What you are currently reading is a blog, a form of expression that allows users to share their ideas across a digital landscape. Bloggers post pictures, videos, recipes, or stories about their life, or interests. Not since the invention of the printing press has a form of technology had such a profound impact on the written word. Simply stated, the blog is brilliant.

For this post, I want to speak directly to those seeking employment. Those with a steady gig are encouraged to read on, but for today, my focus is on my unemployed friends.

Ladies and gentleman, you face an uphill battle. No matter if you are fresh out of college or a decorated veteran of the marketing battlefield, you are no match for the weakened economy. Companies are now carefully considering every hiring decision and only those with the perfect set of tools make the cut. So, let’s add another tool to your belt.

You need a blog. This is not a suggestion – it’s an order. Pick a topic you are passionate about and start writing. The topic is of less importance than the quality of your writing. Your goal is to be engaging, sound smart, and show your worth.

A blog is a powerful tool because of its ability to display worth. Posting regularly shows you are dedicated and diligent. And, in addition to displaying your writing abilities, it also shows a potential employer you’re in tune with an ever-changing online community.

Blogging is a gateway that provides invaluable training on how to interact with others through a number of different channels. For instance, you will learn how to leverage Twitter, Facebook, StumbleUpon, and other platforms to push your message and attract readers to your site. Additionally, by maintaining a blog, you will discover the intricacies of data analytics and how they correlate with your content. Most importantly, you gain the ability to speak fluently about new media marketing. Recruiters or potential employers at communications firms drool over candidates that require little training in these areas.

During my time as a high school football coach, I often told my players, “put yourself in the best position to win.” The advice: While the situation will rarely be ideal, with the right skills or mentality, you will make that play. This same idea holds true for gaining employment.

Blogging will put you in the best position to win. Add your blog URL to your resume and always carry hard copies of your most popular posts to interviews. Professionalize your blog and maybe think about posting about industry-related content. Finally, keep screen shots of your blog’s progress and don’t be scared to show these during an interview.

Remember: the emphasis is on not really on the topic. It’s on the opportunity to share your thoughts and showcase your knowledge about the changing digital landscape. Your worth is at your fingertips, so be brilliant and start blogging.

@AaronEstabrook

For students today, public speaking and self-presentation is becoming a lost art.
The value of speech is underrated by the hundreds of thousands students studying marketing, advertising or public relations. As a result of the changing digital landscape, we have lost ourselves in media theory, demographic analysis, and data analytics and forget the foundation to obtaining effective results through communication.

Before Qorvis, I was a public communication instructor at Ball State University. I trained students to speak clearly and confidently in professional or pubic situations, which I found highly rewarding, but often concerning.

Watching a first semester freshman struggle to find their voice in front of an unfamiliar audience was expected; however, to watch a soon-to-be graduating senior flounder and nervously stumble through their first professional presentation was worrisome.

Even more perplexing, these students were the new fresh faces of a growing field of future marketers, advertisers and PR professionals. I wondered, how could these communication-based disciplines neglect such a vital tool for gaining employment and also one necessary for translating key messages to relevant audiences?

This was not an isolated phenomenon. I have worked at other agencies, where I witnessed many client meetings, interviews, and training sessions go down in flames. I watched helplessly as colleagues and supervisors fumbled through media pitches and sales meetings, diminishing their credibility with every passing minute.

Marketing, advertising, public relations, nursing, law, or any other client-based profession is dependent on an ability to communicate with others face-to-face. There is no greater skill than the ability to speak clearly and confidently. What good are website traffic statistics if you are unable to confidently describe them to a client group?

Although I cannot say why educators and company trainers overlook such a critical tool, I can assign some homework for those who wish to improve:

Starting today, your assignment is to be more public.

•  Take additional public speaking courses or media training. These classes can forever transform the way you                   speak and present yourself.

•  If you are currently employed, ask your supervisor to lead a small training session or group activity.

•  Talk to more strangers. You can start by asking for directions or greeting others in an elevator. This technique               will help you become more concise and confident with your communication.

