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MEETINGS
Everyone Has Stories to Tell, but Are They All Worth Hearing?
Drew Myers says a spear without a point is just a stick and a story without a point is just
as dull. The director of business development for JODesign knows his stories,
and he will bring examples of the good, the bad and the ugly, with tips on how
to make your own stories sing, to the February meeting.
Myers will dissect the process from Storytelling 101 to the most advanced
technical tools available to get your point across quickly, cleanly and
compellingly.
Time & date: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 22
Place: City Club, 301 Commerce St.
Cost: $25 members, $30 nonmembers, students $20
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Research: Do You Know What You Think You Know?
Dr. Paul Ruggiere, director of the UNT Survey Research Center, wonders if people really know what
they think they know about research. At the February meeting he will examine
how research can improve message effectiveness, with emphasis on inexpensive
(sometimes free) sources, why research is vital in PR/communications planning
(do we understand the audience? is the message getting out?), and examples of
how research has strengthened campaigns.
Time & date: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 9
Place: Colonial Country Club, 3735 Country Club Circle
Cost: $25 members, $35 nonmembers, students $20, walk-ups add $5
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STRAIGHT STUFF
TCU Communication Studies chair Paul King will discuss “TCU Debaters, Preparation & Performance” at the TCU Guild luncheon Thursday, Feb. 17, on the campus at TCU Moudy South,
third floor. Cost is $15; no reservations at the door. Guild nonmembers are
welcome. RSVP by Feb. 11 to Lois Powers, 817-249-7409 or tcuguild@gmail.com. The Guild funds eight scholarships in the TCU Colleges of Fine Arts and
Communication. ...
Blogs. Facebook. LinkedIn. Twitter. How can you use them efficiently and still
have time for your real job? Share experiences and get new ideas at a Freelance
Alliance roundtable, “Social Media: What’s Working for You,” Tuesday, Feb. 15, at the North Dallas Chamber of Commerce, 10707 Preston Road.
Registration starts at 11:30 a.m., the hour-long program at noon. No charge for
members of the Association for Women in Communications, IABC and PRSA; guests
and nonmembers $10. More from
Pat Pape at patpape@yahoo.com. ...
Almost all writers have tasted rejection. For some it’s a steady diet. Short story specialist Glen Pourciau will examine how to cope with long waits for replies (and why editors don’t like your work) at the Writers’ Guild of Texas meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 21, at the Richardson Public
Library. A collection of Pourciau’s stories won the 2008 Iowa Short Fiction Award and was published by the
University of Iowa Press. His stories have appeared in the Antioch Review,
Epoch, New England Review, the Paris Review, TriQuarterly and other magazines. • Improve your writing/editing skills at WGT PCS (planned critique sessions),
third Wednesday of the month, Richardson Public Library basement, 7-8:45 p.m.
Participants present their own work and receive feedback from fellow members.
Contact
Earl Stubbs, earlstubbs34@gmail.com, 214-683-2489. • Writers’ events calendar: Feb. 26-27, DFW Writers’ Conference, agents and acquisition editors, keynote Sandra Brown, American Airlines Training and Conference Center in Fort Worth. WGT
third-Monday early-birds: Janet Doleh, March 21; Susannah Charleson on the query and pitch, April 18; SPJ member Carmen Goldthwaite on creative nonfiction, May 16; WGT All-Stars Read-In, June 20. More at writersguildoftexas.org/joomla/. Send events calendar items to Carol Woods at carol.woods@verizon.net.
IABC local update: Veteran communicators Barb Mayben and Angie McCoy will discuss at the IABC Dallas luncheon Tuesday, Feb. 8, the three
responsibilities every leader should have in any communications plan, how to
choose the best communications tactics for four leadership styles and how best
to engage leaders in social media. Info here.
PRSA local update: The Independent Practitioners SIG will meet 3:30-5 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 24, at
Studios 121. More from chair Nancy Farrar, nancyfarrar@att.net.
PRSA local update II: Standing reminders. Have something to say? Be a speaker at a North Texas PRSSA
chapter meeting. E- Kevin Williams at kw757@yahoo.com. ... The DFW Communicators Job Bank lists full-time, part-time and internship positions in PR, media affairs,
advertising/sales, event planning, graphic design, marketing, and corporate and
employee communications throughout North Texas. Employers who are members of
the participating organizations may post a job listing for $50; the cost for
nonmembers is $75. Nonprofits get a 50 percent discount. Each posting runs
three weeks. Greater Fort Worth PRSA receives a portion of the proceeds when a
member marks his or her membership status on the submission form. More from
Jerrod Resweber at jresweber@webershandwick.com. ... Stay on top of emerging trends and industry news, extend your network
while increasing your knowledge, and keep learning and stay competitive. Any
practitioner with at least two years in the field is eligible for membership in
the world’s leading organization for PR professionals. Those with fewer than two years
experience or who recently graduated from college and were active in PRSSA may
join as an associate member. More from new chapter president Carol Murray at cmurray@fwmsh.org or 817-255-9408.
PRSA local update III: The Dallas-based nonprofit Big Thought will share at the Dallas PRSA luncheon
Thursday, Feb. 10, how it developed SLANT 45 in conjunction with the North
Texas Super Bowl XLV Host Committee to connect the region’s youngest citizens to football’s biggest game of the year. Info here.
