Introducing Katie Weiser, MPH, as a Partner Up! for Public Health Intern

On behalf of Hayslett Group and the Partner Up! for Public Health campaign, we would like to take a moment to recognize Katie Weiser, MPH, as a summer intern for the Partner Up! for Public Health campaign.

Partner Up! for Public Health, funded by Healthcare Georgia Foundation, is a statewide advocacy campaign designed to advance public health in Georgia.

We met Katie at the Georgia Public Health Association's 82nd Annual Meeting & Conference in April. She is a recent Masters of Public Health (MPH) graduate from the University of Georgia and we are thrilled to have her on board to help us advance public health in Georgia.

In addition to day-to-day responsibilities related to the campaign, Katie has specifically been tasked with locating and engaging academic and student communities in Georgia.

Most recently, Katie launched a Partner Up! Student Internship Program that is housed as a Student Portal on our campaign website. This initiative is designed to connect knowledgeable public health students with meaningful internships. Organizations are encouraged to post available internship opportunities and/or capstone project opportunities directly on the site.

A Video Contest is another way Katie is looking to engage student and academic communities. The Video Contest, scheduled to launch in the fall, will mirror the "This is Public Health" national campaign and will hopefully engage students at all nine public health schools across the state.

She is also working directly on several items with Michelle Putnam, MPH, executive director for HealthSTAT and Amanda Ptashkin, J.D., outreach and advocacy director for Georgians for a Healthy Future.

Learn more about the Partner Up! for Public Health campaign by visiting our website and to view our Student Portal that features available internships across the state, click here.

For additional questions or comments, contact us directly partnerup@togetherwecandobetter.com.

Hayslett Group Launches Facebook Page

Check us out on Facebook, and if you're feeling friendly...like us!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hayslett-Group/186572411394030

The No-No Deck

Creative Director Michelle Fry spent last Thursday evening on the No-No Deck at Roswell’s North of NOLA restaurant for a steamy evening of networking with members of the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber hosts several networking opportunities for members and non-members each month, and most are hosted by a Chamber member. Michelle had a great time meeting other local business folk, sippin’ a Purple Haze and nibbling on deep fried jalapenos!

New Client: The Georgia Association of Community Service Boards

Since 1994, the Georgia Association of Community Service Boards (GACSB) has lead the development and operation of cost effective, high quality, mental health, developmental disability and addictive disease services in Georgia. With 27 member organizations providing community based care across the state, the GACSB is dedicated to its mission of promoting the exchange of information, representing its members on legislative and administrative matters, and campaigning for the highest quality of life for consumers of mental health, developmental disability and addictive disease services. Hayslett Group will work with the GACSB and its members on media relations, social media and other communications strategy development in an effort to increase GACSB and CSB brand awareness statewide.

To learn more, please visit http://www.gacsb.org/.

Yes, and…

Hayslett Group’s Katie Little and Michelle Fry attended a Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce luncheon this past Wednesday at Ippolito's on Holcomb Bridge Road. The topic of the luncheon was intriguing, “Improving Your Business with Improv,” and the garlic butter rolls were delicious. As a marketing and PR firm, folks often perceive us as “more creative” than other types of business entities and industries. We certainly exercise our creative muscles daily, but so do most people -- regardless of whether they are software developers, CEOs of hospitals, administrative professionals or any other profession you can imagine out there. Being “creative” means developing and exploring ideas and options in regards to problem-solving. That problem could be how to introduce a new product, how to motivate your employees, how to reduce costs in shipping, etc. You get the idea. Basically, we are all creative, and we all need ways to keep our creative muscles nurtured, healthy and strong.

Improvisation, or “to invent, compose, or perform with little or no preparation”, may seem a little artsy for a lot of companies, but I think some of the basic principles of improv can easily be incorporated in our workplace attitudes, even if we don’t go so far as to stand in a circle and shout out ideas. The following are just a few concepts or “commandments of improv” that were shared with us, and I think they are great concepts to keep near our hearts when we are problem-solving at work:

Trust

Trust your co-workers, boss, whomever you are discussing your problem with. Believe that they are interested in solving the problem too, and that they are interested in your ideas.

Agree on Stage: Don’t Argue

When brainstorming, or thinking through problems, saying “No, that won’t work.” immediately kills any creative juices. Negative comments make individuals feel uncomfortable – that their ideas are “not right”, thereby causing them to clam up and not share. There is plenty of time later to sort out the best ideas and approaches. This is where the “Yes, and…” comes into play as a segue to other ideas.

