Bloomberg Businessweek

“It’s a very proven software,” Nelson Paez, CEO of DreamHammer, says in the article. “It’s really the application layer that speaks to the human-machine interface, and on the back end it talks to all of the legacy systems, the actual communication systems, the hardware on the payload systems.”

President Obama’s speeches, written by PR professionals, reflect the identity he adopts at that moment.

By Marie Ebenezer

This semester I am taking an English Linguistics class at Freiburg University in Germany called “Language and Identity.” I chose this class because I have always wondered about the relationship between the language(s) you speak and how you identify yourself.

I am bilingual, and people ask me all the time: “Do you feel more German or more French?” “What language do you dream in?” or “What are you going to speak with your children?” Speaking several languages changes how people perceive you and consequently how you are identified.

In public relations, we write many different kinds of materials — press releases, blog posts, tweets, speeches and more. The format and the style change depending on the type of document/post and the audience. This also happens in everyday situations. You speak differently to your best friend from college than you do to your boss.

As an example, President Obama’s speeches, written by PR professionals, reflect the identity he adopts at that moment. Here is an excerpt from his inauguration speech in January:

“What makes us exceptional, what makes us America is our allegiance to an idea articulated in a declaration made more than two centuries ago. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”

Obama is the solemn, composed head of state in that speech, and his words reflect the importance of the moment. In contrast, here is part of a speech he gave at Manor New Tech High School in Texas earlier this month:

“Hello, Texas!  Howdy, Manor.  Go Titans! I hear that there’s a rule that anyone who gives a presentation in front of the class has to dress up, so I made sure to wear a tie. I didn’t want to lose points.”

By using “howdy” and making reference to a popular sports team, Obama takes on a different identity – that of a cool and friendly president. It makes it easy for students to identify with him. The light and humorous tone stands in complete opposition to the graveness of the inaugural speech.

The relationship between language and identity is extremely relevant in PR because language is our main tool. All the aspects we need to consider when thinking of an audience – age, gender, cultural background – are what constitutes our identity.

In everyday life, most of this back and forth happens unconsciously. We don’t calculate how we talk to our friends or bosses because these processes are deeply ingrained. In public relations, however, we have to be aware of this difference.

Ebenezer is a former intern at Olmstead Williams Communications.

The company has been providing its software to the defense, intelligence and homeland security markets and is now looking at applying the technology to different industries, including transportation, logistics, agriculture and law enforcement.

“The more you learn,” Bill Gates said during his interview with 60 Minutes, “the more you have a framework the knowledge fits into.”

Award winners will be announced at a special gala, with over 7o0 entrepreneurs and business leaders, on Tuesday, June 18, 2013 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA. The 2013 finalist are:

• Janice Bryant Howroyd, CEO, The Act 1 Group – Torrance, CA

• Dinesh Ravishanker, CEO & Co-Founder, CallFire – Santa Monica, CA

• Mel Elias, President & CEO, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf – Los Angeles, CA

• Clarence Daniels Jr., Chairman & CEO, Concession Management Services – Los Angeles, CA

•   Sam Naficy, President & CEO, DTT – Los Angeles, CA

•   Jeff Stibel, Chairman & CEO, Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp. – Malibu, CA

•   Martha de la Torre and Joe Badame, Co-Founders, El Clasificado – Norwalk, CA

•   Jamey Edwards, CEO, Emergent Medical Associates – Manhattan Beach, CA

•   The An Family, Founders, House of An (Crustacean, An Qi, Tiato, Thanh Long, and An Catering) – Beverly Hills, CA

•   Ed Bagdasarian, President, Jim Freedman, Chairman, Mike Rosenberg, CEO, Intrepid Investment Bankers LLC – Los Angeles, CA

•   Bob Sinnott, CEO, Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors, L.P. – Los Angeles, CA

•   Moctesuma Esparza, CEO, Maya Cinemas North America, Inc – Los Angeles, CA

•   Demian Sellfors, CEO and Co-Founder, Media Temple – Culver City, CA

•   Rick Stollmeyer, CEO, MINDBODY Inc. – San Luis Obispo, CA

•   Tim Cadogan, CEO, OpenX – Pasadena, CA

•   Loren Bendele, President & Co-Founder, Savings.com – Los Angeles, CA

•   Walter Driver, CEO, Scopely – Los Angeles, CA

•   Jessica Firestone, President & CEO, Tempest Telecom Solutions LLC – Santa Barbara, CA

•   Jeff Green, CEO & Founder, The Trade Desk – Ventura, CA

Award winners will be announced at a special awards gala on Thursday, June 13, at The Hyatt Regency Aventine in La Jolla, Calif. The 2013 finalists are:

• Adconion Direct, San Diego – Kim Reed Perell, CEO

• Behind the Scenes Catering & Events, San Diego – John Crisafulli, President

• Cadence Pharmaceuticals, San Diego – Theodore Schroeder, President & CEO

• ecoATM, San Diego – Tom Tullie, CEO & Chairman of the Board

• Elite, San Diego – John Kontopuls, President & CEO

• Genomatica, San Diego – Christophe Schilling, CEO & Co-Founder

• Halozyme Therapeutics, San Diego – Gregory Frost, President & CEO

• Independa, Inc., La Jolla – Kian Saneii, CEO

• LifeProof, San Diego – Gary Rayner, CEO

• MedVantx, San Diego – Robert Feeney, CEO & Founder

• Peregrine Semiconductor Corp., San Diego – James Cable, CEO

• Santarus, Inc., San Diego – Gerald Proehl, President & CEO

• Sempra U.S. Gas & Power, San Diego – Jeff Martin, President & CEO

• SkinMedica, Carlsbad – Mary Fisher, CEO

• Sullivan Solar Power, San Diego – Daniel Sullivan, President

• The Wheat Group Inc., San Diego – Kelly Grismer, President and Chad Grismer, CEO

Tracy Williams, CEO and president of Olmstead Williams Communications

As part of The Nonprofit Breakfast Series presented by Morgan Stanley, Tracy Williams, president of Olmstead Williams Communications, will serve as a panelist at 7:30 a.m. this Friday at a seminar at the Luxe Sunset Hotel in Los Angeles titled “Driving Revenue: Tuning up Fundraising.”

Nonprofit board members and executives, please join Williams and the other panelists as they address the following questions: Are you using all available tools and methods to reach your community? Do you have a sustainable fundraising strategy? Are you just having events or are you engaging donors?

The seminar is free but requires registration.

“In the new poll, 63 percent of Americans support allowing gay scouts to join, and the public opposes the plan to continue to ban gay adults from Boy Scout leadership by a 56 to 39 percent margin,” according to the Post. “The results contrast with a USA Today/Gallup poll last year, where only 42 percent said openly gay adults should be able to serve as leaders.”