Staff Blog
Our weekly blog, written by FH staff, features our reflections about a variety of personal and industry-related points of view.
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Vacation Dreamin’
May 16, 2012
By Michelle Leitzy, account executive
There’s something you should know about me — I love to travel. While I don’t get to do it as often as I’d like — money and time off occasionally hold me back — I’m constantly dreaming of new places I’d like to visit.
This year, however, is a money-saving year for me so there are no “great” vacation plans on the horizon (Being a responsible adult really stinks sometimes). So, in light of my non-existent vacation plans, I thought I’d share some of the travel destinations I’ve been daydreaming about taking one day.
- Spain — I got the European travel bug when I traveled to Italy a few years ago and decided that Spain was next on my list. I’ll just have to brush up on my Spanish before then!
- Pacific Northwest — A trip that includes Seattle, Vancouver and Victoria Island, British Columbia — it’s one that I’ve been thinking about taking for a while now, but just haven’t got around to planning — I think it may be time.
- Bali, Indonesia — This is a new vacation destination for me and probably the dreamiest. The beautiful crystal-clear waters and exotic landscape of Indonesia seem to be calling my name. Who knows if this trip will ever become a reality, but a girl can dream, can’t she?
I’m now off to play the lottery to see if I can make some of these vacation dreams a reality…
Do you have any vacations planned for the near future? What is your dream vacation?
Preparing to Lead
May 9, 2012
By Denise Clark, director of client services
Can you believe it is already May? I can’t. I am not sure what happened to the first quarter of this year but it went by too fast.
What makes me particularly nervous is that I am president-elect for the East Central District (ECD) of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and I am quickly seeing my year as president approach. Yes, I have the “deer in the headlights” syndrome. What do I need to do to prepare for my year as ECD president? Seriously, this is causing me some sleepless nights and a yucky feeling in the pit of my stomach. I want my year to not only go smoothly, but I want to positively impact the organization.
You would think that I would have a handle on this. After all, I was in the same situation years ago when I was president-elect of the Central Ohio Chapter PRSA chapter. So, let me take a deep breath and think about this. What did I do then that worked? And what didn’t work? How can that help me now?
First, I interviewed past presidents. They all told me to pick three things that I wanted to accomplish as president. Picking three would allow me to focus and ensure that I could make a positive impact on the organization. Okay, whew. I now have two things to do to help me prepare:
- Contact past presidents for their insight
- Begin to think about the three things I want to focus on during my short year
I also talked to the board – the people I would be responsible for leading. What did they like about the board, what didn’t they like? This information allowed me to help move board members to positions more in line with their strengths and what they wanted to do or accomplish. It also allowed me to see the board and its inner workings from many different viewpoints. In some cases, something I thought was working, really didn’t work for the majority of board members. Okay, I now have one more thing to add to my list:
- Contact existing board members to learn what’s working for them and what isn’t (Hmmm. It seems that I’m putting my PR skills to work here by conducting research and using results to determine next steps).
Wow, in re-reading this blog, I think I have a great starting point for getting rid of the yucky feeling in the pit of my stomach and that will allow me to sleep at night. I have three things that need to happen. My next step is to assign deadlines to this list and get started. Or, as I like to tell myself, “Plan my work and work my plan.”
When these three items are completed, I will be in the position to make some decisions that will help me to have a successful year. Keep your fingers crossed!
Morning-Drive Mix Tape
May 2, 2012
By Kathleen Anthony, account supervisor
For the majority of American workers, commuting to work is just part of the daily routine — like brushing your teeth, feeding your pets or watching silly YouTube videos during work hours — it’s just something we have to do.
Commuters employ a variety of tactics to help them survive the drive to work. Some drivers choose to talk or text — oblivious to the traffic around them, while others keep themselves awake with the banter of shock jocks or listening to the news of the day on talk radio.
That’s not really my style. After copious cups of high-octane coffee and safely maneuvering yet another toddler tantrum, I need to rock out!
