Can't Touch This--Funny Thanksgiving Video

How to Get Promoted in PR

My Dad uses a lot of catchphrases, but one of his favorites is "the difference between being good and great is this much" (as he holds his thumb and pointer fingers up to the light with a tiny sliver of space between). Here are a few techniques to help you look great in your bosses eyes.

• Show up early-Even if you think no one notices when you arrive at work, someone is always watching. Arriving at your desk 30 minutes before your designated start time demonstrates your dedication commitment.
• Stay late-Prove that your job is your priority. 
• Make suggestions-Managers want workers that care about their organization and want to see it grow. 
• Ask questions-Not only will you learn more about your company, you will also facilitate conversation which will lead to more meaningful relationships with your co-workers.
• Join clubs/organizations-Do your research to find clubs and organizations related to your company or field of work. Managers promote people who love what they do.
• Follow your company on Facebook and Twitter-Retweet their tweets, reply to their comments and write on their wall. You will help expand their following and their brand awareness.
• Dress up on casual Fridays-Professionalism is key and must be maintained. No one wants to see you in worn jeans and an old t-shirt. 

Fun in the City

My recent posts have been about PR and politics, so I figured I’d spice it up a little bit with this one and write about what I’ve been doing for fun in DC.


Since I moved here in August, I’ve been on the hunt for good Mexican food. Not real Mexican food, I’m not that classy, but fake American-Mexican food that you find in places like Moe’s Southwest Grill. Moe’s has a special place in my heart because it’s cheap, their queso is to die for and they have an unmatched salsa bar. The problem is that I can’t find one in DC, and I have yet to find a comparable restaurant. I got a little crazy last week, though, and ordered a burrito and chips and salsa from a place called Alero in Northwest DC. Guess what? It was surprisingly good! It was a little pricy—$27 altogether—but that’s to be expected in this city.

Aside from the Mexican food search, I’ve been on the prowl for a good spray tan. I hate Mystic tanning. I’m way too claustrophobic to be in that little booth while holding my breath and closing my eyes. It totally freaks me out. So I opted for the more pleasant, and consequently more expensive, airbrush option.  Although a Mystic tan costs around $20, and an airbrush costs around $45, it’s worth it to be in an open room and sprayed by a human, trust me.

Two of best friends from the University of South Carolina are coming to visit me this weekend, and I’m excited to bring them with me as I continue to explore this amazing city! Stay tuned for more posts :)

How Voters Make Decisions

Popkin proposes a theory of low information rationality in his book, The Reasoning Voter. His theory is based on the idea that voters engage in practical thinking to form conclusions.  He argues that people assess government, parties and candidates and then form preferences based on their judgments. 

He bases his theory on presidential studies conducted at Columbia University’s Bureau of Applied Social Research in the 1940’s, Anthony Downs’ book, An Economic Theory of Democracy and contemporary research on the psychology of cognition.

To make assessments, voters use low-information rationality. They draw on past experiences, daily life, the media, and political campaigns to form their opinions, and then they substantiate them with the opinions of national figures and people they trust. They use shortcuts because the costs associated with gathering, analyzing and evaluating information on their own outweighs the benefits of using “free” information. Voters acquire information as a by-product of their daily lives. In other words, they learn as they go.

Voters select, assemble and incorporate free information into narratives, and these narratives help them choose between candidates. Information that the voter recently used is added to their narrative, along with information consistent with their point of view. Popkin says that people assemble information based on representativeness, Gresham’s law of political information, framing and availability, and calculation shortcuts.

Representativeness refers to how well a candidate fits into the voter’s mold. Popkin refers to this as the representativeness heuristic. Voters determine if their candidate will do the right thing based on how they imagine a person that does the right thing to be. They do not consider how likely the person will do based on their record.

Because voters’ narratives are based on how they view different kinds of people, they reference this first in evaluating a candidate rather than focusing on the candidate’s policies and political facts. Because of this, some voters predict presidents’ future success based on their appearance. People form opinions by what they see in a person physically, and respond to that person accordingly.

