Some of the best brains in the PR industry today have no formal qualification for doing their job. They hold no diploma from any communications institute nor any management certificate. But when it comes to PR strategy and execution, organizations seek them out. What is it that they do? Do they have some practical lessons that can become a part of every institute’s curriculum? I could think of five such points a PR school could adopt to make their students ‘future ready’. They are listed below, in no particular order. And if you are studying at an institute this information might be useful before you start job hunting.

1. ‘Presentation Skills’ – One of the most important weapons in any PR pros’ arsenal. You are judged by how you speak and present your ideas. Clients and colleagues form lifelong impressions within five seconds of you uttering the first sentence. In fact once my boss had whispered to me in an ‘X Files’ kind of tone: “They are always watching you.” Therefore before you accept your diploma, ensure your presentation and public speaking skills are top notch.
   
2. ‘P2P Networking’ – Here PR students have an unfair advantage over others. If they look around in their communications institute they will see editors, senior reporters, special correspondents of the future learning the ropes in the journalism classes. Right now they are approachable and ready to be friends. Ten years hence you will just read their by-lined article or see them on the prime time news. So start making right friends right now.
   
3. ‘What to do and what not to say’ – As a PR consultant, you are in touch with company heads and senior management, and there’s a ‘certain’ behaviour expected from you. This may include how to handle difficult questions, how not to offend people, how to shake hands, how to initiate and carry on a polite conversation, how not to get unnecessarily provoked etc. It sometimes takes years to master the art but the sooner we make a beginning, the better it is.
   
4. ‘Dress up and play the part’ – A PR consultant inspires confidence in her clients. They seek her advice and trust her judgement. Again, this is a skill honed over years but you can start immediately by dressing up the part. Always be aware of the silent signals you give about your personality by the way you dress up. I once heard an industry veteran say: “Before you pass out of your institute, ensure you have at least two business suits in your wardrobe.”
   
5. ‘Sell yourself, gracefully’ – Promote yourself and do it with style. For example, even as a student you can share your business card at formal occasions. It can carry your name, contact details and institute address. Learning early how to effectively use sites like Linkedin.com is also an asset that will go a long way.

I am sure there are institutes that already have these lessons in their curriculum but there are others who can think about them. After all a little practical work never did anyone any harm.

I am sure many of us have heard about ‘Art of Living’ and the difference they are making in many peoples’ lives. Today, I am introducing ‘Art of Leaving’ and trying to leave a thought so even while you leave, you can live forever in minds of organization and its people. It is said by some unknown (at least to me…) poet that, “Jahan jahan se guzare hum, na mitane wale kadmo ke nishan chhodate chale aaye hum…” Effective leader or manager is one who leaves a legacy of great work and capacity to produce better results.

My post is not original and it is inspired by couple of instances I have come across in recent times. It is also inspired by couple of books I have been reading in recent times. Timing of this post may lead to few possible thoughts in many peoples’ minds but that’s ok! We do not wish to comment on speculations. Change is inevitable and people who are on my ‘Google Talk’ list already know that I am busy carving dreams with my force. We will talk about it in next few weeks.

Any management job is quite a thankless job. Not all successful management guys are earning bunch and bunch of money and getting rims and rims of newsprint. There are many people like us who are quietly making a difference to a business, to a profession or to a society by becoming engines of growth or change. If you want to leave and still live forever, the first thing you should be doing is leave when you are not required to. Don’t leave because you are tired for burned out. Look at Arun Sarin; he’s leaving at right moment. When everything is going for him, he’s leaving and in the process he is surely going to leave a legacy and a vision for the organization which will surely shape future of Vodafone across the globe.

When you are ready to leave, take your team in confidence. Share your vision with them. Show them the change and lead from front. It is important for them to know that even if you are not going to be around they have to carry forward the good work and foundation created by you and make you feel proud. I always carry this wonderful quote in my mind with me, which I don’t remember verbatim but it goes something like this – “A manager is not known by the work team does when he’s around but he’s known by the work the team does when he is not around.” I always believed in that and this is a time when I wish to thank each and every individual who has worked with me in my past 15 years and carried forward the legacy of change we have envisaged together. A big thank you to all of you my friends!

