It has always been a dream of mine to write a fiction novel. And maybe I really will someday. In the meantime, instead of fiction, I’ve focused on writing a useful tool for businesses. I’m calling it a Media Training Booklet, and it was a labor of love! It’s full of best practices, tips for interviews, how tos, crisis management tools and even some key message pointers.
I was excited to work with a local client to develop a half-day media training workshop for their small marketing department. I decided to put together a booklet to accompany the workshop and that could serve as a leave behind that could be referenced for months and years to come.
This workshop and booklet may be useful for other businesses. After helping companies for the past 25 years develop talking points, key messages, interview strategies and often providing impromptu media training, this program is a more comprehensive, proactive strategy for preparedness and goes beyond just speaking to journalists.
I was happy to be the featured speaker at the Kansas City IABC monthly luncheon on June 20. The title for the luncheon was: Break Through to Your Audience in a Brave New World of PR.
The topic covered ways to take advantage of evolving technologies and tactics to reach consumers through traditional media and beyond.
While the influence of traditional news media has shrunk, the influence of media overall has exploded. That presents a challenge and opportunity for public and media relations. The presentation explained how to survive and thrive in our ever-changing world.
Specifics included: -How to make the most of traditional media outreach. -Social media as a media outlet. -Working with social media influencers.
Review the slides and watch the full presentation on the video link below:
Before there was such a thing as blogs and social media, there was something called newspapers. (OK, to be fair, after newspapers and before blogs there was a short-lived thing called zines, but no one remembers what those were.) And back then, newspapers were how we got most of our news. I worked as a writer for a daily newspaper in Lawrence, Kansas, and I wrote my first “blog” before we even knew what blogs were.
The assignment came from the managing editor. I’d only been a reporter
for a couple of years, and the only thing I had ever written was news stories –
third-person articles with quotes and facts. So, I was super uncomfortable
writing a first-person column for the paper on a topic like this one. I think
it was immediately obvious that I wasn’t the next Ann Landers because this was
my first and last column they asked me to write.
But I never forgot the assignment. I even saved a copy after all of
these years. On the 50th birthday of the bikini, the assignment was
to write what this style of swimsuit
meant to me. WHAT??
Looking back on my job as a newspaper reporter and all of the news I covered in the six years I worked for daily newspapers, it was one of the greatest times in my career. I was totally green. Made a ton of mistakes. Was figuring it out as I went, and loving every minute of it. I missed the ambiance of the newsroom the minute I left – as crazy as it was. To this day, I value #localnews, believe in journalism and our #FreePress and love the beauty of news storytelling.
Take a read of the article below, and see for yourself if 25-year-old Megan’s writing style has changed over the years. (PS – 48-year-old Megan is looking for a new swimsuit this year. Anyone know where I can find a combination of a muumuu and a scuba suit?)
Lawrence Journal-World – Re-print from Thursday, July 11, 1996
Article headline: Fashion freedom isn’t cheap
I can still remember climbing into the tight flowered bikini
that my teenage sisters picked out for my plump 4-year-old body.
And ever since, I’ve had a love-hate relationship with the
infamous bikini. Of course at 4 years old, the rolls of fat are adorable. But
today, I’m a little less excited about revealing my cellulite. Still, I haven’t
given it up.
Yea, I usually say I wear a bikini because I’m trying to get
the almost all-over tan. But the truth is I’m a slave to fashion just the rest
of us.
It’s always the most stylish women at the pool or beach who
are parading around in chic bikinis. I’m just trying to follow suit. Besides, I
wouldn’t be caught dead wearing a grandma-style one-piece swimsuit. But it
hasn’t always been easy. Just ask any bikini wearer.
The saga usually begins at the stores. If you’re going to
wear a bikini, you better set aside several days to find a suit that fits. Most
men probably won’t believe this, but for some of us with unique body shapes, it
could take years to discover the perfect style.
Nowadays, the modern bikinis are a bit more sophisticated.
They offer underwire, padding, straps, slimming panels in every shape and color
to assist in the quest for the precise fit. After you’ve found the right suit,
the problems don’t end there. What about when you want to take a quick dive off
the diving board? Forget it.
Now that you’re a bikini wearer, you have to be extremely
cautious doing acrobatic water activities like skiing or tubing. The two pieces
of small fabric covering the important parts of your body just weren’t built to
withstand the forces of nature. Even the slightest movements can cause
crunching, sliding, bunching or worse yet, untying!