While representativeness is based on how information gets used, framing determines how people think about gaining and losing information. Voters decide what to incorporate in their narrative depending on the frame they use. Different points of view bring forth different information and attitudes.

In addition to how voters assemble information about people using frames, Popkin argues that voters use calculation aids as they search among candidates in their decision-making. Their goal is to maximize expected value. “In fact, voting is like buying a television set. Voters are public investors, not private consumers. They expend effort voting in the expectation of gaining future satisfaction.” (Popkin, 10) The problem is that these calculations are complex, and it is difficult to assess probabilities.  Because of the difficulty associated with calculating factors, voters use calculation shortcuts. They conduct a “drunkards search” to avoid the mental strain of complicated calculations. To compare candidates, voters are likely to use on-dimensional searches, focusing on a single issue or attribute.

The mass media influences what voters think about. They don’t tell voters how to think, but they do set the agenda. Political evaluations and votes depend on voters’ views of the problems that the national agenda considers most important. Voters monitor the news for personally relevant information, so not only is information filtered by the media, but by the voter as well.

Some argue that the news media fails to provide voters with sufficient information to make decisions about candidates, and instead disseminate entertainment-oriented “soft news.” But the Oprah Effect argues that even though the media provide limited quantities of political information, information shortcuts allow voters to act as competent Democratic citizens. “Hard” news is unappealing to politically inattentive individuals and news quality depends upon how well it enables citizens to determine which candidate best fits their own preferences. So soft news is more efficient than traditional hard news. (Baum, 2006)

Some people are in the upper echelon of political knowledge though, and gather specific details about bills and programs of interest to them. Popkin calls these people issue publics. As Jon Krosnick notes, “Only a small proportion of people are likely to be knowledgeable about and to have potent attitudes regarding any single policy option or another.” (Popkin, 28) But the majority of voters have only general impressions about an issue without knowing specific legislative details.

Voters use political campaigns to help them connect issues to government and parties. Campaign communications help voters understand the policy differences between parties and candidates and how government affects their lives. Very few voters pay attention to political news and know the basic facts of government. “Half of the American public cannot name the two U.S. senators from their state, and 20 percent of college graduates think Russia belongs to NATO, and a large majority of Americans do not know that Japan has a democratic system of government.” (Popkin, 42) So although research shows that voters misperceive campaign messages in ways that increase the accuracy of their own perceptions, they are still useful for learning the differences between parties and candidates.

The challenge for campaigns then becomes to create information shortcuts that connect issues to candidates, the office, and important consequences for the voter. To do this, campaigns use concrete symbols that represent their position on the larger problem. For this to be successful, campaigns have to use symbols that are already clear and well known. Herman Cain’s 999 plan for economic growth is a great example of a concrete symbol that serves as an information shortcut. 999 is Cain’s plan for a 9% flat tax on business transactions, personal income and federal sales. Popkin would argue that most voters do not know the specifics of 999, but they use the symbol to reinforce their beliefs either for or against Cain’s economic policy. Tax codes are complicated, but if voters think about them in terms of three simple numbers, they are much easier to understand.

To recap, voting is not simply the result of information acquired from daily life and the media. It also involves connecting information about government performance, specific government policies, immediate needs, needs for insurance against future problems, private goods, collective goods, their immediate needs, their future needs, economic issues, and family, residential, and consumer issues. Voters use a combination of variables to assess candidates, and although they lack knowledge about the basic operations of government, they know enough about other aspects of government to consider issues without high levels of information.

Some students of public opinion have questioned Popkin’s theory, asking if uninformed voters actually manage to make similar choices to voters who are better informed. Their skepticism stems from survey research conducted in the 1940s. The survey data highlights citizens’ lack of political capabilities and their lack of political knowledge and sophistication. Students of public opinion became skeptical of the citizen’s ability to make intelligent political decisions or to participate effectively in the political process (Kinder, 1983). But more recent research agrees that competent democratic citizens do not need to be policy experts, siting Popkin’s low information. They need a basic level of knowledge, below which the ability to make a full range of reasoned civic judgments is impaired.

