NEW PERSPECTIVES

  • Lois Marsh
  • No Comments

Immediate opening for Volunteer Chair
150 150 Lois Marsh

One of the CPRS Toronto Board positions, the Volunteer Chair, is currently vacant and the Board is looking for a candidate to immediately fill the position.

CPRS Toronto members interested should contact Lois Marsh at 416-360-1988 or marshl@marsh-executive.com

Participating on the board enables you to enhance your corporate governance skills, contribute to our profession in a meaningful way, and interact with and learn from your industry peers.

All members are invited to apply. Having an APR, more than five years of communications experience or being an active volunteer are assets.

Please reply by August 31.

  • Admin
  • No Comments

Introduction to mobile marketing
150 150 Admin

Members seeking to learn about communication to mobile platforms will want to take part in MarketingProfs’ free webinar, Mobile Customer Path: From Click to Conversion. Sign up today for this free event scheduled for early August.

  • Admin
  • No Comments

Be a better researcher
150 150 Admin

Google is offering a course in online research that will strenthen your research skills.  Build your knowledge while completing a series of lessons and earn a learner certificate. It’s free so why not sign up?

  • Admin
  • No Comments

Chance to win: Call for professional development topic suggestions
150 150 Admin

Attention CPRS Toronto members! We would much appreciate your feedback about topics of interest for professional development this year.

CPRS Toronto is offering members an exclusive chance to win one free pass to the next CPRS Toronto PD event for those who submit their suggestions to the following questions:

1. Which professional development topics are of most interest to you?
2. Do you have any recommendations for esteemed public relations/communications practitioners located in the Toronto-area to lead a PD event this fall?

Please submit your suggestions to Christina Stefanski, CPRS Toronto Professional Development Chair at christina_stefanski@sony.ca by July 31, 2012 to be entered for your chance to win one free pass to the next CPRS Toronto PD event in the fall.

  • Admin
  • No Comments

Adrienne Batra shares four pieces of advice for communicators
150 150 Admin

By Danielle D’Ornellas 

Members can view an archived version of this May 29, 2012 presentation (length 45:30) by Adrienne Batra, Comments Editor, Toronto Sun and former Press Secretary to Toronto Mayor, Rob Ford in the members’ only blog.

On Tuesday, May 29 Adrienne Batra spoke to CPRS Toronto members at the Annual General Meeting, an audience that was as hungry for anecdotes about Mayor Rob Ford as they were for appetizers. Being the natural public-speaker that she is, Batra was more than happy to oblige, but with her varied work experience she also provided the audience (which comprised of students, volunteers and board members alike) with tips that were relevant for communicators at any level.

Batra shared advice in four key areas that resonated with me. She also provided examples of how they were reflected in her career.

 1. Always accept a challenge

People don’t enter public relations because they think it’ll be easy, but Batra’s career was particularly challenging from the start. She joined the Canadian Forces and it was during her six years in the army when she rose to the rank of Lieutenant that she cut her teeth in public affairs. One of the most challenging controversies she had to deal with in that position was speaking on behalf of her squadron during the Somalia Inquiry.

 2. Be ready to move quickly

The 24-hour news cycle waits for no one and sometimes you just have to be the one to bite the bullet and press the issue. When Batra was a member of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, she played a role in the resignation of Winnipeg Mayor Glen Murray. After a media appearance where Murray declared his intention to run for federal office while still retaining his position as mayor, Batra sent out a press release asking for his resignation. She sent it within 30 minutes of his announcement and completely took over the news cycle. Murray resigned his position the same day.

 3. Get in front of the issue

Before she was approached to work for the Rob Ford campaign Batra had recently moved to Toronto and had a new position — stay-at-home mom. Within a week of starting her work with Ford she was already working at full-speed putting out fires. And just what was her strategy for dealing with a client who speaks his mind quite freely? Getting in front of the issue every time. Whenever a story about Rob Ford emerged Batra would take ownership of the story. Her straightforward manner and no-nonsense approach complimented Ford’s spontaneity, which was reflected in the polls.

