For me it comes down to having set appropriate, measurable objectives at the start.  And that is what I think a lot of PR folk can be quite bad at (and I have to confess to having been just as guilty in my time and a bit of a ‘do as I say, not as I do’ type!).  This is something that anyone who has studied the CIPR qualifications will have heard me and others on the team bang on about. They have probably also heard the story about how as a financial services PRO I had an objective to have two press lunches a week – nice work if you can get it! – but what was I meant to be achieveing through said lunches?!!

Planning our PR is all about getting the objectives right at the start. It means you dont spend time and money on tactics that dont deliver the results you need and measurement becomes a no-brainer because it is the objective you measure. Simple as that.

The Simply Communicate website is packed with info, ideas and case studies – a great source for internal communicators, so worth checking out if you havent already.

Here at PR Academy we are really pleased to be supporting the event with a copy of Kevin Ruck’s book on internal communication going to the first ten to register – to be collected on the day. Those who attend the conference will also be able to buy a copy at a discount of 20%.

And while on the subject of internal communication, we are really pleased to hear that the Internal Communication Diploma that Kevin here at PR Academy designed, is going to be launched in Edinburgh by our good friends at Queen Margaret University.  It just shows how the desire to help professionalise internal communication through professional qualifications is growing.

Enrolment is now underway for all the qualifications both in London and online – including the brand new Public Affairs Diploma and both the internal communication qualifications – certificate and diploma.

Kevin and I went along to the CIPR AGM recently where Chartered Practitioners were receiving their certificates – among them were our very good friend – Jonathan Cross of PWP who works with us here at PR Academy. He likes to think he was the first person to be awarded the status – but that is really just cos his surname begins with ‘C’ and so he was the first to be called up on stage!

Kevin has edited it and also written a fair bit of the text and we have some great contributors who some of you will know: Paul Noble on evaluation and Ellen Hake on tone of voice – both tutor with us. Also contributing chapters are Dr Mary Welch from the University of Central Lancashire, our good friend and social media whiz the soooo Italian Francesco Furnari and Dr Donna MacAleese who those who have studied the internal comms diploma with us will recognise from the Tourish and Hargie book on audits that we use. Kevin even let me write a bit at the end.

The book has been designed firstly as a text to go alongside the CIPR qualificaitons in internal communication (if you are joining one of the courses with us it is one of the books that we provide).

CIPR members will have seen it reviewed this week in The Conversation.

Find out more on the website above, you can arrange to order a copy via that site too. And isnt the cover lovely? !

Apparently there was a really flurry of enquiries into the CIPR when they announced it so it looks like being a popular new qualification.

If you know someone who wants to study with us but doesnt have the benefit of company funding, they may be eligible for our bursary scheme. More here.

The Online Diploma certainly has an international flavour.  As well as many students from the far corners of the UK, this year students have joined us from Africa, the US, Romania, Switzerland, Qatar and Scandanavia.   We love the fact that the CIPR qualifications have such international appeal.

And it isnt just with the PR Diploma.  Recently we have been out to Bulgaria to help the CIPR qualifications centre in the capital Sofia get the Internal Communciation Certificate off the ground. What a smashing group they were – 11 Bulgarians and one student who flew in from Slovakia!  Fascinating to learn that they face such similar challenges to internal comms practitioners here in the UK.  We (Kevin and I) were also invited to speak at the Centre’s ‘Good Communicators’ evening event too which was attended by senior communcators from Government, internal comms practitioners and some academics. There certainly is a great thirst for learning and professionalising PR.

It is great to have their support for the qualifications. Speaking of which, the CIPR Internal Communication Certificate and brand new Diploma have been selling like hot cakes and both January start courses are now full – it is fantastic to see so many people keen to help professionalise this exciting and growing area of communication practice. We plan to run another diploma in the spring/summer due to the demand.

BTW still some room on the online Internal Communication Certificate – but get in quick!