NEW PERSPECTIVES

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Student Steering Committee Profile: Tysha Campbell
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Meet your 2014/2015 Student Steering Committee!

Over the next few months, we will be posting profiles of CPRS Toronto’s 2014/2015 Student Steering Committee Student Representatives. Stay tuned for more!

Tysha

Tysha Campbell, Student Rep
Humber College, Public Relations Postgraduate Certificate

Starting my journey at Centennial College and being a part of the Bachelor of Public Relations Management program has taught me a lot. Being able to also be a part of the CPRS Student Steering Committee has been the cherry on top. I was very excited when I received the conformation because I realized how amazing this year was going to be. I cannot wait to make more memories and see what other opportunities this year has to offer.

Where are you from?
When I was younger I moved around a lot but always manager to stay within the GTA. My family and I have finally settled down however, and I am currently living in Oshawa.

What are you most excited for this year?
This being my first year in my program I can’t wait to actually see first hand what Public Relations means to Toronto. I was most excited for out Passport to PR event. I could not wait to get a first hands look at various PR companies and agencies that were located in Toronto. I wanted to see the creative side of the profession while meeting a lot of amazing individuals that could hopefully share their stories and inspiration with me. Overall, I’m really excited for everything that this year has to offer.

What is your dream job?
My overall end goal is to eventually run my own business. I want to be my own boss and make decisions based on my likings with shared views from people who also want to positively contribute to the PR industry.

What do you do outside of school?
I am currently apart of project fusion which involves groups of students from various programs collaborating ideas on how to enhance our community.

Tell us something random about yourself
My dad is the type of man who will drive absolutely anywhere if possible, so during our road trip to Guatemala, our car ran out of gas in Mexico. We were stopped at a bottom of a hill and there wasn’t anything surrounding us expect a lot of tall trees. I thought we were going to stranded there for a while, because the odds really did look like they were against us, that was until a man emerged out of the trees.

Despite being in a completely different country with a language barrier, and not knowing the man or the fact that we didn’t actually know where he came from, he actually ended up being a sweetheart. He pushed our car all the way up the hill by himself so we were able to get to the nearest gas station to pump some gas.

Find Tysha on:

Twitter: @teeec_xo
LinkedIn

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Event post: Building Media Relationships
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Authors: Molly Campbell and Natalie D.

On Thursday, Feb. 12 CPRS Toronto’s Student Steering Committee (SSC) welcomed students to the fourth-annual Building Media Relationships event at the Pilot Tavern. A panel of journalists and PR professionals shared insights with attendees. The panel consisted of Jessica Gold, Shaw Media; Robin Smith, H+K Strategies; Heather MacGregor, LCBO; James Bradshaw, The Globe and Mail; Carolyn Jarvis, Global News; Josh Rubin, Toronto Star and Justine Lewkowicz, Newstalk 1010. CNW Group‘s Nadine Tousignant moderated the animated discussion.

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The biggest takeaway? “Just be a decent human being,” said Josh Rubin, followed with a laugh from the crowd. Rubin also outlined having a sense of humour, being respectful and valuing the other journalist’s time as being important, which received agreeing nods from the other panelists.

Media relations is taught in PR students’ coursework, but stepping out of the classroom safety net and doing the real thing is daunting. This event gave aspiring students the opportunity to find out what exactly makes news and how to navigate the media landscape.

When asked how newly graduated PR practitioners can avoid “annoying” journalists, every panelist quickly said they didn’t care about experience or age. What matters to them is the story, considering the audience, pitching an interesting angle, timeliness and relevance. The next most important thing is a practitioner’s attitude; being positive, respectful and doing research goes a long way.

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Here are some key tips from the pros:

1. Ask the right questions – Begin media relations campaigns by asking your client about the results they want, said Robin Smith.

2. No matter what realm you work in, always follow the news – Heather MacGregor suggests setting up Google Alerts and monitoring Cision.

3. Don’t burn bridges – “You’re only as good as the relationships you’ve built, as well as your last job,” said Jessica Gold. Be willing to apologize for mistakes.

4. Don’t be annoying – Justine Lewkowicz warned sending too many emails can put you in a journalist’s bad books.

5. Know your medium – Know “who you’re pitching and why you’re pitching,” said Carolyn Jarvis. For TV interviews, choose someone who reads well on TV. For radio interviews, choose someone with an enticing voice. For print stories, get the point and avoid overusing adjectives.