Listen

In improv, if you are not listening to your fellow actors, it just doesn’t work. You can’t build ideas off each other if you are not listening.

Mistakes Are Good

Know that out of 10 ideas, nine might not be so hot. Who cares? Mistakes come from trying to come up with great ideas. If you don’t try -- no ideas.

Make the Other Person Look Good

This ties into listening. Listen to others and their ideas. Recognize something good in their ideas, and compliment them about it. Build off it. This fosters trust, engagement and confidence, not just in your brainstorming session, but in the workplace in general.

While the presentation was brief, we had a refreshing glimpse of how we could rekindle the creative fires (and interpersonal relationships) at the office. I hope you can use some of these ideas yourself. If you want to learn more about improv for business, the speakers, or the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce, check out:

Blank Stage Productions, www.blankstageproductions.com

Speaker and Author of “Improv to Improve Your Business,” Vanessa Lowry, LinkedIn, www.connect4leverage.wordpress.com

Speaker and Author of “Improv to Improve Your Business, ”Jim Hogan, LinkedIn

Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce, www.gnfcc.com

"Cheers for Communities" Fundraiser

On April 14, ten local women came together to raise funds and awareness for Communities in Schools of Atlanta, Inc (CIS). The event organizer, Hayslett Group’s Dori Mendel, selected the organization for its positive and local impact on Atlanta Public Schools and Dekalb county students.

The fundraiser event, held at a local Sandy Springs bar, Three Sheets Atlanta, featured a number of silent auction items and raffle tickets ranging from a signed CSI NY Script to private cooking lessons and custom jewelry. Overall, the event pulled in $1,000 in donations for CIS of Atlanta. The money raised will go directly to the organization and assist with special programs such as CIS attendance rewards.

“We all use our networking in everyday life for business pursuits, so I thought, why not leverage our collective connections for a greater cause,” said Mendel. “The turnout and donations from the event exceeded my expectations and underscored the generous and powerful nature of networking.”

CIS of Atlanta was established in 1972, and over the last three decades, it has helped thousands of young people earn high school diplomas and go on to become productive members of their communities. Currently, CIS of Atlanta supports 62 schools in Atlanta and DeKalb County, including 20 elementary schools, 19 middle schools, 22 high schools and one nontraditional school. In Georgia, there are 48 local CIS organizations, serving students in 52 counties and 59 school systems. To find out more about CIS in Georgia, go to www.cisga.org.

Gov. Deal Addresses GPHA Conference

Governor Deal recently addressed the Georgia Public Health Association on April 13, 2011, at its 82nd Annual Meeting & Conference. More than 400 public health advocates attended the conference held at the Crowne Plaza off of Powers Ferry Road.

Gov. Deal's speech came right after the recent General Assembly's passage of House Bill 214, which would establish a standalone Department of Public Health.

The Governor praised the work of GPHA and their efforts in protecting the health of Georgia's citizens. In addition, he shed light on one of Georgia's most pressing public health issues - childhood obesity.

Dr. Fitzgerald, Georgia's new Director of Public Health, also addressed the more than 400 attendees. Dr. Fitzgerald was appointed by Gov. Deal in February 2011 to run the state's Division of Public Health, currently part of the Department of Community Health.

Media coverage appeared the very next day in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Georgia Health News, the Augusta Chronicle, and CBS Atlanta.

In addition to helping with conference planning and implementation, Hayslett Group's Partner Up! for Public Health campaign played an integral role in the three-day event. Campaign representatives hosted an exhibitor booth, inviting public health officials, advocates, students and others to view campaign press materials and ask questions about the campaign. Visitors were invited to explore the campaign's County-by-County Health Data and Rankings Report, sign up to receive news updates about the campaign and sign an e-petition stating they would support additional funding for public health.

Campaign spokesperson and Hayslett Group CEO, Charlie Hayslett, addressed the Board of Health Training Institute on the first day and presented a Workshop Presentation that focused on Rebuilding Public Health in Georgia.

For more on the Partner Up! for Public Health campaign, visit www.togetherwecandobetter.com.

Partner Up! for Public Health is a statewide advocacy campaign funded by Healthcare Georgia Foundation and designed to advance public health in Georgia. The campaign was launched in October 2009 as part of a multifaceted effort to rebuild a public health system that has been decimated by budget cuts in recent years.

