Sunday, November 27, 2011

Inspiration

Imagine being only 19 years old and having a tragic accident change the rest of your life. Bryon Riesch experienced one and thankfully survived because his story is an inspirational one.
Just a freshman at Marquette University, Bryon was in what seemed to be a fun idea at the time, a slip-n-slide, but an accident resulted from it that made him a C5 quadriplegic. Spending three months in the hospital, including 27 days in ICU on a ventilator, he called this an “interesting” experience. He didn’t let this stop him from moving forward and pursuing life. Bryon wanted to go back to school and he eventually did, double-majoring at Marquette and graduating in five years.  He said the university “helped him learn again.”
Bryon has had many jobs working for Northwestern Mutual and R & R Insurance, but one that helped him with those jobs was a starting point working at Ability Connections for Goodwill.  This is a program that helps people with disabilities find IT jobs.  He said working here taught him how to market himself, deal with himself, and make others aware.
The Bryon Riesch Paralysis Foundation, or BRPF, was something Bryon started up in 2001. 
The mission: The Bryon Riesch Paralysis Foundation's goal is to find a cure for paralysis through funding the latest in medical research and to provide assistance to those that suffer from neurological disorders.”
Throughout the years, the foundation has held activities such as golf outings and run/walks to help raise money.  The first golf outing that was held raised around $100,000 that Bryon was able to use for medical bills from his accident. To date, more than $2 million dollars have been raised to further research.  For pictures and more information check out the foundation's Facebook.
Listening to Bryon speak, I learned a lot on how he lives his life and adjustments he has had to make. He said he was very scared at first when he had to deal with other individuals who had disabilities as well. He didn’t know how to act or what to say. He said that “everyone deals with some disorder somehow” and that made me realize a lot. Wherever you go there will be someone who has a disability, whether it’s involved in your everyday career or just walking to class. It is important that everyone knows how to deal with interactions in the right way.  Bryon gave advice on what to do when encounters with those who have disabilities occur.  Many people may not know how to react or think “Should I open the door or will they be offended and think I assume they can’t?” It’s really simple—we are all individuals with needs, just different needs.  Communication is the biggest thing, use common sense and be respectful. He also pointed out that people are hired to do a job because they can do the job. Don’t second guess someone’s work because they have a disability.
The most surprising aspect of Bryon’s lifestyle that I found was how expensive it can be.  To get things altered to the needs of someone who has a disability is very costly. For example, a vehicle designed for an individual with paralysis.  Bryon’s wheelchair alone was around $30,000!
What was most intriguing to me about Bryon was his love for life.  He’s been through it all and he still has the best sense of humor and such an optimistic outlook on everything.  He has taken his disability and made the most out of it by raising money to help find a cure and make others aware through his motivational speaking.  He’s a normal guy who loves sports, fishing, golfing, socializing and TV shows.  Towards the end of his speech he told us something his dad said to him and that was, “whenever you get the chance, reach out your hand and shake that hand, and you’ll be amazed at what you get back.” That hand shake could lead to new friends, job opportunities, or even help. Ironically, the day after I listened to Bryon speak, I opened this…

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Brand Your Blog, Blog Your Brand

Hearing about the journey of Trish Skram, UW-Whitewater Alum, social media specialist, and public relations manager, was very intriguing as she spoke about something that is taking over the way people are branding themselves and their companies and that is ... blogging!

Skram is currently a PR manager at Mercy Health Systems in Janesville, Wis.  She has been with the company for about 6 years and it stemmed from an internship she had with them when she was only a junior in college.  She is also the owner of "PR Gal" and a professional blogger for the Janesville Gazette and a freelance writer for the Wisconsin Healthcare Public Relations and Marketing Society, which is a nonprofit organization. 

Throughout her PowerPoint presentation she gave awesome tips on why people should blog, how blogs boost a brand, and common fears that individuals may have about entering the blogging universe.  She related to all these situations and gave us personal experiences she has had, as well as how she overcame her fears to blogging.  Twitter and blogging also go hand-in-hand because you can tweet about your blog and blog about your Twitter. They work with each other to expand information to different social media sites and of course get your brand out there.

