The Weber Group has definitely made its mark on PR, no doubt with the help of its bold CEO Larry Weber. But when it comes to making sure that junior-level and newly hired communicators develop robust job skills, Weber is taking a back seat to a professor named Robert Brown.
The Weber Group, Cambridge, Mass., contracts with Brown, a professor with the Harvard Extension School, to help the firm make sure its account coordinators are as familiar with Strunk & White as they are with the buzz in Internet chat rooms. With workshop sessions stepped up this year to several a month, Brown will be paid about $10,000 annually to help fledgling PR staffers write better.
Call it prose versus pitch.
But Weber isn't the only company focused on training and developing its communicators. In this piece, PR NEWS also looks at the PR/communications departments of Hewlett-Packard and AT&T, both employing unique tactics to make sure that its newcomer communicators continue to grow in their roles.
AT&T, for example, just paid an undisclosed amount to New York-based executive training firm Communispond, Inc. to bring in-house a training program as part of its new "PR University."
Through the university, every PR employee bones up on shifts in the telecommunications industry. The purpose is to enhance employee knowledge about the evolving - and sometimes volatile - telecommunications playing field. PR execs delve into information/terms/facts about the wireless, cable, IP and telephony niches.
The PR Training Call
Beyond building knowledgeable communicators, AT&T strives to build competent communicators.
Over the past year, it has debuted its "New Professional Program" for both hires fresh out of college as well as people who are new to PR. Part of that program includes a test, which the employee doesn't have to pass on the first go-around, but which he or she must pass to move on to the next level, says Sarah Jepsen, COO of the AT&T PR division.
During the first few years, new PR employees rotate their duties, from media relations and employee communications to community relations and marcom. The goal is growing "generalists," not "specialists," says Jepsen.
"A couple things motivated us to do this," says Jepsen. "One thing is that PR at AT&T has undergone dramatic reduction [its approximate 250 employee PR department has had a recent 25 percent reduction], and we had that voluntary retirement offer in the company. But we also did research several years ago and found that a sizeable portion of our workforce was seasoned pros who might decide to go on and do something else. If you ignore those demographics, it's at your peril. Our view was we needed to bring in new talent" and build their skills.
The Weber World
With about 250 employees worldwide, Weber wants to make sure its 30 account coordinators, 22 assistant account executives and 36 account executives stay on the professional fast track. The employee development philosophy Weber has adopted is based on envisioning what would make an employee exceptional, not only what makes an employee good.
Often that requires that a manager think outside-the-box and tap into how an employee can be motivated as well as compensated. Beyond Brown's work with junior-level employees at Weber, the company hosts monthly life-balance programs open to any employee. Topics range from nutrition to financial planning.
On the PR side, however, the groundwork is being laid for nurturing better professionals, not just contented workers.
Based on responses from senior-level executives, the firm developed "core competencies" for entry-level communicators. The core competencies for an account coordinator, for instance, include: attention to numerical and grammatical details, knowledge of client-relevant media and sound judgment.
The PR Pack at Hewlett-Packard
If you joined HP as a new employee of the 150-person PR department (at headquarters in Palo Alto, Calif.), one of your first responsibilities would be to attend an internal PR 101 class where you'd learn the ground rules for how HP runs its PR, according to Emily Fox, media relations specialist.
Though there aren't a lot of juniors overseeing PR functions, HP seeks to impart everything from its corporate culture to linchpin writing skills.
Each quarter, a three-day class is held during which rookies are given an AP Style Manual and taught HP press-release protocol. The company's rules? Make it no more than 600 words and use the inverted pyramid style.
That doesn't mean a release goes out the digital door without several reads by execs at various levels, sometimes including attorneys specializing in SEC matters to marketing legal eagles. (Each release is given a code so it can be tracked.)
But the writing isn't the sole concern. HP wants to make sure its new communicators understand PR and business jargon. Juniors are expected to eventually pick up that ECS stands for enterprise computing solutions and RISC is a term used to describe the chip used in Unix boxes.
Gaining new knowledge might also require going on a press tour or typing the Q&A portion of analyst conference calls or scouring the Web for financial analyses and news reports, as Randy Lane does.
Lane's not a junior, but he moved into communications from an administrative assistant slot after proving himself. Now he's charged with responsibilities such as HP's Product Placement Program to protect its products in Hollywood films, including an upcoming flick with Tom Cruise.
"They are learning everything from corporate values and company history to how to use the systems," says Fox. "For the first six months, they're pretty much taking directions from managers. In the PR department, we know that when we bring a new person in, there's a learning curve."
That learning curve might also include telling newcomers what business reporters are a little on the curmudgeonly side, Fox admits. But she cautions: "We would do that one-on-one. We'd never write that down. God forbid it got out." (AT&T, 908/221-6302; Hewlett-Packard, 650/236-5234; Weber, 617/520-7219)
The Weber Group's Core Competencies for Account Coordinators
- Effective verbal and written communications skills
- Ability to effectively prioritize multiple tasks
- Professional demeanor
- Team player
- Sound judgment
- Project management capabilities
- Attention to numerical and grammatical details
- Basic comprehension of client's industry
- Knowledge of client-relevant media
- Strong leadership qualities in supervising interns
- Technical knowledge - proficiency in Microsoft Word, Internet and online services, PowerPoint, Media Map and Dow Jones News Retrieval