Once again the Philadelphia Chapter of PRSA will host Three Saturdays to PR Excellence beginning April 19, 2008.  This professional development primer and refresher for all levels has been extremely popular in previous years; it is highly recommended for professionals starting out in their PR careers; professionals from other disciplines who have been asked to take on a PR role; or more senior executives who are looking to sharpen their skills in areas such as communication, theory, research, ethics, and media relations.

Three Saturdays also serves as the Chapter's review course for APR candidates.

  Register for Three Saturdays here.

Rowan is located only 18 miles from Philadelphia and is quickly accessible on Saturday mornings.

*  Need to review how to do a strategic plan that gets results?

*  Like another view on how to deal with the media?

*  Searching for advice on managing crises?

*  Need grounding in the legal and ethical implications of public relations practice?

All practitioners, whether new to the field or seasoned executives, can benefit from a review of the principles that support the day-to-day practice of public relations.  Three Saturdays to PR Excellence will cover the basics from the definition of public relations to the four-step planning process, from qualitative vs. quantitative research to the legal/ethical arena in which public relations operates.

Three Saturdays leaders:

*  Carole Gorney, APR, Fellow PRSA; Professor Emeritus, Lehigh University & Past President, PRSA/Philadelphia

*  Suzanne D. FitzGerald, APR, Fellow PRSA; Professor, Rowan University & PRSA/Philadelphia Accreditation Chair

*  Anthony J. Fulginiti, APR, Fellow PRSA, Professor, Rowan University & Past President, PRSA/Philadelphia

Three Days of Thorough Grounding in the Basics of the Profession!

Cost:  $99 per day or $225 for all 3 days (includes lunch)

Day 1:  What is public relations?  Where public relations fits with other disciplines (HR, IR, advertising, marketing), research, and planning (including goals, objectives, strategies, tactics and evaluation)

Day 2:  Media relations (including benefits & risks of using the internet) and legal and ethical review (including SEC regulations for publicly-traded companies and recent changes to the Code of Professional Standards)

Day 3:  Crisis planning and crisis management, from basics to cybercrises, and dealing with opposition audiences.

Marisa Avallone Sharkey, APR, president of our chapter, was quoted in the Innovation Philadelphia newsletter article about Philadelphia's deep talent pool in marketing and communications.

Said Marisa, ""Philly is a hip, progressive city that is home to some of the country's most talented communications and marketing professionals.  It's a competitive market, one of the places where the best can work with and compete with the best."

April-June Program Helps New Professionals

Big Brothers Big Sisters is 2008 Institute's 'Client'

If you're a PR professional with about 2-5 years of experience, the 2008 Philadelphia PRSA PR Institute is just the course for you.

Successfully conducted in 2007 for the first time, this advanced public relations training program is designed to both broaden the base of knowledge and sharpen the skills of new public relations professionals working in agencies, corporations and nonprofit organizations, to help them provide greater value to their organizations and advance in their careers.

By the end of the course, the student will know how to:

• Research the client and its marketplace to develop positioning and communications
• Organize and create the public relations plan
• Effectively use new and existing media channels
• Incorporate PR into integrated marketing communications programs
• Create objectives and effectively use strategies and tactics to achieve objectives
• Identify metrics and use measurement tools to demonstrate return on investment

Between April 21 and June 9, the students will participate in weekly, two-hour sessions taught by senior PR professionals. They also will have the opportunity to put their new knowledge to work in competing mock PR agency teams. Each team will create and pitch an integrated communications proposal to the 2008 PR Institute's 'client', the Philadelphia-based, national non-profit organization Big Brothers Big Sisters. Participants should expect to spend an average of about 8 hours a week outside of class preparing their team proposals.

2007 Institute participant comments:

"I thought the course was well worth the $250 - I got more out of this than some $800 conferences."

"The speakers were great; very informative and gave great takeaway information."

"I learned a lot of strategies to apply to my job and enjoyed working with people in varying industries."

"Since I don't work at a PR agency, it was nice to get experience in creating a strategic plan and presenting to a potential client!"

Please note that the application deadline has been extended. Please disregard any reference to a March 21 deadline in the application form.

Tuition is $250.00 for PRSA Members; $295.00 for non-members.

Click here for the application form.

Contact PR Institute Chair Mark Sahl at msahl@lazarpartners.com with any questions.

This podcast features a seminar recorded live at Rowan Hall, Rowan University, Glassboro, Gloucester County, New Jersey, on February 13, 2008.

Download the podcast here (147 mb stereo MP3 file, 01:47:26 duration).
Send comments to steve@professionalpodcasts.com or call our podcast comment line, +1-856-861-6146 (Europe and UK, +44 020 7193 6146)

The panel, "An Evening of New Media Myth Busting," was sponsored jointly by Rowan University's Advertising/Public Relations Department, the Rowan Ad Club, the Rowan PRSSA, and the Philadelphia Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America.

Panelists are:

Adam Roberts
Director, Media Services
Digitas Health

Katy Thorbahn
Senior Vice President
General Manager
Philadelphia Office, Avenue A|Razorfish

Chris Lukach
Account Manager/Co-Owner
Anne Klein Communications Group LLC

Alan Levy
Co-Founder and CEO
BlogTalkRadio

Edward H. Moore, APR
Associate Professor, Public Relations and Advertising
Rowan University

Moderator: Kevin Pitts, Vice President, Advertising, Circulation, and Marketing, Philadelphia Business Journal (at lectern, far right, below).

More photos here.