Amy Schwinge « In The Profession

Posts Tagged ‘Amy Schwinge’

Path to #PR: Q&A with Amy Jones Schwinge; @PRSSA

Friday, May 18th, 2012

This month, we’re sharing experiences from all of our staff about their career paths in PR – and a few other fun things, too! Enjoy this Q&A with Amy Jones Schwinge . . .

Tell us a little about yourself? Hometown? Family?

Volunteer Chapter PRSA President-Elect Chelsey Riemann, APR, (L) presents a PRSA Award of Excellence in April 2012 to Amy Schwinge (R)

I am a hometown girl; I was born and raised in Knoxville. With the exception of living in Atlanta for about nine years, I have lived in Knoxville all of my life. I am married to Guy, and we have two young children: our daughter, Jade, and our son, Levi. They are my world!

What was your first job?

My very first job was working for one of my favorite uncles in a concession stand at the UT football stadium. It was a lot of fun; we all would take turns watching the game too. Nepotism was not an issue as most everyone who worked there was a member of the family—mostly cousins and my brother too.

My first PR job was an unpaid internship for the East Tennessee Special Technology Access Center; this experience helped me obtain three other internships during my undergrad college years, including overseeing the newsletter for the Public Relations Student Society of America chapter at UT, East Tennessee Children’s Hospital and Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Did your collegiate life prepare you for your current job?

Yes! In addition to the great curriculum, the required internships definitely prepared me for my career, including my current job. When I was at UT in PR, a minimum of two internships were required to graduate. My internships proved invaluable to me. I know they put me a step ahead and helped me land a communications position at Boeing in Oak Ridge right after I received my undergrad degree. This was my first “real” job after I graduated.

How long have you been with MBWC?

I started performing some project work for MBWC in late fall of 2006 after I left the General Motors Southeast Regional Communications office in the Atlanta area. I served as MBWC’s satellite office in Atlanta for almost two years.

Why did you join MBWC?

After GM moved the Southeast Regional office 26 miles north of Atlanta, it took me an hour and a half EACH WAY to get to and from work. I just couldn’t take the drive and missing that time with my family and young daughter at the time. That is when I started doing project work for MBWC while I was still in the Atlanta area. Then, after my husband was offered a job in Knoxville, Mary Beth offered me a position at her office in Maryville.

What is your biggest pet peeve?

I just don’t care for fake people; just be yourself. The truth will come out sooner or later anyway…

What was your favorite tradition during your childhood?

I loved to picnic with family and friends in the Cades Cove area of the mountains. We also would ride horses and drive around the loop. Wonderful memories!

What is your favorite quote?

Today is a gift; that is why it is called the present.

What do you like most about working at MBWC?

I enjoy the people—both at MBWC and the clients we work with. I also love the flexible work schedule, which helps me achieve better work/life balance. There is never a dull moment. I like performing work for a variety of diverse clients. No two days are the same!

Who has had the greatest impact on your professional career?

My parents who instilled in me that I could do anything that I wanted to if I just tried hard enough.

If you could give any professional advice to someone who is graduating this month, what would it be?

Never give up or burn any bridges with friends, professors or co-workers! It is amazing how you will cross paths with various people throughout your career. Always, continue to learn as much as you can! Embrace lifelong learning; consider an advanced degree, technical training, accreditation or training/seminars offered through work. Keep up with trends and new technology as it becomes available. Most of all, enjoy every minute of it; it goes by fast!

Tags: Amy Schwinge, careers in public relations, East Tennessee Children's Hospital, General Motors, Mary Beth West Consulting, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, PRSSA
Posted in Public Relations | No Comments »

Schwinge: Being Prepared Makes or Breaks Companies during a #Crisis or Controversy

Thursday, April 26th, 2012

By Amy Schwinge, MAOM

In real estate, it’s location, location, location.

During a crisis or controversy, it’s preparedness, preparedness, preparedness.

Most people know in their specialized fields of work the majority of the possible crises or controversies that can occur.

Have you or the leadership in your company ever sat down and listed all of the possible crises and controversies that you can think of possibly happening at your organization?

If so, congratulations – you’ve completed the first step in creating a crisis communications plan. If not, start planning and getting prepared for a potential crisis by thinking through possible scenarios.

Whether it is a true crisis or a minor controversy, public relations plays a huge role.

In my career, I have participated on crisis preparedness teams for a couple of different corporations. The role of the public relations professional was to communicate about the crisis to both internal and external audiences, which can be very tricky, especially in this day and age of social media and smart phones.

You want to get your key message out internally and externally before someone else takes a photo or video from their smart phone and posts it on Facebook or YouTube, for example.

The key is being prepared with all of the possible scenarios, then plugging in the related information if and when a crisis or controversy occurs. So, your organization is as ready as it can be.