My morning drive is all about getting amped for the workday ahead with music that matches my driving style – loud, fast and a bit aggressive (a skill learned navigating Southern California’s drive-or-get-out-of-my-way freeways).
My morning playlist usually includes some rock and punk with maybe a smidge of SKA or Steve Earle (about as country as I’ll ever get). These days The Black Keys, Heartless Bastards, TV on the Radio, Green Day and The Clash are all in heavy rotation. I might pop in some Bowie when I’m feeling nostalgic or Nirvana when the angst is running particularly high.
By the time I pull into the FrazierHeiby parking lot, I’m ready to meet the day head on, all thanks to my morning-drive rock concert!
How do you get pumped for the workday?
Monday Morning Survival Tips
April 25, 2012
By Wesleigh Mowry, graphic designer
The case can be made that the most challenging hour of the workweek is 8 a.m. Monday morning. After two relaxing days of being away from your desk, no matter how much you enjoy what you do, getting up early and heading to the office can be a job in and of itself. So what’s the best way to make it through that dreaded first hour? Try some of these survival tips:
Wear something nice. When taking standardized tests in school, I remember being told not to wear my favorite pair of sweats but to instead dress as if I were preparing for an interview. Dressing well boosts your confidence and keeps you more focused, as opposed to being too comfortable, which could inadvertently lead to the Monday-morning desk nap.
Go to bed early Sunday. Easier said than done, I know, but getting a good night’s sleep can make all the difference when it comes to waking early. Adults need between six and eight hours of sleep a night to feel fully rested when they get up in the morning (Now if they’d just move Mad Men to a timeslot earlier than 10 p.m. so that I can follow my own advice!).
Turn on some music. Listen to something that makes you happy! Maybe listening to rock gets you energized, or playing classical piano music in the background helps you concentrate. If you work in close quarters you may want to consider a set of headphones for the sake of your neighbors – blaring Devo may make you feel better, but chances are, not everyone will have the same reaction first thing in the morning.
Eat peppermints. This is another remnant of my standardized-testing days. Peppermint helps with concentration, so eating hard candy or chewing gum flavored with peppermint can help you focus on the work at hand. It’s also a good excuse for keeping candy at your desk.
Get some caffeine. Whether you take it in coffee, tea, Mountain Dew, or intravenously, there is no easier way to make it through a Monday than with lots and lots and lots of caffeine.
What tactics do you use to get through the first hour back to work?
Looking Back at 29 Years
April 18, 2012
By Doug Frazier, Chief Creative Officer
This past week, our firm turned 29-years. (Confetti toss). Having been here most of this time, I couldn’t help but think about how much things have changed. In 1983, we still used typewriters and postal mail for all of our communications, art was painstakingly prepared with paste-up boards and broadcast media still spliced linear analog tape. We worked with a 24-hour news cycle and newspapers and the 6 o’clock news reigned as the primary sources of information.
Now I get most of my news via alerts, blogs and online new sources from my phone — It’s immediate delivery and access when I want it, matched with immediate demand from those outlets when they need something from us.
So yes, we’ve experienced big change. But the other side of the coin is that we really do provide the same services and counsel as we did 30 years ago. The practice of understanding consumer attitudes, developing effective strategies, creating engaging messages and launching audience-targeted campaigns has not changed. It’s just that the news cycle has shifted from weeks to days to minutes and we no longer have the luxury to sit and think about a program. We must move quickly, many times within minutes of an opportunity or challenge.
Yet, while we have all of the tech tools and resources to create and broadcast our messages quickly, THE most important aspect of our business remains the critical need for us to employ experts who are not only nimble, but also experienced, creative and understand how to effectively deliver what our clients need. The bottom-line: success in business communications is based on forging relationships and people connecting with people. I find that thought to be very comforting as my phone vibrates, reminding me of an impending deadline. I gotta go…