President's Message

After a pretty soggy Stampede, summer has finally arrived in Calgary! And while the days of the ‘summer shutdown” seem to be long behind us,  I can definitely feel the pace relaxing enough to enjoy the warm evenings, a lunch-time walk here and there and the anticipation of vacation later this month.

As we’re relaxing and recharging over the summer, many of our CPRS colleagues are hitting the books to prepare for upcoming APR and PRK exams. 24 candidates will write the APR exams on October 21, 2016 and registration continues for the next round of PRK exams scheduled for September 17 (English) and November 5 (French). 

I have to admit I’m a fall person. I love the weather and the back-to-school vibe. That’s probably because being married to a teacher means I am perpetually tied to that September to June schedule. For me, September is a time for new resolutions and goals especially when it comes to professional development.

So how will you move your career to the next level this year? Is this the year you take the APR-plunge? Are you just starting the maintenance program to maintain that hard-earned designation? Will you attend a CPRS PD session, watch a webinar or get involved with a mentorship program in your area? Regardless of where you are in your public relations career, CPRS has opportunities for you to develop your skills and connect with your colleagues.

Here are four ways you can build your career this fall:

1.     Our webinar series, which didn’t skip a beat this summer, featured Hugh MacPhie on the Power of Magnetism last month. Don’t see anything in the upcoming line-up for you? Check out our archived webinars which feature more than 100 past presentations.

2.     Many CPRS local societies are kicking off the fall season with networking and PD events! Check out the Communiqué for details on events in your area.

3.     PRK, APR, FCPRS, what are you waiting for? Whether you’re just kicking off your career, looking for a world-class professional designation or want to demonstrate you are a leader in the field, CPRS has options for you to showcase your expertise with the PRK exam, Accreditation in Public Relations or admission into the CPRS College of Fellows (don’t forget the September 16 deadline). Join hundreds of your colleagues recognized for excellence in our profession.

4.     Online Resources – we are so lucky to have such great access to articles and information to help improve our understanding and practice of public relations. Check out the first submission in the College of Fellows Essay Series on Journalism and Public Relations or get some great discounts on PR publications here. 

And me? Well I’ll surely be watching a webinar or two and reading the new College of Fellows Essay but I’m also looking forward to getting out to some exciting CPRS events across the country and making sure I log my activity into the maintenance program to keep my APR current. I’m learning a lot, getting great advice and feedback from CPRS colleagues and I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue my professional development. It’s just another reason to be #CPRSProud.

Enjoy the summer and stay safe.

July 13, 2016

R-A-C-E out of the Spin

It happens all the time. You’re invited to a meeting on a project that is already completely baked, flaws and all, to ‘polish it up’ or ‘put a positive spin on it’. And, oh yeah, it’s got to go out tomorrow.

So you hold back the sighs and the eye-rolling, try again to explain how much better it would be if you were involved earlier and then try to do what you can with what you’ve got. And while your work is probably excellent, you leave thinking it wasn’t quite as good as it could have been.

Monday morning comes and the cycle starts again.

So, how do you break it? How do you get busy leaders to pay attention? How do you get to the table and once at the table, how do you help your organization help itself?

Well, for me, it begins with R-A-C-E. Over the past few years our team at the Alberta Energy Regulator has been working hard to reach out to senior leaders, engineers, geologists, project managers (basically anyone who will let us come to their meetings with donuts) and talk about what happens before the tactics are executed. We share opinion research (ours and what is available publicly), talk about the concerns and expectations of our audiences, and we share examples of how effective and strategic public relations actually supports their goals and those of the organization.

We talk about the R-A-C-E formula, and share information about the role of public relations in bringing organizations together with their audiences, supporting two-way communication and, as we learned at the World Public Relations Forum, helping people move from ‘talking’ to listening and collaboration. We point to the growing number of successful PRK and APR candidates in our organization and include the CPRS Code of Professional Standards, in our corporate communications strategy, and we share our expertise through training in media relations, plain language, opinion research, effective presentations and communications planning and of course, measuring our results.

The best part is we have so much access to resources and professional development as members of CPRS. The chance to learn from colleagues across the country through the webinar series, local and national events helps us take best practices and apply them in our own organization.  We’re planning some amazing programming for this year and beyond, so stay tuned for the first of many announcements in the coming weeks. 

It takes time, requires dozens of meetings and presentations, and a donut budget. But the benefits for us as practitioners – and as a public relations team – have been huge. We’re being engaged earlier in the process, contributing to strategy and we’re asked about issues and concerns in the development stage. More important, is the growing sense that public relations is a partner in the organization’s work, a substantive contributor to programs and projects, rather than a begrudged last step in the process.

Whether you are part of a larger communications team or a lone voice in your organization, there is always an opportunity to demonstrate your expertise and share what you bring to the table. In an era of shrinking budgets, increased integration in communications functions, and a push to demonstrate ROI, PR for PR shouldn’t be ignored. In fact, it’s all part of being #CPRSproud.