6. Be open to collaboration – Getting caught up trying to control every element of a story can “turn a collaboration into an adversarial relationship” said James Bradshaw. Let the journalist develop the story. Sometimes the end result may not be exactly what you had in mind, but often through collaboration an even better story can be told.

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Molly outlines some other Dos and Don’ts from the event:

Do make it personal. You stand out from the crowd when a journalists trusts you.

Do meet with journalists outside deadlines to build trust over time.

Don’t use social media as a public forum to criticize journalists.

Don’t take it personally when a reporter doesn’t respond immediately. Media deadlines can vary from every hour to every 30 minutes.

Don’t be a jerk.

Do have phone etiquette. When calling, always ask, “are you busy right now?”

 

Natalie is a graduate from Seneca College’s Corporate Communications program.

Molly is a student representative on CPRS Toronto’s SSC.

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Student Steering Committee Profile: Katryna Fernandes
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Meet your 2014/2015 Student Steering Committee!

Over the next few months, we will be posting profiles of CPRS Toronto’s 2014/2015 Student Steering Committee Student Representatives. Stay tuned for more!

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Katryna Fernandes, Student Rep
Centennial College, Corporate Communications & PR Post-Graduate Certificate

Hello! I am Katryna, but I often go by Katie. I did my undergrad at Wilfrid Laurier University and I am currently a Centennial College post-graduate student. I loved planning events at Laurier so I am really excited to be on this committee to help plan events for the CPRS Toronto students!

Where are you from?
I grew up in Ajax, ON and then moved to Waterloo for four years for university. It’s good to be back home in Ajax now, but Waterloo will always have a special place in my heart!

What are you most excited for this year?
So far, one of the best aspects about being on this committee is attending events and getting to meet other PR students from the GTA. It’s really interesting chatting with others who are partaking in similar programs, and hearing about their ambitions within the industry. I love meeting new people, so that is what I am most excited for this year!

Have you interned anywhere?
Sadly, I have not yet had the opportunity to intern in the PR industry, although I am looking forward to doing so at the end of this school year. However during my undergrad, I interned for four months in the live music industry at a booking agency called The Agency Group. It was a blast!

What is your dream job?
I would love to find a job working in the entertainment industry. Music has always been a big part of my life and it is a big interest of mine. One day, I hope to involve my passion for music as I move forward in my career.

What do you do outside of school?
I love to sing and play guitar. Performing and jamming with other musicians is my favourite activity! I am also a huge advocate for live music, and I love nothing more than being in the audience when a good band is performing!

Tell us something random about yourself
I have never seen Star Wars, and I couldn’t get through Lord of the Rings. I hope we can still be friends.

Find me on:

Twitter: @_katiefernandes
LinkedIn

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Student Steering Committee Profile: Shamique Bowes
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Meet your 2014/2015 Student Steering Committee!

Over the next few months, we will be posting profiles of CPRS Toronto’s 2014/2015 Student Steering Committee Student Representatives. Stay tuned for more!

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Shamique Bowes, Student Rep
Humber College, Bachelor of Public Relations Program

Deciding to pursue my bachelor degree in public relations has not been easy, as I once took a safe path, in pursuing my diploma in business management. Even though the transition was hard, I have no regrets in following a passion that has brought nothing but a bright future and opportunities n my life.

Where are you from?

I was born in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica and immigrated to Canada in 1992.

What are you most excited for this year?

I simply cannot wait to start participating in upcoming CPRS and CPRS student committee events, such as Passport to PR. This year I hope to sharpen and apply my skills to other organizations such as Speakers Academy; travelling amongst at-risk schools within the GTA and conducting workshops.

Have you interned anywhere?

I have not yet interned anywhere. However I have a vast array of volunteer experience. My most recent and unforgettable experience was volunteering for the NKPR IT Lounge. In the past I had the privilege of volunteering within the marketing communications Sector for the CPRS Ace Awards. Also, being a strong activist for women’s rights I volunteered for IWAA (International Women Achiever Awards), as media relations assistant.

What is your dream job?

With a variety of interests and passion for agency life, I hope to work for an esteemed agency such as NKPR. NKPR continues to be an agency that excels at its craft and delivers perfection.

As motivational speaker Zig Ziglar says, “If you can dream it then you can achieve it.” Even though in awe with this Toronto-based agency, my ultimate goal would be establish my own PR firm.

What do you do outside of school?