Leaving in style is something I have always enjoyed. I have left organizations or offices when they were in better shape than when I joined them. People who have worked with me or know me will vouch for this statement and they have seen how I enjoyed legacy of creating many offices/organizations from scratch and turning them into profitable business ventures. Leave in style, so your style lives forever. I still receive calls from many of my past clients saying that they miss me and I feel really proud about it.

Leaving a job or organization is not bad but leaving when things are bad is bad. So, if you are planning to leave because you didn’t get a raise this year – don’t leave. If you are planning to leave because you shifted your office and you didn’t get a desk you always wanted – don’t leave. If you are planning to leave because you are not satisfied with your team’s performance – don’t leave. Leave when you get your raise. Leave when you get your desk. Leave when your team is at its best and delivering a peak performance. Winners do not quit. Be a winner, leave but always live in heart and soul of the organization. I repeat my last week’s question – do you have it in you?

PS: This should act as an eye opener for few of so called leaders in our industry about whom I wrote in one of my early posts. You may read it here.

“One Black Coffee”“

I spent 20 years in PR agencies before moving to corporate communication” claimed a fragile looking lady with a proud voice as she tried to sink her body in black leather sofa.

“I completely understand what is possible and what is not possible in PR and I never pressurise my agency” another claim slipped from her lips as she sipped coffee from a large green cup.

“I respect my agencies and professionals associated with it. After all, I know what value people like you bring to the table, especially when we are all immersed in myopic views of corporate world filled with inside views” the overdoes of claims continued as the server tried to unsuccessfully stop the overflow of coffee he was pouring in her cup.

“I am utterly disappointed with my existing agency” sigh!

“Last time when we organised a huge event for donating an ambulance van to a hospital in Chennai, only four journalists turned up!”

“When we issued a very important release of a key general manager level appointment made by our company, I haven’t got a single clip from Bombay and Delhi!”

“I am looking for a professional agency, which understands our requirement and do a justice to the news created by us”

“When I was in an agency, I got these huge bunches of clips for all my clients for each and every news they gave it to me. My media relations are excellent. Across the country I know almost every journalist. They are always after my life to give them stories”

It seemed as if the meeting was never going to end with continued monologues.

And presto! My cup of black coffee just got over.

“Good. The Black coffee was really nice” my first and last words before paying the bill and saying good bye.

“A clueless Blonde”

“I’m stuck in a mental blizzard here. Am a newbie, and was recommended this site – I have questions – I don’t see a link where I can contact someone… I feel like a doofus and need help… SERIOUSLY!!!

I’ve been convinced and am convinced that this is the place for me, however when I tried to go through the content of the website- I did not know where to start. I am joining a PR company- it’s my first, they said they liked the fact that I have good interpersonal skills and that I can write well. I am writing a book, have written articles.

You see, I use simple words, which are easily understood by everyone. But after going through your site - I’ve completely lost all confidence. I don’t want to be the clueless blonde in the company. I need serious help.”

The mail landed sometime earlier this week in my inbox. I liked the honesty with which the lady in a mail acknowledges a situation many of us would have experienced at various stages of our lives. We all pass through similar situations. First day at school, first day at college, first job interview, first date, first movie with friends bunking the chemistry lecture, first marriage(oops!?) - having thousands of flying butterflies in a stomach is quite common.

You know what, Ms. Clueless? The problem is not with you but it’s with how you are looking at a situation.

Okay, let’s understand where the problem is?

Are they expecting you to know everything about PR from the day one? Are they expecting you to start talking to clients and pitching stories to media from the day one just because you have good interpersonal skills? Are they expecting you to start writing press releases and other material from the day one because you are a good writer? If the answer is YES, please steer clear of that agency. And if the answer is NO, so where’s the problem.

The learning is not a pack of Maggie Noodles (sorry Top Ramen and others. But you don’t have TOM recall yet!)

Take your own time. Go step by step. Get into the agency. Understand the culture. See how they work. Read. Learn from seniors. Ask questions - however stupid it may sound. Understand the business. Make mistakes – never repeat them. Be open to ideas. Contribute and share your views openly. Enter into a healthy competition. Stay away from office politics. Eat. Work. Maintain professional approach with all your colleagues, clients and media. Play and maintain a work-life balance.

And, I am sure you will become one successful PR professional and who knows one fine day you would be answering a similar query on our blog!