The tried the gamut of styles during the years. I proudly
wore a K-State purple velour style last year and before that I had the
tank-style, some frills, bows, stripes, plaids and even a famous teeny weenie
yellow polka-dot bikini.
And speaking of teeny weenie, that’s something else bikini
wearers like me have had to put up with. Comments about the size of the
garment. For years it was hard for my parents to comprehend how less than a
yard of fabric could cost more than $50. “Is that a Barbie outfit?” my mom
would say as I grabbed my towel and head for the beach.
“You can’t wear that outside in public, you’ll be arrested!”
my dad would shout.
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but sometimes they were
right. There have been several occasions at the pool when I just didn’t feel
like “sucking it in” the entire day. During the years, I’ve been open to new
trends in two-piece swimsuits. But there are two things that will turn me into
a religious one-piece swimsuit wearer. The thong bikini and stretch marks.
Now that I’m a Jayhawk, I finally made it to a KU game. Thanks to my friend Kristin Venable for showing me around
Since starting grad school in 2018, I’ve learned a few things about myself. Especially myself as a college student.
I decided to go back to grad school last year to diversify,
and hopefully discover the new challenge of teaching college classes someday.
What I didn’t think about was how much time had passed since I was in an actual college classroom. And how a lot has changed in two+ decades. Gone are the days of perms, big bangs, sorority life, studying until 2am and $1 beers in Aggieville.
My life is a little different this time around. Full time
job. Husband. Two teenagers in high school. An elderly mom. Along with the many
other responsibilities of family, social, charity, etc.
If you’re wondering what it’s like back on a college campus these days – don’t ask me because I’m only there one night a week, and I’m attending The University of Kansas Edwards Campus in Overland Park. But I can give you a few of my revelations. So far, I’m surviving ok, but there’s been a few little issues…
First, I consider myself pretty tech savvy. I would rather die than be the middle-aged, soccer mom who raises her hand with a dummy tech question. So, during my whole first 8-week class I completely missed every single online message that was shared with the class because I didn’t know I needed to check my KU email. Oops! I wondered what everyone was talking about during class!
Thank you classmates: Erin Carlson and Nicole Papageorgiou for helping out. I had to finally admit I needed help. I am receiving all of the online messages now and no longer left in the dark.
Speaking of
online… the first time I took an online timed test and had to stare at
the clock at the top of the page ticking down the seconds, I was sweating
bullets the entire 40 minutes. I didn’t think I needed to study “too much”
because it was open book plus we could look up the answers with our computers –
duh! I was so wrong. It was SO HARD and THAT CLOCK! How could I get anything
done with those seconds ticking right in my face?
I only made that mistake one time. See! This old
dog can learn new tricks. Now if the professors would stop changing how they do
the online tests each class.
Now, how do I
study again? My brain, urg! I don’t know if my brain is tired, full or
worn out, but I’m not sure I’m able to retain any more information. I’ve even
had to go to my high school kids for tips on studying, and boy, was that a
mistake. I tried to save money in my first class and just read the text book
online. I found I wasn’t retaining any of the information. This old-school mama
needs to have the actual paper in her hands and to use a highlighter to get the
information to stick. Even then I’m not sure it’s actually sticking.
Study tips my high school kids shared: make flash cards and/or use an online app called Quizlet that quizzes you. No thank you! Taking handwritten notes works best for retention. Thank you Mr. France, senior year English Shawnee Mission Northwest! Still true almost 40 years later.
K-State Wildcat at heart. I probably won’t make the mistake of wearing my KSU purple to campus again. I did it one time without thinking and definitely got some teasing. I’m slowly coming around to being a Jayhawk.
At this point, I’m almost half way there. Graduation is set for 2020 – the same year and month my son, Zachary, graduates from high school! I even told him we could have co-grad parties. I know he’s thrilled.
My senior college photo at K-State (1993). Time to go back to college!
I really love my job, and I’ve been doing it a long time. I believe there are seasons in life when it’s time for a refresh. This is the longest I’ve ever worked in the same position and I’m ready for something new.
