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I know what you’re thinking…not another 2011 recap post highlighting the PR blunders from the past year. No worries! This post will explore the bad AND the good.

Let’s start by taking a look at the positive stories from 2011 — those rare moments that captivated the attention of the nation (and, in some cases, the world) for the better. In an era when people naturally gravitate toward the plethora of negative news out there, these five memorable moments were a breath of fresh air:

On a daily basis, PR professionals decide which story ideas to share with media, when to pull the trigger and which publication/reporter would make the most sense for the angle. Appropriately acting on these issues is the difference between your story or client hitting in the media or becoming the PR pro who always annoys media.

Here are some simple things to consider to avoid the latter:

Prior to one Brent Eastman joining the Identity team, the term “ideation” was entirely foreign to me. According to Webster, the definition of ideation is simply “the capacity for or the act of forming or entertaining ideas.” Pretty straightforward on the surface, but, speaking from firsthand experience, the process of ideation can truly generate unique thoughts and concepts that one person sitting behind a desk would be hard pressed to develop. Thus, the following discussion of the Identity Creative Process.

As an English major in college, I spent a good portion of my time writing papers. Papers about books I’d read, how strange my family is, Disney World, why pre-1600 literature is riddled with sexual innuendo…you name it, there is a good chance I wrote a paper about it. One would think that with that many written projects under my belt, writing would come naturally to me by now. To some extent, that’s true. Unfortunately, I don’t write as often as I used to, so I’ve definitely gotten rusty. In the midst of the day-to-day distractions, the dreaded mental incapacitation that plagues so many seeking the written word sets in—writer’s block.

Don’t worry…this post is “G” rated. The “naked” I’m referring to here is freedom from fear. According to Getting Naked, an outstanding business book written by Patrick Lencioni, the main thing that comes between service providers and unwavering client loyalty is just that—fear. Three fears, to be exact. In this post, I will provide an overview of the book, expounding upon concepts that are particularly prevalent in the daily lives of PR professionals. I’ll also provide a few examples of effective execution I have seen here at Identity.