Check out this link for some case studies and tips for using technology during a crisis.

It is never too late to get prepared!

Tags: Amy Schwinge, crisis, crisis management, crisis preparedness
Posted in Public Relations | 2 Comments »

Amy Schwinge: What’s the Key Message Anyway? #PR

Monday, March 19th, 2012

by Amy Schwinge, MAOM

With today’s instant viral communications, I have noticed that sometimes organizations focus on the quantity of messages versus the quality.

Even with social media, blogs, websites, e-mail, etc., just a click away, I think the message still should be relevant, on point, and of interest to who is receiving the communication (target audience).

That is where the key message comes into play. Even if an organization has a ton of messages to share, each communication should focus on a core message. For people in the communications field, crafting key messages probably comes second nature. However, in the fast-paced world of getting the communication out as fast as possible, the key message can be lost.

According to The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), “Communications cannot always be controlled, but messages can. With repeated use, key messages and proof points ensure dissemination of clear, consistent and compelling information. Such messages serve as the foundation for effective communications, and can drive desired actions and positively impact your business.”

A quick link to a helpful resource: PRSA offers a webinar on how to develop meaningful messages. This webinar could benefit novice to veteran communications professionals.

Tags: Amy Schwinge, message, PR
Posted in 2012, Public Relations | No Comments »

All I Ever Needed to Know About Client Service I Learned in Kindergarten

Friday, February 17th, 2012

By Amy Schwinge, MAOM

Have you ever heard that the foundation for a person’s personality is developed by the age of five?

According to Sigmund Freud, this is true.

Remember from Psychology class that Freud’s personality model consists of the Id, Ego and Superego?

Not to get into a Psych lesson, but Freud’s model says that we are born with the Id, then the Ego begins to develop within the next three years.

According to allpsych.com, “By the age of five, or the end of the phallic stage of development, the Superego develops. The Superego is the moral part of us and develops due to the moral and ethical restraints placed on us by our caregivers. Many equate the superego with the conscience as it dictates our belief of right and wrong.”

What does all of this have to do with good client service?

What I am trying to say is that I think a person has developed their personality and the foundation for the necessary skill set to provide good client service by the age of 5.

Robert Fulghum agrees. If you haven’t read his book, “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten,” you should check it out.

Since I have a first grader this year, I am all too familiar with Kindergarten and its basic principles.

Not to oversimplify the process, but most of the basic rules that we all learned in kindergarten can transfer over to both our personal and professional lives, including providing good client service, such as:

–Treat others as you would want to be treated.

–Always use your manners.

–Be a good listener.

–Talk when necessary or you have permission.

–Share.

–Play fair.

–Clean up your own mess.

The list goes on; I think you can see where I am trying to go with this.

If we all remember and practice what we learned in kindergarten, it would improve both our personal and professional relationships, including client service.

Tags: Amy Schwinge, client service
Posted in Public Relations | No Comments »

The Gift That Keeps on Giving

Monday, December 12th, 2011

By Amy Schwinge, MAOM
With the holidays upon us, a lot of attention is focused on helping less fortunate families and individuals. I think this truly is a worthy cause and should be a priority all year long.

This time of year reminds me of community outreach projects in which I was involved early in my career from adopt-a-family programs, angel trees, filling stockings for a local orphanage to taking gifts to senior homes. I have participated in and helped coordinate a variety of these activities for past employers. But, one incident stands out from the rest.

Honestly, I didn’t fully comprehend the true meaning of these activities until I helped deliver some of these items.

As part of my job responsibilities, I created and distributed a news release outlining some of the community outreach activities that a past employer was doing, including providing enough food for a month (with a traditional holiday meal) along with holiday gifts for more than 1,000 less fortunate families in the area, which was a massive undertaking.

A local TV station in Atlanta was interested in covering this story, but they wanted to go with an employee to deliver these items to humanize the segment. I coordinated this activity, and I also went along for the delivery.

On the way, another employee and I stopped to purchase some candy canes and other goodies to take along as well. Little did we know how important these candy canes would become.

I was shocked at the living conditions and just how little a single mom and her young son (I am guessing he was about five or six years old) had in their small apartment in a housing project in inner-city Atlanta. Someone had given the mom and son a tree for the holidays, but it was not decorated with any lights or ornaments. The little boy tore open the candy canes we brought and joyfully decorated the tree with the candy canes without any prompting.

After all the food and gifts were handed out and placed under the tree, the little boy brought a single flower to the employee who had nominated the family for this community outreach program.

She didn’t personally know this family; she received their name from her church as a family who could use some help. When this little boy gave the flower to my colleague, hugged her and thanked her for all the food and presents (again, without any prompting), there was not a dry eye in the home, including the reporter who was covering the story. All of this was captured in the TV story as well.

