1. DA010 - Professional Diploma in Public Relations - COMM6005EP
Public Relations Presentation and
Communication Skills (2011/10)
Lecture 2
Profession image of a PR practitioner
Developed and Presented by
Roy Ying, Msc., B.Comm.
Note: Pictures used in this power point file
is for academic Purpose only

2. Table of Content
• Who classifies as a PR practitioner?
• How should a PR professional look like?
Differences for agency, in-house, and
spokespersons
• Core competence and skills required
• Corporate guidelines, dress codes and
lines to take
• Tutorial: Group exercise in discussing
desirable images for PR professionals in
line with corporate PR objectives

3. What is a PR practitioner?
• A person who is concerned in bringing
people together in understanding through
communication.
• The duties of a PR practitioner includes;
consulting, industry affairs, corporate
advertising, employee communication and
organization of special events.

4. What do they do?
• Consulting
• Community involvement Class discussion:
Class discussion:
Can you
Can you
• Internal communication identify a
identify a
• Industry or public affairs specific job
specific job
• Media liaison duty in each of
duty in each of
the function?
the function?
• Corporate branding
• Organizing of special events
• Crisis communication

5. Entry requirements?
The key attributes are:
• People orientated, with leadership abilities.
• Knowledge of human relations and oral and
written communication skills as well as an
understanding of the characteristics of the
population groups of the country.
• Good command of at least two of the country's
official languages, although knowledge of more
languages is recommended. Good business
sense is needed to plan and execute campaigns.

6. Duties of a PR practitioner?
The tasks, roles and responsibilities of a PR practitioner include :
• Media monitoring and clippings
• Media liaison/relations
• Drafting of press releases, speeches and other material
• Editorial
• Research
• Prepare monthly activity reports Class discussion:
Class discussion:
• Media kits Is that all?
Is that all?
• Creative Brainstorming Can you think
Can you think
• Follow ups (Stories, attendance) of some more?
of some more?
• Contact meetings and reports
• Preparations of agenda
• Strategic counsel
• Proposals
• Translations

7. How should a PR look like?
• In-house: Quince Chong
Director of Corporate Affairs

8. How did she take the PR top job?
• Overseeing the airline's activities in government
relations, communications and environmental
affairs.
• 1998 - Manager Corporate Communication
• 2000 - General Manager Inflight Services
• 2004 - Director Service Delivery, Director of
Cathay Pacific Catering Services (HK) Ltd and
Chairman of Vogue Laundry Service Ltd and
Hong Kong Airport Services Ltd.

9. How should a PR look like?
• Darryl Chan
Press Secretary to Chief Secretary (CS)

10. What does he do?
• handling media enquiries relating to the CS
• acting as his spokesman
• preparing public speeches and messages for the CS
• reviewing issues which may have a bearing on his media
and public relations responses
• assessing media and public relations requests for the CS
• and overseeing the press arrangements for him
• collating media feedback on policy schedules of the CS
• advising on public relations and media action and
responses
• liaising and advising bureaux on Government responses
under CS's policy schedules where appropriate.

11. How should a PR look like?
• Lavender Cheung
Media Consultant
Hospital Authority
– Cable TV News Anchor
– Chief Corporate
Development Officer, HKGCC

12. How should a PR look like?
• Simeon Mellalieu
General Manager, Ketchum Hong Kong

13. This is an agency’s top job
• Strong client focus in his work as the leader of
the Corporate and Technology Practice across
Ketchum's Greater China network.
• Provides senior counsel for local, regional and
global clients. His expertise lies in corporate
positioning and reputation management, brand
building, issues and crisis management, and
sponsorship and sports marketing.
• Also heads the Broadcast Media Strategy Group,
creating exposure for clients through television
media.

14. How should a PR look like?
• Personal image is very important
– Remember him?

15. How should a PR look like?

16. Core Competencies of
PR Practitioners
• According to Skinners (2004)
– Research
– Programming, Counselling, Planning and Advising
– Media Relations and Placement
– Organizing
– Training Class discussion:
Class discussion:
– Writing Is that realistic for
Is that realistic for
one person to
one person to
– Editing possess all these
possess all these
– Production core competencies?
core competencies?
– Speaking
– Management

17. Traditional skills
• Writing – the cornerstone of a PR professional’s
career.
• Communications skills – Learn to communicate
more effectively with other people
• Attention to detail – Proofread everything. Fact
check everything.
• Media relations – what’s in a media list? What are
the pitching best practices?
• Proactiveness – If you can’t find the answer, ask.
• Work ethic – public relations isn’t a 9-to-5 job. Put
in that little bit of extra effort. It won’t be every day,
but people will notice.