Online Benchmarking Challenges

Online interaction -- and how we measure its effectiveness -- seems to change daily! It can be frustrating to maintain online awareness and activity reports that can't accurately span six months when the very measurements (and the tools themselves) built into newer online tools like Youtube, Twitter and Facebook are constantly in development. While online communication STILL has a huge advantage to other traditional mediums when it comes to measured communications, I just wish the world was a little less BETA, and we could count on how things worked. That said, I suppose it is the challenges we meet each day that make life interesting. Read on to explore the implications of Facebook's Fan-to-Like transition and how it can mean much more than a simple number/name shift.

Thundertech's The Facebook "Like" button: what does it mean for brands?

Heads up to Government or Healthcare IT

It's rare that communications case studies focus on a government entity or healthcare IT, but for those of us working in these industries...our day has come! Come join us as we WILL be in attendance to talk with others who do what we do and experience similar challenges as we try to communicate to our audiences. IABC's breakfast event next week features:

Justine Holcomb of the State Personnel Administration addresses a massive engagement project recently completed with employees and agencies across the state.

and

Margie Driscoll of McKesson Provider Technologies shares insights into how McKesson builds relationships with diverse business targets and c-suite level executives.

Here's a bit more on the event and how you can attend...

You know your targets, here's how you really engage them...

Drop the kids off early and skip morning traffic altogether. Join us for breakfast to learn real tactics for finding and captivating your audiences today. IABC Atlanta is bringing you case studies and experiences that work - whether you're reaching out to diverse businesses, employee groups, sponsors or the public. On Tuesday, April 26, 2011, meet with IABC Atlanta for breakfast and re-energize yourself with excellent ideas to empower your audiences. Where are your audiences and how can you motivate them? What gets them to respond and stay tuned? Our speakers will share their initiatives, challenges, solutions and results to help you make the most of your outreach. Register now.

Brains Agree: The Case for Website Usability Guidelines

I admit I am a minimalist when it comes to website design. This works to the benefit of the majority of our clients. Because the messages, issues and actions related to many of our clients' communications goals are extremely complex, I design extremely simple websites. The idea being that my clients need their visitors to concentrate on the task, information or action at hand, and not be swayed by anything that may distract them from their purpose. For example, I have designed sites that:

• educate visitors on the importance of establishing a statewide trauma care network, and the need to encourage legislators to support funding for it;
• explain the necessity of supporting Open Heart Services Certificate-of-Need application within a community and its connection to top-of-the-line care for individuals and their families; and
• engage citizens in a multi-year environmental transportation study that includes input, research and reports from hundreds of sources.

While my strategy is to declutter and focus so visitors can begin to grasp the complexity of the content at hand, this strategy works just as well when you want a visitor to focus on a key message, new product line or service highlight. The idea being: if elements in your site are not working for whatever the goal of the page is -- they are working against it. Here's an article I recently read that helps explain how our brains work and how website design works (or doesn't) in relation to our brains' natural function.

From Web Marketing Today, Brains Agree: The Case for Website Usability Guidelines, Todd Follansbee, WebMarketingResources.net - Apr 12, 2011

Significant Percentage of Bills and Resolutions Never Pass

Going into the last three days of the GA 2011 legislative session, the House has introduced 638 bills and 809 resolutions. The Senate has also introduced another 277 bills and 544 resolutions. This is a combined total of 2,268 legislative measures.

To date, Governor Deal has signed only 8 pieces of legislation, with HOPE, lobbyist registration and the Supplemental Appropriations being the most notable. Of the 638 House bills, only 83 have passed both bodies. Of the 277 Senate bills, only 27 bills have passed both bodies. Over the final days of the legislative session, usually 50-100 additional bills will pass. If this activity level continues, less than 1 out of every 6 bills introduced will ever become law.

Care of: Regional Business Coalition of Metropolitan Atlanta (RBC)

The Regional Business Coalition of Metropolitan Atlanta (RBC) is an organization of over a dozen local Chambers of Commerce throughout the metro Atlanta region. RBC member chambers represent over 15,000 member companies who employ over 2 million metro Atlanta residents. The RBC's primary goal is to represent the interests of RBC Chamber members on regional public policy issues impacting our transportation, water and air quality and to advocate for solutions that improve metro Atlanta's quality of life and economic vitality.

Top 5 SoMe Mistakes Small Businesses Make

Seems like clients are either desperate to use social media or horrified by the thought. We believe in using social media where appropriate and effective vs. jumping on the bandwagon. It needs to be the right tool for the right job, and you have to know how to use the tool, and commit to using it -- otherwise it is worthless. For example, if you buy an electric toothbrush, but (a) don't charge it, or (b) put it in your vanity drawer and don't use it -- it is a wasted investment. SoMe is the same way. If you choose to introduce a SoMe tool to augment your communications program, make sure you don't fall prey to these common pitfalls. While the article referenced is specific to Facebook, the rules can apply to most SoMe applications.

