5 Tips to Survive Lockdown

 

Holed up at home?   Everyone is.  World over.

It could be a blessing in disguise.

For many of us, who remain busy day-in-and-day-out in our worldly pursuits, hardly get time to introspect.

All of us are on Fast Forward Mode.  There had not been any Pause button in our lives. Come what may.  Until now.

As curfew and lockdown has forced us into our homes, it is time to reflect and do things that you always wanted to do, but never did.

Here's a list of 5 things that you should be doing every day.

1. Maintain a Journal
Pick up a small notebook, diary or download 'Keep', a Gmail app on your mobile to take note daily.
The morning ritual should be to jot down what you intend to accomplish today.   Have a schedule.  Go over it and get into action.

2. Get Ready
When you are locked down and no one is there to look you up, you tend to relax and stay in your night suit.   Getup in time.  Get Ready.  And start working on your 'to do' list.  If you are working, reflect on the new things you would do at your job to make work much more efficient and productive.   And if you are an entrepreneur, it is time to plan and prepare a strategy to take your business to newer heights as soon as the normalcy returns.

3. Learn a New Skill 
You wanted to play a musical instrument, set up a blog, or learn cooking....just go ahead and do it.  Enough YouTube videos are available to revive your hobby or learn a new skill and utilise your time more fruitfully.  For entrepreneurs, this is the time to look for more opportunities for your enterprise to grow.

3. Reconnect with a Friend/Colleague/Relative
Haven't we lost touch with the people around us?  Many have not talked to their parents. Though they might be there on social media, remember, there is nothing like getting in touch with them and reconnecting.  You would simply love it. 
For business people, stay in touch with your employees and customers.

5. List Your Gratitude
Before sleeping gets back to your journal and jot down your list of Gratitude.   All the people you talked to, all the loving care that you got from your family, the food that was served to you, the air that you breathed and a whole lot of things you feel you are grateful for.  Thank the Almighty for all those gifts that you received today.

There is much more that every one of us can do.   But in the next 21 days, this is the habit-forming schedule if practised regularly, religiously and with a commitment.  It would turn you into an amazing person.

Transformation is the foundation to growth

As I explore the various professional views on the emerging trends, the key message for the PR practitioners, that has been very aptly provided the thematic treatment in the forthcoming 12^th Global Communication Conclave at Pune in March is “Transform or Perish”

#Transformation is the well-planned strategic action to manage change, and upgrade oneself to meet the changing exigencies in the business environment.

It is time also to have a relook at our own professional standing and practice.  PR being the science and art of managing communication for an individual or organization, the science of communication is an imperative change that needs to be understood and imbibed, and I won’t mind calling the PR practitioners as PR or Communication Scientists.

Looking at the transformation needed in managing communication is to understand some of the emerging trends in the industry, which include :

• Making the best use of Big Data and data analytics.  Research shall continue to be the mainstay for the organizational success. Deploying data analysts would be sine qua non to predict future courses and meet customer needs.
• Artificial intelligence would continue to evolve to assist in analyzing brand conversations;
• Emerging intelligent chatbots may help engage with different stakeholders and even developing creative content under keen supervision of the PR scientists.
• Paid versus earned media continues to baffle many PR practitioners since paid print media is often detested or kept out of media strategies, while huge sums get allocated on ‘influencers’ marketing, which is also in a way is turning out to be a paid online channel.  Need is to analyise the key stakeholders and their media consumption instead of just playing the number game.
• Ethics in communication would help us get back to the basic and build credibility and trust in our professional practice would be the key to strengthening reputation and public image of any organization.
• Fight obsolence in PR education and training would be another key initiative or professional bodies to match the changing industry needs.
• Mandatory membership of professional bodies like PRCI and participation in training and education sessions in order to earn minimum annual credits as a part of Continued Communication Education & Training (CCET) programme, would be another transformation to be brought in so that professional practice is upgraded. 