This experience humbled me and forever changed me. I now truly understand what it means when people say it is better to give than receive.

The holidays always remind me of this sweet little boy and his mom, and I wonder how they are now—years later. I hope both are doing okay.

I always try to participate in some type of community outreach activity each year, whether it is a food drive at my child’s school, a local toy drive or purchasing items for an angel tree. I try to give something back and make sure my older child is involved as well. I want my children to learn why it is better to give than receive.

Remember, when you have the opportunity to participate in a community outreach activity, there are people on the other end who really need your help!

Tags: adopt-a-family, Amy Schwinge, angel tree, community outreach, holidays
Posted in Public Relations, social media, Uncategorized | No Comments »

We All May Be Created Equally, But We Are Not the Same

Wednesday, October 5th, 2011

By Amy Schwinge, MAOM

From my experience, many people have preconceived notions about public relations (PR) and PR professionals; some may be correct, but some may be way off…

According to the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), “Public relations helps an organization and its publics adapt mutually to each other.” This definition describes PR in a nutshell, but there are many, many elements that go into supporting a true understanding of PR.

Some people base their opinion of PR and PR professionals on past encounters or relationships with other PR people. So, depending on what type of experience you had will dictate what you think about PR.

According to marketing.about.com, one PR myth states “Public Relations is Spin, Slogans and Propaganda.”

In a past life at a former employer, I actually would have employees ask me, “What propaganda are you communicating today?” While I’m sure this cynicism was driven by other factors, the idea of being a propaganda-pusher really offended me as I was communicating pertinent information about the company, which was important for employees to know. More importantly, I was communicating feedback from employees back to management, helping make two-way employee communications a crucial part of the company’s success.

Whether you are communicating with employees or the media, I think ethical behavior plays a key role in how you are viewed. Unfortunately, I know there are some “bad apples” out there practicing PR, and their behaviors tend to hurt the reputation of the larger profession to a very disproportionate degree.

Some journalists have had a bad experience with a PR person, then refuse to work with other PR people. I would venture to say that every PR person knows at least one or two members of the media like this. I really think that this is too bad since the PR and media relationship can be a win-win for all involved.

While unprofessional practices may earn some public relations practitioners their own well-deserved reputations, it’s important to remember that we are all individuals and should be judged on our own merits.

Tags: Amy Schwinge, PR, PR myths, PRSA, Public Relations, Public Relations Society of America
Posted in Public Relations, westwire | No Comments »

You Know The Person I am Talking About…

Thursday, September 15th, 2011

By Amy Schwinge, MAOM

We all have dealt with someone who is extremely difficult to get along with, whether in a work setting or on a personal basis. It can be a nightmare dealing with some people, but how do you manage someone with a difficult personality?

I would venture to say most organizations have experienced some type of difficult personality in some way in the past, but how you choose to mitigate the issues associated with difficult people is the key in the resolution. Public Relations is not immune to these issues, either.

According to Psychology for Business, “Most organizations experience problems concerning employee relationships, whether peer-to-peer or manager-to-subordinate. These types of difficulties are often cross-generational…or simply based on divergent and difficult personality conflicts. Organizations that downplay or ignore these ‘undercurrents’ often find themselves with significant productivity, morale and even safety and security issues.”

All the research that I have ever read on employee morale shows that a happy employee is indeed a much more productive employee. So, it is imperative that an organization keep its best assets content, and it will improve the bottom line as well.

Working with and managing a difficult personality starts with the basics: communication, communication, and did I say communication? The issues associated with a difficult personality must be addressed in a professional setting with all involved. Face-to-face meetings seem to work better, from my experience.

It is critical that you learn how to deal with conflict since it is a part of everyday life. Just think how boring life would be without conflict. Learning how to manage conflict instead of avoiding it is the key in diffusing a difficult personality and situation in the workplace.

According to HelpGuide.org, “Conflict is a normal and necessary part of healthy relationships…When conflict is mismanaged, it can harm the relationship. But when handled in a respectful and positive way, conflict provides an opportunity for growth, ultimately strengthening the bond between two people. By learning the skills you need for successful conflict resolution, you can face disagreements with confidence and keep your personal and professional relationships strong and growing.”

Visit HelpGuide.org for several conflict resolution tips and an outline of Conflict 101.

Tags: Amy Schwinge, employee communications
Posted in westwire | No Comments »

Is Lifelong Learning Really Important?

Tuesday, August 16th, 2011

by Amy Schwinge, MAOM

You hear about lifelong learning, but what does it really mean, and is it just another overused buzzword? According to Quality Research International, “Lifelong learning is all learning activity undertaken throughout life, whether formal or informal.”

I truly believe in lifelong learning. If we did not learn new activities or technology, for example, we would get left behind. This is true for both our personal and professional lives, and the public relations profession is no exception.

