Truth, AI Robots, TV Tips and Augmented Reality
- kadeejojones
- Oct 29, 2020
- 4 min read
It's the last day of ICON 2020 and what a conference it has been. I'll be doing a full wrap-up post later on so for now let's review day four.
Session: General with Laurie Garrett
I am going to be brutally honest here. I was not a fan of this presentation. I struggled to listen but I still managed to pull some lessons from this session. Laurie spoke about all of the COVID-19 myths and the statistics that accompanied.
What I Learned:
PR practitioners are on the front lines of disseminating misinformation
COVID-19 has been full of differing opinions due to misinformation on one side or the other
Truth and transparency are key pillars in the job description of a PR practitioner
What this means/How will I apply it?
The COVID-19 pandemic is the first major pandemic that I have witnessed but it is almost certain that it won't be the last. As a PR practitioner, it is my job to disseminate misinformation when more epidemics and other related events happen. As someone who is in charge of communication, PR practitioners must always promote truth and transparency, it is the key to getting rid of the chaos. Without truthful information and timely communication, people have a tendency to make up their own narratives, allowing misinformation to run rampant. I look forward to a career where I will race to the front lines of distributing information and eradicating misinformation.
Session: Dancing with the bots: AI, Tech, and Social Media Trends:
I was particularly excited about this presentation because social media management is what I want to do one day. Many have told me that social media is just a trend, so I wanted to hear from the professionals myself. Here is what I learned...
What I Learned:
There are three different kinds of AI
PR practitioners need to decide if their PR tools are ethical in terms of AI
Forge a relationship with a tech person
What this means/How will I apply it?
First of all, I had NO IDEA that there were three different kinds of AI. I didn't even know that AI was broken up into three categories...Alas, it is! Now that I know the levels of AI and what they mean, I can navigate them when they come to fruition in the world and in my career. For now, we only have narrow AI, which is like Siri. I'm happy I learned more about the other kinds so that one day I can account for them in my career.
One of the biggest tips that the presenters gave was to become familiar with the tools that you are using as PR practitioner and decide if they are ethically sound in terms of artificial intelligence. Personally, this is something that I have never even considered, but now that I know, I will be able to look at the tools I am using now and in the future and decide if they are ethically sound for me to use!
This last tip about forging a relationship with a tech person is gold. I don't know much about AI, and quite honestly, it scares me quite a bit. AI is unpredictable and we never know what it can be capable of if it is used incorrectly. With that being said, having a relationship with a tech person will allow PR practitioners to question them on the ethical uses of AI and how to communicate with the general public about the future of AI. I think that this is such a valuable tip as I head into my career. It is likely that AI will advance and I'll have to communicate that in some way to the general public. Having a relationship with a tech person will help me better understand the issue so I can communicate it clearly.
Session: From TV to Twitter
This lesson with Brad Ritter was all about being a good spokesperson.
What I Learned:
Use different channels effectively
Respond rapidly
Tell stories
Create a character
Adapt to different publics
Perform well on camera
Manage tasks effectively
Reduce the amount of information that you are going to tell people
Think of the audience's point of view
Anticipate questions
Start with your conclusion first
Be human
Communicate empathy
Master the soundbite
If you want a reporter to remember what you say, then start with their name
What this means/How will I apply it?
You guys. I could have written so many other lessons that I learned during this session, but then I would basically have written a novel, so for now I'll stick with those listed above. How will I apply these? I'll follow them! I know that as a practitioner these tips will come in handy when I act as a spokesperson.
Session: The Future of PR
Taught by Alexander Laskin, this session was all about trends that are happening right now that will affect the future of PR.
What I Learned:
Digital augmented reality is coming down the pike
Virtualization of life is happening now and will only increase
Gamification is big and should be capitalized on
Privacy is a hot topic and who should manage privacy?
What this means/How will I apply it?
As I head into a career, these trends will dominate the world. As such, these trends will guide the way that I do PR in the future. Using the information I learned in this session, I will able to tailor PR campaigns and tactics to go along with these trends. For example, if I want to do a compelling campaign in the future, I might want to use a form of augmented reality, seeing as this is a major trend. Overall, it was fun to learn more about the trends that will dominate my career.
Today had fewer sessions than the other days, but they were still jam-packed with good information!
As stated earlier, I'll do a wrap-up post on all my thoughts about the conference.
Photo by Photo Hobby via Unsplash
Comments