What is PR?

What is PR?

PR = Public relations. PR is an interesting field, one of those that the world just cannot seem to get enough of. “What is public relations?”, “what does it do?”, “how does it work”, “why is it needed” and more are just some of the burning questions pertaining to Public Relations, or PR as it is commonly know. The interest surrounding PR stems from the fact that while all of us have a vague idea and generic understanding of what PR is, very few laymen actually understand the full scope of PR.

Public Relations refers to any activity or process undertaken by an individual or an organization to help build, improve and maintain the positive image of an individual, organization or come in front of the publics who are interested. The term “publics”, in PR, refers to the people who are directly or indirectly involved with the person or the organization in some give-and-take process and whose opinion has the power to affect the success and stability of the person or organization. Public Relations, thus, is all about maintaining positive relations with the people who wield influence over deciding the future of the subject of the PR activity.

PR is essential for anybody and everybody who needs to maintain a favorable public persona. Celebrities hire PR specialists all the time to ensure they are represented in a good light in the press. Politicians need PR teams to maintain favor with voters. Governments are the largest clients of PR firms because their very power in a democracy stems from how much they are liked by the people. Businesses can thrive or be ruined on the basis of their PR strategies.

Business leaders are some of the most concerned with Public Relations. When it comes to the success of a business organization, there are many people to be taken into consideration- customers, partner alliances, clients, prospective clients, target market, official groups, the media, government bodies and so on. Gaining an insight into the concerns and desires of each of these groups and being able to meet their expectations, while also keeping a track of how these interest groups view your organization is what PR is all about. And in situations when the opinion of any of these interest groups is not too favorable, PR also concerns itself with repairing the damage.

When it comes to business, PR is the act of spreading any news or publicity, generally through the media, about one’s company, one’s services and products in a positive light, which in turn will enable the business to develop strong bonds with its publics. As is obvious, PR is intrinsically linked with the news and business media, and maintaining good relations with the press is crucial to effective PR strategies.

Given how crucial PR can be to making or breaking a business, most organizations hire teams of PR specialists or have an in-house PR team managing their PR concerns. From keeping strong links with the press to furnishing media publications with positive stories, from seeking free publicity opportunities to managing any image crisis that might arise, a PR team is indispensable for any business.

If you want to learn how to be the envy of others, you’ve got to learn to see yourself in a special light. No, we don’t mean you have to get pigheaded about yourself! You just need to feel good about yourself and focus on the plusses and cancel out the minuses over time. A key to making others envy you is to be confident and self-assured and you can’t be either of those things if you don’t believe in yourself.

List down the talents and strengths you think you have and why you think you’re good at those things. You don’t have to be particular about what you note, it could be an attitudinal strength, a verbal or physical skill, maybe you’re really good at managing people or you might just be unusually intuitive. Recognizing your strengths will help you channel them better and you’ll feel good about yourself.

Set a high standard for yourself. Whether you have a role model you really aspire to be like or you have decided on some ideals you want to achieve or maintain, keeping a high standard will help you stay future-focused and never let you get complacent or lazy. When you are intent on achieving, you will, and this will keep you running ahead in the game- and leave the others biting your dust trail!

Be passionate. Skills can be acquired and honed, knowledge can be collected and wisdom comes with time. However, none of these strengths will ensure success or set you apart from the herd if you don’t have passion in you. Pure, unbridled passion is the key to enjoying your work and life and loving every minute of it. And when you’re that happy, you are bound to glow. And when you glow, you are going to master the art of how to be the envy of other people.

Be confident and poised. Even when you make mistakes, don’t allow them to reduce you to an nervous weakling. People envy those who seem to have everything under their control- even when they don’t.

Company Communication?

What is Company Communication?

Communication, as you have learnt, is the process of exchange of ideas, thoughts, opinions and views. Communication is the interpersonal exchange of intellectual and emotional messages between two or more parties. When it comes to company communication or business communication, this basic understanding of the communication process is not enough. Company communication is a unique field in itself, one that requires in-depth analysis and comprehension if you wish to master it. Company communication can make or break your business, and as a corporate leader it is essential for you to master company communication. As it has been said, “good communication means good business”.

