To kick things off, we spoke with recent CIPR Diploma graduate Elizabeth Maclean. Elizabeth joined Barclays in October 2009 and she manages corporate communications for the UAE.  She studied the Diploma online with a cohort that included PR practitioners from Ghana, Bosnia And Herzegovina, Qatar and Barbados (and quite a lot from the UK too!)

Here’s what she had to say…

Ann: What was your route into the PR profession?

Elizabeth: About twenty years ago I worked for the Liberal Democrats – the political landscape was very different then. After spending four years helping to organise the party conferences there were really only three avenues open to me: to stay in politics, become a journalist or move into PR.  I chose the latter and have never regretted the choice I made.

Ann: What does a typical working day – if there is such a thing – involve for you?

Elizabeth: Whether it is a typical day or not, my first task has to be to check what the news headlines are and what is going on in the world.

Ann: What do you most love about your job?

Elizabeth: Picking up a newspaper to read an article that I have been involved in.

Ann: Why did you choose to undertake a professional qualification?

Elizabeth: To ensure that I kept up to date with developments in the UK profession while working overseas, which I have been for the past seven years. The UK PR profession remains at the forefront of innovation.

Ann: How has studying for a professional qualification impacted on your work or career?

Elizabeth: I hope that it will demonstrate to employers that I possess a combination of professional experience and current academic theory.

Ann: What one piece of advice would you give to anyone wishing to study for a professional qualification?

Elizabeth: Firstly, get the support of your family. Despite being good at managing my time, I needed to develop even tighter time management skills. The ability to prioritise tasks was also critical!

Thanks Elizabeth!

We hear all the time how its all about reputation, reputation, reputation yet do our senior managers always understand what this means and how to achieve it?  Kevin from the PR Academy team – who holds an MBA – was amazed how this essential area of business practice was just skimmed over during his studies.

I remember writing at the time of the BP oil spill that if Tony Haywood of BP had a background in comms -or at least some grounding in it – things could have turned out very differently for him and for BP.  Turned out for the better that is.

And how many times on our PR and internal communication courses do we hear practitioners say that one of their biggest challenges is getting their senior team to understand their role. Think how  much more we could achieve as practitioners if our leaders and senior teams were a more ‘intelligent’ customer of our PR and communication service.  I think PR is a bit further ahead in terms of understanding, but I am not sure internal communication has got there yet – in fact our recent research found that practitioners of this discipline are often struggling to change attitudes up the line.

Do you hold an MBA – what content was there on reputation and communication? Is this something that we should campaign for in the UK?

“As the coffee flowed, the day kicked off with a debate on journalism in the new age. If us PRs think we have got it tough, try it on the other side of the fence. Here, we heard about the changing nature of media and the increasing demands on journalists in the social media world. Jason Mills from ITV highlighted how social media is no longer a nice to have but an essential part of engaging with its audience. However, despite the significant changes brought about from the information age he stated that the old, traditional principles of journalism still remain the same i.e. a story has to be newsworthy and relevant.

“As part of this discussion Kat Brown, an online journalist, reminded us of the importance of twitter as a tool to engage journalists and she suggested this channel was much more effective than traditional email. CISION also backed this up citing its own research in this field, via its social journalism study, which can be found here 

“This session closed with a heated debate on the impact of social media on journalism with questions from the floor around its damaging ability to release fake stories and the need for journalists to make sure they monitor and police this. In conclusion I felt that Brown summarised the debate well by saying: “Twitter is now the place where news breaks.”

“The next session was held on the changing face of broadcast reporting. Here some clear messages to PRs were that we aren’t always getting things right and, in particular, tailoring and targeting of news stories still doesn’t always happen in reality. Some top tips included looking for spokespeople within organisations from more diverse backgrounds – be it sex, ethnicity or age. There was agreement that outlets are looking to move away from the middle aged, white male spokesperson that has historically been the norm. There was also agreement that, although video news releases do provide some useful footage, broadcasters would prefer to go and report stories in their own way perhaps suggesting that PR budgets would be better off spent elsewhere.

