Activities

24 March 2012
PRCI launches Professional Development Programme 
Chandigarh Chapter of Public Relations Council of India has launched professional development programmes (PDP).
The first programme was held on Effective News Release writing, and would be a regular monthly feature, informed chairperson of PRCI Renuka Salwan. All members shared their experience in writing press releases on various topics. Also,it was shared by all about right time of sending releases and approaching media people for publication.
This is a part of continuing education for the public relations practitioners in the region in which members make presentations, exchange ideas, and share best practices, she informed.

21 April 2012
PRCI organises Interractive Programme on Media Relations 
Chandigarh Chapter of Public Relations Council of India organised professional development programme (PDP) on Media Relations.
Realising the importance of media relations to an effective public relations plan,various tips for improving communication with the media were discussed.PR professionals agreed about the need to develop a stong understanding of the media before sending a release. Developing media lists for garnering their support for an organisation/client was the first step towards developing good media relations.
This is a part of continuing education for the public relations practitioners in the region in which members make presentations, exchange ideas, and share best practices.Participants included PR professionals from Shaan PR,Core PR,Blue Lotus Communication, Defence PRO,

25 May 2012
Transparency must for Communication Professionals 
The Chandigarh chapter of Public Relations Council Of India had an informal interraction with  Mr S Narendra, former Information Advisor to four Prime Ministers and Principal Information Officer to the Govt Of India at UT Guest House here today.Speaking from his experience of working with four prime ministers as PIO,he shared various challenges faced by him during his tenure and stressed the need of taking risks in order to avert negative situations. The communication professionals need to be fully equipped with facts and figures in order to take up any kind of challenges. He also stressed on the need of transparency in the dealing of PR professionals with the media.

2 June 2012
Seminar on Social Media held by PRCI 
The Public Relations Council of India, Chandigarh Chapter today held a highly interactive and interesting Seminar on “How to leverage Social Media” at the Press Club, Chandigarh, as part of its professional skill development programme. Over 30 PR and marketing professionals attended the Seminar which was conducted by Mr. Paul Singh, an online media and advertising expert and Co-founder & Creative Head of H Degree, a strategic brand consultancy.
Through a series of interesting case studies and examples, Mr. Paul Singh explained what is social media, why is everyone talking about it and how can it be leveraged for clients by  communication professionals. “In today’s economy, the level of success and the pace at which a business grows has started getting affected by its presence on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter,YouTube, FlickR, LinkedIn, Google etc.,” he pointed out.
Mr Paul Singh showed examples of Apple, Old Spice and the UK Police on how they influenced their target audience through well devised campaigns made specially for social media. “The important thing to remember is that the various social networking sites on the internet are like building blocks for your campaign and you can interlink them with each other. As important is the fact that you can see the results in real time, know whether the campaign is working or not and if it requires any changes,” he said.
In the discussion that followed, various issues were touched upon as to how to manage the overall  communication and conversations going on in social networking sites and  how to increase visibility of your own communications. A number of  PR professionals talked about their own experiences and shared the pitfalls faced by them and the benefits they derived for various brands.

7 June 2012
Programme on Chandigarh and Jalandhar Doordarshan
Mrs.Renuka Salwan,chapter chairperson took interview of Mr Charanjit Singh,Chairman,North Zone on”PR as Career”.It was 25mins programme in punjabi which was telecast by Jalandhar and Chandigarh Doordarshan. The repeat telecast was done twice  by both the kendras.The programme covered various aspects of Public Relations including the concept, increasing popularity of the profession, career prospects etc.

22 September 2012
Media must lead the change for human development: Experts
A one-day seminar on ‘Media and Human Development’ was organised at the PHD House, here today.
Organised by the Media Information and Communication Centre of India (MICCI) in association with a German foundation, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) and the local chapter of Public Relations Council of India (PRCI), the seminar touched upon various critical issues that are impeding human development in the region and the country and the proactive role that media can play to bridge the communication gap between the government and the ground realities.
Nandani Sahai, the director of MICCI and Director of International Centre Goa remarked that literacy is the key to overall sustainable growth in the country and that can take care of various other related issues of poverty, unemployment, sanitation and health issues. The need is to have a general awareness amongst all the stake holders.
Rajeshwar Dyal, senior advisor to FES remarked that human development to be sustainable requires equal participation of every stakeholder in the entire socio-economic ecosystem, and media acts as a binding force by disseminating vital information as well as championing the cause.
FES-India he informed is also a non-government organization which aims at strengthening democratic structures, promote training and policy-oriented research in Germany in cooperation with partner organizations in more than 100 countries across the globe. The Indian office collaborates with policy-makers, academic and research organizations, trade unions, and NGOs in India.
Charanjit Singh, chapter head of MICCI in the city pointed out various regional issues of growing road fatalities, water contamination, insanitation, illiteracy and lack of skilled education as some of the key areas where media support is required to lead the change.
Renuka Salwan, chapter chair of PRCI who is also the deputy director public relations for Bureau of Indian Standards, underlined the need to have informed citizens in the country who are aware of their rights and are able to get only quality products and service.
Some of the notable speakers on the occasion included Additional Transport Commissioner Vivek Atray, Dr. Archana Singh, chairperson of School of Communication Studies, R.K. Kaplash, chairman of Chandigarh Consumer Forum, Surinder Verma, President of Citizen Awareness Group, Vipin Dewan and Dr. Smriti Dewan, academician Lalita Jagmohan Singh, among others. Many media representatives as well social activists, representatives of non-government organizations including Rotary Club, Mehar Baba Charitable Trust, Chandigarh Consumer Forum, Citizen Awareness Group, academicians and students from Chitkara University, SD College, GCG and School of Communication Studies, Panjab University, participated.