I want to experience professional growth so that one day I can take over the world: queen, president, best blogger ever, PR goddess, social media czar, whatever. I'm still figuring out the details of the plan, but one thing is clear: I need to know more about everything. As a life-long learner, I truly believe you can't be too informed or too knowledgeable.
I recently joined PRSA to broaden my knowledge in my new(er) profession. Today was the first event I was able to attend. The organization held a luncheon with special guest speaker crisis communication expert Eileen Wixted. She gave us a very excellent lesson on the good, bad and the ugly of crisis communication. How does an oil company respond to a massive spill? How does a non-profit respond to sexual abuse allegations? The list of situations where a crisis plan is crucial goes on and on. (For anyone who watches the TV show Scandal, crisis comm is what Olivia Pope does - minus breaking the law and sleeping with the president.) In my current role or my future role of ruling the world, there is no doubt that understanding how to communicate dire situations with employees, shareholders, the media, or the like will come in handy.