Communication does not end with death. My dad – Honorary Capt. BSRV Subba Rao (89) – who died in Hyderabad on September 25, 2017, donated his body to a private medical college through an NGO to serve the purpose of education. His cornea was taken by Vasan Eye Bank. Two persons are expected to get vision.
PS: There was another element of communication in death. In a matter of seconds, Daddy became body. Nobody referred to him as ‘He’. All of sudden, he became it! Such is the truth of life, I guess! For detailed piece, check: http://reputationtoday.in/views/communication-in-death/
Please play this video clip before you start reading this piece!
You may wonder as to why I am posting Beating the Retreat
video clip on a PR e-mag!
As an observer of military band music for decades, from the
days of my Daddy’s army life, I have been observing the perfect way in which
the formations take place and band masters conduct the orchestra.
Today, recalling all this experience I come to conclusion
that Communication is all about perfection. You need to plan your strategies perfectly,
execute them perfectly.
Please take couple of minutes to watch the clip and then
join me in thinking about orchestration.
Pardon me if I started sounding like a preacher?
The idea is not to preach but to join this discussion on the
importance of orchestration which is even more challenging today.
The audiences or target groups are very discerning today
than ever before. Whether you sell real estate ideas or social causes, you are
bound to face stiff competition and even resistance. Your planning becomes so
much more difficult.
Each and every element of your communication has to be
perfect to attain that symphony else you will land up in a cacophony with the
right not knowing what the left is doing!
From media relations to digital media the challenges are many.
With so many veterans with us, I think, PRCI should be able
to play an important, leadership role – like the band master you see in the
video clip - in orchestrating perfect communication.
While we do well in our chosen areas of operation, we must
join ranks and help the profession march ahead without missing a step or a
note.
Let us work towards skill development, passing on the
knowledge to young communicators through our Guest Faculty Pools and broaden
the scope of the Knowledge Forums.
Let us start taking up these projects at all our chapter
levels and three to four months down the line we will see PRCI flag flying in
the horizon of knowledge world.
As our Chairman Emeritus and Chief Mentor Jayaram says always that more and more chapters need
to be created and even more and more chapters need to have activities at the
rate of once in two months, if not once a month.
Like other social clubs, we can plan PRCI activities over
the week-ends by spending an hour together and brainstorming. Let us share
ideas on taking this movement called PRCI ahead. Almost every city has colleges
teaching mass communication. The simplest way to spread the buzz about PRCI is
to tie-up with them for knowledge activities, case study competitions, debates,
communication skills (both spoken and written).
In Mumbai alone, we have over 80 colleges teaching BMM and
we have started initiating activities. Bangalore and Mysore Chapters are also
doing well.
But, Yeh Dil Mangay More.
Let the PRCI symphony spread across all 28 Chapters – we have
Roorky and Jalgaon as the latest entrants to PRCI fold.
Let us start writing ourselves. Let us pen down our thoughts
and post them on PRapport. Let us write in our magazines – CHANAKYA and
Kautilya.
All of us know that content is the king of communication.
Let us enhance our own content and give it to the world.
We owe it to the society in general and GenX in particular.
Give me content and I will give you a magazine to read!
A PR storm is raging over Maggi noodles with media saying
Maggi in thick soup!
We have all handled – and keep handling – crisis in our
companies and with our clients.
In this context, I invite all of you to take part in this
debate: If I were to handle Maggi….
It may sound like an essay competition. But it is not!
Let us discuss the following issues arising out of the
Maggi Soup:
1.What
do you think of the action taken by Nestle?
2.What
would have been your recommendation the day the negative story broke in UP?
3.What
could have been done to prevent spread of negative stories about Maggi in other
centres?
4.Finally,
what the lessons for us Communication professionals from this entire episode?
Kindly rush in your responses so that we can compile all
comments and come out with a PRCI Case Study on the crisis.
Now, getting back to other issues, I am sure all of us
are excited over the prospects of launching PRCI-International. PRCI HQ is
eagerly awaiting confirmations of participation in the delegation to Dubai from
all Chapters.
Please refer to my previous note – Shining Local, Going
Global – for details.
The new academic year for Communication colleges will
soon start. Let us start compiling a list of our Guest Faculty Pool with professionals
who can be nominated on a voluntary basis to impart practical training to
students of BMM and other communication/media/PR students.
Journalism-related
subjects like Editing, Feature writing, Business of Journalism etc
I have been
teaching these subjects at MET College Bandra for last 7 years and at
Welingkar’s WeSchool Matunga since last 1 year
Mumbai
The eligibility for the Guest Faculty pool is minimum 10
years of professional experience and ability to connect with the students.
So, let us be careful while nominating faculty members to
colleges and universities.
It is also our responsibility to check feedback on the
faculty that we nominate for which we need to be in constant touch with the colleges/universities.
We can do wonders, as a team PRCI!
Meanwhile, please keep working on the Daughters’ Day
programme – as detailed in my previous mail – with focus on Sexual Harassment
at Work Place.
Sure, you have all seen the mail sent on May 24, 2015 on
Sexual Harassment – Compliance @ PRCI.
Between us and Ms. Geetha Shankar, the Chairperson of the
Internal Compliance Committee as per THE SEXUAL HARASSMENT OF WOMEN AT
WORKPLACE (PREVENTION, PROHIBITION AND REDRESSAL) ACT, 2013, we shall work out a draft plan for implementing at all Chapters.
The idea is to make sure that our daughters will be able
to work in a congenial atmosphere.
Please do not hesitate to throw questions which we shall
get answered by our honorary consultant – Vishal Kedia – whom many of us have
seen addressing a session at the 9th Global Communication Conclave
at New Delhi.
PL check the video link.
As I key-in this message, the viewership of PRapport –
your favourite emag – has crossed the 4,000 mark. Mr Narendra’s column is a big
hit, recording over 225 page views in just two days.
