Communications Ethics
Public or Private:
Institutions Need Communications Ethics
Author's Note: This article was written on July 29, 2001 prior to the key events that have defined personal and professional life in the subsequent decade: 9-11 and the current fiscal debacle. At that time I was an adjunct faculty member University of St. Thomas Graduate School of Business, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, and the past president Public Relations Society of America, Minnesota Chapter. The company referenced was a major health care system, providing relevance in light of America's current bold health care initiative.
Allina Health System responded to the investigation of its operations by hiring outside communications consultants. Articles in the Star Tribune raised issues about the merits of this practice; a subsequent commentary piece struck an apologist chord for communications consulting.
Both parties miss the point. The real consideration is not whether organizations hire external expertise, the issue is about ethics, the role of professional communications, and the public’s right to know. Imbedded here is a sublime irony in the intense scrutiny of public organizations and relative disregard of private companies.
Intentional Transitions
Over the course of the past 20 years as a communications advisor, counselor, coach and professor, I have come to realize that I possess a unique and authentic talent - an ability to help guide individuals to discover, to uncover their own hidden selves. Often my 'corporate' work - working under contract to organizations - looked like typical strategic planning and implementation. Clients brought me to the table to help solve a problem requiring public relations or internal communications expertise. They wanted me to help 'sell' a product, process or idea.
But, more often I found the solutions to problems were not in creating 'campaigns', slogans, or programs, but in working one-on-one with chief executives, directors, managers and staff, unearthing interpersonal conflicts that impacted even the most simple organizational operations. Tuff wars, petty jealousies, departmental power grabs - all became the grand de-railers of even the most straightforward programs.
And so I began to develop a program to work at a more interpersonal level with communication. I continue to evolve Intentional Transitions as an eventual workbook and workshop. When I was presented an opportunity to showcase my work at the popular evening called, Pecha Kucha Night in Maastricht, I choose a creative performance rather than a marketing presentation style. In this brief 7 minute format I weave my own original poems with accepted theories on human development to make a statement that each of us is capable of advancing a level on the human development hierarchy toward self-transformation and transcendence. Here is that performance courtesy of the PKN Maastricht website.
Confessions of a culture junkie: Pecha Kucha Maastricht makes the grade
Lonneke ten Hooven: Food Seduction
By Susan Schaefer
Reproduced with permission by Crossroads
June 29, 2009
I’ll admit I’m a culture junkie who until June 20, 2009 found the culture seen in Maastricht, well – politely boring, lacking an edge. Plenty of highbrow art and culture but not much of what I call ‘smart brow’ – that place where edgy meets elite.
I have a confession – I am a culture junkie with a string of arts and culture leadership in my pedigree: I am the founding publisher, editor and reporter of the South Street Star, the first arts and culture weekly newspaper to cover the hot and happenin’ SoHo scene in my hometown of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, where I also founded the Club Bay-Root, an original act nightclub, edited the first ‘What’s Happening’ art and culture listings pages for New York newspaper, the Aquarian Weekly, and founded the first women’s poetry festival while fronting my own poetry troupe, the Star Bards (we had a fan following well before poetry had ‘slams’!). Later, as the chair of the public policy committee for the Greater Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce in Minnesota, I founded the first ever business task force to study the impact of the creative class on our city.
Europe Cultural Capital : Will Maastricht make the cut?
Cork, Ireland 2005 European Cultural Capital
We visited Cork during its reign as ECC.
Exciting times here in Maastricht. The city is vying for the title of European Cultural Capital. The European Capital of Culture is a city designated by the European Union for a period of one calendar year during which it is given a chance to showcase its cultural life and cultural development. A number of European cities have used the City of Culture year to transform their cultural base and, in doing so, the way in which they are viewed internationally.
This week the City of Maastricht along with a few prominent cultural and academic institutions are hosting a two-day open conference/brainstorming session in order to strengthen their strategy and bid. The event is being held at the soon-to-be former cement plant, ENCI, part of which already has been transformed into Maastricht's newest performing and fine arts space.
Schaefer Communications is exploring a few project options connected with this event.
