Planning and Managing Public Relations Program

Course Overview:

Continuous public relations campaigns can assist with the determination of strategic organizational change, build public perceptions and drive reputation with key stakeholders. What is the point of planning and managing public relations Programs? Positively there are individual communicators who thrive in chaos, who ‘sense’ their way through situations and are very good at it. Most people are not like that, they are rational creatures who seek a level of order and who, as far as possible, want to be able to operate in a work environment that has some control and predictability about it

This as one of the influential programs takes a problem-solving approach to the design of PR campaigns. By closely fitting the operation to core business priorities as well as project objectives campaign design reinforces key messages and organizational strategy. Participants will develop the skills to design, plan, cost, deliver, and evaluate campaigns using the full range of PR media and channels.

Course Objectives:

At the end of this course, the participants will be able to:

• Examine the range of PR campaigns and the purposes that they can achieve
• Develop a problem-solving approach to match the PR campaign strategy to business objectives
• Plan PR campaigns to meet the need setting clear objectives with behavioural outcomes and measurable results
• Examine a wide range of successful campaigns to judge the different strategies and use of channels and media
• Measure risk presented during a campaign by increased public and media scrutiny and plan to mitigate these risks
• Learn how to evaluate PR campaigns to demonstrate success to the business and to develop campaign methodology
• Select and use the best tools to add value to the organization at a strategic level
• Develop personal action planning and understand how to ‘sell’ ideas to top management
• Plan evaluation of the campaign so that results are recognized within the organization
• Build confidence and mastery through personal coaching and advice 

Course Coverage:

Topic 1: Effective PR Campaigns:

• Perceptions of PR among senior managers
• The global information village
• Putting a cash value on reputation and the PR that builds it
• PR campaigns – their use and their risks
• Case study examples – what works and what does not
• Practical example – tackling a business challenge
• Evaluation

Topic 2: Problem-Solving Approach to Campaigns:

• Brand, identity and image, the basis of reputation
• Assessing your reputation and the use of ‘gap’ analysis
• The Origins of PR and its foundations in the social sciences
• Business strategy and problem identification
• Problem-solving methods – choosing the right one
• Problem analysis – desk research, stakeholder analysis, PEST and SWOT
• Setting measurable objectives
• Force field analysis and risk identification

Topic 3: Planning and Costing Campaigns:

• Identifying the stages of the campaign and decision points
• Preparing an effective schedule – critical path analysis
• Critical path analysis
• Costing the plan and preparing a budget
• Anticipating risk and planning to meet it
• Identifying Stakeholders and their role in the campaign
• Coordinating campaign elements across stakeholder groups

Topic 4: Channels, Delivery, and Evaluation:

• From strategy to tactics
• Environmental scanning
• Developing a media relations plan
• Crisis media relations
• Principles of evaluation
• Research tools and methods
• Channel effectiveness and use of media
• Social media and tools
• Using influencer strategies to multiply the effectiveness

Topic 5: Effective Delivery in Your Organisation:

• Risk-management approach
• Dealing with contingencies
• Winning support - selling ideas to others in the business
• Presenting your case to senior management
• Reading body language and other signals
• Integrating your campaign into your media and company reporting
• Ensuring that results are seen and credited
• Personal action planning

Targeted Participants:

• PR Professionals
• Marketing Professionals
• Middle and Senior Managers tasked with the direct delivery of campaigns or oversight of specialist sub-contractors
• Senior Operational Managers with responsibility for managing teams whose role includes PR Campaigns
• Senior Managers up to the Board Level with responsibility for the strategic use of Public Relations
• People who want to get important modern skills to enhance their profile and knowledge