I was thrilled when I was selected to be on a National Advisory Council at K-State. https://jmc.k-state.edu/advisory/index.html We meet quarterly in Manhattan to culminate expertise from a variety of backgrounds to advise our alma mater, the AQ Miller School of Journalism and Mass Communication. And THIS was the motivation I needed to kick off my master’s degree (which will also be in journalism) at that “other” Kansas University. 🙂
I guess I’ll have to get used to saying that I’m a Wildcat first, and hopefully soon I’ll be a Jayhawk grad too in a couple of years.
I’m not quitting what I do now. Instead I’m enhancing it. I’ve taken stock of my life, and I’m simply looking to recharge. I think the master’s degree is just what I need.
When I meet with new college graduates as part of a mentoring program or internship, I explain that their first job is only a stepping stone to the next and then the next… and sometimes not even in the same career field. Two generations ago, it was common to select a career and then you retired 50ish years later from that same career. Thank God that’s changed. I just think that would have been so boring!
Today, my life consists of two teenagers (who want to spend no time with me), a husband and an elderly mom who lives nearby. Most of my focus is on my business. I knew I wanted to sprinkle in something new. I’ve had this dream in the back of my mind for a decade, and 2018 is the year!
Working with college students or having interns has been important to me since I started my own PR firm in 2003. I’ve always considered mentorship as a growth opportunity, not just for the mentee. Darn it when I actually learn more from them than they do from me!
So when I was selected to help on this advisory council I decided that the time was right to jump in with both feet.
Ultimately, I want to find a teaching job in Kansas City where I can work in the areas I’m most passionate about: public relations, journalism, social marketing, communications or the combination. I believe one stepping stone has lead me to the next and finally to my destination, which is mentoring and educating college students. In the meantime, you will find me with a backpack, a laptop and a book, because I will BE the college student.
Photo caption: PR girls should know better than to do a photoshoot on the hottest day of the summer! What were we thinking?
I’ve had my own company for 14 years and it took me the first five years to figure out how to categorize it. I started by saying I was a freelancer or a subcontractor. But as I grew and got more clients and even my own subcontractors, things began to change.
My elevator speech morphed into: Hi, I own my own boutique PR agency. But we were a unique model. Today, I don’t believe we are. We are collaborators who work virtually rather than a traditional PR firm. Most of the people I work with have their own business cards and have successful marketing, writing, graphic design or social media freelance companies of their own. I have longstanding relationships with: Ashley Cleveland, Erica Cohen, Laurie Morrissey, Kari D’Amato, Nancy Besa, Angela Presnell, Suze Parker, Robyn Caulfield, Jenny Kincaid, Melanie Deardorff, Elaine Symanski, Kerry O’Connor, Jenny Wheat and more. We exchange ideas, business leads and referrals and most importantly collaborate on client work!
I spoke to an agency owner in 2004 who had been doing marketing and PR this way in San Francisco for more than a decade. He described his business model and to this day I’ve patterned my company after his. Through Kansas City International Association of Business Communicators, I’ve met many other small/boutique PR firms and other communicators who have similar businesses set up very much the same. I knew this was the model I wanted to continue for my business.
I love working from home (at least most days I do when the kids and pets aren’t driving me crazy), and I love having the flexibility of subcontractors.
But I think the best part of this model is being able to take advantage of the collaboration of experts in the industry. When my clients have a complex challenge, it makes sense for my business to capitalize on specific individuals who I’m confident will be successful for specific strategies.
How have we been successful? Communication is paramount. Facilitating information flow across clients and the team through weekly status meetings, daily emails and other tools is just one of the ways we support each other.
What does this look like for the future? Even more collaboration! As a boutique PR firm handling social media, grassroots marketing, media outreach, influencer relations and community events, we have already been working collaboratively with larger advertising agencies and digital firms as their “PR department.” I predict that trend will continue as the industry evolves.
When working with these larger agencies, it has been so exciting to be a part of a team servicing a big client and a more comprehensive agency team. I’ve learned a few things as an “agency collaborator” and it’s been a rewarding challenge.
We’re collaborators not competitors.
Egos are checked at the door.
We must prove collaborative results and be willing to work cross agency.
Like all industries, this one continues to evolve and I’m excited about the future of collaboration and continued industry networking.
What is Feminism? I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately. My mom believes it is one of the F-words. (Of course, she also believes fart is an F-word too.)
That’s baffling to me because I learned what I know about feminism from my mom and from my grandmother, both strong, courageous women. Plus, how could a woman be against feminism? Was it the 70s and Gloria Steinem who created this negative stereotype? Is it purely the term “feminism” that is the problem?
