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By Paige McCullough, Rock PRSSA president  At the end of October, I had the incredible opportunity to attend PRSA’s ICON conference in Washington, D.C., alongside three of my fellow Rock PRSSA executive board members. Walking into a room full of professionals who have shaped the PR industry was humbling and exciting. As a student chapter, we were there to listen, learn and bring that knowledge back to Rock PRSSA and my fellow communication majors. The three-day experience was filled with inspiring sessions, meaningful connections and insights that will stick with me long after we left the conference center.
As a student leader preparing to enter the professional world, I walked away with three takeaways that continue to challenge the way I think about PR and leadership. These are lessons I believe every future PR professional should consider. 1.Get to the Point In his session, “Get to the Point: How to Identify, Sharpen and Champion Your Most Important Ideas,” Joel Schwartzberg, principal communication coach and executive speechwriter, reminded us that clarity is not just important—it is everything. He shared a simple but powerful test for whether something is truly a point: add it to the end of the phrase, “I believe that.” If it forms a complete, compelling sentence, you have a point. Most people assume a message is clear if it is descriptive. Schwartzberg flipped this expectation. For example: ❌ Animal shelters (too broad) ⚠️ Animal shelters are important (still vague) ✅ Adopting animals saves lives (specific, actionable, memorable) This is more than a writing tip––it is a mindset shift. Every message you send, pitch you deliver or post you develop should be distilled until it can stand alone. Challenge yourself. When was the last time you tested your key messages this way? Try it with your next email, social post or campaign goal and see how much sharper your message becomes. 2. Let the Image Do the Talking In “Let the Image Do the Talking: Visual Storytelling,” Laura Gross and Kellie Murphy of Scott Circle Communications emphasized that visuals are not just decoration. The most impactful visuals, whether photos, infographics or video, are only effective when they reflect and reinforce the story you want your audience to take away. Here is the subtle but most instructive part. The best visual is not the most beautiful. It is the one that communicates your message precisely. If your audience only remembers one thing from your campaign, what should it be? That should guide your visual strategy from start to finish. Try this. The next time you plan an event or campaign, pick one visual that will define the story. Let every other element support that image. This makes your storytelling intentional and strategic instead of reactive or purely aesthetic. 3. Take Risks Chanda Gilmore, University of Delaware instructor, reframed what risk means in professional growth in her “From Conference to Career: Building Confidence and Connections in PR” session. Risk is not being reckless or hoping for luck. It is intentionally stepping into experiences that accelerate learning, expand your network and strengthen your skills. Gilmore’s advice was practical. Set short- and long-term goals that push you outside your comfort zone in ways that matter. Identify one thing you have avoided because it feels risky or uncomfortable, and take a step toward it this week. Moving cities, pitching a bold idea or volunteering for a leadership opportunity are examples. The principle is universal. Growth is deliberate. This perspective challenges the common assumption that comfort equals safety and progress happens by chance. Growth happens when you plan, act and reflect intentionally. Leaving D.C., I felt more motivated than ever to apply these lessons personally and within Rock PRSSA. Conferences like ICON remind me why I fell in love with public relations. The field is about people, purpose and progress. The heart of great communication is clarity, intentional storytelling and the courage to take calculated risks. I am grateful to PRSA and everyone who made this experience possible. I look forward to sharing what I have learned with our Rock PRSSA community. These three takeaways, to sharpen your point, to tell a story strategically and to take meaningful risks are frameworks I will carry into my career, and I encourage every aspiring PR professional to use those insights in their work.
