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Tag: Amith Prabhu

  • There is no better time than now to stand up for upright journalism and no better way than through an annual conference, writes Amith Prabhu

    Amith Prabhu: Time to stand up for upright journalism

    By Amith Prabhu

     

    Recent events at reputed publication houses wherein editors and management have had skirmishes leading to unpleasant separations have not gone down well with the fraternity in the media. But the might of the media owners being what it is, very few discussions have taken place on the topic. Most importantly it has set a wrong precedent about freedom of the press and shows how business and politics control journalism.

     

    Journalists are an important stakeholder for most PR professionals. While there are several instances of hostile equations, the two professions thrive on interplay in more ways than one. PR professionals are involved with multiple client events of varying kinds and have the potential to organize an event that brings journalists together under one forum to debate, discuss and deepen their understanding of issues they face as a complex future unfolds.

     

    While active Press Clubs exist in couple of the metros a new breed of young professionals is emerging from some of the leading media schools who are embracing the digital age. In addition to group thinking and collaborative guidance, the young journalists need a platform to voice their concerns as a community of professionals. A handful of international journalists of Indian origin are making it big in leading global publications and their ideas at such a forum can be inspiring.

     

    More importantly. journalists do not have an offsite that they can call their own and a group of like-minded professionals who support their rights because they indeed are the fourth estate in a democracy. While PR professionals have found a space to call their own, the journalist fraternity needs theirs. There is no better time than now to stand up for upright journalism and no better way than through an annual conference.

     

  • All skilled service professions have bodies which one can benefit from by being a member, but in Indian PR, there is no such, rues Amith Prabhu

    Amith Prabhu: The need for an individual membership-driven PR association

    By Amith Prabhu

     

    Indian PR professionals are growing in large numbers.  There are easily a thousand in-house talent generally referred to as corporate communications managers and directors. And then there are at least three thousand people working in PR firms in the metros alone and this is a back of the cover calculation.

     

    With 4000 professionals already and another couple of hundred coming in from other allied professions including fresh graduates from C-schools, the fraternity is growing. All skilled service professions have associations which one apply to be a member of and receive certain benefits. But in Indian PR, there is none such though it is the need of the hour.

     

    Several young professionals have expressed the need to belong to a professional association. The question is what’s in it for a professional and who will bell the cat? How will it evolve and what can it learn from similar associations in the West?

     

    To start with, it needs a few like-minded professionals to come together and put a framework of objectives that addresses member benefits clearly. It then needs commitment and investment to set up a secretariat that is supported by heads of homegrown as well as global firms. It then requires a membership drive that offers members clear benefits at an affordable fee.

     

    The association should focus on three things at the least – skill upgradation, accreditation and benchmarking service. It should have a full-time professional manning the secretariat and provide something for everyone from the seasoned professional to the fresher. This is an idea whose time has come.

     

    I’m hoping the leaders of the profession are reading and believing in the need for such a body. If not now, then when. If not by us then by whom.

     

  • The first interview addressing English urban Indians should have not happened on television, writes Amith Prabhu, listing the lessons the Rahul Gandhi interview has for PR folk

    Amith Prabhu: What corporate spokespersons can learn from the historic Rahul Gandhi interview?

    By Amith Prabhu

     

    The first one-on-one television interview of Rahul Gandhi took place on January 27 on Times Now. The reactions were mixed. More negative than positive. What can members of the corporate world who are or will be spokespersons learn from this episode?

     

    First things first – the first interview addressing the English urban Indian should have not happened on television. Always, create an impact on a medium that is non-visual. Thereafter, a TV appearance makes sense. A step further would be to have had a series of off-the-record individual and group meetings over a three-month period before this full exposure.

     

    Secondly, video training and multiple briefings may or may not have happened but they certainly did not happen with the best in the industry. When placing Rahul to be interviewed by Arnab Goswami, the organization would have done well in having someone like Karan Thapar to train him by doing a mock interview.

     

    Thirdly, an over-reliance on key messages and question deflecting techniques without providing proper context. For those who have been briefed by a PR team or for PR professionals who have briefed a spokesperson, you would have noticed that Rahul tried deflecting questions by sticking to the briefing. However, his tone and body language gave it away.

     

    Fourthly, preparation is the key. Rahul had the right intent but did not have the right content. There were several ways in which he could have conveyed the difference between 1984 and 2002 but he was unable to. All he needed to ask Arnab was who are Maya Kodnani and Babu Bajrangi and 2002 would have been settled.