Wikipedia tells me that Feminism (in part) is seeking to establish equal opportunities for women in education and employment. Um, yes please!
I have never been a community activist or marched in an equal rights for women parade, but I’m thankful there were women who did. I wasn’t around when women did not have the right to vote, get an education, own property or hold office, but I’m grateful for those bold women who blazed that trail.
I’m blown away with stories I’ve heard from my grandmother and mother about their careers as young female teachers. And, I’m glad they shared these stories with me so I can remember that this wasn’t THAT long ago, that this was happening to women in the workplace.
My grandmother, Armena Rumberger, who was born in 1901 and graduated from the University of Kansas in 1922. She was editor of The Kansan (the college newspaper) and lead in the senior play at KU. She was hired in a small town in Kansas for her first position as a full time teacher. As with any first job, she interviewed for the job in person and then returned several months later to start her first “real” job. That was the Roaring Twenties and at that time a popular haircut, “the flapper bob” had hit the country. My grandmother cut her long hair and when she returned to start her new teaching position, the principal and school board were not happy with her progressive new hairstyle.
My mom, Diane Gard Mullikin, taught junior high in the Kansas City area for 15+ years, and loved teaching. During her first couple of years, she was pregnant with my sisters, but pregnant teachers weren’t allowed to teach school. The principal told the teachers at the annual back-to-school teacher’s meeting – predominantly women – that they weren’t allowed to be or get pregnant during the school year, and if they did, they’d lose their job because they couldn’t be seen by the children in this “disgusting condition.”
When hired, my mom was shown her starting salary on a pay scale sheet that started with first year teachers’ salary, second year teacher’s and so on. Her principal pointed on the sheet what her salary would be. She made an inquiry about a second column – a list of higher salaries. She was told those were for the first-year male teachers.
And there’s so much more. None of these stories made mom or grandma angry. This was just how life was. I guess we’re all glad some politically-minded women activist came along and helped change some things for future generations.
I’m in an industry that is predominately women and I enjoy the notion of supporting each other in our own journeys. I had a conversation with my sister recently who’s 12 years older than I am. She insisted that she never liked working for a female boss. I argued that I preferred it. I thought there were opportunities to learn from a strong female mentor who could lead by example, demonstrate her strengths and ultimately show support to another woman’s confidence and even take pride in it. Looking back, I wonder if it has to do with our difference in generations, and that she felt more comfortable with a man leader and a more traditional role.
My daughter, Natalie, is 13 and has been asking questions about female roles: Can girls play football, she asked? (not in the NFL was my answer, sorry true feminists, but I just don’t think so!)
Without getting into the 2016 election details, Natalie was shocked (and who wasn’t!) by some of the things that were said. I want to raise her knowing she can have any career she wants, and I’m proud her opportunities were opened by women like my grandmother and mother who may have been appalled by the term feminist, but they were trailblazers all the same.
Last year I made resolutions. It’s not often that we are willing to talk about our resolutions from last year. Why? Because that means accountability and no one likes that word.
2014 was not a good year for me, and I knew that I wanted 2015 to “be my year!” So on New Year’s Eve I set some goals (I’ve been told that resolutions are lame because they usually fizzle out and that instead you should “set goals.”)
These were mine:
1. Invest in professional development – Despite the expense, I’ve wanted to go to PRSA’s Counselors Academy Spring Conference for a decade. And it turned out to be exactly what I needed. The professional experience was excellent and the comradery with old friends was even better. I needed a few days away to soak up my industry, remember why I do what I do and drink wine until midnight with an old friend I haven’t seen in 12 years. I wish I could go every year.
2. Be inspired on a mission trip – I reviewed my work calendar and found a short-term trip in October to Haiti with my church, Life Mission Church. It was an incredible 10 days to an orphanage with 100 children. I will be forever changed. I went on this adventure not knowing a single person in the group and ended with some great friends. How can I and my family be so blessed to have been born in this country? How can I help my children wake up every day knowing how fortunate they are? How can those amazing little children and teens be so lovely when they are suffering? I pray that I can do another trip or take my kids on a trip someday.
As I reflect this New Year’s Eve, I see a few things in my rear view mirror including inspiration for new goals for 2016.
