PROGRAM DETAILS

Introduction

Public Relations (PR) and Media Skills are at the heart of business performance. Modern methods, tools and channels have greatly increased its power. This lively and challenging course is focused on developing skills and competence to practice effectively in today’s organizational environment. Sustained public relations and media campaigns can help drive strategic organisational change; build public perceptions and drive reputation with key stakeholders. Well planned and executed campaigns are a cost-effective means of changing perceptions and increasing stakeholder value for an organisation.

This powerful programme takes a problem-solving approach to the design of PR and media campaigns. By closely fitting the campaign to core business priorities as well as project objectives campaign design reinforces key messages and organisational strategy.

Learning Objectives

By attending this highly interactive programme, delegates will gain:

• The skills to design, plan, cost, deliver and evaluate PR and media campaigns using the full range of PR media and channels
• The range of activities and skills of PR and how they can benefit your organization
• The tools and techniques of effective PR practice
• The planning and writing skills necessary for a range of media that will deliver successful media campaigns
• The ability to develop a problem-solving approach to match PR campaign strategy to business objectives
• The know how to examine a wide range of successful PR campaigns, the purposes that they can achieve and to judge the differing strategies and use of channels and media
• How to evaluate PR campaigns to demonstrate success to the business and to develop campaign methodology

Target Audience

The program is designed for PR and Communications practitioners who want to update their skills and newcomers to PR, communications or HR professionals who have communications roles, and those who want to add high-level communications skills to their personal portfolios.

Training Methodology

This practical and results-oriented program is based on adult learning concept. It incorporates short inspiring lectures with structured lessons from the learning manual, captivating PowerPoint slides with videos to enhance learning, ongoing discussions with action planning, ample time for Q&A, training activities to reinforce key concepts within a fun learning environment

Program Content

 Day 1

21^st Century Public Relations and Media Skills

• Review the place for PR in business today and PR’s relationship with other functions including event management, marketing, etc.
• Professionalism and industry bodies PRII, PRCA, IPR
• Effective PR campaigns – their use and their risks. Case examples – what works and what doesn’t?
• Introduction to the range of (social) media/networking and channels and how it’s transforming the way we do business
• Running a Social Media Marketing Campaign, Measuring the Success of Social Media Marketing

DAY 2

 From Theory to Successful Practice

• Communications models: implications for practice
• The art of influence and persuasion and presentation
• Ethics and communications
• Organisational transparency and communications
• Taking and interpreting communication briefs
• The Medium is the Message – choosing channels and matching media to tasks and stakeholders

Online PR Building Blocks

• Online communications platforms, channels and mediums: interactivity and application of communication channels
• Policy, optimisation, monitoring and evaluation of online communications channels
• Online communications channels planning and implementation

Day 3

Planning and Costing PR and Media Campaigns

• Identifying the stages of the campaign and decision points
• Preparing an effective schedule – critical path analysis
• Costing the plan and preparing a budget
• Practice case-studies
• Co-ordinating campaign elements across stakeholder groups
• Principles of evaluation

DAY 4

 e-Management x Communication

• Improving the power of communications in the organisation
• Measuring communications effectiveness
• Using measurement to improve performance
• Crisis communication and reputation management

 Day 5

Sponsorship and Community Relations

• Why organisations engage in sponsorship
• Using sponsorship to target particular publics
• What can be sponsored and the fit between the sponsor and the sponsored
• How sponsorship fits in to wider PR campaigns
• Evaluating sponsorships
• Review and action planning