“After this discussion the highly anticipated keynote speech followed by Carla Buzasi who is Editor-in-Chief at the Huffington Post. I am ashamed to admit that the first time I heard of this influential outlet was only a few weeks ago. The UK site, which launched in the summer is fast become THE creditable source for both news and blogs.  In an inspirational speech (which I would imagine left many of us delegates feeling like underachievers!) she outlined tips for dealing with bloggers. Reminding us to treat them as we would journalist but, at the same time, making sure that we are getting the necessary returns from the relationship in terms of coverage.

“She also advised that, as best practice, blogs should be between 500 and 800 words (note to self!), casual in style and ensure that the writer’s personality comes through. She also highlighted Huffington Post’s commitment to high-brow as well as low-brow news. The front page is always going to be credible in terms of current affairs but that does not suppress the appetite for the low-brow, AKA I’m a celebrity…type stories that we all as readers enjoy. It’s about giving the reader a balance, it can’t all the doom and gloom all the time.

“Following a yummy vegetable lasagne for lunch we were onto the latter part of the day and the discussion moved to online journalism. Rich Sutcliffe from Brand Republic informed us that just because they are an online outlet does not mean they publish stories immediately. Instead, they would prefer to hold onto a story to maximise traffic to the site and make best use of the opportunity. Peter Hoskin from Spectator highlighted the growing area of data journalism and predicted this to continue to grow in size.    

“Finally, it was down to Simon Craddock from Motorola to wrap up the day in the last session. His discussion soon had our attention citing the Charles Dickens quote: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” highlighting what we were all feeling in the room in terms of lack of budget and resource. However he also reminded us of the positive side of the current economic outlook, most notably more challenges and increased complexities. I am not sure I agreed with all his views on social media but he gave an honest account on how to manage internal expectations and reminded us that PRs don’t always have the ability to control the media agenda. Something we shouldn’t beat ourselves up about.

“After this it was down the pub to write up my blog over a glass of wine! Unfortunately I have not hit Carla’s 800 word limit for this blog, but hopefully it demonstrates a step in the right direction towards embracing the digital age!”

It definitely does – thanks Kate!, Ann

However, there are two significant obstacles preventing continuing development in practice:

1. Senior managers don’t always appreciate that internal communication, if practised strategically, will improve employee engagement
2. Though keen in principle to develop practice, many internal communication practitioners are reluctant to push the boundaries.

As one focus group participant put it: “Internal communications practitioners are not brave enough”. Opening up internal communication to provide employees with more of a voice is going to be very challenging in some organisations. So, quite naturally, internal communicators sometimes back away from going down this path.

This is not to decry the critical importance of keeping employees informed through professional, timely, relevant communication which is what most internal communicators spend most of their time on. It’s just to say that on its own this is never going to shift employee engagement that much.

We’ll be talking to senior managers in 2012 to get their side of the story. In the meantime, how brave are we? How prepared are we, as an emerging profession, to move practice on to another, more strategic, level?

To download a copy of the full report, use the link above the blog.

If standards in PR are to keep on improving then the way to do that is through increasing membership of a professional body such as the CIPR which puts emphasis on continuous professional development and PR qualifications.

Our professional body needs to be seen as welcoming rather than elitist.  CEO Jane Wilson is spot on when she says: “Our profession moves quickly, adapts to change and values experience, whether it is gained through years of dedicated practice, through academic achievement or through rapid career progression. In an industry where, with the right mindset, excellence can be achieved at any stage in a career and where innovation and creativity are the norm, criteria for membership based on long service are no longer relevant.”

For anyone who is wondering what the point of that is on a communication-related course, the answer was made clear for us by Richard Bailey who blogs at PR Studies.  Richard ran a special seminar for all PR Academy students recently looking at this issue of academic or ‘critical writing’.  

Richard drew on Cottrell’s 2011 book  ’Critical Thinking Skills’ from Palgrave Macmillan and reminded us that critical thinking demands:

• A healthy scepticism
• Patience to work through someone else’s argument
• Being open minded
• Juggling a range of ideas for purpose of comparison
• Supporting arguments with evidence and experiences from the ‘real world’

Aren’t those exactly the skills that anyone would want from their PR, internal communication or public affairs practitioner?  