1. Broadcasting
2. Not Investing Adequate Time
3. Being Boring or Predictable
4. Failing to Learn About Application Mechanics and Tools
5. Violating the Application's Terms

Check out the full article @ http://mashable.com/2011/04/02/5-facebook-marketing-mistakes-small-businesses-make/

Using Our Powers for Good!

Luckily for us, here at Hayslett Group we get to work on a large number of projects that make a difference in people's lives. Whether it's helping communicate important health care services to a community, educating citizens about the state of public services, or connecting individuals with the right people to achieve organizational goals, we often get to feel good at the end of the day in regards to what we've done. This recent article, pitched on behalf of our client, McCarthy Building Companies, is one of those happy stories we are always excited to share. It reminds us of how big companies can and do care about their communities and individuals.

With help from company, Lilburn resident gets ‘man cave’, Gwinnett Daily Post

LILBURN — Drew Leathers is a charming 23-year-old. He is funny, intelligent and engaging.

And he’s been living since age 10 with a condition called schwannamatosis, a rare form of neurofibromatosis, which has rendered him wheelchair-bound. Of the many changes this disease has brought into this young man’s life, independence and navigating his living space have been the two most imposing. But now all of that has changed.

After hearing Leathers’ story through the friend of a friend at McCarthy Building Companies’ Southeast team, company leaders decided to do whatever they could to help Leathers’ situation. Through a program called Heart Hats, McCarthy assembled a team of volunteers consisting of professional subcontractors as well as company employees. The team set to work changing the young man’s life, and the life of his family, for the better.

Read the whole article:

http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/community/headlines/With_help_from_company_Lilburn_resident_gets_man_cave_116941173.html

Three Cheers for Three Promotions!

Congrats to our recently promoted staffers! They deserve it!

Russ Williams, who marks six years at Hayslett Group and manages clients such as the Georgia Department of Transportation and Gwinnett Medical Center, was promoted from Vice President to Senior Vice President and will be assuming expanded firm management responsibilities.

Katie Little Blevins, who has been with the firm for three years and leads much of the firm's social media work, was promoted from Account Executive to Senior Account Executive; and

Dori Mendel, who recently marked her second anniversary with Hayslett Group and plays a key role in its media relations work, was also promoted from Account Executive to Senior Account Executive.

When asked what they felt was the most satisfying accomplishment they achieved during their time at HG, our team members said:

"Winning a PRSA Georgia Phoenix Award for a McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. feature in College Planning & Management’s July 2010 issue." - Dori Mendel

"I would say working on the Georgia Statewide Trauma Campaign was the most satisfying. It was so exciting to drive a campaign that brought together business people, healthcare folks and citizens statewide – all in an effort to make the lives of all of our citizens better. I was allowed the opportunity to meet and work with people from everywhere, share their stories and energize their actions…and I guess I am pretty happy that my media relations efforts scored pretty high too!!! (500 news clips/49 newspapers/19 television stations/102 radio stations and affiliates) " - Katie Little Blevins

“Assisting Gwinnett Medical Center in achieving approval from the state to create their open heart program is one of my most gratifying achievements. We helped build a groundswell of public support that is bringing a vital lifesaving service to a community in need.” - Russ Williams

Post Expo Excitement

Business people–and aspiring entrepreneurs–showed up in droves to the 2011 Business Expo, presented March 4 by the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce.

The six cities of North Fulton–Roswell, Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Milton, Mountain Park and Sandy Springs–were the title sponsors, along with Progress Partners.

Hayslett Group's Charlie Hayslett, Katie Little Blevins and Michelle Clark Fry attended and presented our services at a booth. We made great contacts, had some fantastic local food and engaged in spirited and enthusiastic conversation regarding the state of North Fulton. A great time was had by all!

Don't believe us? Check out the Roswell Patch's shot of Director of Creative Services, Michelle Clark Fry, as she gesticulates excitedly, explaining our services to a fellow Chamber member and Expo attendee. For more photos from the event, visit Roswell Patch.

Heart-ly working….

Hayslett Group Senior Account Managers Dori Mendel and Katie Blevins test out the photo booth at the most recent Gwinnett Medical Center (GMC) community event. Hayslett Group works with GMC to plan and communicate a series of community health events presented by Gwinnettt Medical Center and the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce. The event pictured marks a year of successful events with attendance swelling to over 225 participants! In 2010, Hayslett Group and GMC received a Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Certificate of Excellence for the program series. Here’s to continued success in 2011!