Just think, not too long ago, a letter delivered by the U.S. Postal Service was a common way to communicate, including sending news releases to media. Then, it progressed to faxes, and now we have access to immediate communications with electronic media at our fingertips. How did we ever communicate without e-mail and even Facebook with our friends?

Change is the only constant in today’s world, so why not embrace it with lifelong learning? Author Brian Tracy said, “Commit yourself to lifelong learning. The most valuable asset you’ll ever have is your mind and what you put into it.”

Research has shown that people with a college degree earn more than those without one. According to collegetocareers.com, “The salary – on average, for entry level jobs for employees with a college diploma pay up to 100 percent more than ones for high school graduates.” Whether it is completing a degree, earning another one or going for an advanced degree, it is never too late.

I guess it is a pet peeve of mine to hear someone say that “I am too old to learn that or go back to school.” I teach some online classes for the University of Phoenix from time to time, and I have had students in my classes from age 18 to 69. It is amazing how focused some of the more senior students are in class too.

It really is never too late to go back to school or learn that special something that you always wanted to learn how to do—it doesn’t have to be anything formal either. You just have to do it.

As B.B. King said, “The beautiful thing about learning is nobody can take it away from you.”

Tags: Amy Schwinge, lifelong learning
Posted in Public Relations | No Comments »

How to Get in the White House—It Is Not Easy, But It Can Be Done!

Wednesday, June 8th, 2011

By Amy Schwinge, MAOM

With several people officially either throwing their name in the hat or taking their name out of the hat for the next presidential campaign recently, the White House and who will be the next president have been on my mind lately. The team at Mary Beth West Consulting (MBWC) had the pleasure of working on a very unique project last year – helping one of MBWC’s clients get in the White House, but politics had nothing to do with it.

In January 2010, Todd Richesin came to MBWC with a dream of being able to decorate the White House for the 2010 winter holidays. Todd Richesin Interiors, LLC, is a full-service interior design studio that utilizes custom furniture, antiques and luxury fabrics in serving mostly residential clients with upscale home décor projects.

Following much discussion between MBWC and Richesin, MBWC began researching the volunteer selection process in order to determine how to submit Richesin for consideration as a volunteer.

After numerous hours of research, MBWC was able to determine that there actually was not a formal holiday volunteer decorator submission process in place. The lack of a formal process made it even more difficult to determine who MBWC should contact about submitting Richesin to be considered. After further phone calls and e-mail exchanges, it was determined that the decision maker and appropriate contact was the White House chief floral designer.

In May 2010, MBWC sent this contact a portfolio of Richesin’s work, which included a letter of introduction, copies of media clips that included his national accolades and honors, and photos of Richesin’s own home, Casa Real, decorated during the holidays.

Richesin’s work spoke for itself. In October 2010, Richesin received notification from the White House Social Secretary Julianna Smoot that he had been selected to volunteer as a 2010 White House Holiday Decorator. On the day after Thanksgiving in November 2010, Richesin began his first day of work. So, he made it to the White House!

For security reasons, Richesin could not discuss the details of his trip with anyone, including the media, until Dec. 3, 2010. Once that date rolled around, MBWC launched an aggressive local media campaign that included a number of local interviews, such as WBIR-TV, WATE-TV, WIVK FM, NewsTalk Radio, The Knoxville News Sentinel, Farragut Press, West Side Shopper and The Advocate and Democrat.

According to published circulation rates, more than 11.4 million impressions were generated by the news coverage that was secured from Richesin’s selection. The exposure augmented Richesin’s local profile and credibility as one of the area’s most talented and sought-after decorating professionals.

Incidentally, MBWC received the Public Relations Society of America Volunteer Chapter 2011 Award of Excellence for Marketing Consumer Services for “Todd Richesin Interiors 2010 White House Holiday Decorating Campaign.”

Saying that Todd Richesin thoroughly enjoyed his decorating trip to the White House would be an understatement as he said it was simply awesome and a dream come true. More information about Todd’s decorating trip to the White House can be found on his website: http://toddrichesininteriors.com/

Tags: Amy Schwinge, Award of Excellence, Mary Beth West Consulting, Public Relations Society of America Volunteer Chapter, Todd Richesin, White House
Posted in Public Relations | No Comments »

Posts Tagged ‘Amy Schwinge’

Path to #PR: Q&A with Amy Jones Schwinge; @PRSSA

Schwinge: Being Prepared Makes or Breaks Companies during a #Crisis or Controversy

Amy Schwinge: What’s the Key Message Anyway? #PR

All I Ever Needed to Know About Client Service I Learned in Kindergarten

We All May Be Created Equally, But We Are Not the Same

You Know The Person I am Talking About…

Is Lifelong Learning Really Important?

How to Get in the White House—It Is Not Easy, But It Can Be Done!

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