• Interact more with groups. For instance, instead of eating alone, have lunch in public or with your colleagues.              Rather than staying in the home to relax, spend some time in busier parts of you neighborhood.

While these suggestions might seem ineffective at first, overtime they go a long way in building self-confidence and improving your skill at speaking concisely.

It doesn’t matter if you are currently looking for a job or are already a central part of a company; your ability to communicate orally is vital. To gain employment you need a solid interview. To get a raise, one needs to clearly articulate their value. To display your company’s progress to a client, you must be concise, organized and confident under pressure. Just remember, it doesn’t matter if you are an expert at social media, if you are an amateur at social interaction.

@AaronEstabrook

In a conversation at the Pentagon recently, we were discussing the debt ceiling limit and the “Super Committee” that will be overseeing budget cuts when the term “narrative” came up.  Specifically, I was told: “the contracting community is going to need to change the narrative.”

I first heard “narrative” three years ago in reference to ways that Afghanistan can “change its narrative”.  While this seemed a novel idea at the time, it turned out that my company’s recommendations for helping change the narrative for that war torn country was piled among a stack of 70 others.  Clearly ideas spread quickly in Washington.

As we approach the 10 year anniversary of 9-11, it really is time for the contracting community and government agencies to begin developing new narratives and positioning themselves for the years ahead.  The past decade saw an explosion of growth in government contracting that, after some signs of slowing down, looks like it could be coming to a screeching halt.  Understandably government agencies and the contractors that serve them are scrambling to sustain programs, as is pointed out in today’s Washington Post.

Like others, my company has seen a marked increase recently in the number of firms approaching us for communications assistance to help ensure programs stay funded.  We have seen associations and coalitions form around certain sectors to advocate program relevancy.  And we have seen government agencies eager to communicate to their stakeholders (read: Congress) through glossy annual reports and other marketing collateral that highlight the benefits that their agency provides either to national security or jobs.

What seems to be missing, however, is the realization that agencies and organizations need to develop new narratives.  The world has changed and the contracting community needs to change with it.  No longer can companies issue the token press release claiming multi-million-dollar program awards written for only the most technically astute program managers.  Instead, companies need to communicate awards and programs in terms that taxpayers understand.  It’s not difficult; it’s just communicating programs with a slightly different audience in mind.  My colleague Stan Collender made this point at last spring’s conference of the Coalition for Government Procurement, and I thought it was a brilliant recommendation.  While Stan knew the debt limit was going to be a focus of Washington politics this summer, I don’t think even he foresaw the possibility of the “Super Committee”.

This call to a new narrative was reinforced last night while reading Nicolas Schmidle’s New Yorker article “Getting Bin Laden”.  In the article, Schmidle writes about the close collaboration between Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) and the CIA in the killing of Bin Laden.  The planning and execution of this mission brought the collaboration between these two agencies to its highest level.  As John Radsan, former assistant general counsel at the C.I.A., is quoted in the article, “the Abbottabad raid amounted to ‘a complete incorporation of JSOC into a C.I.A. operation.’”.  Add to this Mr. Panetta’s move from the Director of the CIA to the Secretary of Defense and General Petraeus’ move from commanding general in Afghanistan and Iraq to the Director of the CIA.  Now that’s a new narrative.

Little known fact: Qorvis has serious floral skills. Pictured here are flower center pieces shaped like tennis balls, made to adorn the high top tables at this year’s Kastles Season Kickoff Party “Wimbledon on the Water”—superbly constructed by Qorvis staff, including Meryl Draper and Grace Fenstermaker (featured above).

The floral tennis balls were created using 6″ foam to anchor the mix of green button flowers (covering the bulk of the ball) and white strati (for the “seam”). They took an average of four hours to complete, and they looked incredible.

As you may have seen in the resulting media, the party was quite a hit, and we’re excited to once again be partnered with the Washington Kastles as they head into another great season. More updates to come!