Professionally: I want to continue to emphasize “communication for the good” for my business and my clients. I met a lot of very smart people at the Counselors Academy conference including one who coincidentally was a young woman from Overland Park but who now lives and works in Portland, Oregon at Prichard Communications – specializing in “communication for a better world.” I’m fascinated with that concept for my clients. At MNPR, we have some non-profit clients and work to implement savvy cause marketing campaigns for all of our clients.
Personally, my goal is simple: my family! They believe I’m a work-a-holic. So, I’d like to get better at balance and fun. I’m going to set specific goals for fun. (does that take the fun out of it? I hope not!) Easy things like dinners, movies, date nights, bowling, staycations.
Let’s see if a year from now I’m brave enough to look in the rear view mirror as we embark on 2017!
(I’m not pictured yet in this photo. I’m still yet to come! I was number 5.)
I’m a gen-Xer. I’m kinda jealous of my millennial little bros and sisters. I feel like I’m the middle child; mad that the youngest is getting all of the attention.
As the baby in my own family, I remember my brothers and sisters say things like:
She got a car, we didn’t!
Her curfew is later!
She gets to go on a spring break trip, we stayed home!
Today, I feel like I keep hearing the same messaging: We must cater to the millennials.
I realize in marketing and PR, I have to pay very close attention to the millennials preferences because of their incredible buying power in the marketplace. Things like:
How they like to place their orders for food,
Online shopping preferences,
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram views,
How they communicate, and
How they consume the news.
As applicants and employees, millennials seem confident but sometimes lack in good old-fashioned persistent. We usually hire interns who don’t just send an email, but followup with a phone call because a tenacious young professional is the kind of intern that we’re looking for.
Some of the best learning experiences for new professionals in the workforce is to collaborate. I think it is important for all of us Gen-Xers and beyond to mentor (good learning experience for us too!), help motivate and show our appreciation.
I try to offer constructive criticism to interns and mentees from time to time, but something I’ve seen a few times recently in client meetings is an unconscious use of cell phones.
My advice: GET OFF YOUR PHONE.
Find something for your hands to do without it. Do not bring it to a meeting or if you do, put it away, do not text during a meeting, do not check your Instagram and do not have it out on the table. Without your phone, you might be able to:
be engaged
offer input
live your life in the moment and truly learn from us old folks some times
In fact, I learn every day from working with young professionals, and I plan to continue my education by surrounding myself with bright young minds.
Learning new things at my age has become common place. I thought that after college and by my 20s and even my 30s, I would become a “seasoned” professional (just read my bio, because it says I’m “seasoned”); and wouldn’t have to spend my days learning. Instead, I would sit back and counsel all of the less smart people of the world with my intelligence. Of course, I would get paid millions of dollars for this amazing “counsel.”
Well, for anyone who isn’t past their 30s… lucky you, first of all! And, secondly, you’re not done learning. Not by a long shot.
I’ve considered going back to school to get a master’s degree. I’d like to re-career some day and teach college. (Maybe if I become a college professor I’d finally be done learning!) But going to school is not the kind of traditional classroom learning I’m talking about.
I’m talking about the daily lessons I get from real world experiences. Things like:
younger professionals who school me on how to use the new technology in a meaningful way to reach target audiences.
online professional resources – I have a few favorites on vocabulary and grammar. (I know… I’m weird)
incredible professional organizations such as the Master’s and Independent Communicator’s groups within KC/IABC as well as the monthly meetings. These face-to-face meetings are a tremendous resource. I have truly benefited from learning lessons from these groups and still draw on these individuals when I have questions.
a new lesson from someone outside of my industry who is more than happy to tell me all of his or her secrets over coffee that I can use at my PR firm. (I’ve learned to do ad buying, fundraising, graphic design, websites and much more from these experts)
I was blown away yesterday when I sat down with a longtime friend who took more than hour out of her schedule to walk me through her decades of industry knowledge for a small client of mine. In exchange: a promise to help her out sometime and an inexpensive lunch. Obviously, I can’t become an expert like her in an hour but I was writing furiously to try to capture just a little of her vast knowledge to share with my client.
In turn, I try to always do the same for others. When I meet with small businesses who are looking for PR help, I offer them a short tutorial and even share my media list, knowing they may not have the resources to hire a PR firm or consultant. Why not offer them a lesson and pay it forward? After all, it has become clear to me… learning never stops.