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By Reese Skiba, Rock PRSSA vice-president
“Your first risk started when you decided to come here,” said Chandra Gilmore, University of Delaware instructor, who led a session titled “Building Confidence and Connections in PR.” On the first day of ICON, PRSSA students from across the country listened to Gilmore give us that advice. Her session stayed with me throughout the rest of my trip: you will not get anywhere without taking risks! So, here is what I learned when taking risks at ICON. ICON is a three-day conference that hosts over 2,000 individuals. Attending ICON, and as a junior from Slippery Rock University, was one of the best opportunities I’ve taken thus far in my college career. I was able to attend eight sessions, two networking events and three dinners with students from other colleges across the country. I became a sponge, absorbing information from different sectors of PR, including sports, digital storytelling, social listening, crisis communication and developing brand marketing. A session that most stood out to me was on my last day was hosted by Zeno Group. The session was about obtaining brand love, and I took the risk of wandering into this session alone, without my fellow e-board members. I am glad that I did because Zeno caught my attention when the speakers related generational qualities to the five love languages. The relation was as follows:
This session was greatly instructive, despite being my ninth and last session of ICON. As I was sitting in this session, my interest was piqued because I could relate demographics to an evergreen reference about love languages. That is one of the big ideas of public relations: making a story and creating interest. Even after being drained from a conference, I was drawn in by a unique idea. This session inspired me to be creative, be curious and sharpen my public relations knowledge. Another big risk I took at ICON was connecting with students and professionals from across the country. Being from a small school that many individuals have never heard of was a bit nerve-wracking. But, as it turns out, many people were interested in hearing about Slippery Rock University and the interests that I had. These conversations turned into dinners and meet-ups before sessions that created valuable experiences for me. As a junior, I took a risk to engage throughout this conference in different sectors of public relations and found information and people who have helped my academic career. I am extremely thankful to all those who got me there and cannot wait to attend my next PRSA event! By Natalie Kimmel, Rock PRSSA PR chair
Senior year – a time when many of us are on the cusp of major change and career uncertainty. ICON 2025 in D.C. came at the perfect time. Originally, when presented with the chance of an opportunity to travel, network and learn, I didn’t know what to expect. I had never been to a conference of this size and with people across the globe who were/are in my exact shoes. I agreed to go after vowing to myself that I would seize every opportunity to better myself this year. I decided to take advantage of this incredible opportunity; I owed it to myself. The three main themes that characterize this trip can be summed up into: risk-taking, authenticity and connection. These are three things that deeply resonate with me and that are also directly transferable to my area of study. While I value and thrive in these areas, there is always an itch to learn and grow in real-life. You learn by doing, and so I took the risk. Risk-taking. Our small group of 4 (compared to the hundreds of other schools, some that brought 20 members) took the risk to go to D.C. None of us had gone to this before, knew what to expect or how to go about it. We branched out of our comfort zones, and left our small safety net back in Slippery Rock. From the very first day, we had a session on risk-taking. After all, we were taking a risk just by being there. From Conference to Career: Building confidence in building connections in PR The session reinforced the need for risk-taking. While life is full of risks, it is necessary to take risks in the world of PR and IMC—without it, you won’t get far.
Authenticity. How does one stand out in this field? Authenticity. To my core, I have always considered myself an authentic, genuine person who remains true to my values and beliefs. While this is an important personal value, it is also how you differentiate yourself within the dynamic world of the public relations industry. The session opened my eyes as to how I could leverage this key value and transfer it into my career, while still remaining true to myself (which can be hard to balance in the professional world). Building Public Image in Entertainment: 10 Lessons from 90’s Hip Hop Arguably, this session was one of my favorites, as it opened up doors for me that I had not considered in such depth. Not only did it allow me to consider a PR/IMC career in the entertainment industry, but it also allowed me to understand how to better leverage my authenticity in this field; which can be a hard dynamic to understand. Overall, this session allowed me to prepare my mind on how to cultivate my authenticity and use it to my advantage.