The portion of the presentation that inspired me most was her blogging tips: 8 ways to build a brand with a blog. And they are ...
1) What do you want to get out of your blog? Defining your purpose for blogging and introducing yourself with get you the specific results you want.
2) Know your competency. Research what you're talking about and know your stuff.
3) Listen and learn about your audience. How do people relate to your blog and who are they?
4) Add a personal touch.  Implement your opinions, show people who you are.
5) Be positive. People will know if you are in a negative mood and decided to blog that day. People don't want to associate with a Debbie Downer.
6) Encourage engagement.  Ask questions, tell stories, build trust, and have a comments section.
7) Research keywords. Use Google to see what people are trying to look up; then use those phrases within your blog so people will visit more frequently because it will be in the searches.
8) Be consistent. Pick a day when you're going to blog to people know what to expect from you. Stick with main topics.


For more information about Trish Skram and her fabulous blogging lifestyle, follow her on Twitter @TrishSkram or click any of the links above!

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Life After Graduating-Camisha Klumb Miller

Camisha Klumb Miller is the perfect epitome of a successful, self-motivated, and driven individual.  She is someone that I think any PR major would love to be like and is an amazing role model for students like myself.
Her Story
Camisha was a 2002 UW-Whitewater graduate. She was involved in PRSSA, cheerleading, and made her appearance on the Dean’s list.  Here is the catch, she took 26 credits a semester! When asked how she did it, her response was, “I don’t sleep.” When she first came to school she wanted to major in business but soon realized that wasn’t the road she wanted to take; that is when public relations came into mind. I relate to her in that way because I also chose PR over the path that I was originally on.
Throughout listening to her speak she gave very important pieces of advice and one was to always take internships. She took an internship that ultimately landed her first big position in PR management at Professional Bullriders Association (www.pbrnow.com). She was in charge of all the print media that was sent out and planned events for the company.  After leaving PBR, she became employed as the Fun-Development Director at Girl Scouts of America-Kenosha County.  She was never used to working in a non-profit so it was an experience for her, but a rewarding one at that.  When Girl Scouts of America-Kenosha County decided to merge with other counties she decided to leave the company, as well as her CEO who retired around the same time.  Camisha then became the Director of Tourism for Kenosha County and oversaw all sports marketing and events.  Around that time she met her husband who is a truck driver and has a secure job so she made the decision to move to Plymouth, Wis. with him. Camisha then went back to working in non-profit with Girl Scouts of America again, but this time the organization wasn’t merging with any other counties so she knew it was right up her alley.  Recently she was offered a position for Executive Director for Habitat for Humanity in the Sheboygan, Wis. area … of course she took it and that is one more thing to add to her already amazing resume (http://www.habitatlakeside.org/).
In the midst of all this, she owns her own PR agency called High Flyers PR (www.highflyerspr.com) which she started up in 2006. Camisha has so much going on in her life with work, but she also balances it out with a race team she and her husband bought, she coaches a dance team at Howards Grove High School, she is actively involved at her church, and of course being a committed mother and wife.
Camisha’s advice to college students
Listening to Camisha speak was an opportunity to see that it is possible to follow your dreams and be successful while still doing what you love and having a family. Some important things she said that I will take from this is to sustain efficient time-management skills, multitask, make sacrifices, DON’T SLACK, and  no doesn’t mean no, it means not right now.  Oh and NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK!!!

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Back in the Game!

Hi all! It has been awhile since I've last blogged, reason being is that it was summer and I was working a ton. School is back on which means I'm ready to brush up on my PR skills and get these classes rolling again.  I'll reintroduce myself for those who have not visited my blog before. My name is Nicole Thalacker and I'm starting my junior year at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. I am majoring in public relations and minoring in marketing/advertising and journalism. I hope after I graduate here I can go on to grad school, but I haven't quite figured out for what yet. My dream job is to be a publicist for a big brand name or a celebrity. I know I'll get there one day and I'm definitely not giving up. I’m happy that I finally feel like I’m doing the right thing for my life and feel like I’m on the right track to getting where I want to be in my professional career. When I first came to college I was frustrated with myself for feeling like I had no sense of direction, but that has all changed for the better! My newest task I've taken on is being copy editor for the Royal Purple which is the campus newspaper. So far, I love it and the people I'm working with. I'm ready to start this semester off right and I have a good feeling about it. I love meeting new people and taking on new projects. I can't wait to see how everything turns out!

