How To Use Research for PRSSA Planning
Planning for a year of PRSSA meetings, socials and activities can be difficult. There are many things the Chapter president and executive board need to take into consideration. Don’t forget the following:
1. Consider University Calendar and Events
When researching to plan your year, start with your school calendar. Make sure you look at breaks, holidays and other university events that could clash with your meetings and events. Your Chapter could collaborate with other organizations to help sponsor a major university event as well.
2. Incorporate Industry Trends and News
Next, research news regarding public relations. If you have more than just public relations majors in your Chapter, also look at trends in marketing, journalism, social media and more. These fields are all relevant to public relations, and it’s important to know what is current in these areas.
One topic Chapters often don’t discuss is ethics within public relations. This is a great topic for Chapters to discuss because every member can have a voice, express his or her opinion and learn more about ethics.
If you know other Chapters have done an activity your members would be interested in, reach out to them and get more details about their event. We all learn from each other and are here as a resource for one another.
3. Plan With Past and Future PRSSA Events In Mind
One more thing to research when planning are PRSSA National events and past Chapter events. With PRSSA National events, be aware of when National Conference, National Assembly and Regional Conferences occur so your members can plan to attend those extremely important events. When researching past Chapter events, contact past Chapter presidents or executive board members and ask them what kind of events worked and which ones didn’t. Find out why they did or didn’t work. The more information you have about past events, the more successful your events will be for the year.
You want to plan activities, events and socials your members are excited to attend. So while you look ahead for your year, start planning now! Set up a conference call or phone meeting for you and your executive board members. The sooner your members have a calendar, the sooner you will know about attendance for events and if you need to make changes to anything.
Preparation and research are key to the success of public relations and our Society as a whole. How does your Chapter incorporate research into planning? What topics and activities have proven successful?
This is a guest post from Vice President of Public Relations Lauren Gray.
