that such an important function would be held in high esteem.

Yet, in the latest US News & World Report survey of 100 best jobs, “Public Relations” ranks #85 (behind teaching, sales and phlebotomy; but ahead of real estate agent and landscaper)!

So PR has some image work to do!

I think we start with us. We must continue our efforts to transform PR from a “job,” to a “profession.” That professionalism is driven by growing our body of knowledge and building momentum for certifications that bring our reality to life.

PR is not an art-form. It is a social science. PR Practitioners are not carnival barkers: they are information, image and reputation managers who rely on research tools, technology and the human touch to make good things happen.

Like all professionals, individual PR professionals don’t hold the franchise on wisdom. The profession grows when professionals share their ideas and experiences; and when they band together in pursuit of higher aspirations.

There is no better place for that annealing to occur than FPRA. It is the place where we define our profession and create our future.

***

Mike Jackson, APR, is program co-chair. Mike is a former Chicago TV newscaster, corporate communications consultant, and economic development director in Ohio and Cape Coral FL. He holds an MBA from Northwestern University

Save the Date: WGCU Productions Open House on September 17

Tour the upgraded facility on the campus of 

Florida Gulf Coast University

10501 FGCU Blvd. S. Fort Myers, FL  33965

239-590-2300   –   888-824-0030

FROM NORTH I-75:

Take I-75 South to San Carlos Park Exit 128, Alico Road. Exit to the east (left) on Alico Road for one mile.  Turn south (right) on Ben Hill Griffin Parkway for two miles to FGCU entrance and turn left. Turn left at the stop sign on FGCU Blvd.   The Broadcast Building is the first building on the right. Please park in Lot # 3. This is the lot in front of the Broadcast Building.    

FROM SOUTH I-75:

Take I-75 North to Estero Exit 123, Corkscrew Road. Exit to east (right) on Corkscrew Road for one-half of a mile.  Turn north (left) on Ben Hill Griffin Parkway for two miles to FGCU entrance and turn right. Turn left at the stop sign on FGCU Blvd.  The Broadcast Building is the first building on the right. Please park in Lot # 3. This is the lot in front of the Broadcast Building. 

***Please stop at the parking information booth as you drive onto campus and pick up an approved parking permit.

PRU Speaker, Lynn Schneider, APR, CPRC

Lynn Schneider, APR, CPRC, is Director of Marketing and Business Development for Park Royal Hospital, an acute care 103-bed behavioral health and substance abuse facility located in Fort Myers.  Prior to Park Royal, Lynn spent 19 years successfully building the brand of Shell Point Retirement Community where she served as the Assistant Vice President of Marketing and Communications. In addition, she has extensive experience in both magazine publishing and television production and has served as a TV spokesperson for numerous companies in Southwest Florida for more than 25 years. Lynn served as president of the Southwest Chapter of FPRA in 1990 and as president of FPRA’s State Association in 1999. She has received numerous awards including PR Professional of the Year, Member of the Year for the State Association, dozens of Golden Image Awards, and the John Dillin PR Professional Award in 2006, the highest, most prestigious award of the Association.