Archive for November, 2008

Graduate School

So, my undergraduate years are coming to an end shortly in May. They have been some of the best and worst times(more good times though), but have gone by way to fast! I am now starting the process of applying to graduate school and taking the GRE. I am nervous that I might not get in a then will have to enter the business world in this time when the economy is so unsure. I do think that I will get in though, we will have to wait and see. I think that continuing your education is a great thing to do. First of all, it will be easier when I do it right now rather than wait until I am married, have kids and a job. I will get it over and done with and that will be that. I also think that since more and more people are going to college it will be beneficial for me to have a masters degree when applying for jobs. I am a little hesitant to leave Joplin and venture back to big, busy Dallas where I feel like a little fish again, but I know I will be happy. I am excited to learn and dig deeper into the study of PR and advertising. Hopefully this will be a helpful journey. I have not decided if I am going to be able to work or not. I guess that will be something I will have to find out after a few weeks of class. I would like to live on my own and not in my parents house, because in a way I feel as though I am back tracking in a sense. I know  a lot of people in my shoes will be doing that so I think it will be ok. I am excited to see what happens next and will enjoy my last semester here at Missouri Southern.

Newsletters

I am in the middle of writing a news letter for my company. Yesterday I took a legal size sheet of paper and mapped out everything on the page. I brainstormed all of the ideas that I could write about. The next day I came back and picked the few that I actually wanted to include. The thing that has taken me the longest is the design of the newsletter. It is a sports news letter so I took photos of different themes of sports, turned them black and white which took up at 1/3 of the page. We’re a nonprofit group so I am sending them out to all of our sponsors, board members and other companies around town that could benefit from being our sponsors.

I think that newsletters can be a very important part of a company, if used correctly. I think that they help despense information and people can look forward to getting the letters on a regular basis. It can also help bring in other companies that maybe didn’t know what all you could offer them. It also helps create a sense of family. I am excited to see how it turns out and I also think it is a great thing to put in my portfolio.

PSA

After viewing public services annoucements and VNR’s, in my personal opinion, PSA’s are more effective. I feel like PSA connect with their auidence more and are more interesting to watch. I think that VNR’s are boring, cost way too much to make and aren’t as effective. As a viewer, I would much rather watch a PSA than a VNR.

The PSA that I really enjoyed watching was the “No Vote” campaign for this election. They really hit home and reached a lot of people. I also think it is interesting how people are watching things like this on YouTube at a greater rate than on television. If it were my company I would rather produce a PSA than a VNR at all.

Internal Communication

I believe that to have a successful company your employees must be happy. I have worked at places where I love where I work, but hate how I was treated. I have also worked at places that I have loved working and and was treated great. The result? I worked a lot harder at the place that I was treated well and stayed there a longer time.

Internal relations, which deals with employee communication is extremely important to a companies success. go2 provides many good benefits of having good internal communication. I have provided a summary of some of the benefits:

First of all, this type of communication allows for better customer service because only an informed staff will be able to accurately relay information to its customers. Second, “communication permits clarity of purpose.” When employees understand their expectations and link to their company and its goals it is easier to navigate successful change. Also, one of the most important aspects is that this communication boosts employee motivation and dedication. When companies communicate with their employees, on a regular basis, they feel valued and a part of a team. When their opinions are taken into account they feel that they are more connected with the ideas. Therefore, more energy and effort are put into seeing that those tasks get carried out. When employees feel appreciated they take ownership in the company’s goals, which leads to eventual success.  Another benefit is that “communication fosters teamwork.” When a business communicates a companywide mandate all team members will share the same ultimate goal, which then makes sure that all energies are focused on that one objective. Communication is not just done from the top-down, two-way communication is the most effective and produces the most result. That is why “communication inspires productive staff input.” Like the old saying goes “two heads are better than one.” Think of all the information that employees possess on different aspects of their company. If a company does not encourage or allow two-way communication to take place they are losing valuable resources because any feedback has the potential to make a huge difference in a company’s bottom line. Many times employees who are out there in the field and talk with each other every day have the most knowledge about what could make the company more effective. They are able to provide an internal as well as external perspective. Lastly, if nothing more, communication exhibits integrity and honesty about a company’s leaders. When a company does not communicate with their employees it breeds mistrust and the company is not able to prevent rumors. When information is not given to them they fill in the blanks with negative information. When employees feel that their employer is being open, honest and providing them with information, a sense of trust is established. This in turn makes employees feel valued, which leads to greater work ethic. As one can see, a company can greatly benefit from doing something as simple as talking with their employees. As Brandon C. Michael states it, “employee communication is no longer “nice to do”; it is critical to success.”  After researching this topic, I have a great interest in maybe doing this some day for the company I work for. I think that it would be great to help the company I work for engage their employees and have great moral. I think that this should be a top priority for many CEO’s.