Chapter & Verse WEST VIRGINIA CHAPTER

WEST VIRGINIA CHAPTER
Chapter & Verse
Is a tanker of diesel on your crisis preparation list?
By Intern Amy McCallister-Ethel
Public relations professionals from across the state came
together to participate in a crisis
communications seminar at
Marshall University in October.
The professional development
training featured a crisis communications panel, presentations
about the importance of planning for a crisis, and a handson group learning session.
Professional Development
Committee Chair Rachel Coffman, shown above, moderated the crisis communications panel featuring Laura
Jordan, WV American Water,
Phil Moye, Appalachian Power,
Rudi Raynes, Putnam County
Schools, and Mary Green, Ann
Green Communications.
“The common themes
of crisis communication are
being prepared, being proactive, stating the facts, telling the truth and responding
to every media inquiry that
you can,” Jordan said.
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Laura Jordan, external affairs
manager for WV American Water,
spoke about the challenges her
company faced in the aftermath
of the Freedom Industries spill.
Afternoon presentations
opened with “Creating a Crisis
Communications Plan and Why It
Is Important,” by Krista Farley of
the American Red Cross, shown
below. She shared a detailed
step-by-step plan as a takeaway for those in attendance.
importance of being prepared
for the details of a crisis based
on his years of experience as
the owner of a satellite truck.
For example, following the tragedy at Virginia Tech, 127 satellite
trucks were there and the campus
was ready. “If something were to
happen, where would you put 127
satellite trucks?” Stevens asked.
He also shared the experience
on one site where a diesel truck
was brought to fuel the satellite
trucks, since that was easier than
taking the trucks to the fuel. That
was one tip that even the most
experienced professional in attendance will add to their crisis
communication preparedness list!
INSIDE INFO
Mock Press Conference...............2
Member news..............................2
Joe Stevens of the Media
Center, shown at right, shared
his experiences from “On the
Front Lines” of many crisis
situations. He spoke about the
November meeting notice..........3
November webinars...................4
President’s Corner.....................4
po box 13604 • charleston, wv 25360 • 304.984.0308 • [email protected] • november 2014
East Central District honors West Virginia Chapter
The West Virginia Chapter
has been recognized by the East
Central District of PRSA with a
Chapter Excellence Award for its
2013 professional development
offerings.
The chapter professional
development award recognized
the chapter’s efforts to “increase
members’ public relations expertise at all experience levels.” This
was done by taking advantages
of resources and talent inside the
chapter as well as inside the state.
With 55% of our membership
located in Charleston and Kanawha
County, we had long heard from
non-Charleston members about
the difficulty of attending luncheon
meetings when their drive could
be from one to six hours each way.
Based on this informal research
and feedback, the Board of Direc-
tors, Professional Development
Committee and Program Committee
discussed the best ways of providing
high-quality public relations education to professionals across the
state. They decided to host two programs in the central portion of the
state, while also giving them reasons
to attend meetings in Charleston.
President-elect Andy Wessels accepted the award during
the East Central District QuickStart Conference in September.
Crisis communications hands-on activity
By Intern Melissa Dungey
“Several people were injured when a toxic cloud passed
through the Midvale Fall Harvest Fest at about 4:20 p.m.
today after a tanker train collided with a semi-tractor trailer.
“High school band members
were the first to be affected by the
toxic cloud as it moved over the
football field. After band members
began choking on the fumes, audience members rushed to escape,
resulting in several trampling injuries. The chaos also led to many
families becoming separated.”
That was the mock press
conference scenario Marshall
University professors Dr. Terry
L. Hapney Jr, Jason Lovins, APR,
and Dr. Chris Swindell presented
to attendees of the October professional development seminar.
Attendees were divided into three
groups: local and company officials, media and observers.
The press conference panel
consisted of “Midvale” authorities,
including the mayor, the chief of
police, a spokesperson for one
of the companies involved in the
incident and a spokesperson for
the school. After presenting the
facts of the incident, questions
were taken from the media which
consisted of representatives from
print, radio, television and the web.
To shake things up for the panelists and media, the mock press
conference even came complete
with a woman bursting in, frantic to find her missing sister.
The observers got their time
to talk when the press conference
concluded. Perhaps the most common observation was how well the
mayor did (portrayed by Jacqueline
Proctor, shown above). She maintained her calm voice, even when
the frantic woman burst in and the
reporters rapidly fired questions at
her. Proctor also did a good job of
steering the reporters’ questions
back to the issue at hand. “Let’s
keep it on public safety right now,”
said Proctor, playing the mayor.
An important observation was
made on the use of language. It was
observed that the word caustic was
used numerous times by the panelists, but that many people might not
know what that word means. According to Swindell, simple language
that’s easy to understand should be
used during a press conference.