I defaced graffiti the other day, I am loath to admit. While passing through a crosswalk near the W Hotel, I noticed a fresh “stikman” on the street, and as traffic bore down upon me, I plucked it up and moved along quickly. I carried the illicit art all the way home, half thinking (half wanting) someone of authority to accuse me of being behind these street installations. No one did.

If you are not familiar with stikman, he is the subject of an anonymous street artist who has made this figure well known throughout DC and numerous other cities, from Los Angeles to Boston.

Stikman resides mostly in crosswalks—a reflective vinyl robot staring blankly upward. He comes in several colors, and as traffic and weather run over him, his permanence is solidified by conditions that simultaneously disintegrate him entirely—like a traumatic event seared as a memory but faded overtime, from fixture to abstraction to amorphous reminiscence, and then gone altogether.

I’ve snapped photos of him before, but have never acquired one. I’ve only ever enjoyed his place in the urban landscape—a simple, humorless figure who looks up and says, “Hey, you’re walking on me.” I smile and move on. In hand, though, I sought to learn more.

Aside from many photos, I found a Washington Post article by Stephen Lowman from 2008, in which he wrote about his own exploration of stikman:

“I Googled him, half expecting to find out that stikman was part of a viral marketing campaign to get me to the theater on Halloween to see a robot slasher flick. Instead, I found other admirers sharing their fondness for this mysterious figure whose creator was anonymous.”

Oh woe for the artist whose work is mistaken for marketing! I know we are constantly exploring new ways of communicating messages: mobile, guerilla, viral, whatever. If it speaks to the right audience, I will employ graffiti as easily as I would put out a press release.

Is this not the nature of art though? Look at Shepard Fairey’s now ubiquitous “Hope” portrait of President Obama. It may offend the artist to have his or her methods adopted for commercial or political purposes, (Fairey, notably, was an Obama supporter), but I would take it as a compliment that you’re contributing to the expansion of how we can communicate with one another. The tenuous relationship between art and commerce may never be resolved.

With stikman, however, I just feel guilty. I have denied the masses exposure to this simple figure. In art, meaning is derived from context; and with street art, every piece is site-specific. I have in a sense robbed some life from this particular piece. Nor I do not feel right replacing it, now that I’ve removed it. Like a baby bird held by human hands, it may not be accepted back into its nest. It would then be sweet justice if I was arrested for littering or defacing property in an effort to restore him.

So here I am in my office trying to mash stikman into the carpet—the only sensible way I think he can be displayed. On the wall won’t cut it. I only fear the cleaning people may remove him.

Small of entrance and obscure from the street, Shakespeare & Company is tough to locate, so you have to work to find it. As I wandered the back streets of the Latin Quarter, I kept running into others just as lost as me. Yet there it was, right on the Seine, hiding in plain sight. Ironically, this is a place you go not because you know what you’re looking for, but rather because you never know what you’re going to find.

It has the feeling of an ancient tomb, musty and sacred. Three rambling floors of titles and tomes—piled up on the floor, falling off makeshift shelves, arranged using no traditional scheme. They populate narrow stairs and tiny rooms. It is bookstore as destination—as much a feast for the mind as for the senses. And I believe, I hope, this relic of Paris can provide some understanding of what the future holds for bookstores.

The demise of the big booksellers is hardly a new story. In Washington, DC, one of the most educated, literate and wealthy communities in the country, Borders has shuttered almost all of its locations. The reasons are obvious—competition from online vendors and ebooks has combined with a decrease in disposable income as a result of the economic recession. Sales dry up, business is business.

It is as true here as it is throughout the world. Just this week, Australian Minister for Small Businesses Nick Sherry even made a bold declaration about the death of the bookstore: “I think in five years, other than a few specialty bookshops in capital cities, you will not see a bookstore. They will cease to exist because of what’s happening with Internet-based, Web-based distribution…. What’s occurring now is an exponential take-off—we’ve reached a tipping point.”

In my opinion…maybe. There’s no doubt consolidation will continue to take place. What exists, though, is an opportunity for large booksellers to reinvent how they market themselves—to rethink their approach to the Thinking Class. And it has everything to do with the experience they present.