Express Yourself

Those of you who are in Chandigarh, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Rajasthan, may please send entries to CJ Singh, prci.chandigarh@gmail.com / M:078141 33924

12th Global Communication Conclave in March at Pune

Public Relations Council of India (PRCI) – the premier body of PR, media, advertising, HR, marcom professionals and mass communication students and academicians is organising the 12th Global Communication Conclave at Pune on March 9 & 10, 2018 at the conveniently located venue, All Spice, Shantai Hotel, near Camp.

The theme for the Conclave is: TRANSFORM OR PERISH.

Apart from the rapid developments in technology, life around us too is changing fast – faster than the speed of thought. What we think today may not be relevant tomorrow. Some of these rapid developments would need a total transformation, and not a mere change.

Come, let’s discuss and share our knowledge and experiences which are much richer than text messages or twitter posts.

Come, let’s listen to expert speak and discuss with them our future course.
PRCI will also present its much sought-after signature awards under the Chanakya series and induct achievers into the PR Hall of Fame. And, we will present the popular PRCI collateral awards – a talent recognition for communication professionals.

PRCI: A word about 13-year-young PRCI with Chapters across close to 30 cities and towns: We have a dedicated youth wing called Young Communicators Club (YCC) that galvanizes the mass communication students at various universities and colleges, pan-India. So, the Conclave is also a unique opportunity for communication and marketing students to listen to mentors, global experts and learn from their experiences.

PRCI and YCC periodically hold a series of knowledge forums in association with media organizations like Press Clubs and universities/colleges.

• Daughters’ Day: We celebrate Daughters’ Day on June 1 – the official date of birth of late Indo-US astronaut Kalpana Chawla – to focus attention on girl children’s education. We have adopted few girls through various established NGOs to ensure their uninterrupted education till at least SSC, High School.
• WCC: PRCI has recently promoted a global platform – World Communicators’ Council (WCC) – with Chapters in UAE and Sri Lanka. Soon, WCC will spread its wings to many other countries, including Australia, UK and the US.
• World Communicators’ Day: Realising that we Communication professionals do not have an international day of ours, PRCI initiated World Communicators’ Day to be celebrated on October 28 – the day the world’s first Press Release was shot out by Ivy Lee in the US in 1906. We had a series of events, pan-India, including sessions on the art of press release writing.

Social Communication: In a yet another unique initiative, we launched a Social Communication campaign to deal with issues of concern to the communities around us. Our campaign – Mission Mumbai Local – has been adjudged as the PR Milestone of The Year at America’s PR World Awards. The campaign focused on the plight of suburban train commuters of the island city and the need to improve.

Similarly, we met with great success in our campaign  #IamParsikHill, IamDying as the plundering of the hills on the outskirts of Mumbai has been stopped. The NGT ruled that no quarrying can be done without environment clearances.

The Pune conclave, thus, promises many takeaways, apart from being a good meeting point to share thoughts and ideas to be able to face lurking future challenges.
The 12th Global Communication Conclave schedule is:
Day 1 – March 09. 2018
Day 2 – March 10, 2018
Registrations: 2 PM onward
Conclave Inauguration - 3.00 PM
Business Session-1: 4.00 PM
Tea Break: 5 PM
Chanakya Awards: 5.45 pm onward.
Cocktails and dinner: 7.30 PMonward.

Business Sessions: 10 AM onward
Lunch: 1 PM
YCC Conclave: 2 PM onward
Tea Break 3.30 PM
Collateral Awards: 4 PM to 5.30 PM
Curtains down: 5.30 PM

PRCI has worked out the following early bird delegate fee structure which, we are sure, you will appreciate and quickly send in your confirmation of participation, along with the attached Registration Form.
Delegate Fee PRCI Member Rs. 3,500

Non-Member Professional Rs 4,500

Student delegate Rs 1,000

International Delegate US$100

 

This fee covers Entry to Conclave on both the days, One lunch, One gala cocktail-dinner, two High Teas
The offer closes on February 15, 2018.
On the spot registration, subject to availability of seats, Rs 5,000 per PRCI member delegate, Rs 6,000 for non-member and $150 for International delegates.