     

    Fifthly, humility is not difficult actually. As the future leader of the party what would have Rahul lost if he would have reiterated what his mother and the Prime Minister did a few years ago by apologizing for 1984. A one line – “I was 13 when 1984 happened and was reeling out of a shock that my grandmother was killed gruesomely but what happened after that was not good. If there were Congressmen involved, I apologise profusely on behalf of the party that my father, grandfather and great grandfather have served.” This would have disarmed the rival who refuses to apologise for a riot that happened under his watch.

     

    Finally, sharing a smart key message that leaves audiences with a takeaway. This interview left most with nothing interesting and exciting. This interview impacts only the urban, English-speaking voters and that demographic clearly has an anti-Congress sentiment. But if this interview was to be in Hindi on Aaj Tak or Doordarshan, the impact could be worse.

     

    So what’s in it as learning for all of us PR professionals – To build a base in media interactions over a period of time and climb the ladder of media outlets slowly and steadily. Bridge-building meetings are an important factor here. Video training that involves playback is critical to presenting oneself up for an interaction of this nature. Nothing beats preparation harder than more preparation. Humility has to be demonstrated in what we do and say. Hoping the forthcoming interviews make up for the deficiencies in the first.

     

    Amith Prabhu is a primarily a Public Relations specialist and currently an independent political communications consultant and a specialised events curator. He can be reached via Twitter at @amithpr

     

  • Amith Prabhu offers ideas on how PR professionals focusing on media relations can improve their relations with journalists

    Amith Prabhu: The PR professional-Journalist changing equation

    By Amith Prabhu

    Public relations evolved as a profession in the aftermath of the world war when several propaganda specialists were jobless after the huge event and realized they could apply their minds to help brands that would utilize their talents in the ’40s and ’50s to sell more. In the last 60 years, PR has come a long way from being a profession that deals with media to enhance a brands visibility through editorial engagement and stunts to offering advice on reputation management, community relations, corporate governance, crisis counsel, internal communications and much more. In this ever evolving world, how the PR professional of 2014 makes the most of an important stakeholder – the journalist.

    I have seen how the animosity between two important groups of professions has increased over the last ten years I have formally been in the profession and I don’t think it is about a blame game or one-upmanship that makes this topic interesting. It is what we can do as two groups to make things easier. Remember, a newspaper can have 30 journalists covering a wide range of topics and now imagine each of them gets an average of 25 press releases a week or five a day or perhaps fewer on Mondays and Fridays and many more between Tuesday and Thursday.

    How do journalists begin to respect the PR professionals they have a disdain for? How to PR professionals get together to engage with journalists better and do not come across as people to keep away from? How do both these groups that from time to time depend on each other make things work better given the flux of brands, organisations and people getting into the ecosystem?

    I do not have a magic recipe. I would like this to be a starting ground to find some practical solutions. I hope a day comes when one doesn’t bad mouth the other.

    Ten things that PR professionals focusing on media relations can do to make things better –

    a)      Learn more about the journalist you want to engage with by following him or her on Twitter and understanding their style

    b)      Read their articles, watch them on TV in order to get a better sense of what they cover

    c)       Know their style and temperament and never call them on their mobile phones unless they have given you permission to do so or they happen to be friends

    d)      Never spam inboxes with press releases and attachments for obvious reasons

    e)      Create smart media lists that are updated every two weeks

    f)       Meet journalists to mutually know each other better and not just to push client news

    g)      Treat them as equals and never as superior or inferior in order to share mutual respect

    h)      Be professional by making appointments, being punctual and sending well-drafted emails

    i)        Read and be prepared about your organization or that of your client’s. Ill-informed communicators are a disaster in waiting.

    j)        Lastly, to never mix the personal with the professional. There is nothing really off the record.

    This is not an exhaustive list. I invite you to send in your suggestions to add to this. May there be more harmony between journalists and PR professionals.

     

  • The profession that helps build and protect reputations has nothing to protect its reputation. Is there a way out of this situation before it is too late, asks Amith Prabhu

    Amith Prabhu: Time to protect our profession from quacks

    By Amith Prabhu

     

    The lawyers have the Bar Council, the chartered accountants are governed by an institute, the doctors are overseen by the Medical Council and many important professions have their own systems of ensuring quality service and genuine control. However, the profession that helps build and protect reputations has nothing to protect its reputation. Is there a way out of this situation before it is too late?

