The C. Pharr Team Attends PRSA Dallas UnSummit: PR Deconstructed

Qaadir Abdul-Alim Muhammad & Megan Manning, 6th grade students at St. Phillip's School & Community Center share "The Power of the St. Phillip's Creed in Our Lives" at the 2016 PRSA Dallas UnSummit.

Recently, we had the chance to attend the PRSA Dallas UnSummit at the Granada Theater in Dallas. The annual communications summit was given a bit of a revamp, and instead of multiple “PR breakout sessions” throughout the day, speakers took the stage every seven minutes for thought-provoking topics from “Communicating in Cuba” to “Counteracting Violence.” Not all the topics were focused on public relations, but each topic encouraged audience members to think outside the box, look at something through a different lens and/or inspire us to make a difference. Think TEDx for communications professionals. The speeches were filled with tweetable quotes. In fact, #PRSADallasUnSummit was a trending topic on Twitter.

Below are a few of the most inspiring and thought-provoking quotes that were shared. 

 “The bravest people aren't focusing on themselves. They focus on a purpose.” – Kimberly Davis, founder of OnStage Leadership, on “Unleashing Brave.”

"The message that I send is not always the message that is received. Communication is the negotiation of meaning." – Christopher Salinas, Ph.D., senior lecturer and director, corporate communication and public affairs at Southern Methodist University, on “How failure makes you a better communicator.”

“If you look at statistics about where employees want to work, they want to work for companies that do good.” – Suzanne Smith, founder and CEO of Social Impact Architects, on “CSR: Why it isn’t PR anymore.”

 “You can’t talk yourself out of a problem you behaved your way into.” – Jamaison Schuler, APR, senior director of corporate communications at Dean Foods, speaking on reputation and employee engagement in “Shadow Management.”

“A river cuts through rock not because of its power, but because of its persistence. Run the mile you're in. Run your own race. It's a marathon, not a sprint. Persistence keeps us going.” – Raquel Daniels, chief strategy officer at OCGPR, on “Moving Diversity Forward.”

"The key to a successful communication campaign is to unlock the imaginations of others." – Stephen Patrick, lead pastor of Trinity Parish, on the “Power of Presence: Discovering the dreams of our neighbors.”

The C. Pharr Team attends the 2016 PRSA Dallas UnSummit.

This post was contributed by Krystal Morris. @KrystalNMorris