When not attending school, working or volunteering, I try to stay active within the theatre community. Besides attending plays, I take classes at Soul Pepper theatre and improvisation classes at the Freedom School of Arts. Being a big yoga buff, you can catch me at Goodlife Fitness attempting the downward dog.

Find Shamique on:

Twitter:@Shambowes
LinkedIn

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Visual Communications and Web 2.0
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Author: Brennan Sarich

One of the things I find most distressing as a communicator is a poorly designed website. Jumbled information, jarring colour scheme, and it looks like the brainchild of a three year old with too many fingerpaints. While it can be fun to make your website look like Geocities from the 90s, it’s a problem that has plagued us since before animated dancing babies and bleeding roses. Good communicators should pay attention to web standards, and one of the biggest developments in online visuals was the idea of Web 2.0.

 

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What is web 2.0?

The concept Web 2.0 was developed around 2000, when web technology was really taking off. Social media was starting to become integrated in both business and personal life. Mobile phones and devices were becoming ‘smart’ also affected how communicators and developers thought about the web. People started asking ‘what is a good online experience, and how can we visualize that?’

Some highlights of good Web 2.0 design:

* The website is interactive and promotes social activity

* It sports colours and fonts that promote readability and usability

* Rich experiences of the website, regardless of whether using a mobile or desktop device. (ie. The mobile version of the site is not the ‘bad’ version of the website.)

A good example of popular website that employs web 2.0 is IMDB:

 

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Trailers are large, with giant play buttons. Photos of celebrities are clear and headings are well organized. Sidebars display information relevant to users in bold text because a site about movies should be able to tell me which movies I should see. There is appropriate white space, making it easier to read text that it’s displayed on the page. And, of course, there’s a giant search bar at the top of the page, to help users find what they’re looking for.

Large websites like IMDB have spent a long time learning how to speak to their users, but that doesn’t mean that communicators can’t apply the same principles when building or redesigning a website.

Why do we want to use Web 2.0?

Coworkers and leadership may ask why you should focus on redesigning a website, especially if you have an existing website that currently is online. Here is a checklist to measure your site against:

* Does this website meet our brand standards? Does it speak to the target audience it was built for?

* Are we maximizing social media and online sharing opportunities for our brand?

* It is easy to use? Is information placed visually where users expect it to find it?

* Are there too many animations or graphical elements? Is there a way to create simpler, cleaner look? (If your site has animated pop-ups, it might be time to evaluate your priorities)

Web 2.0 is a big concept idea of how to visualize content. But the general principles of big visuals, a clean style, and a site that functions properly for your users should be your first priority as a communicator.

 

 

Brennan is currently teaching Visual Communications at Centennial College.

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ACE Award Lessons From Blair Peberdy
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This blog post was written by Charzie Abendanio, a third-year student at the Humber College bachelor of public relations program and Vice President of CPRS Toronto’s Student Steering Committee. 

 

Blair Peberdy

Blair Peberdy

As a judge for the ACE Awards and an award recipient during his time at Toronto Hydro, Blair Peberdy has a lot of valuable insight to applicants in this year’s 2015 ACE Award submissions. In the six times Blair has judged for ACE, he has seen the best that Toronto has to offer. Now with Weber Shandwick, Peberdy took time to shed some light on what judges will be looking for this year.

 

“The ACE Awards are a chance for organizations and companies to gauge how well they are doing compared to their peers,” said Blair. “Even if you don’t win, you gain creative inspiration from all the first-class submissions and winners.”

 

For Blair, the quality of submissions has continued to improve over the years. With new mediums changing how public relations professionals deliver their message, the award show is seeing more “cool and creative campaigns”. While judging, Blair enjoyed campaigns that involved classic corporate communication theory and practice. He recalls last year’s best PR campaign winner, Edelman Toronto, who stole the show with their integrated community relations campaign for client Ontario Graphite.


 

“A campaign like this one drew upon grassroots community around stakeholder issues and issues management,” said Blair, “and their use of new resources led to new and exciting marketing communication.”

 

Blair extolled the critical importance of clearly defined, measureable goals. When arranged logically and the thoughtfully aligned, the more successful the campaign will be. “Tie your measurements to your original objectives while explicitly identifying the measurements that determine the campaign’s success.”

 

A campaign must have all the major components: goals, objectives, strategies, tactics and measurements. “This disciplined PR management approach follows the criteria provided by the ACE Awards,” said Blair. “It goes a long way when a coherent entry allows judges to grasp the full breadth of a campaign.”