Communication is integral to the stability and success of a business for a simple reason: businesses are made up of people. As individuals, if company employees are not satisfied, they will not be productive and will not yield favorable results. In other words, when it comes to business, dealing with people is the key to success, and communication enables positive interpersonal relations.

Various researches and studies have proven that effective communication skills are one of the essential traits a leader or manager must posses. When it comes to leading people to goals and getting work done, it is impossible to do so well if you are unable to communicate your ideas and thoughts and directions to your team properly. As a leader you will be mostly involved in communicating with employees. This communication is a crucial bridge between the various processes and activities that move the company forward. Company communication, in a nutshell, is the lifeline of the company.

In order to fully appreciate the role of company communication, let us take a look at the need for it:

Writing and speech are two indispensable traits any employee and corporate figure must possess, irrespective of the industry in question. Individuals who are unable to speak and write precisely and in a clear manner are usually not hired, and if they are already employed, chances are they will not go very far in the corporate ladder. Being able to communicate is seen as a must for any industry, as at one point or another, every individual is tasked with some communication-oriented responsibility. It might be as simple as sending a memo to another employee or as significant as leading a team through a corporate crisis.Communicating well is essential.

In company communication, there are some basic elements that enable effective communication. These are:

•    The objective of the communication should be well thought-of and defined so that the message represents it well.
•    The audience of the communication process should be kept in mind while planning it. As the very purpose of the communication is to convey something to the audience, it is the audience’s reaction that you have to keep in mind while planning the communication.
•    Motivation and inspirational communication is a must. Your words should be able to ignite the same passion you feel in others.
•    The medium of communication is central to the entire process. Will you be releasing a print advertisement, a TV message or a radio bulletin? Do you plan to call a conference and speak to people directly or are you holding a seminar or workshops?

Communication Skills

What is Communication Skills

Communication skills are key to achieving any goal or enabling any process. A leader with great ideas and strong skill is of little or no use if he is unable to communicate his thoughts, opinions and plans to the team following him. Vision, command, innovation, bravery and foresight are all indispensable traits of a good leader. However, these strengths are hardly handy if the person isn’t able to get his ideas across to the others clearly, succinctly and passionately enough for them to understand, appreciate and be inspired to complete the task at hand.

Organizational communication skills are one of the most important qualities of a leader. It is essential to be a good a communicator in order to be able to build positive interpersonal relationships, prompt trust and faith amongst one another and create an atmosphere of belongingness and teamwork, which then facilitates a loyalty towards the team and the organization and a willingness to work well.

If one is to spend time turning the pages of history, there is one thing that all noteworthy leaders, from Adolf Hitler to Napoleon Bonaparte have in common. No, we’re not talking about short stature! We’re talking about their unparalleled communication skills. The greatest leaders of all time have not only been able to put their point across, but have done so in a manner than has created a fire in the hearts and souls of the listeners. While we don’t personally ascribe to any one leader’s policies or doctrines, one cannot ignore the fact that men who have the power to sway the hearts and minds of others with mere words, deserve some respect as orators.

Strong communication skills are not only important for the leaders to be able to show their teams how to accomplish the task at hand, but also for them to be able to receive ideas, thoughts, opinions, feedback and more from the followers themselves. A person with great communication skills is well versed in both tongues: that of words and that of silence.

Learning how to be a wonderful communicator is a two-tiered process. One has to know which words to use, when to use them and how to use them in order to make the maximum impact on the minds of the listeners. Even more importantly, one has to learn how to maintain silence and listen, when the party on the other end has something valuable to offer.

A leader is only as strong or as weak as the faith of his people in him. Powerful communication skills enable the leader to establish a rapport with his people and stay connected with their opinions and feelings. A leader who is in touch with all that his followers are thinking and experiencing is more likely to succeed than a leader who marches on to his own tune, nary a care as to what his followers might be trying to tell him.