 4. Know when to move on

Public relations thrives off of new blood. People are constantly switching sectors, changing agencies or striking out on their own. It’s just part of the industry and Batra experienced that itch first-hand. As amusing as she made her time with the mayor out to be, it clearly wasn’t all fun and games; it was a burnout job. She was working for a man who took pride in having a staff half the size of his predecessor, all the while providing them with more work to do. And despite Batra’s best intentions and strategies, she was fighting a daily battle on all sides to represent her client. At some point after being offered a position at the Toronto Sun Batra made the decision to return to a life of reduced notoriety to spend more time with her family and so far hasn’t looked back.

Ultimately, when it came to her time working for Rob Ford Adrienne Batra’s overall strategy was that success in communications comes down to ownership, whether that ownership is over the issue, your client’s reputation or your own career.

 

  • Admin
  • No Comments

Do you ever question the value of your membership?
150 150 Admin

If you’re like most members of voluntary professional associations, you question the value of your membership when you get your annual renewal notice. You also take some measure of value every time you interact with the association.

This is all well and good since the volunteer leaders of CPRS Toronto are accountable to the members for responding to your expressed needs and interests, delivering relevant programs and services, and advancing the profession of public relations.

Another fundamental fact about associations is that members derive more value by getting involved than they do by being passive.

Our member surveys show time and again that individuals who take advantage of networking, professional development programs, awards, accreditation, volunteer opportunities, etc. are much more satisfied with the value of their association than those who do not.

This fact will come as no surprise to public relations practitioners who communicate daily with active and latent publics. This widely-cited article describes the multiple stages of latency, Inactive Publics: The Forgotten Publics in Public Relations, finding among other things that there is a direct correlation between an individual’s perception of an organization’s relevance and their degree of personal involvement.

If you are not involved or you need a reason to re-engage, here are a few ideas to get you started:

New professionals

Intermediate practitioners

Senior practitioners

  • Help us to shore up the public relations brand by bringing slander to our attention – both CPRS Toronto and CPRS National are engaging media and other stakeholders who make inappropriate references to public relations practice.
  • Lead the way by volunteering for local, national or international initiatives.
  • Share your experience and knowledge as a guest lecturer at a public relations degree-granting institution in the GTA.
All members
  • Consume every free professional development program that we offer and attend in person those PD events that are relevant to your practice.
  • Read the annual report to the members and exercise your member vote.
  • Come out to our celebrations. Never miss a free event!

Please also give us feedback. Be specific about what’s working and what’s not. Contact any of your volunteer board members directly or write to our helpful staff.

  • Admin
  • No Comments

2012 AGM highlights & pictures
150 150 Admin

2012-2013 CPRS Toronto Board of Directors [CONTACT INFO]

President – Vincent Power, APR
1st Vice President/Education/Marketing & Promotions – Maryjane Martin, APR
2nd Vice President/ Internet/Member Communications – Diane Bégin, APR
Treasurer – Gerald Crowell
Secretary – Christine Edwardson
Past President/CEO Liaison Committee – Martin Waxman, APR

Natalie Bovair, APR
Kathleen Garrett, APR
AJ Goodman
Amanda Laird
Laurie Smith
Christina Stefanski

Doris Whiteside Award winners for academic excellence

Richia Bissoondath – Centennial College
Morgan Cadenhead – Durham College
Sal Hosny – Seneca College
Matthew Ventura – Humber College

Life members

Life Members are honoured with Life Membership for their contribution both to public relations and the Society and being a member for 30 years.

Lydia Boyko Ph.D., APR
Carol Panasiuk, APR

  • Admin
  • No Comments

Attention all APRs – Invigilator needed
150 150 Admin

Can you spare a few hours on October 19 to support this year’s accreditation candidates?

An invigilator (proctor) is needed for this year’s accreditation exam. We need an accredited practitioner who can be available between 8:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. (approximately) at a college campus in Toronto.

Can you volunteer your morning of October 19 for the 2012 accreditation group? It would be greatly appreciated by the candidates and the committee.

If you are available or would like more information, please contact Kathleen Garrett, Accreditation Chair, at kathleen.m.garrett@gmail.com.

  • Admin
  • No Comments

Toronto Hydro presentation makes sense of community involvement
150 150 Admin

Community members are active participants in Toronto Hydro's Light the Night events.

If you missed the CPRS Toronto professional development (PD) program on May 24, you’ll want to see and hear the presentation by Toronto Hydro Communications & Public Affairs staff Gillian Earle, Advisor, and Karen Evans, Manager, now available to members online. 