Popkin spends the last three chapters supporting his theory based on data from the Democratic primaries of 1976, 1984, and the Republican primaries of campaigns in the 1980’s, however, he fails to discuss who uses given shortcuts and the conditions in which they are likely to be used. His argument is logical but not perfect.

Baum, M. A. and Jamison, A. S., 2006. “The Oprah Effect: How Soft News Helps Inattentive Citizens Vote Consistently.” The Journal of Politics.

Kinder, D. R. 1983. “Diversity and Complexity in American Public Opinion.” In A. Finifter, ed., Political Science: The State of the Discipline. Washington, DC: American Political Science Association.

Popkin, S. L. 1991. The Reasoning Voter: Communication and Persuasion in Presidential

Campaigns. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

What is PR? Man-on-the-street interviews

When I tell people I'm a PR specialist, I get the "I don't know what you're talking about but I'm going to act like I do" look. This funny Youtube video captures this firsthand.

How to Give a Good Speech

Giving a good speech is tough. You have to grab the audience’s attention, set up the problem, provide a convincing solution and inspire the audience to do something with a call to action.

Just ask Obama. He gives hundreds of speeches a year to all kinds of different people and has to personally connect to each individual in a compelling way.        

The latest talk in the pundit world is about the effectiveness of the Obama’s jobs speech. Most Democrats think the speech was well done while most Republicans decided it was a failure before he uttered his first word. It’s interesting to look at the contrasting commentary to understand the ideology behind these views.

Political commentators Dave Helfert and Bob Lehrman agree that the Obama delivered a good speech. He sent exactly the right message, “I care and they don’t,” and used exactly the right rhetoric: “Made in America,” and “We are Americans.”

On the other side of the political spectrum, Republican political commentators Noam Neusner and Hal Gordon agree the Obama’s speech was bad. He was predictable, unconvincing and used familiar logic. He said what everyone expected him to say, “Mere words.”

If a Republican spoke instead, Neusner and Gordon may have been more receptive, but a couple of fundamental disagreements among Democrats and Republicans like increasing taxes to the wealthy, weighed heavily on conservative minds from the start.

Giving a motivating speech is difficult, ESPECIALLY in a crowd of partisans. Evaluating a speech is even harder. Some of the most brilliant pundits disagree on whether a speech is good or bad because of predispositions. People will always have mixed opinions no matter the argument, the key is figuring out how to connect with the majority.

Diet Coke vs. Starbucks

As some of you know, I'm in grad school, working 30 hours a week and doing research for two of my professors. I don't really have time to sleep so I've turned to Diet Coke to get me going in the morning. My classmates and coworkers jumpstart their day with coffee instead, which makes me wonder which is worse--Diet Coke or Starbucks?

A quick Google search brings up the nutritional information for both drinks: A 12 fl oz can of Diet Coke has 0 calories, 0g total fat, 40mg sodium, 0g total carbohydrate, 0g protein, and 0g sugar.

A 16oz grande Starbucks coffee has 5 calories, 0g total fat, 10mg sodium, 0g total carbohydrate, 1g protein, and 0g sugar.

Diet Coke has less calories, more sodium and less protein. But which drink is worse? Starbucks coffee seems to have more nutritional value even though it has a few more calories. It looks like I might have to jump on the coffee bandwagon after all!

Re-election Strategy for Obama Campaign

In an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll conducted August 27-31 by Democratic pollster Peter D. Hart and Republican pollster Bill McInturff, 1,000 adults were asked questions about Obama’s presidency.

200 of the 1000 interviewees were surveyed over the phone, and of them, 48% were men and 52% were female.  The poll has a plus-minus 3.10% margin of error.

It is important to note that 22% of respondents reported a combined yearly income of more than $100,000, while only 5% reported less than $10,000.

It is also important to note that the majority of respondents were Protestant (48%) and the poll only included cell-phone only users.

