Taking stock after a PRCA-centric September

We’re always keen to do more with one of the UK’s leading public relations bodies. Notwithstanding C8 attaining its CMS accreditation over the summer (you can read more about what this means, here), and the training courses they offer, PRCA events provide a great opportunity to network and gather insights that you can take back into your own business and apply immediately.  

These opportunities aren’t always readily available in every industry and this is why C8 actively encourages all team members, regardless of experience and seniority, to learn and soak up as much from the PRCA as possible. 

In September, it was my turn. This involved me making my debut at the PRCA’s annual UK and Public Affairs Conference, not to mention a couple of breakfast briefings here, and Leaders Lunches there. This is what I took away: 

Tackling crises in a polarised world

Everyone in PR works in the world of news, and sometimes the news stories scrolling past on the BBC News or Sky News ticker don’t paint a flattering tale of a polarising world in 2024. For some public relations professionals, these stories represent a crisis for their clients that need to delicately deal with messaging across all mediums. 

It really got me thinking about the impact of social media in both creating, and dealing with, a crisis.  

The ways in which people express themselves have changed rapidly in the last 15-20 years – for better and worse. It gives people a platform to air their views straight into the palm of your hand, and has made the world feel as one, on occasion. This makes it great for communicating policy quickly and directly when responding to a crisis.  

However, it has also changed the way that news is reported. Citizen journalism is increasing and the lack of regulation of some social media platforms has accelerated the spread of misinformation, which can have wider societal implications.  

In a world when buyer and stakeholder decisions about companies and brands are largely based on the content coming from their social media accounts, it’s more important than ever to strike the right balance on what constitutes a crisis, how it affects a company or society, and how best to respond.  

Harnessing multigenerational teams 

When thinking of multigenerational teams, who naturally thinks of those younger than yourself? I think we’re all sometimes guilty of doing this, and approaching any request from someone with fewer miles on the clock with “Back in my day, I had to….” and “You’ve never had it so good”.  

But who thinks about harnessing the power of those who are older and more experienced? Age is rarely part of the diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI) conversation. I feel that older PR professionals sometimes get an unfair, dismissive wave of the hand, with employers worried that they are not as technologically savvy or knowledgeable on ‘GenAI’. This is sometimes missed as part of the agency jigsaw, and after reflecting, it doesn’t make sense on any level. 

This was a session that really made me think about how to utilise a multigenerational team to its strengths. Younger generations that are tech-native have had to deal with more strife than we typically imagine. And therefore, their expectations and priorities around desired benefits, and how and where they want to work, are likely very different to what we probably think.  

Next time you get together as a team, stop to consider the different generations in your team, and how you can apply a hyper-personalised approach to each individual, which will allow you to get the best from them.  

This will likely have my teammates running for the hills… 

Making lives easier for in-house teams

Even though client-facing work is at least 75% of my time at C8 Consulting, you never stop learning about how to directly address what your clients are looking for in an agency. I was once told that companies employ PR agencies to do something they cannot a) afford to do themselves, or b) do not have the required expertise. This is still very much true, but I would encourage agency-side PR pros to ask themselves the following: 

• How often do you challenge your clients? No one wants to be a “yes” person that simply does what they are told. Ask your client why they have decided on a certain strategy, and ally that to the media and market insights that only you can provide. Maybe agencies are worried about disagreeing with clients? This also involves challenging in-house teams on how they measure success – if you don’t, you’ll certainly be challenged on your results!
• Make your in-house contact look good. You obviously have to balance productivity with over-servicing your clients, but go the extra mile every now and then to help them out – especially smaller teams or one-man/woman bands – and try to pre-empt what they need from you next. This is all about being responsive – and picking up the phone when they need you most. 
• Have charisma and gravitas. People buy from people who they have a rapport with, so work hard to cultivate close working relationships with your clients. 
• Last but not least, proof your work before it goes to the client. The PRCA panel of PR professionals were particularly keen to point this out! 

All-in-all, attending three PRCA events in six days has given me the chance to step back from my desk, and enjoy the company of my industry colleagues. No one is an expert on every issue facing the wider PR industry, but I did enjoy participating in industry discussions and roundtables where I could give my opinion on where we need to go next and hear from others in the room too.

Speak with the communications specialists

With 20 successful years in business, the team at C8 Consulting is perfectly placed to help you address your PR and communications challenges. Whether you’re looking to grow internationally, beach head and rollout across new markets, or seek to champion your next growth stage, C8 Consulting is here to help you. Do get in touch.