 

At the end of our time together, Blair was asked what exactly makes a great submission.

 

“Creativity is important but a great submission should also be organized around entry criteria, error-free, use good graphics, be professionally presented and must be easily navigated by the judges.” A campaign doesn’t necessarily need a large budget but combining the basics, as well as a creative aspect and being well-organized allows the judges to see the big picture.

 

“The ACE Awards showcases top talent in Canada,” said Blair. “It gives our industry the chance to learn from one another and recognize great work. We need to step back, congratulate each other and celebrate our accomplishments together.”

 

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Phil Soper of Royal LePage Real Estate Received the 2014 CEO Award of Excellence in Public Relations
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Phil Soper, President and CEO, Royal LePage Real Estate Services, with his family at the Toronto CEO Award of Excellence in Public Relations on Wednesday, January 28, 2015. The Canadian Press Images PHOTO/CPRS Toronto

Phil Soper, President and CEO, Royal LePage Real Estate Services, with his family at the Toronto CEO Award of Excellence in Public Relations on Wednesday, January 28, 2015. The Canadian Press Images PHOTO/CPRS Toronto

The 22nd CPRS Toronto CEO Award of Excellence in Public Relations luncheon was a wonderful success! Fellow practitioners gathered together to celebrate the public relations industry, strengthen professional and personal relationships, and to reinvigorate passion for effective communications.

The honouree, Phil Soper, presented an excellent speech, which highlighted his natural communication skills and thanked everyone who has helped him achieve the CEO Award of Excellence in Public Relations. He thanked his family first and foremost for being a supportive presence throughout his road to success. He also informed the audience of his family history, which has played a significant role in his goal setting and achievements.

Phil said, “writing skills are an integral part of CEO excellence,” and his family has a history of great writing.
It could be said that Phil was destined to be a great leader. With the help of Kaiser-Lachance Communications Inc., he has used effective communications to lead a business strategy and achieve business success.

Included in his speech was a summary of some fundamental public relations principles. It was encouraging to hear the President and Chief Executive Officer of Royal LePage spell out the importance of public relations to achieve effective communications. Kaiser-Lachance Communications has helped Royal LePage with strategic positioning, thought leadership, media relations, and much more. Public relations is a game changer for business strategies when it is applied effectively.

The CPRS Toronto CEO Award luncheon is a tradition that not only recognizes the honoured CEO, but also provides an opportunity to celebrate the work public relations professionals do and the counsel they provide to leaders of all types of organizations. A strong partnership with public relations professionals makes communications a strong foundation for business strategies.

Congratulations again to Phil Soper, President and CEO of Royal LePage, for being the 2014 winner of the CEO Award of Excellence in Public Relations.

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Phil Soper of Royal LePage Real Estate Receives the 2014 CEO Award of Excellence in Public Relations
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Maryjane Martin, APR, President of CPRS Toronto (left), presents the Toronto CEO Award of Excellence in Public Relations to Phil Soper, President and Chief Executive Officer, Royal LePage Real Estate Services, Wednesday, January 28, 2015, in Toronto. The award was created in 1991 to celebrate the Chief Executive Officer in the Greater Toronto area who best demonstrates personal excellence in the understanding and implementation of public relations practices. The Canadian Press Images PHOTO/CPRS Toronto

Maryjane Martin, APR, President of CPRS Toronto (left), presents the Toronto CEO Award of Excellence in Public Relations to Phil Soper, President and Chief Executive Officer, Royal LePage Real Estate Services, Wednesday, January 28, 2015, in Toronto. The award was created in 1991 to celebrate the Chief Executive Officer in the Greater Toronto area who best demonstrates personal excellence in the understanding and implementation of public relations practices. The Canadian Press Images PHOTO/CPRS Toronto

(Toronto, Ont., January 28, 2015) – Phil Soper, President and CEO, Royal LePage Real Estate Services is the recipient of the 2014 Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) Toronto CEO Award of Excellence in Public Relations. Mr. Soper was honoured with the award at a luncheon on Wednesday January 28, 2015 at the Eaton Chelsea Toronto. This year marks the 22nd occasion of the award ceremony, which recognizes Canadian CEOs and leaders who display communications excellence and contribute to the vision of their organization.

During Mr. Soper’s ten years at the helm of the nation’s largest real estate firm, Royal LePage has earned a commanding lead in traditional and new media share. In 2014, the company generated over 422 million traditional media impressions, more than the next five major real estate firms combined.