Lovins concluded the session on the excellence theory in
crisis communications and said
that we should all “strive for it.”
This was a truly unforgettable
session. The three Marshall University professors provided a topnotch learning experience that was
perfect for attendees, regardless of
their level of crisis communications
or press conference experience.
Marshall University professors
Lovins, Hapney and Swindell watch
over their mock press conference.
po box 13604 • charleston, wv 25360 • 304.984.0308 • [email protected] • november 2014
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FREE webinars
Register at www.prsa.org
Nov. 11
How Polarizing Scotch Brand,
Laphroaig, Built a SocialCentric Global Campaign
Laphroaig’s “Opinions Welcome” is a perfect example of a
global social campaign that started
digitally, from ideation to execution, then branched out using the
consumer as the brand megaphone. Discover which components
to consider and why in developing a global social campaign.
Nov. 13
Transform Your Pitch
From Snooze to News
Do you have a routine story
to pitch? Learn eight proven approaches that will transform your
routine story into one that grabs
attention in the first sentence.
Nov. 18
The Ideal Social/Digital Team
As the number of communications platforms continues to grow,
companies are becoming increasingly proficient in engaging with communities while developing and curating
the type of content that fuels customer and brand loyalty. Learn how
to activate a program, and how team
members collaborate and relate.
Nov. 20
Storytelling Techniques to
Reach Your Stakeholders
Research has shown that
nonprofit organizations that have
taken time to develop a narrative
around their missions and programs
have seen positive results in terms
of donations, volunteer recruitment and attracting new clients.
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November meeting notice
Honoring one of our own
Join the West Virginia Chapter of PRSA on Wednesday, November 19,
at Edgewood Country Club as we honor Linda Arnold with our Lifetime
Achievement Award during our final meeting of 2014. This is the fifth time
the award has been presented. Previous recipients were Ann S. Green
(2000), the late Thad Epps (1996), Charles Ryan, APR (1995) and George
Manahan (2013). The cash bar begins at 5:30, followed by dinner at 6:00.
Join us for an evening of Linda Arnold stories,
as told by Patty Johnston, Cindy Sheets (daughter of
Linda’s mentor Bill Turner) and Steve Morrison, as
well as through a video from Senator Rockefeller.
We will install officers for 2015, as elected
during the October meeting. Our new leadership team includes President Andy Wessels,
President-elect Stacy Deel, Treasurer Brandon
Totten, Secretary Dr. Terry Hapney, Immediate
Past President Sara Payne Scarbro and Directors Rachel Coffman, Emily Myers Duke and
Kyra Harris. Sara Payne Scarbro will receive
the William H. Chaddock Presidential Service Award.
Linda’s work in a variety of areas, including politics and owning a
successful agency for many years, will provide us with a number of great
stories throughout the evening! As a tribute to Linda and her passion for
animals, we are asking for contributions of Purina cat and/or dog food and
other toys and products that will be donated to the Kanawha Charleston
Humane Association in her name.
Reservations are due by Friday, November 14, and the cost is $40
per person. You can register and pay online at www.prsawv.org.
_____ Yes, I will attend the November 19 installation dinner.
Name _________________________________________________________
Company ______________________________________________________
Email _________________________________________________________
Guest _________________________________________________________
Company ______________________________________________________
_____ Check enclosed for $40 per person.
Reservations are required for this meeting and must be received by Friday,
November 14. Register by mail or online at www.prsawv.org. Full payment must accompany each registration.
Make check payable and mail with reservation form to:
PRSA-WV Chapter • PO Box 13604 • Charleston, WV 25360-0604
po box 13604 • charleston, wv 25360 • 304.984.0308 • [email protected] • november 2014
PRSA-WV Chapter
PO Box 13604
Charleston, WV 25360
November 19, 2014
Presentation of the Lifetime
Achievement Award to
Linda Arnold
5:30 p.m. (cash bar)
6:00 p.m. dinner
Edgewood Country Club
Charleston
President’s Corner
Please join us for our November meeting as we honor
one of our own – Linda Arnold.
Linda’s spirit for life and our
profession is truly admirable. A
Beckley native, Linda graduated
from WVU, worked in both the
public and private sectors, started
the successful Arnold Agency and
most recently is a national syndicated columnist. Throughout her
many years working in the public
relations field, Linda has shared her
knowledge and passion for results
with her clients and this chapter.
Linda has supported this chapter as a member and as a speaker.
She truly strives to “Live Life Fully.”
She is a friend to many of us and
it is time that we gather and express our appreciation to her.
So please join us as we cel-
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Sara Payne Scarbro
ebrate Linda Arnold’s accomplishments. Indeed, it will be a great
night for good food, fun and friends.
In addition to this special recognition, we will also install our officers for next year. Don’t miss this
exciting dinner. See you there!