Barnes & Noble, Borders and the others had in recent decades become a sterile alternative to the convenience found on the Internet, providing little reason to wander in and make a purchase. It is the same with Starbucks, entirely lifeless in presentation; yet, caffeine can be rather powerful when it comes to purchasing decisions. Few people claim to be addicted to literature.

The question then becomes anthropological. Do books possess an inherent nature that appeals to humans? Or, is our desire to be around them rooted more in nostalgia or to be associated with something intellectual? While it is difficult to say, demand does still exist for bookstores, and there are of ways large booksellers can retool their marketing to cultivate demand and re-grow sales:

• Commit to an Experience: Shakespeare & Company is but one example of the type of experience a store can offer—old world and unpretentious. The Strand in New York City is just as special, but almost exactly the opposite—a labyrinth of metal shelves. There’s Red Emma’s in Baltimore, a socialist enclave of considerable character. San Francisco offers a number of funky places in the Mission off Valencia. I go out of my way to check these places out. Without becoming some themed hell, like a Clyde’s Restaurant, the big stores can embrace the local or regional aesthetic and culture and create an experience that would be authentic and bring people in the door.

• Curate to the Community: Bookstores are, yes, about books. One of the best examples is right here in Washington, DC: Politics & Prose. It is not much of a place to visit, though does have some folksy charm; however, the staff does an exceptional job selecting books relevant to their readers and holding events that people want to attend. Again, the large booksellers can use their considerable catalogs to craft finely tuned collections that speak to the local audience, all while offering the convenience of a broader selection.

• Become Distribution Points: Apple is all about the Internet…but it still has stores. There are a number of reasons why—immediate gratification, tech support and the opportunity to kick the wheels of products before buying. Bookstores should adopt a similar model, bridging the gap between the online and offline world. Kindles and iPads are not going away. It will be important to find ways of becoming relevant in this new world. For example, book retailers should work with publishers and authors to create destination-specific products. Ubiquity is a product of the web. We need more ways to offer uniqueness and something special.

Old-line companies need to take risks and dive into the demand that still exists. It is a turbulent time for justifying costs and growing the bottom line; however, innovative marketing and creative communications—combined with smart business decisions—can do a lot to create new business.

As you might or might not have heard, Apple is releasing the latest iteration of it’s OS X software, Lion (or, 10.7 depending on who’s counting) next month. One of the more interesting, but less reported, features of this could finally spell the death of the fax machine.

At this point, I wouldn’t blame you for wondering loudly who still uses a fax machine, but I promise you, there are still times when it can be useful. Often in business, a signed piece of paper is needed in order to prove agreement or intent. This is used in executing a contract to do business, or, as I have just recently done, to buy or sell a house. It might seem silly, but the act of selling your house, even today, takes no fewer than 30 ink-on-paper signatures.

As this Slate article states:

“Many countries have laws allowing for electronic signatures on documents, but it’s the rare institution that will accept your click as proof of agreement. So it seems we’re stuck. As long as people want to see your scribble on a piece of paper, you need to have a fax machine, or at least a way to approximate one.”

All well and good, but what does this have to do with OS X Lion? By way of an answer to the dilema of inking papers, the newest version of OS X is going to come with a feature that will let you hold a signed, blank, piece of paper up to your webcam, and it will create a digital signature to be put into a document for you.

This is a great advance if you measure technological advances in things you don’t have rather than you do have (For example, I don’t have a landline, a printer, a scanner, cable TV.…); however, it still leaves us with putting ink on paper (even if it’s fake ink at this time).

When will we get to a point where we are no longer putting ink on paper? When will we be able to prove enough identity and intent (or, at least as much as a signature proves) that an email can seal a contract?

My personal email has 2-factor identification, as do many corporate email systems. This makes it, for all intents and purposes, impossible to send a real email from my account. Why then, can I not use that email as my bond? Maybe Apple will fully take that on in its next OS iteration.