However, if you are not satisfied with the suggested roadmap – please feel free to write and we will talk. All the best!

“Two Minutes Noodles”

“The concept I am talking about is amazing. It took the world by storm. Since the last 25 years this brand has been the most recognised brand in over 20 different countries. We are launching it in India. People are eagerly waiting for it here.”

“No…No…No…Our brand is big. We don’t need continuous PR. Just announce the launch through a Press Conference, that’s enough. My global CEO is visiting to announce the launch and it has to be a gala event.”

After a successful press conference and decent coverage across the country – a mail lands in my inbox.

“The PR has not been successful. Despite our news being there in many newspapers so many people I am talking to are telling me that they have never heard of this brand before. The brand building has to be done through PR, which has not happened. Please explain”

The person who wrote this mail has spent many years in advertising and branding. I am planning to send him a pack of ‘Two Minutes Noodles’

With a Taste Maker, of course!

Taking it further from where I left it the last time, Stalagmite Theory could well be how Public Relations slowly progresses towards creating opinions and influences mass values. According to Stalagmite theory, mediated experiences induce long term effects that are very difficult to measure. Fair enough..I wouldn’t delve into measurements and evaluation of PR now anyways, since that almost is a topic worthy of its own space and discussion. Meaning theory and Cultivation theory are two most significant theories. In today’s blog I stick to Meaning Theory, one of the theories of Stalagmite Theory.

We all are aware that every little byte of information, every little ink and sound of media delivery is an experience by itself and each one of us is absorbing it, consciously, sub consciously to create our own versions of how the world is and appears to be. That is basically the formation of an opinion, the molding of our thoughts by so called external sources to create a point of view.

Now, what do you think we are doing in this business of PR? Moulding thougts, throwing in key words at the right places for the right audiences to read, watch and hear. Bombard them again and again and again in myriad ways till we are sure that the recipient can take no more and then we take it to the next level of communication. It is a slow dripping process of communication.

A niche sector of say for example, Electronic Home Security. We don’t know who needs it, what people think about it, their reservations and apprehensions about technology and how safe and secure it can make them, it’s affordability et al. Now how would you engage the receiver of all your communication to suddenly get excited about something he never thought he needed. There was simply no reason for him to think it was meant for him all this while. Electronic Home Security…bah! I have two copllapsible doors, seven level lock systems, two security guard….what else do I need?!

Show the audience reason, then show him relevance, follow it up with awareness and knowledge about the technology, blend it with stories where mishaps could have been avoided if the security system was in place, give him choices and then give him assurance about the Company pioneering it. Let him know that whoever thought about an issue that existed even before the audience knew he wanted it, was a specialist. An expert who understands needs…human need of feeling safe!

And now you tell me if this is possible in a sudden spurt of aggressive communication? Or would it be effective? And let’s say you do manage the audience to pick up the product for himself…what about the Client or the organisation? Have you been able to portay your Client as a Voice of reason? Yeas, Voice of reasons….I need my Client to be known for that. And Meaning Theory which is a form of Stalagmite theory helps me to do that.

Much before Mass Media this organisation engaged PR. Since he knew that PR evolved people’s minds from making impulse decisions to well thought, constructive and assured decision making. The organisation I am talking about has engaged ATL communication strategy today but not without bolstering it with PR. And it is a bolster today, but PR was all they started with some four years ago…and the organisation has earned it’s place as a voice of reason, as a pioneer of innovaton and making safety available for everyone.

Cheers
Madhavi Mukherjee
Senior Consultant and Practice Head Media and Entertainment
Hanmer&Partners

Tech Tags: PR public+relations india

I would like to borrow a concept that is oft used for television viewership to Public Relations and I think it suits just fine. The concept is that of Cultivation Theory or the Stalagmite Theory. I quote “Black et. al. used the metaphor of stalagmite theories to suggest that media effects occur analogously to the slow buildup of formations on cave floors, which take their interesting forms after eons of the steady dripping of limewater from the cave ceilings above. One of the most popular theories that fits this perspective is cultivation theory.”

Cultivation theory (sometimes referred to as the cultivation hypothesis or cultivation analysis) was an approach developed by Professor George Gerbner, dean of the Annenberg School of Communications at the University of Pennsylvania.

