Split across two days and jam-packed with over 20 live sessions, the PRCA Virtual International Summit will connect you with industry pioneers from Delhi to New York. You’ll hear from the brightest communications minds around the world on the challenges and opportunities that lie in wait for the industry as the world comes to terms with the seismic impact of the COVID-19 tragedy.
As we draw closer to PRCA’s inaugural Virtual International Summit, we're publishing a Q&A Series with the key-note speakers at our inaugural Summit. We sat down with Stephen Welch CMPRCA, to discuss his fascinating upcoming keynote address on a new model of influencing styles, the importance of an immersive experience, COVID-19 life, and much more.
Q. What will you be discussing at the PRCA Virtual International Summit?
A. I’m going to be sharing a new model of influencing styles. In these #testingtimes, being able to influence and shape opinion is more important than ever. Influencing styles are a lot like different languages. We all have some that we can speak better than others, and even if a certain style or language is not your preferred way of communicating, we need to recognise when it’s right to try a different approach.
Q. What inspired the topic of your keynote address?
A. There are plenty of different models of influencing styles, and you can go on various courses. At Archetypical, we recently realised that many of these were easily forgotten. Many people have a hard time remembering their own preferred style, let alone all the others in the model. How can they flex their style when they don’t even know other styles exist? It is like the Ancient Greeks who called all foreigners “barbarians” because – to Greek ears – their language sound like the baa-baahing of sheep. They didn’t even recognise the possibility of it being a different language. We wanted to create a simple model that people could easily remember. Hence the RECIPE concept. Come and join my session to find out why it is so practical.
Q. Is there another area of public relations that’s really striking your interest of late?
A. I’m fascinated by the concepts of simulations and immersive experiences. Last year I was invited to speak at the Royal Society of Arts on this topic. If simulations and immersive experiences are good enough for pilots (flight sim), doctors (practice on cadavers), and lawyers (moot court), why not PR professionals. And not just crisis or media handling. Why not other areas as well?
Q. What do you think of the virtual event experience? Have you spoken at a virtual event or tuned into one recently?
A. By necessity, virtual events are getting better. But I still think the challenge is to replicate the spontaneous and random conversations that you get a real conference. Standing beside someone in the line for coffee … going up to a stranger in the drinks break … having a chat with the person sitting next to you in the plenary hall. It is often on those serendipitous moments that create connections are made.
Q. How has the COVID-19 crisis affected you and your organisation?
A. Our business depends on in-person workshops and simulations (as I mentioned above). All those events got cancelled, so we are working on virtual versions and trying to find ways to replicate the immersive experience without the actual immersion! Watch this space.
Q. Have you been heartened by anything you’ve seen amidst the crisis – the industry’s response or organisations coming together to support each other?
A. As a member of the PRCA Covid-19 task force, representing the IABC EMENA region. I’m of course biased but I do think the way people are coming together to support each other is heartening. It’s really positive how many resources have been made public to give people new ideas and new approaches. Coaching and mentoring has taken off in a global way that just wouldn’t have happened before.
Read Q&A with consultant Jane Fordham MPRCA.
Read Q&A with Dr. Clara Ly-Le.