On Wednesday, Qorvis hosted 15 business students from the University of Arizona to learn more about the integrated communications world. Jessica Bayer led the two-hour conversation focused on the ins and outs of communications, as well as provided advice on getting a job in DC. Chuck Conconi joined the conversation to share some real world examples of his experience with international clients and as a veteran journalist. The students asked a number of smart questions—mostly, as expected, about the job market. As always, we’re pleased to be meeting with great young minds, and we learn as much from their insights about the world as they do from us.

To usher in the week, this morning’s staff meeting featured an amazing performance of by Grace Fenstermaker (on the flute) and Madeleine Jansen (on the violin), who played Vivaldi’s “La Primavera.” They accompanied our announcement of the monthly Letter of Qommendation winners:

• Greg Hudson—for his timely video production work and creative thinking.
• Erica Flint—for her impressive, easy going, can-do attitude.
• Megan Kirkpatrick—for her outstanding job a number of high-profile projects.
• Stefan Nagey—for his leadership making the creative team stronger and more capable.
• Robel Kassa—for his ability to step up last minute and deliver quality work.
• RJ Pittman—for his “mind-blowing” work and ability to meet tight deadlines.

Such musical performances are not rare at Qorvis—as we have an incredibly talented staff; however, Grace and Madeleine certainly have raised the bar for future performers.

For college journalism/communications majors looking toward graduation, this is a confusing, even frightening time. There is much uncertainty out there. That’s why when I spoke yesterday to a group of Miami of Ohio University students at Qorvis, I was impressed with the demeanor, intelligence and seeming unconcern they had about their employment prospects. They are part of an Inside Washington, Miami University of Ohio program that introduces them to the nation’s capital by having them meet and talk with political leaders as well as journalists and communications’ professionals.

They are aware of the tight job market for journalists. From the thoughtful questions they asked, however, they clearly are focusing on the art of effective communications. They are well aware of the rapidly changing information environment and asked about the impact of social media and where technology is going. They want to know what to expect and how to master what exists and what is coming.

I pointed out that at Qorvis, understanding and effectively using every aspect of the Internet and social media world has become one of the most important communications areas of service to our clients. There are specialists on the Qorvis staff that constantly keep up with rapidly advancing technologies. Where all of this world of blogs and social networking will go is anyone’s guess, but I found reassuring that it was premier on the minds of the Miami students.

As a veteran journalist, I felt on more solid ground when I said that one of the key factors in being a good communicator in journalism, public relations, or in any other profession, is the ability to write. I said I am appalled at the number of young college graduates who don’t keep up with the news and who show little interest in writing.

At Qorvis, we are so concerned about writing that we regularly bring in journalists who teach on the college level to lecture and teach effective, clear writing. Even many of the writing veterans on the staff found it refreshing and informative to talk about writing and to brush up on what they can do.

I also mentioned our company’s “Qorvis University“ program in which language, political science, even fun things like wine lectures, are offered to make our employees confident and sophisticated working in a demanding environment like Washington, DC. For that, I explained, they needed to keep up on the news events of the world and that it isn’t keeping up with the news by relying on information from the Colbert Report.

The Miami University group was impressive and asked insightful, informed questions, some I found hard to answer. This is a group that will not have to worry about employment prospects when they go out into the market place.

Qorvis has announced 10 promotions – including those of Cara Lombardi and Joseph Chapman to managing director.

“Qorvis employees continue to work diligently to exceed our clients’ expectations and grow as communications professionals, which is why we promote from within,” said Managing Partner Michael Petruzzello. “I am thrilled to recognize our two new managing directors and integrate them into our leadership team, which includes four new partners who will help Qorvis grow in 2011 and beyond.”

Cara Lombardi, who joined Qorvis in August 2005, is a strategic communications professional who has worked primarily in the technology industry for more than 12 years, helping organizations influence positive perceptions across key audiences and promoting actions that support strategic goals. Lombardi has extensive experience with strategic and tactical marketing plans designed to increase visibility and drive new business for organizations in the government arena. Her ability to establish and sustain business-to-government relationships has been critical to effective client marketing solutions and outreach programs. At Qorvis, Lombardi has managed and worked with some of our larger government IT clients including Cisco, Sun Microsystems, CSC, Adobe, Oceus, Finmeccanica and GCE.

