My interactive learning kicked off last week as I took part in my first webinars of 2017.
Claire Walker, founder and CEO of Firefly Communications and one of Britain’s top 100 most influential business women, led an extremely insightful webinar on ethics in PR. I got to understand the difference between morals and ethics (something commonly mixed up) and learnt about the PRCA, CIPR and PRSA codes and Professional Practices Committees. The webinar was jam-packed, with around 70 participants including me taking part. My favourite part of the webinar was when Claire put us all in a difficult position, asking us a series of questions from ‘is it considered a bribe if a fellow PRCA member representing a bicycle manufacturer gives an expensive bicycle to a journalist to influence a favourable review’ to ‘can you guarantee a client coverage if you are targeting blanket coverage for a particular blockbuster story’ which challenged us to make the ethically and morally correct decision. She gave us such a range of realistic scenarios, that if I found myself in a similar position, I think I’d know the best thing to do (hopefully I don’t ever have to decide!).
My second webinar to end the week was led by the UK’s leading PR and marketing trainer, Steve Dunne. In Steve’s webinar, I learnt all about crisis in a digital world. We were talking through how to prepare a client or brand for an online crisis and the best tactics to fight an online attack, among other things. He also showed us some examples of online attacks, like KitKat’s online backlash branding them ‘orangutan killers’ and how companies like Habitat UK and Price Hound dealt with their digital crises.
Having been a part of many different audiences, I can’t imagine keeping people entertained being very easy. Being able to keep everyone engaged when they aren’t even in the same environment as you, and you’re simply connected with some headphones, must be even more challenging. Steve, Claire and all the other trainers of the PRCA do such an excellent job, and I am convinced that I wouldn’t know half the things I know now without their teachings. So once again, thank you PRCA for incredible learning resources and thank you Templemere for taking me as your apprentice.