COURSE OBJECTIVE

To develop and build successful brands and reputations, enhance your communications and PR campaigns.

BENEFITS OF ATTENDING THIS COURSE

• Establish a strategic framework for corporate communications and PR planning and strategy implementation

• Get updates on the various communication channels and trends

• Gain insights into developing an effective internal communications plan

• Enhance the value of PR to your organisation

• Learn from case studies and practical exercises

The role of Corporate Communications and PR professionals is increasingly pivotal and integral to the sustainability of an organisation’s reputation. Reputation and credibility can impact on your organisation in a myriad of ways, including stock price, and the ability to attract and retain customers and employees. Thus it is vital that your organisation fosters a good reputation by developing mutually beneficial relationships with various publics.

When things go wrong or stagnant as they sometimes do, it is the public relations professionals that will be called upon to help businesses turn situations around. Corporate Communications & Strategic PR is a comprehensive and practical course that has been designed to boost and sharpen your communication and media relations skills to strike a chord with the expectations of your organisation’s stakeholders and various publics.

Corporate Communications & Strategic PR is a particularly useful training programme if you are seeking to gain new insights and perspective. You will be taken through various case studies and practical exercises to further enhance your learning experience.

TEN GREAT REASONS TO ATTEND THE COURSE

1. Learn to strengthen media relations and engage the media

2. Learn to get buy-in from internal stakeholders

3. Be able to manage and make practical considerations in crisis situations

4. Be able to manage multiple communication partners

5. Measure performance and making below-the-line accountable

6. Gain awareness and understanding of the dynamics of new trends in communications

7. Get some useful legal guidance

8. Learn to build sponsorship value

9. Learn to put together a useful DIY PR Toolkit

10. Get a chance to do some hands-on media training 

Day One

Introduction

• Our role as PR professionals

• “Experts” in question - spin doctors, silverbacks and paid liars

• Powerful professional reputation managers - moving beyond balloons and streamers

Strengthening Media Relations

• Newsworthiness

- exploring some theories

- what makes a story run

- making your story media friendly

- how to engage the media - proven methods and techniques

• Becoming a source: developing long term relationships with the media

Effective Internal Communications

• Keeping it in the family

• Achieving buy-in from internal stakeholders

• Risks and rewards

Practical Exercise

Crisis Management

• Strategically manage high stakes episodes with smarts and good grace

• 12: The critical number of hours

• Using the support of allies

• Essential toolkits - practical considerations

• Common traps for players

• Case study: Handling a media storm

Managing Around the Management Team

• Re-evaluating the role and relevance of PR in a successful organisation

• Elevating PR within your organisation

• Working with finance, legal and HR teams

Integrated Communications - External Consultancies

• Developing an effective brief or proposal

• Cost effective ways of using PR Consultants

• Ensuring that you get what you need from your PR Consultants

• Managing multiple communications partners: PR, advertising, media buyers, direct marketing, graphics, event organisers

• Developing a ‘Brains Trust’ for your organisation

Herding Cats: Community Relations

• Your stakeholders - central government, local government, business, ethnic communities, NFP, NGO, education

• Different voices - Boomers, Gen-X, Gen-Y

• Case Study: Building consents in Manukau City Council

Measuring Performance

• Communications strategy, performance measurement and relevance: Current thinking

• How to make below-the-line accountable

• Getting beyond Advertising Value Equivalents

• The measurement toolbox - surveys, feedbacks, focus groups, formal market research

Day Two

New Trends in Communications

• Internet PR: You can run but you can’t hide

• Engage with bloggers, feature on flickr or mesh with MySpace

• Podcasting, shotcodes, RSS, social networking software and the Daily Show

• Buzz: The rise of Word of Mouth

Legal Guidance

• The lowdown on copyright and PMCA

• Legal risk vs. public interest

• Communication when redundancy strikes your organisation

• Broadcasting Complaints Authority

• Making a Press Council complaint

• Parliamentary privilege

Sponsorship: When Doing Good is Good for Business

• Black hole or buzz creator?

• Differentiation through social responsibility

• Building sponsorship value

• Case study: What’s Up, New Zealand’s only free professional phoneline for kids

DIY PR Toolkit

• Situation Analysis

• Objectives

• Audiences

• Key messages and story

• Channels

• Timeframe

• Budget

• Evaluation

Practical Media Relations

• Strengthening effective media releases

• Improving your interview technique

• Simulated sessions (captured on camera)

Professional Resources

• Beyond brainstorming - tools for today