To win the bursary, Rebecca had to argue the case for undertaking a PR professional qualification in no more than 500 words. She presented such a passionate case for her chosen career and learning that we wanted to find out more about her entry into the profession and what her day job working for a national charity involves.

Here’s what she had to say when I caught up with her….

What was your route into the PR profession?

Rebecca: I completed a BA (hons) in Media and Cultural Studies at The University of The West of England. My course was great! It was varied and allowed me to explore many areas of interest, including public relationships and the media. My interest in PR really developed from here. I went on to do a short internship with a PR agency (LEWIS PR) and enjoyed the work so much that I decided to apply for paid PR roles afterwards

What does a typical day – if there is such a thing – involve working at Dyslexia in Action?

Rebecca: Days at Dyslexia Action are never typical. Tasks vary from generating PR for an event to writing news releases, to updating social media content. I can also be found responding to press enquiries, attending exhibitions, visiting our regional centres, producing collateral and recording video chats with supporters.  Working in a charity means you have to be creative. We want any money we do have to go to those who need it and so with no money to spend on expensive advertising we rely on PR to generate funds for and awareness of our cause.

Are you working on any major campaigns at the moment?

Rebecca: We aren’t currently working on any major national campaigns, although we are doing a lot of regional PR for Dyslexia Awareness week (31st October – 7th November). We are hoping to get more people into our 26 centres and to really raise public awareness of dyslexia and the issues it can cause. We will be undertaking a larger national campaign for the 10th anniversary of Dyslexia Action’s Annual Awards dinner.  The event, which takes place on November 29th at The Savoy Hotel, takes a lot of organising and so we will be helping the events staff with this.

What do you most love about your job?

Rebecca: Many people do not understand the severity of the lifelong implications that dyslexia can have. I don’t have dyslexia and I’m aware that it can be difficult to comprehend. The reality is that without adequate support and understanding dyslexia can and does affect access to education, work, and the confidence of those who deal with it.

I really enjoy the work I do and love seeing results – a positive mention of Dyslexia Action in the press, by a celebrity or a supporter. I also like the fact that I get to speak to and meet some of the people that the organisation helps. And I would love for the organisation to be able to support more people through the It’s ME! Learning Fund, which is why it is so important to get our messages out there and to inform people of the real issues facing those with dyslexia.

Why have you chosen to undertake a professional qualification?

Rebecca: After leaving University I missed learning and so wanted to take on something else. I want to know more about public relations, the theory and the practice, as I really believe that this will help me to improve my professional practice. I’m excited about starting something new and think the course will be hugely interesting. And I know that having an accredited professional qualification will benefit my future career progression.

Thanks Rebecca – and congratulations once again on winning the bursary!

About Dyslexia Action

Dyslexia Action is a national charity that improves lives through education. It is the UK’s leading provider of services and support for people with dyslexia and literacy difficulties, and specialises in assessments, teaching and training.  The organisation has 25 centres and 97 teaching locations around the UK. It also develops and distributes teaching materials and undertakes research.

"It's been a tough old ride for Blackberry from the significant public bashing during the alleged BBM-aided riots in August to this week's system meltdown. I imagine the in-house PR team will be drowning their sorrows over a pint or twenty tonight in their local drinking hole!

I am sure the team would agree that the coverage has been extremely negative not only on the operational issues but the organisation's response to it, including the PR effort. As Rory Cellan-Jones wrote on the BBC website:
"Of course, journalists were bombarding the Blackberry PR team with calls, demanding to know what was going on, how many people were affected, and what was the root cause. By Monday evening, we had nothing more than the brief line already seen on Twitter."

I always sympathise with PR teams as they go through a crisis. Most of us have been there on the frontline for the organisation - taking the flack, defending its brand and principles in an often rapidly fast changing situation. It can be quite an unthankful task yet it is at times like this that PRs are worth their weight in gold and, the good ones, will really step up to the mark and earn their keep.