     

    Fixers and lobbyists masquerade as PR professionals and a few of them do and say things that brings a bad name to what we do. How does one solve this problem that will eat into the several good things that we do? Is there a way to protect our interest as a community of true blue professionals?

     

    There is a voluntary association of PR consultancies. There are couple of other bodies which use the word Public Relations in their name but are they able to address the issue at hand? Point in question is a New York Times article that writes about the tragic death of a minister’s wife in which a gentleman is quoted, wherein he is referred to as a PR specialist.

     

    He may do several things PR professionals do but is he really a PR person in the true sense. People still mistake that ‘being networked’ and ‘having editorial connections’ is all that Public Relations is about. We are definitely not an industry as some would like to believe because doctors, lawyers, engineers and chartered accountants are not part of an industry.

     

    We have to get together sooner rather than later to find a way to what can become a real problem in the future that prevents young talent from getting into the profession and doing the right thing. The questions we need to ask is if we do need an association which accredits professionals through a certification? Has the time for such a set-up come already?

     

    An organization that registers members who then are administered a test is the need of the hour. It happens in the US and the UK and we don’t have to wait for another major consultancy to shut shop to start one. The creation of this system may not completely prevent quacks from emerging but will ensure they do not go around flaunting false credentials of being PR specialists.

     

  • The Indian general elections is the arguably the biggest Public Relations exercise with multiple small parties wooing an electorate that no longer gets carried away by empty promises, writes Amith Prabhu

    Amith Prabhu: The Public Relations of Indian Politics

    By Amith Prabhu

     

    The upcoming elections will be different in every way. Unlike in the recent past when there were broadly two national parties supported by allies who were regional parties, the summer of 2014 will see an upstart at the national level in the form of the Aam Aadmi Party. In the light of these changes both existing national parties have had to work out newer strategies to offer a new perspective to the public.

     

    The Indian general elections is the arguably the biggest Public Relations exercise with multiple small parties wooing an electorate that no longer gets carried away by empty promises. Last week’s news that the Indian National Congress has hired a leading PR firm to primarily help it in its digital outreach was carried on the front page of a leading national daily. The news of Twitter hiring a gentleman who had previously tweeted against Narendra Modi also gathered uncalled for attention from the right-wingers.

     

    The next 120 days will see a lot of interesting events which will be amplified by social media in real time and on television and in print in quick succession. This makes life of communication managers within political parties all the more difficult. One will need to have an ear to the ground, eyes wide upon and be on his or her toes during this dance of democracy.

     

    Each party has taken a different approach to Public Relations. The frontrunner is BJP with its PM nominee – Modi, who is travelling from city to city addressing large rallies. The Congress with Rahul Gandhi is trying a different strategy of meeting smaller groups in closed door, by invitation and thematic gatherings. The new kid on the block, AAP led by Kejriwal is on a frantic membership drive targeting the man and woman on the street.

     

    In the midst of all this, various regional chieftains also known as chief ministers have started changing their modus operandi to follow a style that is being dictated by the incumbent chief minister of Delhi. These are all Public Relations tactics that are being smartly deployed. But today’s voter has various ways to decipher who is genuine and who is not and can see through.

     

    It is no longer a case of hoodwinking that will help politicians get by. Their walk and their talk should go hand in hand. India’s tolerance levels for empty promises and corruption are diminishing. Over the next 12 weeks I will be writing as many columns with a majority focusing on political public relations.

     

  • Amith Prabhu lists the five trends he sees happening in the field of public relations this year

    Amith Prabhu | 2014: A year that promises a lot of action

    By Amith Prabhu

     

    I began writing this weekly column in the middle of last year and was afraid it will die a natural death given the dearth of topics to write about. With this piece I begin a full year of columns hoping this column will go from strength to strength. Today I will write about what I see as the five trends in Public Relations in 2014.

     

    From media coverage to event participation: The desperation for media coverage is being replaced with numerous intellectual events providing speaking and smart sponsorship opportunities. Gauging the quality and credibility of these events will be hard and some properties will be more sought after than the others.

     

    Political PR will gain ground: Most people confuse this with government relations and lobbying. On the contrary this is about constituency relations and communications for the new age politician and political party. Give the importance of communications in the 2014 elections, a variety of individuals and firms will offer services in this space.

     

    PRworthy will be replaced by Trendworthy: An increasing number of marketing and reputation building ideas will focus on the social media space and especially twitter. Ideas will need to work on creating a buzz n Twitter than merely cutting ice with a journalist.