Significant findings include:

1.) 44% approve of the job the president is doing, 51% disapprove

2.) 37% approve of his handling of the economy, 59% disapprove

3.) 49% think we’re headed into a recession, 72% think we still haven’t hit bottom

4.) 73% say we’re headed in the wrong direction

5.) 82% disapprove of the job Congress is doing, 13% approve

These findings are particularly useful for forming a strategic re-election communications plan. With Obama’s 51% disapproval rating, it is important for the re-election campaign to understand why the public feels the way they do about the president.

Specifically, the poll indicates that 59% of people disapprove of the way the president is handling the economy. People vote on how well they think the economy is going to do, so it is important to focus on improvement by pushing the new jobs bill and emphasizing Congress’s huge disapproval ratings.

According to the poll, 82% disapprove of the job Congress is doing.  Their low ratings show the electorate that the weak economy is not necessarily the president’s fault. It’s important to capitalize on these low numbers and publicly urge legislation to pass the administration’s jobs package.

It’s still 14 months away from the election so there’s time to urge voters to get behind the bill and to pressure lawmakers to pass it. In doing so, the public’s negative energy will pull away from the president and focus on Congress.

While the president does have a high disapproval rating, over 70% still find him likeable. Obama’s personality was one of the reasons that he was elected in 2008. He relates to the people and conveys a sense of empathy and understanding.

He should continue his message of hope and united perseverance in his campaign for re-election. Like he often says, “We are tougher than the times we live in.” People want to be able to relate to their leader in a united front against the economy.

The president is starting to give the people hope through his recent jobs bill. Gallup tracks the daily percentage of Americans who approve or disapprove of the job Obama is doing as president. Today, his disapproval rating is 49% and his approval rating is at 42% with a plus-minus 3% margin of error.

These numbers indicate a 2% increase in approval after the announcement of the $447 billion job creation plan. The focus of the campaign should be on job creation and putting people back to work.

Polls are crucial to the success of a re-election campaign and these results should be taken seriously. Focus on Congress’s low ratings and use the president’s relatable personality to win re-election. People voted for Obama once and they’ll do it again.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/113980/gallup-daily-obama-job-approval.aspx

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-gallup-poll-congress-jobs-20110913,0,4688826.story

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44401295/ns/politics/#.Tm_Th3NuE4Y

The Ride to Grad School

After four long years of convincing myself that I would absolutely never go to school again, I decided to go to graduate school. And so I'm laying in bed, the night before orientation at American University, thinking about how I got here.

The ride wasn't easy, that's for sure. I was raised in Campton, a small town in northern New Hampshire that's just beyond the hills of civilization. We lived in a camper that Dad parked on "the land." The land was full of miscellaneous items: propane tanks, milk crates, broken fluorescent lights, and old generator parts. My brother and I would play in the junk for hours. Life was pretty good back then. I went to Campton Elementary and remember screaming and holding my breath when mom dropped me off for my first day of school. I hated being left places.

After that, we moved to Concord. I was sad for a little while but now realize that it was best for my academic future. I attended Broken Ground Elementary, Rundlett Middle School, Concord High School, and then moved to Massachusetts to attend Tabor Academy, an elite boarding school right on the water. I worked my way through high school and saved up enough money to move to South Carolina for my undergrad at USC. I took 21 credit hours a semester, worked three jobs and managed an active social life. I studied hard, never skipped a class and graduated Magna Cum Laude. I was the third person ever in my family to graduate college behind my cousin, Cheri, and my brother, Cameron.

I was accepted to American University shortly thereafter, and now I'm in D.C., networking with other political communication specialists and working toward a Master's degree.

Every once in a while I like to look back on the past and remember where I came from. Hopefully I'll be able to get some sleep tonight before orientation tomorrow, and stop this little head from thinking so much. The rise to the top isn't easy, but it's worth it.

Article Published by PR-Diva.com

P-R Diva.com just published Crafting a Campaign without Cash, an article that I wrote about creating an effective public relations campaign with a minimal budget.