Sunday, April 24, 2011

UW-Whitewater Alumni Videos

Our final blog assignment for our PR Tactics I course was to look over the work of some PR Tactics II students.  I enjoyed this assignment very much.  Their assignment was to find UW-Whitewater Alumni that were Public Relations majors and see where they are at in their careers now. They interviewed them and put the video on YouTube. This not only gave me insight to a project that I will be doing as a PR Tactics II student next semester, but it also allowed me to see the great variety of career paths that this major has taken people to.  I like seeing where people work and learning about their journey to get to where they are now. They are also the perfect people to take advice from because they have been through things that I have yet to experience.

I viewed numerous of these interview videos and narrowed it down to 3 that I valued the most.

The first video I enjoyed was an interview with Rick Daniels. He is the Greek Leadership Adviser at UW-Whitewater. He graduated and began his career at the university in 2009.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbZ4VJQ2r_U
He helps promote Greek life and is able to share his experiences because he was Greek himself when he was a student.  I enjoyed this video because he gave extremely beneficial advice that I will always keep in mind. Such as, always saving all your work from college and things you have accomplished, because all of it can help you in your future.  Daniels also said to aggressively pursue your internships, even if they are small. Small things lead to big things.

The second video that caught my attention of them all was Ginny Bocek.  She is a Parks Program Specialist with the Waukesha County Parks System. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meKGSJFkuAQ
She deals a lot of advertising and newspapers and promotes events going on.  She also works a lot on the social media for people to always know things that are going on. She gave advice to students by telling us to keep an open mind in anything we do and any experience we have, we should take all that we can from it and utilize it in our future.  Bocek also notes that often times our first job out of college may not be what we exactly imagined, but it will get there. Just keep moving forward and take all that you can from each experience.

The third video that I valued was Brian Kohlmann's interview.  I met with him at the BMA event we went to back in February and valued his advice.  Kohlmann is a sales representative and cross media specialist at The Printery, which is a consolidated graphics company in New Berlin, Wis.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mU6z0LJ9Qzg
I like how he is so passionate about his job.  He receives satisfaction from meeting his client's needs and enjoys that there is never a dull day in his career.  Kohlmann also emphasized that the decision to come to UW-Whitewater didn't affect him as a person, it was the experiences he had while he was there and the relationships he's maintained still to this day. 

Friday, March 11, 2011

So Trendy...

We are always hearing about the newest trend or that one thing that we just have to do and the latest trend that really peaks my interest is Groupons.  A Groupon is exactly what it sounds like—a mixture between the word group and coupon.  The website http://www.groupon.com/ is a group buying site that presents online buyers with amazing discounts on products.  I was reading online articles and found that Forbes is naming this the fastest-growing website company in history.

Check it out at:

I am a server at a restaurant called Fins Bar and Grill and this past winter my manager showed me what some of my tables may be giving me when they are ready to pay their bill. She told me it was a Groupon and explained that it was good for $20 off of their bill. The thing is, they only paid $9 for it.  The website negotiates discounts with businesses and the buyers usually end up getting over 50 percent off.  They send out discounts to people’s emails and the businesses get new customers. It’s a win win situation.  So far the website has saved customers more than $35 million.  There’s a video on how Groupon works on YouTube, another public relations social media trend.
Watch that here:

The Today Show also covered Groupons in a news story:


Wednesday, February 23, 2011

BMA-Milwaukee Event

Last night was one of the most informative nights I have had in a long time.  Words cannot describe how happy I am that I got to go to an event like this.  I learned so much about other people, but most importantly, learned so much about myself. 

My favorite part of the evening had to be the speed interviewing process.  I was so nervous! I had to keep telling myself that it was a learning experience only and these professionals are here to help me prepare for the real thing. After I opened up to the first lady I went to, everything seemed really laid back and less stressful.  I received great feedback and some much needed constructive criticism.

Another part of the night that was valuable was the social networking portion. I found it much more intriguing to listen to Tom Sanders, Haley Landsman, and Anthony Piwarun inform us on what they do when they are communicating through Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and other online blogs.  I liked it because they weren't preaching to us about what not to do; they focused more on what to do or how to do things.  They also talked to us about their personal experiences when communicating with professionals through the online world. They also shared their twitter handles with us!
Tom @stratocasting
Haley @haleylandsman
Anthony @apiwarun

Here are some great links that explain a little more of the event:
http://www.bma-milwaukee.org
http://www.facebook.com/pages/BMA-Milwaukee/143605512066
The event was held at Manpower, a company that helps people be successful. It is a beautiful building that was designed to be eco-friendly! Learn more about it here:
http://www.manpower.com/