     

    FIFA World Cup and the rise of Sports PR: The attention of the entire world will focus on the soccer world cup in Brazil that will take place mid-June onwards. Though India does not have a team presence, Indians love soccer and brand will do a lot to engage this fan base.

     

    CSR & Data and Analytics: This will be the year when Indian PR firms will start investing in divisions that focus on the two important aspects of a PR campaign for clients. There will be a great demand for professionals who specialize in these areas.

     

    Happy new year to all of you!

     

     

  • Amith Prabhu lists 13 people and events (and hence public relations milestones) that shaped conversations in India in 2013

    Amith Prabhu: 13 PR savvy Indian events and people of 2013

    By Amith Prabhu

     

    Last week, we read about 13 Public Relations milestones from around the world. This week, we look at 13 such from India. Hope you enjoy reading them. See you in 2014 with thoughts on what the New Year could hold for PR.

     

    Modi’s anointing – The Modi effect took shape when the BJP announced his name as the Prime Ministerial candidate well before the general elections slated for the summer of 2014.

     

    Sachin’s retirement – The cricketing icon who is now a member of the Upper House retired with a nation feeling sad and the government honoured him by conferring the highest civilian award on him.

     

    Kejriwal’s rise – The rise of the former civil servant in the national polity is a case study like no other in recent times. How his Aam Admi Party fares in 2014 is something all eyes and ears will be on.

     

    CNR Rao’s spotlight – Conferring the Bharat Ratna on a scientist put the spotlight on pure sciences. Well deserved and high time.

     

    Shakuntala Devi passes away – The world renowned mathematician passed away leaving a void in the world of numbers.

     

    Rajan in focus – India got a young and savvy RBI Governor from Chicago in the form of Raghu Rajan, whose younger brother Mukund became one of India’s most powerful brand custodian at the Tata Group.

     

    Uncontrollable men (Ganguly, Asaram, Tejpal) – Lesser said the better but the sampling of names goes to show how men in India still take women they have power over for granted.

     

    Editors at large – Media houses decided to separate from their iconic editors at Forbes India, Open and The Hindu

     

    Arushi got justice – Justice delayed is justice denied but justice hurried can be justice buried. This is the best way to look at this landmark case.

     

    Lata Bhagwan Kare’s run – this 61-year-old simpleton from Baramati won the marathon running in her sari. Quite an amazing feat.

     

    Section 377 verdict – The Supreme Court verdict on a Delhi High Court ruling had young India seeking more justice on this controversial section.

     

    Uttarakhand flashfloods – Much destruction was controversies associated in the aftermath when the hilly state in North India faced with natural disaster leading to loss of precious lives.

     

    Chennai Express – This Bollywood masala movie broke all box office records. Lungi dance is the party anthem at venues of the rich and poor.

     

    Amith Prabhu is founder of The PRomise Foundation which organises PRAXIS – the annual summit for PR & Corp Comm professionals in India. During the day he is a full-time employee at a leading PR firm’s Chicago office. Views expressed here are the author’s own and don’t represent those of his past, present, future employer or of MxMIndia. You can connect with him on Twitter @amithpr

     

  • Amith Prabhu lists 13 people and events that shaped conversations globally in 2013.

    Amith Prabhu: 13 PR savvy international events and people of 2013

    By Amith Prabhu

     

    As we come to the fag end of the year what better way to end than reflecting on people and events who shaped conversations in India and globally. To make it a tribute to 2013 I have listed 13 from across the world this week and will end the year with 13 from India next week. Feel free to add your own in the comments section.

     

    Pope’s election – The resignation of Pope Benedict 16th and the election of Pope Francis was a watershed in the Catholic world that made news beyond mere religious lines.

     

    Edward Snowden’s courage – The courage of one individual to expose the NSA and still generate positive press is commendable. His popularity showed in being the runner up of the Time Person of the year.

     

    Malala Yousafzai’s news dominance – This young Pakistani girl continued to make news with her new book hitting shelves and her visit to the White House

     

    Birth of a Prince in the UK – When he rules the UK, perhaps not for half a century or more, he will be King George VII. Until then, he will be known formally as His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge.

     

    Nelson Mandela’s death – Even in death he brought unity and made the ‘selfie’ of those attending his funeral a much talked about topic for days.