As the one hundred year old firm’s spokesperson on national issues,
Mr. Soper offers insight into the country’s residential housing and commercial real estate markets through Canadian and international television, radio and print publications. He was an early adopter in leveraging social networks such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to expand the firm’s reach.

“An engaged, contemporary enterprise cannot survive on a diet of traditional or social media alone,” said Mr. Soper. “The wide acceptance of social networks allows us to engage with, and learn from, our clients and prospects in a back and forth manner that wasn’t contemplated even a few years ago. Yet the massive reach and impact of television, radio and print media continue to serve us well. If an organization understands which channels best suit the communication needs of a given business strategy, they will undoubtedly accomplish more.”

“Effective stakeholder communications remain a hallmark of any successful business,” Soper continued. “The real estate industry is no exception and we have had to evolve quickly to embrace advances in communication technology and consumer preference in an effort to enhance the home buying experience. It is an honour to accept this award recognizing Royal LePage REALTORS’™ success in helping Canadians pursue their home ownership dreams.”

Since assuming the leadership, Soper’s company has tripled in revenue while more than doubling the size of its agent salesforce to 16,000 professionals.   These efforts have been recognized throughout the real estate industry. Real Estate Marketing Magazine recently named him “one of the 25 most important leaders of the past 25 years.” He was featured in a nationally syndicated 2011 feature entitled, “The LinkedIn Diaries” which focused on Mr. Soper’s success as a CEO who utilized social media to effectively engage with a geographically dispersed workforce that numbers in the thousands. And early in 2015, Swanepoel Trends ranked him the most influential person in Canadian real estate and the 18th most powerful globally.

After a successful career with information technology giant IBM, Mr. Soper joined the Royal LePage family in 2000 to lead the Royal LePage Corporate Relocation business. After 18 months he was named the president of Royal LePage Real Estate and in 2002 was appointed CEO.

“This is the first year the award has been given to an individual in the real estate industry,” said CPRS Toronto CEO Award Chair Vincent Power, APR. “CPRS is proud to award Mr. Soper the honour due to his ability to create communication channels available to his employees and clients across Canada, which has contributed to the ongoing success of Royal LePage Real Estate.”

The selection committee for the CPRS Toronto Award is made up of past CPRS Toronto presidents, all of whom are accredited Public Relations professionals.

CEO Award Recipients are:

  • John E. Betts, CEO of McDonald’s Canada® (2014-2015)
  • Sheldon Levy, President and vice chancellor of Ryerson University (2013-2014)
  • Robert S. Bell, CEO of the University Health Network (2011-2012)
  • Jim Leech, CEO of Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (2010-2011)
  • Robert Deluce, President and CEO, Porter Airlines (2009-2010)
  • Galen G. Weston, Executive Chairman, Loblaw Companies Limited (2008-2009)
  • Frances Lankin, President and CEO, United Way of Greater Toronto (2007-2008)
  • The late Richard Bradshaw, General Director, Canadian Opera Company (2006-2007)
  • Michael Budman and Don Green, Co-founders, Roots Canada (2005-2006)
  • Wayne Sales, President and CEO, Canadian Tire (2004-2005)
  • Piers Handling, CEO, Toronto International Film Festival (2003-2004)
  • Julian Fantino, Police Chief, Toronto Police Service (2002-2003)
  • Charles Baillie, Chair, TD Bank Financial Group (2001-2002)
  • Dominic D’Alessandro, President and CEO, Manulife Financial (2000-2001)
  • Bobbie Gaunt, President and CEO, Ford Motor Company of Canada (1999-2000)
  • Diane McGarry, President and CEO, Xerox Canada Inc. (1998-1999)
  • Allan Stark, President and CEO, American Express Company Canada (1997-1998)
  • George Cohon, President and CEO, McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada (1996-1997)
  • John Cassaday, President and CEO, CTV (1995-1996)
  • David Bloom, President and CEO, Shoppers Drug Mart (1992-1993)
  • Peter H. Ellis, President and CEO, Sunnybrook Medical Centre (1991-1992)

The Canadian Public Relations Society is a national professional organization focused on establishing and upholding educational and ethical standards in Public Relations. CPRS Toronto is one of the largest local societies with over 600 members. For more information, please visit: https://www.cprstoronto.com.

Special thanks to our sponsors of the 2014 CEO Award of Excellence in Public Relations.

