Lots of Talking and a Hint of Spring

The past two weeks have been quite busy, but that's a poor excuse for the long break between posts.  Regardless, this post will bring readers up to date.  It includes an account of several recent guest lectures, provides a further glimpse of Poznań as spring offers a little tease, and reports on Robin's day trip to nearby Toruń.

Lecture Opportunities Increasing

I've spoken to several groups in the past two weeks, perhaps most significantly to a group of around 25 public relations professionals.  Enrolled in a weekend post-graduate seminar here at Poznań University of Economics, these PR professionals came from as far as Warsaw for a day-long program I prepared for Saturday, March 31.  The morning's theme was the roots of PR in the U.S.  I built the lecture around significant periods and events in U.S. history, discussing how those events and trends helped shape (and, in turn, were influenced by) the developing discipline of public relations.  For instance, for the colonial period I described events such as the Boston Tea Party and the Boston Massacre.  Next was President Andrew Jackson's hiring of Amos Kendall as essentially the first White House Press Secretary.  From there, we discussed P.T. Barnum and his "press agentry" approach to publicity, then the Robber Baron era, including the Muckrakers.  I then introduced the group to 20th Century PR icons Ed Bernays and Ivy Lee.  I spoke of the importance of the Creel Committee during World War I and the Office of War Information during World War II.  We then looked at PR's role in the expansion of U.S. economic and political influence following World War II and the emergence of the Public Relations Society of America along with its influence on increasing professionalism, including the development of ethical standards, certification, etc.  It was an effective way to acquaint Polish PR professionals with U.S. culture and history through the vehicle of our common interest in the public relations discipline.


Polish PR professionals learning about the PR contributions
of Ed Bernays.



The professionals enjoyed learning about the roots of contemporary
PR, including how the discipline became uniquily shaped by the
cultural characteristics of each country and region where it has spread.

For the afternoon session, I engaged the group in a real-world exercise.  I provided participants with background articles on the effort by the U.S. mint to introduce the dollar coin into common circulation.  I challenged the group to work in teams of 4-5 members to develop a comprehensive communication approach to persuading U.S. businesses and consumers to embrace the dollar coin instead of the dollar bill.  This is an effort the U.S. mint has repeatedly tried but at which it consistently fails.  Teams were tasked with stating the communication problem succinctly, identifying and describing target publics (demographics, motivations, values, etc.), crafting targeted message themes, selecting communication channels, suggesting strategies and tactics, and establishing evaluative metrics.  The participants dove into the challenge with energy and enthusiasm, bringing a European perspective to this problem that has vexed the U.S. Mint for decades.  Their solutions were creative and innovative and revealed a unique perspective on the issue.


Teams actively engaged in the communication
campaign exercise.


















I have also presented the "Roots of PR in the U.S." lecture, divided into several sessions, for one undergraduate PR course and one graduate PR course here at Poznań University of Economics as well.  The students tell me they very much enjoy this new perspective on public relations and now more fully appreciate the role and influence of public relations in democratic societies.

On April 2, at the request of the Polish Fulbright Commission, I provided a talk to graduate students and faculty at Adam Mickeiwicz University, also here in Poznań.  Adam Mickeiwicz is one of the most prominent universities in Poland, and my remarks were part of a 2-hour seminar on Fulbright opportunities for Polish graduate students to pursue studies and research in the U.S.  My role was to offer an overview of the structure of graduate education in the U.S.  A group af around 40 participants gathered for this seminar in the the Senate Room of the Collegium Minus (main college building) of Adam Mickeiwicz.


Polish graduate students and faculty hear about the structure
of U.S. graduate education.  Officials from the Polish Fulbright
Commission in Warwaw are seated behind me.

A Hint of Spring

March teased us a bit with around 10 days of very pleasant temperatures and sunny to partly cloudy skies.  People here took full advantage, thronging to parks and walking the scenic strees of the old town.  My wife, Robin, and I walked from our apartment one Saturday to take in a pipe organ concert at a magificent church just off the Stary Rynek (old market square) in Poznań.  The setting and the music were beautiful -- a perfect Saturday noontime activity before lunch in one of the city's countless restaurants.

Fine weather in mid-March prompted people here to seize
the moment.  This is a typical outdoor cafe in Poznań's
Stary Rynek.



Just off the Stary Rynek, this beautiful church welcomed us
to an outstanding pipe organ concert on a recent Saturday noon.



Every architectural detail of the church is magnificent, and
there are numerous such churches in Poznań and
throughout Poland.



















Robin's Trip to Toruń

My work demands have prevented me from traveling as I had hoped, but Robin was able to make a daytrip to nearby Toruń recently with a friend visiting from the U.S.  Many consider Toruń to be the most beautiful city in Poland; based on the photos Robin took, that's a fair statement.  The city on the Vistula River is just two hours by train from Poznań, so I very much hope I'll be able to schedule a trip soon.  I provide the photos that follow without comment except to say that they illustrate the city's beauty.

Sidelights

I just received a thank-you e-mail from someone in my hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  I had received a request several weeks ago from a friend there.  It seems her granddaughter's school (pre-school, actually) was studying Polish culture; I was asked if I would send some postcards from Poznań, and I was happy to do so, adding a few picture books and other artifacts as well.  The items met the need apparently, and the granddaughter has enjoyed acquiring a bit of the Polish language via the picture books.  The class found the items fascinating as well.  The fact that a pre-school class in Milwaukee would be studying Polish culture may seem surprising, but really is not given the strong Polish heritage in the city and the surrounding area.  In fact, the city hosts what it claims is the largest Polish festival in the U.S. every summer at the city's beautiful lakefront festival grounds.  You can learn more about the festival here: http://www.polishfest.org/.  Additionally, the city is home to the Polish Center of Wisconsin, which includes a restaurant, a library, meeting rooms, cultural events and exhibits.  Here's its link: http://polishcenterofwisconsin.org/.  I often refer to these two features of my hometown to respond to people here who wonder why I chose to apply for a Fulbright fellowship in Poland -- in many respects, it feels like home!

Research Project Status

We continue to move forward with our research project on employee communication in Poland.  We have secured our first company partner, and it's an excellent one.  Anonymity is incorprated into our research design, so I can't reveal the name of the company, but it is a major manufacturer here in Poland.  We are extremely pleased the company's leaders have welcomed this research partnership.  The other team members and I feel confident that we are very close to confirming two additional company partners in the coming days.  Our aim is to conduct our data gathering at three organizations in total, and it appears that will happen soon.

In the meantime, I continue to receive requests to speak to various classes and groups in Poland and beyond.  I take considerable delight in meeting with groups here and will make every effort to accommodate requests as my schedule allows.

Do widzenia!