Politeness

Politeness is a dying social nicety.
Common courtesy is dying faster than politeness.
Co-workers are barely civil towards each other. I hear the backstabing and gossiping that happens.
Why is any of this necessary? I refer to the gossiping and negativity.

Why don't people say thank you when someone does something nice, like hold open a door?
Where did common sense go? Did we sell it for a cheap price? Can I still offer to sell mine? I know I'm in need for cash, but I don't think my common sense should be for sale.
My common sense sometimes creates more problems when those around me choose not to use their common sense parts. Or just plain forget to think before they act or speak.

How much energy does it take to hold open a door for someone else?
Or thank a co-worker for doing an excellent job?

When did it become ok to constantly interrupt someone who is speaking? Rather, when did it become ok to be so self-absorbed that you don't notice that you continually talk over someone else?
Have we all become so wrapped up in ourselves that we can't take a few minutes to hear out other people's ideas?

In the world of communication and public relations, what kind of message does it send if you can not wait your turn to speak?

This posting tied back to my posting about teamwork far too closely.
It was not intended to do so. I intended to invite people to return to a time when you are polite to everyone you meet. To invite people to be patient.

Thank you. For reading.

US post Election

Its been almost two full weeks since the United States elected Barack Obama into the White House.
I fully intended on posting a commentary on this whole campaign and its results much earlier. However, I wanted to take some time to process everything before commenting.
First, I want to discuss the outcome of the election. Then I will attempt to make sense of some of the propositions that were on the ballot.

Firstly, wow. A first for the United States. I watched some of the election coverage, leading up to Obama's speech. As the cameras panned around the crowds, I was overwhelmed by the passion and emotion that so many Americans were celebrating with. It was refreshing to see how passionate people can be about politics, and the ability to vote for their country's leader.

It was inspiring to see Jesse Jackson crying on international television, on the day that his dreams were realized. Way to embrace change.

But. You knew there was a but coming. There always is. When progress is made for one group of civilly denied citizens, another group gets kicked. It took African Americas 40 years to even get close to feeling equal. 40 years.

I'm still having problems wrapping my head around all of the propositions that were on state ballots. There was one about the use of stem cells for research, one defining when a fetus becomes a person, whether pot should be de-criminalized, on hiring immigrant workers, ending affirmative action, allowing video lottery terminals, and allowing doctor assisted suicide. Each proposition boils down to a moral issue. Is it right to allow doctors to assist with a terminally ill patient's right to choice death? It is right to hire immigrant workers? It is right to use stem-cells for research purposes?

If you've been following the election coverage in the United States, or watch a mainstream news outlet, you know I have purposely not mentioned a proposition that was on the ballot in four states (Arizona, Florida, Arkansas and California). I am referring to the measures of allowing a ban on gay marriage, and a ban on gays to adopt children.

There have been multiple protests across the United States, in each major city in California. There's protesting on both sides. Sometimes at the same location. How challenging that must be for both sides. I'm actively trying to not let myself get personal and emotional in this posting.

For example, in California, their Supreme Court ruled that same sex marriage is legal. However, the people of California disagree. In this case, who's right? Who's choice makes same sex marriage legal? Is it the law makers? Or the people who put the law makers into power?

For an inspiring commentary on California's passing of Proposition 8 by Keith Olbermann
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkOR7LVbdx0
This commentary is incredibly persuasive as it tells a tale of historical marriage legislation.Keith Olbermann's balance of facts, religion and emotion is incredibly inspiring. Its good to know that in the mainstream newsmedia reporters are allowed to express their personal opinions.

(Source: http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/results/ballot.measures/)

I tried very hard to not post a rant about the direct impact of the ballot measures. Its hard to not get wrapped up in the emotions that are attached to this issue.

On Novemeber 2nd, Americans voted for change.
I respect the right to vote and express your opinion. I was just sadened by the results.

Nervousness about preparing for public speaking

Sometimes presentations make me a basket case.

This week's Friday presentation is no different.
Except, with just having my group in the room, we're adding a group of first years, armed with questions and another teacher.

Based on the marks in the past, my presentations aren't bad. I need to work on my conclusions (its in the works) and minimizing my rambling. These areas are works in progress.
This week's assignment is a news conference. I've been a part of them in class, but not on this level. Not when I am expected to play the role of a surgeon.
In the last two nights, I have had a nightmare each night about this conference. I have no idea why, its not like I think I am going to fail. I'm more worried about getting asked questions that I won't be able to answer. I've research everything I could possibly about medicine, what it takes to be a surgeon, and our incident. That should be enough.

Deep breathing is everyone's friend.