I am very aware that it is easy to criticise from an outsider's perspective. Nevertheless, as in all crises, there are lessons to be learnt.
The principles embedded into crisis management are actually quite simple. Say sorry, and do so pretty quickly. Immediately set up a crisis response team to keep opinion formers, including those all important journalists, up-to-date with the latest information. Get your messages out regularly online and then via traditional methods.

 
So I can't help wonder where Blackberry went so wrong. From the business side, there seems to have been a serious malfunction and an obvious lack of risk management. From the PR point of view, there has been a complete lack of use of social media to respond to the crisis which, in my opinion surprising given the nature of the product offering.
Social media has a huge volume of complaints from Blackberry users on all channels from Twitter to Facebook. It's extremely damaging to a brand that prides itself on bringing instant interaction to its users.

Only the Blackberry employees will know the answer to where it has all fallen down. For us, working in PR, it is strong reminder of the importance of crisis management and how you can never be too prepared. An informed PR will be dusting down their crisis manuals and making sure they are up-to-date and have the inclusion of social media - no longer a nice to have but an essential tool in crisis planning.

What damage has been done to Blackberry's reputation? Didn't the future look tough enough, given that Apple are about to launch a messenger service on its new iPhone 4S, thus potentially stealing a march on one of Blackberry's USPs? Only time will tell but it is going to be a long journey ahead for an already exhausted PR team."

Thanks Kate !

Maud told us:   “PR professionals love to be at the hub of any communications whether it’s talking, listening, collaborating or sharing.  We love nothing more than telling stories and passing them on, said Richard Coope from Radley Yeldar at CorpComms Magazine’s recent Social Media Conference.

Social media might seem the obvious platform for story sharing.  But, keeping a Facebook page fresh and relevant, a twitter feed responsive and reactive and filling a YouTube channel doesn’t come cheap.  Listening to the impressive line-up of speakers at this CorpComms conference, it became obvious to me how time consuming and resource-heavy social media can be.

Katie Doble-Birch created the social media strategy for the retail arm of Lloyds Banking Group http://twitter.com/#!/lloydstsbonline

With a team of only three people (not working 24/7) to man social media output, her concerns mirrored those of Forrester research which shows that a lack of people resources is the top concern for organisations when it comes to use of external social media tools.   How did she do it?  By setting a clear strategy, clear objectives and setting key performance indicators which the board accepted.

So how does a mobile phone giant, O2 resource its social media campaigns?

Alex Pearmain heads up its social media team. “You need the right individuals and then you have to keep them motivated.”   Timing is key at O2 and social media activity is planned around the level and mood of conversations taking place across the week and during the day.  For example he says that O2 would never launch a social media initiative at the start of the week when the engagement on social media is at its lowest.

Time of day shapes Gatwick’s social media resourcing http://twitter.com/#!/Gatwick_Airport Speaking at the conference, Samantha Holgate, head of airport communications emphasised that it is not a ‘9 to 5’ job, as they found out when snow closed the airport in December 2010. They were receiving 300 call outs an hour so the social media team had to quickly move into shift working patterns.

Web manager, Kevin Hoy led Greater Manchester Police’s successful ‘Twitterthon’ in October 2010.  http://twitter.com/#!/gmp24_1.  It involved tweeting every call that the police received over a 24 hour period, and to do it, he pulled together a small team from the corporate communications and press office.  Since then, the number of Twitter followers has continued to increase, peaking around major incidents such as the riots.  But this case shows that once an organisation starts interacting on social media, it can’t just stop when the PR campaign is over because those conversations will continue whether you are there are not.  The riots of 9 August changed how the police are having to manage social networks  -  emergency plans are being torn up and rewritten.

So, who’s doing the talking on your organisation’s social media platforms?

As Katie Doble-Birch emphasised – this fun video shows how not to do it and certainly don’t dump it on the intern. It’s your reputation and anyone talking on your behalf, whether that’s the CEO or junior communications executive, needs to be fully trained.”

Maud Davis