Some of the world’s leading PR thinkers will have their perspectives featured in an upcoming free report – Public relations 2011: issues, insights and ideas – available to email subscribers of Public relations and managing reputation. Notions discussed include the need for PR pros to adopt internal journalist and SEO expert roles, what to look for in an organisational crisis comms spokesperson, addressing the WIIFM (what’s in it for me) factor in social media plans, the importance of storytelling in teaching and how face-to-face communication trumps all comers.

The often edgy and opinionated perspectives and insights of some of the world’s leading public relations experts and PR bloggers will soon be available on a 2011 Public relations and managing reputation free report. The impact on issues management of social media, the building blocks of PR strategy (it’s not rocket science), why the teaching of theory in PR uni courses is essential and our industry’s dangerous, and often misguided, emphasis on Facebook are amongst the featured topics. The report’s discussions baulk at mouthing status quo platitudes. The accepted is rejected. Plain sailing is spurned for the allure of stormy waters, where the risk is greater but the excitement heightened.

Contrary to its positioning amongst the professional communication and broader business environments, issues management is not always inextricably integrated into crisis communication. In fact, its strongest characteristic is strengthening an organisation’s reputation so it is less likely to be negatively impacted on by a crisis.
Issues management is, therefore, both an inherent component of all effective [...]

As organisations take a new approach to deciding when to launch a product recall, public relations professionals need to reassess how they are communicated. And how to avoid meaningless phrases like ‘abundance of caution which hinder organisations from communicating clearly, and effectively positioning themselves, with their stakeholders. Two recent American recalls suggest companies are raising the bar (or perhaps that should be lowering the bar) when brand protection seems to outweigh the possibility of harm to the public.

Reputation Renegades is a free e-Book. It addresses many issues, but chief amongst them is the fallacy that corporations have control of their reputation. This reality has been emphasised in recent times by the influence of web-based communities. The e-Book espouses internal lobbying to change the recalcitrants’ perspectives, humanise this communication and tackle the issue of trust.

The most common thought that is contained within crisis management literature is that somehow a crisis is just an external event that can be managed with the right level of resources and preparation. Paul Ritchie, author of Stay On Message, says this is incomplete and it misses the most dangerous variable in any crisis and that is the way a spin doctor actually responds to the issue.

Round tables help public relations professionals achieve positive media coverage, enhance relationships with important organisational stakeholders and strengthen organisational positioning. The white paper, produced from a round table, resources issues-driven media campaigns (of which opinion pieces are likely to play a leading role), direct mail and online communication campaigns.

Along with eye-rolling, can-you-believe-it dumb marketing and/or PR moments in 2009 (think loser marketers, the GFC and social media) there have, thankfully, been plenty of inspirational examples of best practice professional communication too. Most importantly, what have we learnt during the year and how will it make us better communicators?

Strategically, social media offers immense utility for public relations professionals when it comes to crisis management but, conversely, it also opens up organisations to immense risk.

Fires and flu: what a year. Worst of all for those suffering from the cataclysms. But a real challenge for public relations professionals working hard to inform and help the community. This post features insights shared by two of Australia’s preeminent public relations practitioners at Frocomm’s Crisis Communication & Social Media Summit 2009.