One of the core assumptions and statements of the Cultivation theory is that television is responsible for shaping, or ‘cultivating’ viewers’ conceptions of social reality. The combined effect of massive television exposure by viewers over time subtly shapes the perception of social reality for individuals and, ultimately, for our culture as a whole.

I believe that Public Relations does that too…or rather primarily Public Relations is doing that all the time. Slowly and steadily honing the opinions and perceptions of the masses to cultivate attitudes, beliefs and notions about products, services and people. We are always cultivating our media, who are not just our vehicles but in fact they are our primary audiences. You grow on them by continuously orientating them about your Clients, the messages that you want to be widely spread, by convincing them about why they should write about your Clients et al. Just as a continuous dripping of limewater on the cave floor helps in the slow build up of formations on the floor, so also a continuous and steady feeding of messages leads to a slow and yet a sure formation of opinion and perception about the Client.

This holds true especially when you are carrying out a Public Relations exercise for a new and niche sector such as electronic home securities or a new brand in an already established market space. In either cases the effort of message dissemination has to be relentless, continuous and steady. And the results won’t be to your disappointment.

But as PR professionals, what you have to do is innovate, ideate and create new ways and means of getting the Client talked about…Cultivate the primary opinion makers (Media) to get talking about your Client, Cultivate your Client to have faith in the system and the process. The effects and the measurement of sucess of this model is difficult since it is a long driven effort and not related to a sudden burst of activity like a promotional campaign, but the long term effect is that it homogenizes a category of audience to see meaning into what your Client is doing and saying and to become ardent believers of your Client.

Next week, I will bring forth a Case Study to let you in into the effects of the Stalagmite Theory or Cultivation Theory that has been used in Public Relations.

Cheers
Madhavi.

–
Madhavi Mukherjee
Senior Consultant and Practice Head Media&Entertainment
Hanmer&Partners
Email: madhavi@hanmerpr.com

Tech Tags: pr public+relations india

A number of young interns at my current and previous organisation would ask what they should look forward to learning during their internships, how they can set their career graph, etc. Being the friendly colleague, I’d give them a few tips whenever I could find the time. I wonder how many interns at other places must be having these same sort of questions.

So to all the young PR professionals, this is a list of the top 10 things you should learn during your PR internship, in no particular order:

1. Writing: It is said in PR, out of your total skill set, 50% should be verbal communication skill and the rest 50% should be good writing skill. Get to learn and write compact press releases, media pitches, invitations, etc. These are the basic writings that every PR professional should know before going to the advance stuff - white papers, case studies, speeches, etc. Make yourself good enough to have your drafts ready to go out to external audiences without any edits from your bosses.

2. Reporting and documentation: Get familiar with the templates - the daily media monitoring, monthly reporting, ad val analysis, media coverage analysis, minutes of meetings, etc. One might start sulking working on these but appreciate that all these have a purpose. When you grow in your career ladder, you should be familiar with all these terminologies. Every organisation also has its own standard templates. See what works and what does not.

3. Media networking: Now this is the learning you cannot afford to miss out. Networking skill is as important to any PR professional as writing skills. So here during your internships you start out reaching to the media. Accompany your colleagues on a media round and get introduced to as many journalists as possible. Exchange cards. You will get a mix response from the different set of journalists. Move on to the next. Get your own cards folder and fill it up with those of journalists’ you met.

4. Learning the protocols of the PR agency: Since this is probably your first stint with the corporate world, utilise your time to learn who’s who and how things work in your oganisation. Learn the official protocols and the unofficial ones as well. Observe how your colleagues behave with their seniors.

5. Organising a media interaction: Do write a pitch mail and send it to a journalist. Follow up on the phone ad see how it goes. Do you homework well before pitching. You can as well quote the number of media interactions you have organised for your clients when you finished your internship and apply for a regular job. At the stage of career you are in, this is probably the one of the best proof to drive home the point that you can deliver results.

6. Taking part in organising an event or a press conference: Just do all these, and you be in a different level than the one you were in earlier working in office. See the chaos, the confusion, tension, pressure, seeing the things you planned unfolding in front of your eyes, and the final sense of accomplishment of getting a job well done.

7. Issuing a press release: Can I give you a press release and rest assure that you can handle the rest? If not, you better learn fast before you finish your internship.

