Thursday, January 28, 2010

FLU Season at PRSA|GA

The PRSA GA January Luncheon featured an informative and esteemed panel of members from the CDC, Children's Healthcare and Gwinnett County Schools. The panelists shared best practices from the H1N1 Crisis, specifically how the respective decision makers formed communications policy and strategy, and then implemented it across a wide and diverse range of audiences.

The panelists were in violent agreement that an essential part of the crisis and emergency communication process was the ability t0 simultaneously express empathy, promote action and show respect. From a communications standpoint, they emphasized the importance of creating quick and credible messages that reach the intended audience.

Panelists also stressed the importance of disseminating consistent and accurate information through the appropriate communication channels. They also detailed how social media played an instrumental role in helping provide real-time updates to the constantly-changing and tumultuous situation.

During the luncheon, PRSA GA President Tim Hussey (Emory Law) presented Morgan Sapp (Georgia Association of REALTORS) with the monthly Chapter Champion award. In addition, Hussey recognized the Chapter's newest APR's - Stephanie Stinn, Therese Minella and Caryn Anderson. Congratulations again ladies!!!

Seen in attendance were Neil Hirsch (Solvay Pharmaceuticals), Alicia Thompson (Popeyes) and Lisa Pitrof (Business Wire).

A handful of young professionals were spotted pecking away on their smart phones. After further review, it turns out they were tweeting to keep their fellow colleagues apprised of the luncheon's happenings. Using the PRSA GA designated hashtag, #prsagaFLU, the twitterer's were able to generate nearly four pages of "tweets" from the event.

For more information about PRSA GA, visit http://www.prsageorgia.org/