Joseph Chapman, who joined Qorvis in July 2009, is a strategic communications professional with more than 12 years of experience driving successful direct and interactive marketing communications programs, database marketing solutions, and customer relationship management initiatives for large businesses and organizations. Chapman has extensive experience in achieving program objectives by providing effective team leadership, building strong relationships with internal and external clients, and establishing communications channels with all stakeholders involved in communication projects. At Qorvis, Chapman leads accounts that are responsible for social media marketing campaigns and the construction of new websites. His clients have included Mt. Vernon, WTOP, AAMCO, LGS Innovations and USIP.

In February 2011, Qorvis announced the addition of four new partners: government and corporate communications strategist Gregory Lagana; Republican communications specialist John Reid; former Washington Times Editor Sam Dealey; and Dr. Ron Faucheux, who is being elevated to partner while retaining his position as President of Clarus Research Group, a Qorvis Company.

Qorvis has announced the addition of four new partners: government and corporate communications strategist Gregory Lagana; Republican communications specialist John Reid; former Washington Times Editor Sam Dealey; and Dr. Ron Faucheux, who is being elevated to partner while retaining his position as President of Clarus Research Group, a Qorvis Company.

“Greg, John, Sam and Ron represent the brand of leadership and talent that can meet the growing needs of our clients and our expansion efforts,” said Managing Partner Michael Petruzzello. “This new talent will augment Qorvis’ strong public affairs, corporate affairs and crisis management services.”

Lagana, Reid and Dealey have already begun to integrate themselves in the broader Qorvis team, applying their experience to the agency’s clients.

Greg Lagana: Lagana was formerly senior vice-president for communications and marketing at DynCorp International, a major services provider for the United States government. Prior to which, he spent four years in the Bush (43) White House, as a member of the Coalition Information Center staff and then as associate director of the Office of Global Communications. For more than two decades, Lagana served in the U.S. Foreign Service in public diplomacy and public affairs with the United States Information Agency and the Department of State.

John Reid: Reid is the former Communications Director for U.S. Senator George Allen (R-VA), helping to build the Senator’s legislative record and support network in preparation for his potential presidential bid. Reid departed prior to Allen’s most recent reelection campaign, moving to serve in a strategic communications role at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the world’s largest business federation. Reid has also served as President of the U.S. Senate Press Secretaries Association and has the distinction of having been an intern to President Ronald Reagan.

Sam Dealey: Dealey most recently served as Editor of The Washington Times, known as “America’s Paper” and one of the most prominent media brands in the world. He is a contributing editor to Reader’s Digest and U.S. News and World Report, and has reported on international crises for a host of organizations, including TIME, CNN, PBS “Newshour,” The New York Times and GQ. Dealey has worked for The Wall Street Journal, The American Spectator and The Hill newspaper. He is a media fellow at the Hoover Institution and in 2006 received the Henry R. Luce Award for deadline reporting by TIME.

Dr. Ron Faucheux: Dr. Faucheux is President of Clarus Research Group, a full-service polling and research firm. He is a nationally respected public opinion analyst and public affairs professional. A former state legislator and Secretary of Commerce in Louisiana, he edited and published Campaigns & Elections magazine. He also served as a U.S. Senate Chief of Staff and headed government affairs for the American Institute of Architects. Dr. Faucheux teaches at the Public Policy Institute at Georgetown University and the Graduate School of Political Management at George Washington University.

In addition, Qorvis recently announced the hiring of former Boston Globe and CNN correspondent and Rand analyst Rebecca Bou Chebel, as well former M+R Strategic Services associate Will Dempster.

PR Week has released its annual Agency Business Report and listed Qorvis as the 5th largest independent communications agency in the U.S., up from the number six slot last year. With 15% growth and very low staff turnover in a down economy, this speaks greatly about the strength of our team and business model. It also reinforces the recognition we recieved by the Holmes Report, which has named Qorvis “Public Affairs Agency of the Year.”