To view the full article visit: http://pr-diva.com/2011/08/crafting-a-campaign-without-cash/

Women in Politics

I'm a big fan of going against that grain and doing things that are inconsistent with societal norms. Here are some women in politics who I admire:

thepoliticalgirl.tumblr.com

Nancy Pelosi



visibility911.com/ford/?cat=61

Condoleezza Rice



www.topnews.in/light/people/jackie-kennedy

Jackie Kennedy 



www.people.com/people/michelle_obama

Michelle Obama



www.clevelandleader.com/node/8862

Ruth Ginsburg



www.allcelebrityphotos.tk/2011/08/03/hillary-clinton/

Hillary Clinton

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." M.K. Gandhi

Proving You're a Good Marketer

I have met several people that have extraordinary, yet unrecognized talents. For some, broadcasting these talents doesn't matter, but for others, especially those aspiring to be public relations/marketing professionals, it is essential.

To market myself, I created the Katelyn Chesley PR brand.  Katelyn Chesley PR is an independent public relations consultant based in Boston.

You can find the Katelyn Chesley PR brand on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and of course here, on this blog.

Facebook: facebook.com/katelynchesleypr
Twitter: @katelynchesley
Blog: katelynchesleypr.blogspot.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/katelynchesleypr

Republican Challengers Face Off

The White House race is heating up, and although I’m a Democrat, I still evaluate the chief Republican challengers. Here are my thoughts:

Michele Bachmann, Minnesota Congresswoman

Agree: Spending cuts are necessary.


Disagree: Planned Parenthood should be de-funded, taxation dampens growth and individuals should have the right to bear arms.


Newt Gingrich, Former Speaker of the House

Agree: The United States needs to stop spending beyond its means, and education is the most important factor in our future prosperity and national security.


Disagree: There should be a Federal ban on abortions, we should drill in Alaska and that the gas tax should be eliminated. 

Jon Hunstman, Former U.S. Ambassador to China

Agree: We should cut out losses and withdraw our soldiers from Afghanistan.


Disagree: There should be a cutback on military expenses, there should not be a weapons ban and global warming is a hoax.


Tim Pawlenty, Governor of Minnesota

Agree: Capital punishment should be reserved for limited murder cases, including those that happen during or after sexual assault, and background checks should be required to carry firearms. 

Disagree: Runaway spending should be controlled by redefining the funding level for Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security recipients. 

Mitt Romney, Governor of Massachusetts

Agree: One of the highest priorities should be making China a partner for stability in the world.

Disagree: Embryonic stem cell research is a bad idea, reaganomics will bring in economic growth, there should be a national standard for marriage, and Planned Parenthood should be de-funded.

So if I had to vote for a Republican, it would probably be Pawlenty. Who would you vote for?

Reflecting Back on My First Marketing Job

The end of summer is almost here and there are only 12 short days left until I leave for D.C. Things have slowed down a little bit at work, leaving time to reflect back on my career at the New Hampshire Lakes Association.

Last year, the president of the New Hampshire Lakes Association hired me as an unpaid Public Relations and Communications intern. I was excited about the opportunity to work at a non-profit organization and to build my public relations portfolio beyond corporate and government sectors. I immersed myself in my work and consistently created new branding opportunities for the association. After two months, the president promoted me to a paid position as the Public Relations and Communications Assistant.

The new title came with new responsibility. I maintained social networking sites, drafted press releases, compiled media kits for projects and events, researched grants, and drafted grant proposals. I came to work early, left late and dedicated all of my time and energy to making the 'New Hampshire Lakes Association' brand better recognized across the state. After four months, the president promoted me to a position as the Public Relations and Communications Coordinator.

I was thrilled about the promotion, but learned soon after that the president was leaving for a new association. All of his PR and communications responsibilities became mine. In addition to all of my other responsibilities, I had to manage our three annual events, including: site selection, contract negotiation, proposal negotiation, promotional material production, and vendor, sponsor, donor, and entertainment coordination. I also had to maintain the company website and figure out a way to expand viewership ratings.

I didn't have much time to sleep, and still don't, but the skills that I have learned along the way are invaluable. So what's the lesson learned? Even if you think your efforts are unnoticed, they're not. Be relentless in pursuit of your dreams and good things will happen.