You will be happy to know that PRCI has negotiated a good deal with Shantai Hotel for room tariff:
 
Room type
Standard A/C
Single Occupancy   Double Occupancy   
Rs 2,500                   Rs 2,800
Deluxe
Rs 3,000                  Rs 3,300
Taxes extra

Please do not forget to quote PRCI Conclave Tariff while booking.
The payment will have to be made DIRECTLY to the hotel as per their terms and conditions.
PRCI will not be responsible further.
The rooms come with complimentary lavish breakfast and Wifi connectivity.
Shantai Hotel is just 1.5 KM from Pune Railway station and 12 KM from Pune International airport.

For room reservations, please fill in the orm and send it to the Hotel, marking CC to PRCI as mentioned in the form.  Limited seats and limited accommodation!. Please, therefore, rush in your confirmation by return mail to allow the Conclave Secretariat to plan logistics.  

Looking forward to meeting you at the 12th Global Communication Conclave, Pune, on at 2 PM on March 9, 2018.

Dictionary of Mass Communication, Public Relations, Journalism & Media Studies

 23rd book “Dictionary of Mass Communication, Public Relations, Journalism and Media Studies” has been compiled by Dr. CVN Reddi of Hyderabad, and has been published by Professional Books Publisher, Hyderabad. 

The book has been described as “The first ever Dictionary in India with Four disciplines.” Dr B.P Sanjay, Professor of Communication and Pro - Vice Chancellor University of Hyderabad, who wrote the foreword, said “A Dictionary compiled with complete understanding of the terms and concepts will be a useful tool to teachers, students and practitioners.” 

Dr Doug Newsom Professor Emerita Texas Christian University, USA commented that “The Global Practice of Public Relations is facilitated by this dictionary to help all of us write and interpret messages with better understanding.”


A unique selling proposition of this book is its nine appendices, each dealing with an important area of Mass Communication including PR 2.0 new model. 

The cost of the dictionary is Rs 290/- only. Orders can be placed with Professional Books Publisher, 3-5-315, Street No 7, Vittalwadi, Narayanguda, Hyderabad – 500029. Mobile – 9848130433, 9642665303. Email – professionalbphyd@gmail.com

Published by PHI Learning Pvt Ltd, New Delhi has gone into 2nd edition, third printing.

Chapter's activities on PR Rapport of PRCI

World Communication Day observed at Chandigarh

The School of Communication Studies at Punjab University, along with Chandigarh Chapter of Public Relations Council of India (PRCI) observed the World Communicators Day by organising a workshop on The Art of Press Release Writing October 30, 2017.

PRCI observes October 28 as the World Communicators Day since it was on this day in 1906 that the first formal press release was issued by a Public Relations practitioner Ivy Lee in USA following a train accident. It also marked the beginning of formal PR and the birth of Crisis Communications.

Dr. Archana R. Singh, chairperson of School of Communication Studies, said that such

workshops and interactive session give a practical exposure to students and help

them when they step out to work for the industry.

National Executive Committee Member of PRCI and a PR consultant C.J. Singh, conducted the workshop citing various examples for pitching the press releases for various media. He informed about various elements required for writing a press release. He informed that the release needs to be projected in inverted pyramid style. He talked about the importance of ethics and credibility for professionals.

Earlier Ms. Renuka B. Salwan, Director Public Relations, PU and PRCI National Vice

President – North, pointed out that Council is a premier non-political organisation of professionals in the field of Public Relations, Communication, advertising and many other allied services. It has been actively perusing the spread and popularity of communication and Public Relation in India with 30 chapters pan-India.

She said that press release is an important source of information for the media that helps them reach out to their readers with news where their teams cannot reach. She gave tips for building stories into news by finding a right slot in media. She urged them to blend action with issue while writing the press release.

Over 30 students along with faculty members participated in the workshop on press release writing.  The students were given certificates of participation.