Another set of freshly made PR's ready to take on the world !

Finally , we have arrived where we all wanted to be. End of our assignments , end of our term and end of our course. This journey of learning PR, has by no means been a cakewalk. It has been quite demanding in terms of our dedication , hard work and commitment . Yes , we have all been stressed and been bogged down by assignments , but the outcome is evident. So finally its time to go back home , and hone all our PR skills which Pam ,Michaela, Kim and Matt have so diligently worked on. 

To conclude my blog , this post is about my personal opinion about importance of PR education compared to PR work experience.  It is true that experience is the best teacher , but experience backed up by knowledge and understanding is better than the best.  I flew all the away from my country , just to grasp a better understanding about Public Relations. My decision is a testimony to my belief , that gaining PR education helps in gaining PR experience. 

A country like mine , India is still witnessing a developing Public Relations industry and one of the reasons for this is lack of trained PR professionals. At the risk of sounding overconfident , I also want to add that ,the Indian PR industry will soon see a boom ,once trained PR people like , you and me , take charge. 

So , I wish all of you all the best and hope you rock the PR scene wherever you go. 

Before signing off , there are these two videos which you guys should take a peek at. 

Lots of love and regards..

PR crisis is a PR opportunity ...!

Crisis Management has literature filled with the lists of do s and dont s and countless checklists. Heath ( 1997:289 ) states that if a company is engaged in issues management before , during and after a crisis , it can mitigate - perhaps prevent - the crisis from becoming an issue by working quickly and responsibly. 

Seymour and Moore ( 2000:10 ) use an extremely interesting metaphor to point out two forms of crises.

The Cobra - It is a 'sudden' crisis , a disaster that hits suddenly and takes the company completely by surprise and leaves it in a crises situation. 

The Python - It is the 'slow-burning' crisis which is a result of a collection of issues that steal up on the company one by one and slowly crush it.

While managing a crisis situation , talking to the media is what requires great deal of tact and knowledge. The 5 C's effective communication model is what has been suggested for the spokesperson  to follow. 

This model explains the 5 attribute which the spokesperson should exhibit on the behalf of his organization . They are Concern , Clarity , Control , Confidence and Competence. 

How ever well a crisis is managed from an operational perspective , it is how an organization communicates about the crisis that makes the real difference. The right kind of communication strategy can indeed transform a crisis into a PR opportunity.


Watch this brief video which elucidates how the right kind of communication can save your life.

This was just a generic example of how can a situation be managed. Approaching crises in Public Relations requires exactly the same kind of thoughtfulness , wit and spontaneity. The ever popular Shilpa Shetty controversy at Celebrity Big Brother , tarnished her image in India for reasons more than one . But , her publicist Dale Bhagwagar was at her rescue and very smartly created an opportunity out of the crisis she was in ,using the PR machinery. 

PR.....GLobal or Local ??

The world is coming closer day by day and delivery of information to the audiences is not a novel phenomenon. 

Similarly, even the world of PR is going beyond cultures and geographical boundaries. Not only multinational organizations but also countries and their governments frequently engage in international public relations to create a positive reputation and image of the particular country abroad or a receptive environment for achieving foreign or economic policy goals. 

One of the major reasons of growth of international public relations can be attributed to the rise of worldwide networks of interdependence. Another significant reason , is the information revolution , which is the result of rapid technological advances in computers , software and communication. 

The standardization versus adaptation debate is prevalent in many communication disciplines Standardisation means sticking to an uniform approach in every country on the other hand adaptation is a culture specific approach. Every Public Relations campaign , which is on an international level , will have standardised objectives and methods of evaluation. The messages will be completely adapted to the region or culture. The tactics and channels will be an amalgamation of standardized and adapted methods.

Another theory which is applied to International Public Relations is that of centralization and decentralization. In reality , centralization and decentralization can vary to different degrees and the balance between the two approaches should be maintained.

Irrespective of whether an organization follows a centralized , decentralized , standardised or adapted approach , it is the co-ordination of the communication efforts that remain crucial to the organization. 

The most interesting aspect of International Public Relations is the idea of country branding. A nation engages in cultivation of a positive image especially if their image has been ruined due to one or the other incident. For example, think about the image USA holds in the eyes of fellow countries , after the War On Terror and War in Iraq. 

Public Relations is now no more restricted to simply and individual , community or organization. It has exploited its own power and spreads across the world to help deliver messages faster than ever.