The thing about public speaking and myself is that once I begin, I am fine. I take a deep breath and then begin. This is my best coping strategy. Actually, my best strategy is just to think about what it will feel like to be done the presentation.

Any suggestions for coping strategies, things you do during the presentation to keep you on topic, or things to look at to keep the flow moving?

Experience

How should I be gaining more experience? I've only been a student in the public relations and communications for just over a year.
What are my best avenues for gaining more experience?
I have the best intentions on volunteering for some non/not for profits, but rarely am I able to find the time to do so. Is this going to negatively inhibit my networking and potential jobs?

I feel like my lack of experience in the corporate world is going to make it harder for me to find a job that I'd like. This irrational fear could just be due to the anxiety levels that are building as the semester progresses.
One positive experience I will be able to use is the upcoming work placement. The anxiety of locating and landing this challenge will be worth the experience it promises to give me.

Infovirus

"Why is information not flowing smoothly?"
(Adbusters, November/December 2008)

As alluded to earlier, I often read Adbusters magazine. Not for the ads, of course, but not the content. Often these articles and photographs are inspiring, engaging and thought provoking.
For example, one recent issue covered the issues involved with cutting through the technological advertisements to find out what the real message is.

In this month's issues of Adbusters, there is a photograph of a young girl sitting in her bed, with her computer running, her television on, her mp3 player plugged into her ears. The tag line of the photograph is "because an infovirus has infected our communications systems".
This tag line is effective because this girl has at least three different devices running and throwing 3 different messages at her. How is she going to remember or even process more than one of them? Further, is the girl even going to get any complete message from either sources?

I feel that this information overload problem isn't going away. In fact, this problem might just be getting worse. As you walk into post-secondary institution, there are ads for every possible event. Walk into the bathroom at a bar, there are more ads. There are tvs everywhere. Some major cities have televisions set up that are able to track you and your purchases. They use this information to provide better products for you/the consumer.

How am I, as a communicator, going to be able to cut through all this extra messenging and advertising? How can we make our positions and documents differently so that our messages are reaching the public? I know that we have tried to be able to reach our consumers and targeted publics. But we need to take a more minimialist approach to advertising so that our publics are being oversaturated.

Dancing around the economy chat

I've been considering posting about the economy and its active downwards sliding. However, I'm not overly sure what to say about it without getting incredibly frustrated or depressed.

Here's my premise. The world's economy isn't doing well very. That's an understatement of the decade. So when large corporations are laying off workers left, right and centre, I would imagine that these same companies would attempt to rein in spending.
There is a delicate balance between maintaining current employee levels and saving for a rainy day. Some organizations are better suited to surviving a recession, such as those businesses who provide a necessary service. Other organizations are more suited towards those times when finances are plenty.

A few weeks ago, I was reading a newsite that was reporting about an oil company's record quarterly profits. In the midst of the United States government bailing out banks all over the map, this company made a record 14.9 Billion dollar profit during its previous quarter.

Let me repeat that. FOURTEEN. Nine BILLION DOLLARS.

This amount of money is more than most mid-sized corporations can only dream of.
Being a student, the idea of 14.9 billion dollars is more money than I will ever earn. Even to have more than a couple of hundred dollars that isn't heading directly for a credit card or loan repayment, is flooring.

I'd like to thank the oil company for keeping their gasoline prices so high, so that they could report to their shareholders/investors that they reported record quarterly profits. How's that for investor relations?
As a consumer of gasoline related products, knowing that a company made record profits would drive me towards a different gas station. I'd rather support an independent gas station than one that owns so many others.

What makes a good corporate citizen?

This week was community involvement week.
What makes an organization a good corporate citizen?
Is it that the organization contributes to local charities?
Is it a short term program that involves giving cash to the local food bank once a year?
Is it that the organization cleans up beside their corporate head office?
These are all small actions that contribute to the potential for a good corporate citizenship.
Does the organization that your organization is supporting have any kind of link to yours? Is the link easy to follow?
There are so many questions to consider when deciding whether the organization is a good corporate citizen. Does your individual advocacy passions, or charitable ambitions closely relate to your organization's?

As a consumer, I expect the organizations I support to go that extra mile. I want these organizations to have common interests with me in the charities that they support. Does this make me a high maintenance consumer? Heck yes. It does.
In the highly competitive consumerism world I can take my business to whichever business better matches my personal agendas.
That previous statement makes me sound like a backroom dealer. But its not true. A professor in my media in a global world class once said, "Everyone has an agenda". Its the most accurate statement I can remember from those four years.
As we're thrown further into the world of communications and public relations, its easier to see that everyone's agenda plays a role. I think that this insight will help me when audience analyzes are required.