18. New skills
• Blogging
• Microblogging
• Social networking tools
• SEO
• Coding
• RSS, RSS Readers
• Blogger relations
• Social media ethics

19. In front of media, there’s more
• Knowing the newsroom
• Knowing the audience
• Knowing who’s doing interview with you
• Knowing your subject
• Knowing your support PR team

20. Getting ready for interview

21. Tips for Spokespersons
Image Isn't Everything, but It's a Lot
• How you look on camera is an important
part of how your audience will perceive
you and your message.
• When it comes down to it:
– 60% of what an audience perceives is visual.
– 30% is auditory, or what people hear.
– 10% is what an audience perceives is the
message.

22. Tips for Spokespersons
Project confidence.
• It is key to winning over an audience.
Being nervous while speaking to the public
is normal, and many say it's positive to feel
that way before you speak.
• But showing it is another thing-that's why
it's important to project confidence (even if
you're not feeling it).

23. Tips for Spokespersons
Project confidence.
• Stand tall, or if sitting, sit forward in your
chair.
• Commanding a strong presence assures
your audience that you are a credible
spokesperson and shows that you believe
in yourself and your expertise, that what
you have to say deserves and needs to be
heard.

24. Tips for Spokespersons
Keep it short.
• You don't need to explain everything to be heard.
• Rather, it's better to keep it brief. Think about
what you want to say beforehand, create short
soundbites (eight seconds in length) that capture
your main points and your key message about
the issue or campaign.
• Add something personal at the beginning of your
soundbite to create more of a human connection
between you and your audience.

25. Tips for Spokespersons
It's OK to say that you don't know.
• If you don't know the answer, it's OK to say so.
• Remember nothing is "off the record," but it's better to be
honest about what you don't know than to say "no
comment."
• Keep it slow and steady.
Remind yourself to speak slowly.
• It is OK to pause and take a deep breath. Practice
annunciating, and even over- annunciating, each syllable
so that your words will be clearly articulated.

26. TV Interviews
• Before the show begins, think about your audience, the
format of the show, how long you'll get to speak and your
key messages.
• With most TV opportunities, you'll have a short amount
of air time, so be prepared with a key message that you
can repeat comfortably and with confidence.
• When interviewing on TV, image and body language are
just as important as what you say in setting the tone.
• If you're at a rally or press conference, make sure that
you are positioned so that the cameras pick up the visual
posters and banners behind you, strengthening your
message.

27. Tips for TV
• Clothing matters: Dress for your audience. Wear neutral
colors that don't distract (NOT black or white).
• Avoid patterns, florals, stripes or dots and no big jewelry,
buttons or slogans.
• Wear make-up (even for men).
• Smile!
• Use natural hand gestures that don't distract. Don't address
the reporter personally.
• Don't be distracted by reporter or crew. Every blink, twitch and
"uh," is magnified.
• Always respond with key messages/soundbites: If you make a
mistake, stop and start over.
• It's not a conversation, but use a conversational tone with a
personal inflection.

28. Tips for TV
• Always remember: Don't answer the question, respond
with your message. Interview segments are often only 8-
15 second soundbites. Don't get thrown by the reporter
and get caught answering a bad question.
• Remind yourself that your audience is never the reporter,
it's the people on the other side of the camera, and this
is your chance to speak to them. Repeat your message,
and you control the interview.
• When ending the interview, thank the reporter, and wait
until the camera is turned off before saying more to the
reporter or offering further background information.

29. Tips for Radio
• Respond with key messages/soundbites.
• Do your phone interviews from a quiet office.
• Don't use a cordless or cell phone-use a landline
and disable call waiting.
• Don't listen to the show while you are being
interviewed.
• Speak slowly and with extra emphasis.
• Clarity, intensity and emotion make good radio.
• Smile-it still comes through on the radio.

30. Tutorial – case 1
• Is this a desirable image for PR
practitioner?
• Is he a PR practitioner at all?

31. Tutorial – case 2
• Is government official a PR practitioner?

32. Tutorial – case 3

33. Tutorial – case 3
• Business Partners
• Community Service

34. Tutorial – case 3