Message from IPRA President 2014, May

(Comments)

10 years, 7 months ago

Time flies. Already one third of my term at IPRA has passed. During that time I hope you have enjoyed these monthly messages. 

And it has been a time of interesting global change too. Our challenge, as communicators, is to assess such change and adapt our communication accordingly. Since we are experts in communication, our duty lies in catching up with these changes quickly, internalizing what is new, understanding the audiences and being creative.

In April there was a unique event for me. I opened the 12^th International PR Festival in Kiev, Ukraine over Skype. Take my word for it, addressing PR experts in Kiev felt as exciting as physically standing before a crowd there, and what a time to have done so. 

I will be participating in another international conference at the end of this month. It is going to be a youth conference covering the Baltic countries and will be open to all international students of PR and communication. The “Dynamic Thoughts Conference” is to be held by the University of Latvia in Riga, the country’s capital. There I will be talking about the importance of professional organizations such as IPRA and will be sharing my own experiences with these students as to how I progressed into PR.  

Communication with a human touch

Youth, dynamism and action are essential elements of PR. It is true that everybody has their model of how to do PR, and we all provide more or less the same services. But those who succeed, and tower above the rest, are those that manage to touch on the humanity of the message.  

I also believe that faster access and broader approaches are needed. It is this combination of speed and humanity I suggest that makes winners. It is possible to provide speed with communication, but the quality of service is always enhanced through relations that are perhaps less public and more human. As we look to a future of virtual communication, we should learn from the past. Consider neoclassical communication with its one-on-one meetings held with a tangible, physical presence.  

Awards for Excellence

For me, giving and receiving awards is all part of being human. Being assessed and awarded goes way beyond the material value. Measuring success through awards is a positive way to show the human aspect of one’s labour. That is why receiving an award in theIPRA Golden World Awards for Excellence, the GWA, is not just a privilege but something that touches the spirit. It is possible to send your applications in for the GWA until mid-May. I should mention that this year the number of projects applying to date has been the most ever received in the early stages. Don’t miss the deadline. More info at www.ipra.org 

Eating apples in Almaty

Meanwhile, I recommend you do not miss the IPRA Conference to be held on 4-5 June, in the magical city of Almaty, Kazakhstan. Against the backdrop of the beautiful Anyrakay mountains, Almaty the historic capital literally means the city of apple trees, giving rise to the legend it is the site of the Garden of Eden. And while you have your diary to hand, make sure it includes the dates 27-29 September for the 60^thIPRA Congress, 2015 in Johannesburg. 

May your month of May be wonderful and full of the spirit of IPRA. 

Warmest regards

Dr.ZehraGüngör

IPRA President 2014    

[email protected]

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