My First Successful Fundraising Event

I am excited to report that the first fundraising event I have ever coordinated was a huge success! The event exceeded all expectations. While I am still calculating exact attendance numbers and proceeds, feedback from several sources indicate a job well done.

"Great job on LakeFest. Everyone had a great time."-Judy King, Administrative Assistant, NH LAKES


"Great time at LakeFest last night. Congrats on putting together such a successful event."-David Lawton, The Weirs Times


"You've done a great job on this, Katelyn. Thank you."-Dana Bisbee, Chairman, NH LAKES

"You did a great job pulling it all together. Most people have no idea all you did. My wife and I have pulled off a few events in the past and know what it takes to pull it all together and the sleep loss that comes with it. Hope you can breath now." -Joe Martin, Rockin Shots Photography

"Beyond an amazing job with LakeFest."-Cathy Lambie, LakeFest Attendee

"LakeFest was awesome! I can't wait until next year." -Robie Parsons, Programs Coordinator, NH LAKES

I look forward to planning many more events for many more organizations. LakeFest was just the beginning of a long and lucrative career in PR.

Points of Pride

I am unbelievably thankful to have been accepted to American University. The school is located at the heart of America's political playing field and is home to some of the most educated and influential faculty members of our time.

Here are a few reasons that make me proud to called American University my new home:

1.) "The 2008 Princeton Review named SOC one of the 25 best places in the country to study journalism."

3.) "Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Jan Schaffer leads J-Lab: The Institute for Interactive Journalism, which helps journalists and citizens use digital media to find new ways of participating in public life."

3.) "The Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) selected SOC as the site for its regional conference for four consecutive years."

4.) "Artist-in-residence and backpack journalist Bill Gentile took a Sony high-definition camera to Afghanistan, where he shot—solo—an Emmy-nominated documentary for NOW on PBS. He is also the director of the Backpack Journalism Project."

5.) "We’ve been teaching interactive media for a decade—long before most schools integrated it into their curricula."

Tips to Build a Stand-Out Resume

Building an affective marketing/PR resume is ESSENTIAL in today's job market. Human Resources departments are increasingly overwhelmed by applications, making it difficult to create a resume that makes it to the top.

To further complicate things, there is no 'resume bible' per se. Opinions differ about what a resume should look like, how many pages it should be, what it should include, what it shouldn't include, what font to use, and on and on and on. 

Attempting to create the perfect resume is mind boggling, and if you're anything like me, trying to create this little masterpiece will leave you with a full trash can and an empty Word document. 

Don't worry though, after a couple of years of trial and error and research, I've come up with some helpful tips to get your resume up and running.

1. Customize it. Tailor your information to the specific details in the job description. 
2. Include social links to your Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. What better way to demonstrate your integrated marketing abilities?
3. Avoid using jargon. Keep it simple and to the point but DO make sure to include key marketing/PR terms that demonstrate your expertise.
4. Be creative! What better way to prove your marketing abilities?

Let's re-elect Obama!

Obama has done a lot for this country in the last four years. Let's help him in his campaign for re-election. From helping to push the economic recovery, to Wall Street reform, to the health care overhaul, Obama has made significant strides toward a stronger, more unified country. To keep this momentum going, we have to keep him in office.

A key part of his re-election campaign strategy is to recruit and energize volunteer activists throughout the country. The re-election team has launched the "I'm In" campaign to sign up grassroots supporters at the local level.

"We have to assume every single day that we have to build something new, better, faster and sleeker," Jim Messina, the re-election campaign manager, said in a video emailed to supporters earlier this week. "This campaign is only going to be as strong as the grassroots."

"In 2012 we have the opportunity to make 2008 look prehistoric,' said Messina as he said that "grassroots will run this campaign." He laid out several steps beyond the "I'm In" initiative, including local planning sessions, house meetings and neighborhood teams – all aimed at finding the most persuasive and creative ways of spreading the re-election message.

Help Obama help our country by visiting http://www.barackobama.com/.