Tracey Mendrek, Executive Vice President
My PR wish list is all about time and the lack of it. I wish for a tool that can take every email news alert that comes into my inbox and dump it into a document that has been prioritized based on my interest. The tool would know from day-to-day how my priority list has changed, giving me more time for the other thing on my wish list; the opportunity to spend more quality time working on my business network. I admire those who keep a wide network of business associates so they can, at any moment, say “I got a guy.” And finally, I’d like to find the time to remember all the other things on my wish list.
Patrick Skarr, Senior Account Supervisor
On my wish list from the Amazon department of professional development is a cream that provides users the power of the almighty Speaker Madigan to suspend the passage of time. Having the ability to master time dilation would certainly help given the barrage of tweets, pushed breaking news alerts and email interruptions. But, I’m told that superhero ointment is in queue for government approval right after the Amazon delivery drones, so I guess I should put something else at the top the list.
I’m convinced we need an espresso maker in the office to fire the neurons and liberate the written word. Because while we have access to copious amounts of caffeine here at the office, it doesn’t come delivered in tiny little cups sitting atop a saucer.
Julia Schatz, Senior Account Executive
If I could wish for anything on my PR Christmas list, I would create a “save-of-the-day,” Buzzfeed-worthy, example of an excellent PR campaign or how crisis communications should “be handled,” as Olivia Pope would say. Although I don’t wish for anyone to experience the need for crisis-PR help, I would hope that I could do something great for them and make an unfortunate situation into something positive.
If I could create a gadget to magically appear from my PR Christmas list, it would be a Siri-like app or device that could read out loud to me. This would be incredibly helpful when proofing documents, since reading out loud is a great way to catch minor errors you may miss by just looking at it. This would be especially helpful when proofing my own writing.
Ashleigh Johnston, Account Executive
Dear Santa,
I think I’ve been a pretty good PR professional this year, and as such I’m asking for the following items:
-The 2014 AP Stylebook because mine is starting to look a little haggard. Also, as an abridgement to this, I’d like for the book to have the ability to interpret itself because some entries are, shall we say, convoluted.
-I would also like a “Grammar for Dummies” book because sometimes you just need a solid reference guide.
-Lastly, if this item already exists let me know, otherwise I’d like a program that can point out inconsistencies in writing. Similar to spell check but on another level, this program would point out differing dates, names and words. Checking for consistency as a writer and editor is one of the biggest challenges, particularly in lengthy documents or under a deadline when you are skimming quicker than you’d like to.
I hope this isn’t asking too much, Santa, but I think with these items I can come back to you next year with even more evidence of why this PR pro belongs on the “nice list.”
Best wishes & with my sincerest apology for not leaving cookies out this year,
Ashleigh Johnston