Public Relations & Corporate Communications in the Public Sector

Course Overview:

Public relations and Communications are the heart of business performance. They are often confused because they both deal with communication with various publics. However, there are key differences between the two fields. Public relations are about managing the relationships between an organisation and its various public. It is about building and maintaining goodwill. On the other hand, corporate communications is about communicating with various internal and external stakeholders of an organisation. Modern methods, tools, and channels have greatly increased the speed in which communications can be experienced, from local to global.

Conference Objectives:

At the end of this conference the participants will be able to:

• Set Corporate Affairs in strategic anticipatory and effective context
• Develop an understanding of stakeholder programs for regular, focused communication
• Examine the development of Corporate Affairs tools
• Understand the development of strategy/plans/tactics and coordinate these
• Evaluate and the use of research
• Learn the tools and techniques required to manage reputation in a complex media environment
• Manage knowledge within the business for effective media management
• Shape external perceptions of their organization through first-class corporate internal communications
• Develop a strategic approach and a clear plan of action

Course Coverage:

Topic 1: The Power of Communication:

• Goal setting
• Corporate Affairs and Public Affairs approaches
• Corporate identity and image
• Corporate communications overview and strategy
• External reputation management Communication as a change agent
• Communication is a goal for all managers

Topic 2: From the Inside Out: Crafting Consistent Messages:

• Internal communications
• Family and friends as Stakeholders
• Measuring emotional capital
• Communications channels mapping and monitoring
• Setting internal communications goals
• New media for rapid interaction
• Champions, opinion formers and incentivization
• The place of the company magazine/newsletter
• The multinational internal communications program
• Commitment from internal decision-makers

Topic 3: Risks and Threats: Their Identification and Management:

• Single issue politics
• Special interest groups
• Whistleblowers and the rules of disclosure
• External opinion formers
• Cause-related PR and core values
• Campaigns, their design and planning
• A crisis management toolkit
• Stakeholder interest inventories
• Opinion former networks

Topic 4: Corporate Affair/PR in the Corporate Mix:

• PR in the communications mix
• PR in the marketing mix
• Direct response PR
• Financial PR
• PR and strategy
• Brand PR
• Persuasion measurement techniques
• Integrating PR/Communications and marketing plans
• The art of leveraging
• Corporate affairs and customer relations

Topic 5: Powerful and Persuasive Action Planning:

• Measurement of performance: bottom-line impact
• Translating strategy to tactics
• Horizons for PR and corporate affairs development
• Tools and Techniques summary: a tactical inventory
• Recruiting allies: a networking approach
• Justifying the plan and convincing top management
• Making the most of other disciplines to maximize results
• Individual and group consultancy

Topic 6: Face-to-Face Communication and Interpersonal Skills:

• Barriers to effective communication and how to overcome them
• Interpersonal skills and building working relationships
• Delegation – giving and receiving
• Assertive communication
• Managing conflict

Topic 7: Planning & Time Management:

• Prioritizing
• Handling and making requests
• Personal planning tools and systems
• Managing interruptions
• Project planning and principles of CPA

Topic 8: Team-Working and Meetings:

• Team development and group dynamics
• Constructive and inclusive discussions
• Challenging ideas and getting agreement
• Improving meetings
• planning and preparation
• participation and control
• follow-up and meeting notes

Topic 9: Managing Information and Written Communication:

• Principles of information management
• digesting information and making it meaningful
• Report writing
• Relevance
• Layout
• Structure
• Grammar & punctuation
• Editing and proofreading skills
• Writing e-mails and letters
• Style
• Tone
• Structure
• Other forms of written communication

Topic 10: Supporting Presentations/Improving Teamwork and Systems:

• Designing slides and incorporating graphics
• Room setup, equipment, and trouble shooting
• Continuous improvement and creative thinking
• Making a case
• Program review

Targeted Participants:

• Corporate Communications Practitioners and/or Managers
• Public Relations Officers and/or Managers
• Marketing Officers and/or Managers
• Digital and Social Media Specialists
• Internal Communications Practitioners
• Professionals Wanting to Improve Communications in Their Areas of Responsibility