The Meaning and Development of Public Relations
Definitions of Public Relations; PR's relationship with other Functions/Professions - Advertising; Marketing; etc.; History and Development of Public Relations in Ireland and Globally; Professionalism and Industry Bodies PRII; PRCA; IPR;
Ethical and legal issues
The Principle Ethical Codes which underpin the practice of Public Relations; Legal Issues in Public Relations - Copyright; Libel; Slander; Freedom of Information;
Strategic Process
Situation Analysis; Research; Objectives; Publics; Implementation; Budgets; Timetables; Evaluation; Planning and Managing a PR Campaign;
Public Relations Sectors
Corporate; Consumer; Business to Business; Voluntary Sector; Financial Public Relations; including Communicating Financial Performance; Public Relations during Mergers; Takeovers; Share Offerings; Shareholder Communications; Public Relations' role in the Annual Report Accounts;
Media Specialisations
Technology; Healthcare; Tourism; Environment; Agriculture; Sport;
The Professional Environment
Consultancy Structures; Client Relationships; Pitching for Business; Managing Client Accounts; In-house Departments; Relationships within the Organisation; Preparing an In-house Strategy; Relationship PR Consultants; Managing Staff; Entrepreneurship - Identifying gaps in the Market and Developing services to fill those gaps; launching a new Product/Service;
Public Relations as a Management Function
Public Relations' role in the Organisation - Internal Communication; Communicating Performance; Counselling the Organisation; Strategy; The role of the Public Relations Practitioner; both in-house and in Consultancies; Business Strategy and Operation;
Public Relations Crisis Management
Definitions and Typologies of Crises; The Crisis Management Plan and Crisis Management Team; Communicating in a Crisis; The Aftermath of a Crisis; Reputation Management;
Practical Activity: Develop an Emergency Plan to understand the appropriate steps taken in unforeseen circumstances;
Sponsorship and Community Relations
Definitions and Historical Development of the Sponsorship Market; Why Organisations engage in Sponsorship; Using Sponsorship to Target particular Publics; What can be Sponsored? The fit between the Sponsor and the Sponsored; The Sponsorship Proposal; How Sponsorships fits in to wider Public Relations Campaigns; Evaluating Sponsorships; Why Organisations Engage in Community Relations; The Range of CR Activities;
Political Lobbying
Interest Groups and Lobbying; How to Influence Public Policy; Planning and Managing Lobbying Campaigns; The role of Coalitions; Public Affairs - Integrating Lobbying and Media Campaigns; Involving the Public in Lobbying Campaigns;
Outreach
Managing Relationships with Activist Groups; Coalition Building and Third-Party Endorsements; Working with Trade Associations; Unions; and Charities;
Presentation Skills
Preparation; Content; Structure; Delivery; Visual Aids; Management of Location and Audiences;
Practical Activity: Design and Deliver a presentation to learn different styles and practise your skills in a group environment;
Online PR
The Social Media Landscape
Facebook; Twitter; LinkedIn; Instagram; Snapchat; Blogs; Microblogs; Chatrooms; Email; Flickr; Instant messaging; Message Boards; Mobile Internet ; New Media Releases; Online Conferencing; Online Surveys; Pay per click; Podcasts; RSS; Search Engines; SEO; Social Networking Service Sites; Video Sharing; Virtual worlds; VoIP; Wiki and Widgets;
The Internet as a Media
Commercial Implications of the Internet; Social Interaction with the Internet; Web 2;0 and its Implications; Internet Convergence; the Network Effect; Internet Information Exchange; Internet Audience Size and Exposure; Internet Culture and Communication; Transparency and the Internet;
Online PR building blocks
Online Communications Platforms; Online Communication Channels; Online Communication Mediums; Interactivity and Application of Communication Channels; Policy; Optimisation; Monitoring and Evaluation of Online Communications Channels; Online Communications Channels Planning and Implementation;
Social Media and PR strategy
Local versus Global Communication; Landscaping Platforms; Channels and context; Online PR Organisational Analysis and Segmentation; Developing Online PR Strategies; Online PR Tactics and SEO considerations; Online PR Planning; Managing Online PR Risk and Opportunities;
Media and Media Writing Skills
Mass Media
The elements of the Mass Media in Ireland - TV; National and Local Radio; National and Local Newspapers; Trade Publications; Specialist and Consumer Magazines; the Internet; The functions of different people in the Media;
The Relationship between Public Relations and the Media
What the Mass Media needs from Public Relations; and what Public Relations needs from the Mass Media; The Factors involved in building effective relationships with the Media; Dealing with the Mass Media; i;e; Pitching Stories; Interviews; Press Conferences; Photography; Media Relations in a crisis; Publicity versus Press Relations;
Media Relations
How to Segment Audiences; Serving the Client/Organising and serving the Media; The ?Readership Profile'; Media lists; How to watch Media with publics; The role of Press Releases in public Relations; Creating angles in Press Releases; Identifying the news angle in a story; The role of Photography; The ethics of Media Relations; Evaluating Media Relations; Media Monitoring;
Press Release Writing
Date; Headline; Structure; Wording; Contact Details; Note to Editor; Structuring a Press Release - The Inverted Pyramid Model; The Appropriate use of language for Press Releases; As part of the teaching of this section; students will also cover issues such as; being able to provide reasoning for the Press Release Content; Distribution Lists; additional information to be added for a Press Pack; a description of a Photographic idea and caption; Writing styles for different Media and Publics; Analysing a number of Press Releases and the Media Coverage generated;
Writing Interview Briefs
Preparing Clients for Interviews; Interviewing Styles and Techniques; Audiences; Preparing Questions and Answers; use of Newsworthy Quotes;
Writing for Statements and Speeches
Statements - Tone; Wording; Structure; Clarifications; Speeches - Preparation; Audience; Speech Notes; Structuring of Speech; Use of Language;