     

    Marissa Mayer’s work from home ban order – This had strong reactions for and against but the lady at the centre of the controversy had a convincing take : “people are more productive when they’re alone…they’re more collaborative and innovative when they’re together”.

     

    Dreamliner problems – This big bird from Boeing was in the news for a lot of technical glitches leading to several of them being grounded.

     

    Microsoft buys Nokia – While there was speculation for a while the Redmond headquartered software behemoth went ahead and bought the Finnish handset maker

     

    Indo-US diplomacy – Thanks to Devyani Khobragade, India-US diplomacy reached a new low leading to a display of childish behavior from the two largest democracies.

     

    Cyclones in Asia – Tragedy does not seem to stop. While Philippines saw the loss of several lives the cyclone in Orissa was well managed.

     

    Boston bombings at the Marathon – In what is termed as home grown terror two brothers decided to create havoc in one of America’s keenly watched sporting events

     

    Terror attack in a mall in Kenya – Malls are the new target of terrorists and this Nairobi attack could be the first in many more to come.

     

    PR summits take off second year in a row – The Holmes report Global PR Summit took place in Miami for the second consecutive time. Similarly PRAXIS  in India witnessed a good response at Lavasa.

     

  • Key takeaways from Global PR Summit organized by the Holmes Report in Miami last month from Amith Prabhu

    Amith Prabhu: Reminiscences of the Global PR summit

    By Amith Prabhu

     

    I was fortunate to be one of the five Indian professionals at the second edition of the Global PR Summit organized by the Holmes Report in Miami last month. The event as expected was bigger and better that the debut edition that happened in the middle of Hurricane sandy in 2012, which I also happened to attend.

     

    While a lot of reports and tweets about the summit are available online, I want to highlight some of the milestones at the summit for those from India who could not make it and have an opportunity to attend the same next year in addition to being part of a similar event in India.

     

    The inaugural keynote though high-level was well received. It had Jim Cicconi, who leads external and legislative affairs for telecommunications giant AT&T, share an insider’s look at the intersection of business and politics. Cicconi, who also serves as chair of the AT&T Foundation, served in the White House under two presidents: two years as deputy chief of staff to President George H.W. Bush, and four years as a special assistant to President Ronald Reagan and to White House chief of staff James Baker. An important excerpt of what he said is “You have to have a campaign mindset. You set your objectives. You have the military, the Special Forces, air cover—in our world, these like are advertising and PR and research and focus groups. And you also have external influences that have to do with how you’re viewed: whether you share the values of your customers, whether you are environmentally friendly. If you are viewed as a good guy company that makes a difference”.

     

    The next important aspect of the summit was the presence of three authors who are celebrities in their own right. Steven Berlin Johnson, author of titles such as Everything Bad Is Good For You, Where Good Ideas Come From, Future Perfect, told the audience that Innovation is rarely the result of a “eureka” moment and more often the result of a diverse “liquid network” of people from different backgrounds with different ideas.

     

    Douglas Rushkoff is the author of Present Shock: When Everything Happens Now, as well as a dozen other bestselling books on media, technology, and culture. He stated that “Brands need to make themselves more immediately relevant. That doesn’t mean ‘flash in the pan’ publicity stuff. You have to keep arming your ardent supporters with the ammunition they need to champion you. Companies had to become more comfortable “not taking credit for things” and more focused on “enabling things to happen”.

     

    The star of the summit was a debutant author and founding CMO of Facebook, Randi Zuckerberg who said that “Online connectivity has enabled women to tap into collective intelligence, take greater control of their lives and become more economically savvy”. She also distributed signed copies of her book Dot Complicated.

     

    The biggest hit was definitely the hour-long session with Sir Martin Sorrell where he was sharp and savvy while responding to questions from one of his group company CEOs wherein he called on PR professionals to be more confident about what they were selling to the client.

     

    All in all, the summit was well represented by both sets of professionals from consultancies and from in-house communications departments. India could have had more participation and a Youth Forum would be a great idea in the future summits. Most sessions have been videographed and are available for those who are interested in the Holmes Report archives.

     

  • There are some key Public Relations lessons for AAP and for the two large political parties in the backdrop of the Assembly elections results, writes Amith Prabhu

    Amith Prabhu: PR lessons for AAP, BJP & Congress for the general elections

    By Amith Prabhu

     

    The election results in four of the five states that went to polls were shocking on two counts. First, the Modi wave was contained as two of the four states – MP and Chhattisgarh – had regional leaders who did not have a formidable opposition and were able to ride the incumbency factor. Rajasthan and Delhi faced the anti-Congress mood that is gripping the country thanks mainly to the bad handling of inflation, corruption and human safety. Second, the manner in which Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) emerged a close second thus has taken most including the AAP party by surprise.

