Dealing with historical complaints 

It can take a lot of courage to make a historical complaint, and the party coming forward should be assured of certain practicalities: Where will this information go? When is a formal response expected? What is the process? 

Part of good governance is ensuring that your organisation has adequate policies, processes, and procedures to manage a historical complaint. Each complaint, regardless of its nature, should be addressed with the utmost compassion, confidence, and seriousness it deserves.

Why would a Board involve PR in the historical complaints proce...

Do Churches Need PR?

To answer the question, “Do churches need PR?” first we must be clear on what Public Relations (PR) is, and what it is not.

Firstly, PR is not and should never be: Spin, lies, manipulation or a defence mechanism for bad behaviour.

What is PR? According to The Public Relations Institute of New Zealand PR is “The deliberate, planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain mutual understanding and excellent communication between an organisation and its publics.”  (https://prinz.org.nz/about-prinz/what-is-pr/)

Do churches need PR? Yes! In fact, excellent communicati...

If you have done media training with us, you will know that we place an emphasis on your camera set-up for media interviews over video calls. This is because your presentation can massively impact how well your message is perceived by your audience. 

Even though these tips may seem like common sense, over the past decade, we have media-trained countless CEOs, board members, directors, subject matter experts and senior leaders, and not one has completely nailed this aspect in their media training. It takes practice, and a checklist certainly helps! 

As public relations consultants, we know me...

More often that not, public relations practitioners are brought in to help when an organisation is already facing significant public challenges, usually to help with media queries. But by then, it is often too late. 

The truth is successful crisis management is mostly about preparedness. That means having plans in place for 'sudden' crises and ensuring there are good management systems, processes, and two-way communication channels are there to pick up on any 'smouldering' issues. 

Whether you are just beginning your crisis management preparedness plans for your organisation, or wanting t...

It is very possible to go from ‘Hero’ to ‘Zero’ in the space of five seconds flat.

The role of a spokesperson is to speak publicly on behalf of an organisation's brand, build relationships with the media, and be the representative in times of a crisis.

In a media landscape which now includes the likes of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tiktok, and LinkedIn, we are increasingly seeing the effects that one off-the-cuff, or ill-thought through comment can have. One comment can descend their reputation (and their organisations' reputation) into a nosedive, and in some cases they are forcibly remov...

Media kits help journalists compile information, facts and figures to use in their story. If done correctly, this tool (usually a page or downloadable folder on your website) has the power to position you as an industry expert, making you a trusted voice of reason that can be approached time and time again by the media. 

Why should I have an online media kit? 

The media are increasingly under pressure to move fast. They work through hundreds of pitches and tips on any given day, working towards multiple deadlines and simultaneous stories. 

In today’s media landscape, giving journalists easy...