Business Material for Public Relations
Writing Proposals; Business Plans; Presentations; Reports;
Writing for Publication
Writing Feature Articles - Structure; Headlines; Awareness of Readership; Use of Language; Writing News Articles; Awareness of the Journalist's agenda; Writing for the Internet;
Grammar: The Basic rules of grammar
The Professional Environment
PR and the Range of Associated Professional Activities; How Public Relations fits into an Organisation's wider communication; Relationships between in-house Public Relations department and the rest of the Organisation; Client relationships; Managing client accounts; and Managing Expectations;
Marketing
Definitions; Historical Development; Market Research and Information; Products; Branding; Marketing Communications; Marketing Segmentation; Marketing Management and Organisation; The role of Public Relations in Marketing Management;
Advertising
Definitions; Historical Development; the Advertising Industry and Professional Bodies; Codes of Practice; Advertising Agencies; Selecting an Agency and working with it; Advertising Campaign Planning and Management; Advertising Media; Types of Advertisements - Magazines; Newspapers; Posters; Billboards; Ambient Advertising; The relationship between Advertising and Public Relations;
Print and Design
Types of Print and Design work in Public Relations; The role of the Project Team; Preparing the Brief; Outsourcing Design and Print Work; and managing that work; Briefing Designers on Content/Parameters;
Suppliers
Dealing with Suppliers - Designers; Printers; Photographers; Exhibition Displays; Video Production Companies; Event Managers; Direct Mail;
Business / Government Environment
Management
Definitions; Decision Making; Forecasting and Planning; Objective Setting; Organisation Structures and Cultures; the Social and Economic Impact of Business and other Organisations; Systems Theory; Motivation;
Public Relations' role within Corporate Management
Management's role in Communicating; PR's function as Management Counsellor; The Internal Communication process in Organisations; The Senior Management Team; The Business Plan; and where Public Relations fits into it; Public Relations' input into Corporate Websites; Corporate Productions - Ideas; Budgets; Commissioning; Managing Subcontracted Work;
Organisations' Impact on Society
The Increasing Importance of Corporate Social Responsibility; Globally and in Ireland; The Ethics of CSR; CSR as an Integral Element of Overall Business Strategy;
Irish Politics and Government
The Relationship between Business; Society and Government; Irish Politics; Economy and Society; The Constitution and Workings of the Political Institutions; The Policy-making process in Ireland; Social Partnership; The impact of the European Union; Regulatory Frameworks;
Event Management
Event Management Planning; Co-ordinating Events; Marketing Events; Event Risk Management; Corporate Event Management; Organising Conferences; Exhibition Management; Sporting Event Management;
Public Relations and Internal Communications
Organisational Culture and Transformation Strategy
Development of Corporate Strategy and How it Operates; Organisational structure Set up; Systems Theory and its Impact; Understanding Chaos and Complexity Theories; Employee Motivation Techniques and Human Relations Strategy; Impact and Effect of Internal Communications on Culture; Impact and Effect of Organisational Culture on Communication and Engagement;
Communication Theory and Strategic Internal Communication and Engagement
Understanding the Communication Process; Effective Communication and Engagement Strategies; Identifying Key Internal Communicator issues; Setting correct Internal Communications Strategies; Strategic Management Principles and Themes of Internal Communication;
Assessment of Internal Communication
Identifying Internal Communications Culture; Effective Employee Engagement Techniques and Assessing Organisational Success; Assessment of Internal Communication Effectiveness of an Organisation; Internal Communications Audit Methods; Conducting and Assessing Employee Surveys; Planning and implementing an audit;
Planning and Managing Tactics
Managing Effective Internal Communication Strategies; Internal Communications Research Management; Planning and Strategizing Line Management Input to the Process; Assessment; Measuring; Monitoring and Evaluation of Internal Communication;
Social Media for Internal Communication
Introduction to Social Media and Social Networks; Social Media Explained; Social Media Marketing Campaigns: Target Audiences and Objectives; Social Networking Presence and Strategy; Campaign Implementation; Social Media Metrics; Facebook: The Facebook Environment; Setting Up an Account; Guidelines; Facebook for Business; Twitter: Introduction; Linking Twitter to other Social media Websites; Twitter and Marketing; YouTube; YouTube and Marketing; LinkedIn: Managing an Account; Marketing through LinkedIn. Practical Activity: Social Media Marketing Strategy;
Role of Internal Communications in Organisation Transformation
Internal communicators as organisational leaders; Internal Communications Networking Process; Negotiation in the Internal Communications mix; Effective Decision Making in Internal Communications; Developing a usable Internal Communications Personal Development Plan;
Change Management and Internal Communications
Efficient and Effective Change management Models; Leading and Effecting Management Change through Communication and Engagement; Migrating to Change Management Involvement and Engagement scenarios; Identification and Analysis of the types of Organizational Culture in terms of their Resistance and Impacts; Monitoring impassive and negativity towards change; Developing Effective Communications and Engagement Strategies supporting and accelerating change; Problem Solving in the Change Management Landscape;
Setting Up and Marketing Your Own Consultancy
The Business Plan; Creating a Business Plan; Executive Summary; the Business Opportunity; Marketing & Sales Strategy; Management Team & Personnel; Operations; Financial Forecasts; Presentation; Legalities; Choosing a Legal Structure; Taxes; Records and Returns; Setting Up; the Workplace; Office Equipment; Stationary Supplies; Insurance; Financing Your Business; Accounting Software; Becoming an Employer; Marketing Strategy; Knowing Your Competitors; Promotional Tools;