CONTACT INFORMATION

For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact:

Vincent Power, APR, CPRS Toronto CEO Award Chair
416-941-4422
pastpresident@cprstoronto.com

For Royal LePage:
Ray McIlroy
Kaiser Lachance Communications
O: 647-725-2520 x215
C: 647-680-8316
ray.mcilroy@kaiserlachance.com

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Student Steering Committee Profile: Matthew Palmer
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Meet your 2014/2015 Student Steering Committee!

Over the next few months, we will be posting profiles of CPRS Toronto’s 2014/2015 Student Steering Committee Student Representatives. Stay tuned for more!

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Matthew Palmer, Student Rep
Humber College, Public Relations Diploma

This is my first year being a part of CPRS Toronto’s Student Steering Committee representing Humber College. I am incredibly excited to work with the many driven Public Relations students and professionals that are a part of CPRS.

Where are you from?
I am born and raised in Burlington, Ontario!

What are you most excited for this year?
I am actually really excited about everything to do with CPRS this year. Networking with my peers and professional in the industry is an amazing opportunity that I hope to extend to my classmates as well!

Have you interned anywhere?
I volunteered with the communications and public relations teams with Fan Expo HQ Canada. Learning about what goes on behind the scenes at Toronto Comicon and Fan Expo Toronto was an eye opener and I gained a lot from the experience.

What is your dream job?
I am really into sports, so working for an organization like the MLSE would be a perfect balance between my interest and my job.

What do you do outside of school?
I balance a part time job with school and being a part of the CPRS Student Steering Committee. Outside of that I loving playing pool with my friends.

Tell us something random about yourself
I have a healthy obsession with loose leaf tea, especially from DavidsTea. I have about 30 different kinds of tea at home and try to find interesting flavour combinations with them.

Find Matthew on:

Twitter: @Matt_Palms
LinkedIn

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ACE Awards recognition enhancing the public relations industry
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This blog post was written by Charzie Abendanio, a third-year student at the Humber College bachelor of public relations program and Vice President of CPRS Toronto’s Student Steering Committee. 

 

With the 2015 ACE Awards around the corner, many people are looking back on the past year and evaluating their work. A campaign’s success is measured by its objectives, a client’s overall satisfaction with the execution and how it affects the bottom line. The time that public relations practitioners dedicate to their work and the effort they put in off the clock can be lengthy and demanding. However, the recognition from our peers for creating a program that is truly in line with public sentiment justifies all of that stress and sweat. Awards programs like CPRS Toronto’s ACE Awards complement client satisfaction with acknowledgement from our peers for all of the behind-the-scenes work which doesn’t show on the bottom line.

In many ways, it is imperative to have award programs that recognize excellence in the practice of public relations as a profession.

Advancing the practice of public relations
Professional associations all over the world reward their members and colleagues for their contributions to their field. Why not public relations as well? Public relations professionals who do the same show the public that PR efforts are something to be recognized and awarded. If we as PR practitioners do not show appreciation for our fellow communicators’ work it threatens to stunt the growth and innovation that recognition encourages.  An awards program encourages clients’ trust in us as practitioners and underlines our necessity in a marketplace that is crowded with multidisciplinary approaches to marketing communications.

Measurement and the bottom line
Running parallel to the qualitative evaluation of tactical and strategic knowledge, CPRS Toronto’s ACE Awards place equal value on the quantitative measurement of a campaign. Measurable goals show how well a campaign tracks back to the bottom line. SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely) goals should be incorporated into all campaigns. Without measurement, public relations practitioners cannot show the correlation between their work and bottom line success. To identify PR as a vital component to an organization’s business plan, sometimes you have to get down to the numbers.

Encouraging the next generation
Awareness of the public relations industry has spread and some post-graduate programs receive applications in the thousands. When students have proved that they have the foundation of budding professionalism, they need to be encouraged. Recognition from the professionals that they aspire to be is the motivation that many students need. Acknowledging budding talent justifies the unpaid volunteer work and long class hours that dedicated students commit to in an effort to separate themselves from the pack. An early introduction to the importance of evaluating one’s work is important to foster the growth of the next generation of young professionals.

 

Look back on 2014 and ask yourself what work you are most proud of. Can your work teach someone a new skill or would you like to improve your public relations tool kit? The CPRS Toronto ACE Awards are a vehicle for professional advancement to make you a better practitioner and a more well-rounded professional.

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