8. Learning about your clients’ businesses and their industries: Suppose you are given two client accounts to work on and you get yourself well familiarised with their businesses and industries, then in two years you might have handled around say four client accounts, and you are already a good resource, if not a budding expert on four industry sectors. Imagine how many clients you will handle in five years and how many industries you will be familiar with then. This reason aside, it is basic to know about your client business and industry, your next job interviewer might just ask you questions on you clients.

9. Learn about who’s who in the PR industry: Well , you need to know who’s who in the PR industry, which agencies are good and which have a bad reputation. What are the salary brackets available? Ask multiple people around. Don’t be too loud on that because someone may just fire you for that. If you don’t have all these information, there are 90% chances the next HR manager in the next agency will get you for a lesser amount of money than what you could have actually got.

10. Learn about how the media works and who’s who: Get to know how the media works - they won’t reply 90% of the times. You are gong to be the one to play thick-face. When you are following up for an upcoming press conference and the media say they will attend, you need to know whether that ‘yes’ is actually a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’ in disguise. Stuff like these.

(Bonus)

11. Read the India PR Blog: May God forgives you if you don’t. Everybody else reads.

Tech Tags: pr public+relations india

Few years ago there was this song “Yeh jo public hain woh sab jaanti hain…” became an instant hit and I think if you listen it carefully we can definitely learn few things about Public Relations! Search Google and there are chances that you would find it somewhere on the web to listen and download - Free! But what is the ‘public’ in PR? In this small note I have tried to give you my understanding of the ‘P’ of PR - more suggestions are welcome!

Historically for us our primary public was journalists and if you knew few or many journalists in the field, you can very well say that you have mastered the art of Public Relations. Many PR agencies have started and survived on this unique skill. It’s an art and I have seen many fellow professionals have mastered it. There was a company, there was a journalist, and there was a PR guy who knew both. The marriage rocked and even today it is a successful model. The sophistication started coming in from the B school kids and when so called ad guys started talking about IMC and 360 degree communication and so on - in order to make it sound interesting they have started using the new jargons like positioning, messaging, strategy and so on… They lost out somewhere but the jargons continued in the PR field and it is getting even more complicated day by day - PR 2.0, PR 2.5, PR 3.0, and whatever next!

If you ask me to define the ‘public’ in PR - my definition is simple. Public is the set of people who are connected to you in your business Eco system. Public is your board of directors, employees, shareholders, customers, buyers, investors, dealers, distributors, NGOs, political leaders, bureaucrats, media, a person who is writing this blog… The list is endless! And sometimes many businessmen wonder, do they really need to talk to so many people? But, if you want to be a businessman and that to a successful one, you really need to. You need to pay attention to the every information need of all your public(s), you need to respond to their questions and satisfy them in real time. In today’s environment, you can’t ignore even an individual who is part of this public - and yes! Google never forgets.

Anyone, who wants to be successful in life need to develop public relationships that matter to him or her and believe you me, it is not very difficult and you don’t need an IIM to teach you that. We will talk about the means to manage and maintain those relationship in our next few posts - till then, happy relationships!

Tech Tags: pr public+relations india

Outlook magazine’s June 11, 2007 edition has come out with its annual Outlook-Cfore college survey and this time, it has ranked the top mass communications institutes in India as well among others.

It says a ‘…major trend is that many top-scoring students are deliberately opting for professional courses like healthcare, hotel management, fashion technology and mass communication. Experts are predicting a huge demand-supply gap in terms of manpower in these sectors. A recent PriceWaterhouseCoopers report estimates that the Rs. 43,700-crore media and entertainment sector is poised for a cumulative growth of 18 per cent over the next five years and will be a Rs. 1,00,000-crore market by 2011. The fashion industry is expected to grow over five times to Rs 1,000 crore over the next 5-10 years. Healthcare, already a Rs. 1,00,000-crore sector, is growing at 13 per cent. Reforms and high growth rates have opened up new opportunities in many sunrise sectors. This is why we have ranked institutes in areas like law, fashion technology and mass communications. But this year’s ranking is based on subjective perception…’

These are the top 10 mass communications institutes in India according to the survey:

(This data is from the Outlook magazine print edition)

Also read:

Related post - PR Institutes and courses in India

Read all related posts under category - PR Education

The latest edition of PResense newsletter focuses on the PR education scene in India and has a list of PR institutes in India, compiled by Ms.Uma Bhushan, Sr. Faculty, K J Somaiya Institute of Management Studies and Research, Mumbai. I just couldn’t help linking to it

The list included names of institutes offering PR courses, in which States these institutes are based in, courses offered, eligibility, and course duration. I only wished we had the contact details of these institutes too.