Connection. Arguably, connection is a fundamental part of life: it’s in our human nature to interact, relate and find unity within one another. ICON at the nation’s capital allowed us to connect with a diverse crowd of peers and professionals globally, who broadened my perspective on where I am and what else I can be doing. ICON granted the four of us a front row seat to networking. We each set a goal to branch out and connect with several new individuals, and we did just that. Building Public Image in Entertainment: 10 Lessons from 90’s Hip Hop
She Built It: Women Founders on Leading, Growing and Reimagining the PR Industry
While I took pages upon pages of notes throughout the three days we attended ICON, these particular takeaways resonated with me in so many ways. Not only was the conference educational career-wise, but I also made connections to my personal life more than I would have thought. Our trip to ICON was more than a unique experience. I am grateful that I learned more about myself and how to shift my mindset. The conference came at a time when I needed it most, and I am extremely grateful for this opportunity. I believe everything happens for a reason, and I feel as though I was meant to experience ICON and the many benefits it had to offer my peers and me. By Guy Glowitz, Rock PRSSA treasurer, fundraising and mentorship chair
Experience proved to be the greatest teacher at PRSA’s ICON conference. Alongside three of my fellow Rock PRSSA executive board members, we took a trip from Slippery Rock to Washington, D.C. The ICON conference offered us the chance not only to network with professionals and our peers but to hear from an array of speakers presenting topics from internal crisis communication to assertive communication. Experiences like ICON provide exposure to new career paths, introduce tools of the trade and engage us in experiential learning opportunities that allow us to apply what we’ve learned outside of the classroom. New Career Paths One of the key takeaways that I got from the conference was the knowledge of different career paths that I could pursue in the public relations field. Agencies are commonly talked about as a career opportunity for public relations professionals. But what about executive coaching? While attending ICON, I participated in sessions led by executive coaches, crisis communicators and a hip-hop publicist, each offering a unique perspective on the roles of communication and influence. Sitting in those rooms, I couldn’t help but wonder: Could I see myself following a path like theirs within public relations? Through further research and conversations with them, I learned how their experiences and choices shaped the careers they have today. As a senior graduating in the spring, the ability to find new opportunities and understand the path to get there is not only important but pivotal in the steps I will take next to find employment or an internship. Tools of the Trade Perhaps the most obvious benefit of attending a professional conference is leaving with new knowledge, skills and abilities that can be developed and implemented in everyday practice. While selecting the speaker sessions that I wanted to attend, I looked for strategies that offered tools and strategies to help me excel as a new professional. Three sessions I attended were about internal crisis preparedness, self-sabotage management and assertive communication:
Experiential Learning This conference gave us plenty of opportunities to learn outside of the classroom. We learned:
Experiences like ICON provide exposure to new career paths, tools of the trade and experiential learning to create well-rounded and competent new professionals. I highly encourage my peers, whether freshmen or seniors, to pursue experiences like ICON––it may just be the greatest teacher. Written by: Paige McCullough, Special Events Chair Speaker Panel: Managing Clients and Their Expectations Join us on Wednesday, April 2nd, from 4-5 p.m. in ECB 306 for a speaker presentation from industry professionals. Jeff Krakoff and Courtney Page will teach us how to handle client demands, set realistic expectations, and maintain strong relationships—all while delivering top-notch results. Jeff Krakoff; President Jeff Krakoff has more than three decades of public relations, branding and marketing communication experience and has been inducted into the PRSA Pittsburgh Renaissance Hall of Fame. He graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a degree in journalism and public relations and has held leadership position at Burson, a global communications agency. Krakoff also is an adjunct professor at the University of Pittsburgh Business School. His hobbies are cycling, soccer, golf and music. Krakoff enjoys spending time with his wife Lori, three adult children Andy, Rachel and Josh, and their golden retriever, Leo. Courtney Page; Communications Associate Courtney Page is a public relations professional with a passion for all aspects of communication, including media relations, writing, strategy and more. Before joining the KCI team, she served as an account executive at two other public relations agencies, working across various sectors. She is a proud alumna of Slippery Rock University, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in communication, with an integrated marketing communication concentration, as well as minors in leadership and business administration. Outside of work, Page enjoys walking her corgis, coaching field hockey and exploring all the fun restaurants in Pittsburgh.   Written by: Amelia Nitsche |
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