You’ll learn how the communications staff at Toronto Hydro engaged community members with their brand and produced meaningful and measured results.

For example, in addition to actively engaging community members with the Toronto Hydro brand at three staged events and earning an impressive 83% MR2P™ score for earned media coverage, Earle shares some astonishing data about the lasting effects of the Light the Night™ program in at-risk neighborhoods. The reduction in assaults and robberies is truly inspiring.

You’ll also hear about the evolution of Toronto Hydro’s community involvement strategy. Evans shares information about the strategic focus of past events and defines the corporation’s current emphasis on community activities that are relevant to the business and key stakeholders.

It’s easy to see why the Toronto Hydro communications team won a CPRS Toronto ACE Award for this program – the case reads like a virtual roadmap for brand- and community-building.

  • Admin
  • No Comments

Academics vs. Practitioners: Can Public Relations truly be in the public interest?
150 150 Admin

By Sana Ansari @sanaansariTo

The PRSA discussion around the definition of public relations has sparked debate well beyond the American borders. In Canada, the definition is unique in its mention of the “public interest,” and it was to this end that a panel of five prominent PR practitioners and academics came together on May 10 to debate the much talked about question: Can public relations truly be in the public interest?

The participants

The debate was moderated by one of the authors of the Canadian definition: Dr. Terry Flynn APR, FCPRS of McMaster University. Industry practitioners included Andrew Berthoff, APR, Senior VP at Environics Communications; and Diane Bégin, APR, Senior Consultant at Thornley Fallis. Among the academics present were Barry Waite, Professor and Program Coordinator, Corporate Communications & Public Relations at The Centre for Creative Communications, Centennial College; and Roger Clowater, Public Relations Professor at Seneca College.

Reclaiming PR

According to Diane Bégin, the definition of public relations needs to be reclaimed. As suggested by Barry Waite, people have been given a negative perception of PR because of political and celebrity scandals, perpetuating a “spin mentality,” and the stereotype that public relations involves just crisis communications or media relations. To change this requires extensive education not only for practitioners within the field but also the public so they can call out unethical practice through the adequate channels. The ecology of education in Toronto needs to develop as it has in other parts of Canada to create more awareness about what the PR industry really encompasses.

PR as a corporate tool

Dr. Terry Flynn posed the question: Is serving in the public interest an ethical obligation (for an organization) or is it because it makes good business sense? According to Roger Clowater, an organization that maintains transparency and an open dialogue would reduce the chances of a crisis arising, and therefore make good business sense. A responsible PR professional will always advise executive management to be socially responsible and transparent, especially about issues that are in the public interest. Andrew Berthoff quoted Mark Twain saying “When in doubt tell the truth.”

Effective public relations start with good employee relations

When all employees are on board with the organization’s goals and standards, they are more likely to provide customers with a level of service in line with the organization’s mission statement. It is the role of the communicator to organize how a message is to be communicated, and cite mutual interests between an organization and its various stakeholders – all while maintaining transparency and an open dialogue.

Social media as a double-edged sword

With the rise of social media it has become easier than ever for the PR professional to establish an ongoing dialogue and keep management informed about issues that are of interest to the public and the organization itself. However, with the emergence of two-way communications, it has become challenging for an organization to control its message.  If a good PR strategy is in place, the feedback from various platforms can be used by the organization to better serve its stakeholders and customers.

Conclusion: Licensing is key

The panel agreed that the role of public relations professionals as a collective is to maintain an ethical sensitivity in all their dealings, and strive to implement a code of ethics in order to best serve the public interest.  Dr. Flynn quoted Dr. Edward Bernays, who is also known as the father of public relations saying: “the only way this profession is going to serve the public interest is if it is a licensed profession.” Andrew Berthoff further suggested that “accreditation and licensing need to go hand in hand.” According to Diane Bégin the role of PR professionals is, “…to set the bar high and to become the role models.” Licensing the profession would help create more awareness about and adherence to ethics and standards in the public relations industry.

Stay tuned!

The debate has set the ball rolling for further discussions about Public Relations education, ethics and standards. Stay tuned for upcoming events from the CPRS Marketing, Communications and Education Committee!

Twitter: @CPRSToronto #EDtalks

Sana Ansari is a member of the CPRS Toronto Marketing, Communications and Education Committee and an Intern at Smitten Creative Boutique.

Start Typing