The list also details the best five courses in Public Relations in India as follows:

1. Two-year full time post graduate diploma in Communication Management with option for majoring in Public Relations, Corporate Communication and Event Management in the second year at Symbiosis Institute of Mass Communication (SIMC) Pune
2. MA in Advertising and Public Relations (MAAPR) at the Makhanlal Chaturvedi National University of Journalism, Bhopal
3. 2 year full time MA in advertising and Public relations at the School of Broadcasting and Communication, Mumbai
4. One year full time Diploma in Public Relations and Corporate Communications at the Xavier Institute of Communications (XIC), Mumbai
5. One year post graduate diploma in Advertising and PR – started in 1981 at the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), New Delhi

The ranking was given for full time courses, for duration (more for two year) and whether the course is exclusively on PR or is clubbed with Advertising.

There is also a directory of courses in mass media (courtesy Indian and Global PR-Student Blog!).

Before ending the post, how about these two topical topics doing the rounds these days:

1. Familiarising PR students with the new media: There is a new form of online media consisting of blogs, wikis, social networking sites, memes online forums, etc. These are exerting their share of influences on any company’s stakesholders today, if not yet as much as the traditional media do. PR students should be made to understand and use these emerging tools of communication and media.

EducationPR quoted a report ‘The Professional Bond: Public Relations Education for the 21st Century‘ published by the Commission on Public Relations Education, ‘The contemporary practice of public relations requires practitioners to immediately respond to emerging issues and crises via Web sites, blogs, and other new media. Students of public relations consequently must know how to use today’s communications technology, monitor it, and (most likely) adopt rapidly and unpredictably changing technology.’

Forward Blog talks about projecting some best-case and worst-case scenarios for the future of communication and technology in the class.

2. Industry collaboration for PR education advancement: There have been write-up about practitioners-vs.-Ph.D.’s debates. I am glad that in India, Indian PR professionals are currently collaborating thoughts to design a course for the Anna University. We have to see that there is an equal distribution of theory and practice.

Recently I got a mail from a mass communication student who is doing an internship in a PR agency. She asked if public relations is all about running after the media and getting coverage for clients, because that is what all the people in her agency seem to be doing. If that is the case, she said, then the PR profession is turning out to be disappointingly different from what she expected based on her academic studies. She thought PR is about creative communication strategies and counseling but the most creative thing we do is to come out with interesting story pegs for the media. She wondered if she should opt for advertising or event management instead in her career.

I thought maybe other PR professionals might be able to share their views. Most of us have asked the same question when after studying two years of PR theory lands up in an agency to run after journalists. I remember reading a HT column once in which the columnist calls PR as one of the bullshit professions of the 90s.

Well, maybe it’s just the starting point that one has to go through in the start of a career, any career. Following up on journalists is one way to start building contacts in the media. The media is one indisputable tool that we can use to influence certain target audiences. So media relations play an important part of the PR profession (yet we should not be seen as the quick fix solution to control the media. It’s about building trust).

I read somewhere that PR today is about say 80% media relations, the rest belongs to investor relations, training spokesperson, counseling and others. I think for newcomers the disconnect starts when an agency starts selling media coverage as the only service that it can provide to clients, and PR professionals of all ranks count on journalist contacts as their only strengths.

We have to ask ourselves why we are after getting media coverage. There’s a communications objective behind it. The communications objective comes from the marketing objective and the overall corporate vision. What should be the message of the communication? The media is just a tool that we use to spread our messages. There are other tools too like direct interaction with target audience through events, newsletters, forums, communities, etc. All these are part of PR. It’s just that sometimes the client’s marketing team does all these thinking and once they decide everything, they use PR agencies just as post offices to run around after the media. We have to decide for ourselves how we want to be viewed - as someone who will run around after the media, or as a consultant who can provide thoughts and advices to your clients.