     

    There was a mini wave for this newly formed party which has turned into a mini tsunami. The party did the right things at the right time gauging public sentiment and the larger national parties have a lot to worry about in the days ahead as all eyes are now on the general elections slated for the summer of 2014. Some key Public Relations lessons for AAP and for the two large parties in the backdrop of the results we have just seen.

     

    Firstly, three lessons for AAP:

    a) To immediately begin the task of replicating the Delhi model of building a political movement nationally. There are less than six months to the general elections. Collaborating with Navbharat and Loksatta in the west and south would be a great option.

     

    b) To not let this victory make one arrogant or complacent but rather deliver on promises and work towards an economic policy which is crucial at this juncture.

     

    c) Thirdly, do not do anything that the common man will not forget and forgive easily especially those that are harmful from an ethical point of view

     

    Four lessons for the BJP:

    a) To not mistake this result to be a Modi wave and underestimate the power of a wounded opponent to bounce back

     

    b) To respect the emergence of a new politics in the form of AAP and shun the politics of hate and communalism

     

    c) To focus on the conversation of building a better India which is inclusive and all-encompassing and

     

    d) To do the impossible – get the PM candidate to demonstrate a more humane side and if need be apologize for a past that still haunts

     

    Five lessons for the one who needs it the most:

    a) To stop introspecting and start acting. Every second is precious if one is serious about the upcoming elections

     

    b) Actions have to include some drastic steps that connect with the people. Even if it means making a few heads roll, so be it

     

    c) Announcing a PM candidate and if possible making that person take charge as soon as possible. The electorate will not take a Congress with Rahul or Manmohan leading UPA 3 seriously. That writing is on the wall and it is not rocket science.

     

    d) Mobilise resources in terms of volunteers, technology and social communications at a rapid pace and not allow any more missteps like Telangana to come in the way of winnable states

     

    e) Respect rivals – be it Narendra Modi, Arvind Kejriwal or the M duo of Mulayam or Mayawati in UP.

     

    Finally, 2014 will be an election that is fought on 5 Ps performance record, policies implemented, public sentiment, people’s perception and a perseverance that is undying for a cleaner, smarter governance that the young and old aspire for – it all boils down to some good public affairs and some excellent public relations for all parties concerned.

     

  • It's time to take off to introspect on how we add value to the profession this past year and how we can make things better in the coming year, writes Amith Prabhu

    Amith Prabhu: Did you do things differently to be a better PR professional this year?

    By Amith Prabhu

     

    The last month of the year is upon us. It is that time of the year when lists are being made, campaigns are being evaluated and holiday plans are being finalised.

     

    Things slow down a bit before pacing up again. In the midst of intense activity we as PR professionals need to take some time off to introspect on how we added value to the profession this past year and how we can make things better in the coming year. Here is an indicative list of things that can help us evaluate how we did things differently to become better professionals than we were when the year began-

     

    Self:  Write a Blog: Did we start a blog or keep the flame of an existing blog alive by writing atleast one each month?

     

    Conference: Did we attend a professional conference to enhance our perspective on our business?

     

    Book: Did we read at least one book on Public Relations during the past 11 months?

     

    Work: Measurement: Did we measure a campaign differently to move many steps away from AVE? If so how did we do it?

     

    Innovation: Did we innovate in one of our PR programmes in such a manner that we set a new standard?

     

    Creative Solution: Did we offer our team or organisation or client a fresh, creative

     

    Solution that set us apart?

     

    Profession: Make professional acquaintances: Did we make new connections beyond our workplace or that of our client or that of a media outlet yet connected to our profession? How are we leveraging that?

     

    Mentorship: Did we mentor a younger professional or did we find ourself a mentor to guide us on our professional path to success?

     

    Contribute: Did we take time out to spend it in interacting with students who will soon enter the profession either on or off campus teaching and learning?

     

    Lastly, Did we stand up for an ethical and just way of doing Public Relations that helps bring robustness into what we do?

     

    If we did some (3 to 4) or all of these we can look back with pride at a year gone by and prepare for a new year that holds promise and challenges.

     

    Amith Prabhu has recently relocated to India after a two-year stint in the US. The views expressed here are his own. He can be reached at @amithpr