Pam Wagner, Department Public Relations Chair
At one time or another (and hopefully not often), we have heard or said: “No one told me that!” Miscommunication is one reason things don’t get moved down the great “Information Highway!” We can all relate to not hearing about something we would have liked to be involved with, or not getting all the information we needed to know. Getting our ALA information into members’ hands is a BIG key to our Units, Districts and our Dept. being successful with our programs.
In a nutshell, Public Relations is about effective communication, relaying and relating information to get something done. Our program’s purpose is to move our organization forward and make our units visible in our communities. When we do that, we can accomplish our aims and goals.
Information can be in the form of old-fashioned letter/card writing, phone calls, emails, flyers, posters, personal visits, and now more than ever through the use of social media. News and information are at our fingertips. Each and every member of the ALA should be a conductor of information.
Our Department Chairs are working hard to provide program guides for our Districts and Units throughout Michigan. Our programs are important; they provide knowledge, activities, and vital information, not just for members, but for the public, our neighbors, our communities. Benjamin Franklin said, “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”
Public Relations is about imparting knowledge: who we are, what we do and how we do it. It provides many of the tools you need to accomplish our mission through our program guides.
To grow as an organization, we need to build relationships, share our story, manage our reputation and help and support our veterans. We can do all that by identifying and providing resources (programs, activities) to our members and relaying and relating information. It is up to each of us to be a “conductor” of the ALA’s purpose, mission and vision – communicate, cultivate, connect.
Our Department of Michigan website, www.michalaux.org, has resources for all our programs. Information is right at your fingertips, whether you are using your phone, laptop, iPad or tablet. For more information, make plans to attend the Fall Conference in November. National President Dr. Coral May Grout will be in attendance, and you don’t want to miss that!