By Lisa Rushka, APR
Approved at the CPRS AGM in Charlottetown in June, the CPRS Strategic Framework “is a collective commitment to creating a community of public relations professionals dedicated to professional development, delivering strategic value to our organizations and supporting and promoting ethical public relations in Canada and around the world.”
It outlines the four strategic goals that CPRS offers to provide member value: Community, Collaboration, Careers, and Conscience.
Using these strategic goals as our foundation, CPRS Calgary asked our members the following questions at the post-AGM World Café. Here’s what you told us.
Community
A CPRS member is part of a national community with full access to services and benefits regardless of where they live.
We asked: What does “networking” mean to you?
You answered:
- Freeways to meet more “colleagues” in the industry
- Meeting new people
- Having fun
- Opportunity to assess yourself
- Professional Development
- Benchmarking
- Building connections
- Learn
- Socialize with a purpose
- Testing knowledge, learning from others
- Local and national opportunities to network
- Implies something in common
- Supportive environment
- Icebreakers
- Introductions
- Helping people connect
Collaboration
CPRS members have direct access to share knowledge with colleagues and professionals, opportunities to engage with thought leaders and discuss trends in the industry.
We asked: What knowledge/expertise would you like to share with your CPRS colleagues?
You answered:
- All or nothing!
- Cross-cultural sensitivity, diversity & inclusion
- Issues management/identifying risk
- Prioritizing our priorities (We all do it. We all need to do it. But some do it better.)
- Managing up
- Project management skills
- Influencing without authority
- Get involved with CPRS as a student member! Enjoy true benefits early in your career.
- Writing & editing
- How to be more of an advocate for ethical PR
- Issues/crisis management experience
Careers
CPRS members are supported at every stage of their career.
We asked: What kinds of PD can CPRS provide to support your career goals?
You answered:
- How to address hot-button issues within teams or in projects (cultural, gender, trans-gender, political correctness)
- Tap into the professional network within CPRS and host presentations, lunch & learns, webinars to learn from each other.
- How to break into consulting
- Create an up to date reading list for PD
- Issues/crisis management
- Set a PD standard
- Management/mentoring skills (managing a comms team)
- Build a true community – you have to know who you’re talking to
- Development of networking skills (understanding the importance of a network, how to network, what it is/isn’t)
- How do you get a seat at the table?
- Impact of A.I. (Jean Valin)
- Evaluation
- Social Media (advanced)
- Crisis Comms
- Reputation Management
- Find skills at home – stop hiring Americans
- Global capabilities framework (characteristics of management)
- Define a career path
- Tips to move from a senior practitioner to a manager
- Helping with career transition
- Practitioner – leader/consultant?
- Presentations from senior practitioners on their career journeys
Conscience
CPRS members are seen as ethical professionals who adhere to and uphold a code of standards.
We asked: What should CPRS Calgary do to champion the PR industry?
- Scholarship program
- Pro-bono services
- Speak out on social media
- Offer more ways to recognize the work we do, to highlight it with senior management
- Offer best-in-class PD sessions that go above and beyond IABC
- Keep members updated on the latest issues and trends
- Find out what other societies do globally
- Use trends featured on social media – stand firm
- Communicate what we stand for
- Educational sessions on ethical PR
- Challenge incorrect information online – monthly scans, somehow have a venue to speak out against examples of fake news
- Highlight member contributions to CSR; example #diamondsdogood
- (CPRS National) Regulations/licensing for PR practitioners
- Support journalistic integrity
- At events, incorporate corporate social responsibility
- Encourage diversity both in Board and Committee positions and encourage diverse CPRS involvement
- Start social media campaign to bring attention to CSR
- #PRdoesgood #PRgivesback
- Promote the importance and value of accreditation to “outside” so people understand it.
- Public statements on the stance of CPRS during less than ethical events
- Teach non-industry what we bring to the table
- e. ethics, leadership, etc.
- Conduct more presentations at professional associations like the Calgary Chamber of Commerce
