Progressions

5 Takeaways From the PRSSA 2016 Leadership Rally

After a long journey from Lima, Peru to Phoenix, Arizona, I had the opportunity to attend the PRSSA 2016 Leadership Rally. Below are five takeaways from this year’s Leadership Rally.

Encourage your members to endorse the mission and vision of the organization.

As leaders, we always want our members to feel the same enthusiasm and love for the organization as we do. It is our job to spread the mission of PRSSA and encourage active membership within our Chapters by promoting member benefits and opportunities.

Your Chapter will do better if it works as a team.

It is normal for leaders to want to take on lots of responsibility, but we need to remember to work as a team. By including our members in Chapter initiatives, we can lighten our load and give members a chance to be more involved.

Celebrate successes with your team.

When a Chapter member accomplishes something, such as winning an award or finishing a project, we should celebrate those successes as a Chapter. By doing this, we encourage members to always do their best work, helping our Chapter and individual members to grow personally and professionally.

Always bring your business cards.

As a public relations and communications student, you should know to always bring your business cards, especially to PRSSA events. Business cards are an essential tool to broaden your network and connect with fellow members.

Attend national events.

I learned a lot at Leadership Rally and encourage all members to attend national events. The PRSSA 2016 National Conference is a great opportunity to learn more about public relations, expand your networking with a larger number of PRSSA and PRSA members and share the achievements of your Chapter with other students.

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César Zapata attends Universidad de San Martín de Porres School of Communication Sciences in Lima, Peru. He serves as USMP PRSSA Chapter President. Follow him on Twitter @cesarzapata30 or connect on LinkedIn.