Taxi Drivers in Chandigarh receive Training

Chandigarh Chapter of Public Relations Society of India (PRSI) in association with the Chandigarh Tourism and Chandigarh Institute of Hotel Management (CIHM), launched a capacity-building programme for the taxi drivers at the CIHM campus on 25th January.

The pilot programme was launched for the licensed taxi drivers in the city which was formally inaugurated by Mr. Man Mohan Singh Kohli, who is a member of the governing body of CIHM, and Ms Renuka Salwan, Chairperson of Chandigarh Chapter of PRSI.

Our objective is to sensitise these taxi drivers as also other first point-of-contacts for the tourists, to be the ambassadors of the city, and render services ethically and professionally, informed Charanjit Singh, convenor of the programme, and former national vice president of PRSI.

Any tourist destination, besides the infrastructure, requires the support of its residents and whole lot of service-providers must partner in this entire exercise to make a destination into a brand and a wholesome pleasant experience for the tourists, he said.

A Code of Conduct for the taxi drivers was also released and each driver attending the programme was given an incentive of Rs.100 and a Certificate.

CJ

Strategic Media Relations Conference

Strategic Media Relations Conference and Workshop, which AMIC is endorsing, is being held at Singapore from 5-7 February 2007.

The new media era of blogs , RSS , wikis and podcasts revolutionises the way communicators reach out to the crucial stakeholders with major repercussions. News and information is travelling in lightning speed and easily accessible anytime, anywhere, on any device . Adding fuel to this trend is the challenge to stay apprised with the media relations efforts to prove the ROI. Synchronising sustainable media strategy and utilising new and innovative technologies is the key deliver to rising above the competition.

Are you able to augment your communication efforts in the changing media landscape with the invasion of new media? Can you pave the way to a bigger budgetary pie for your media relations efforts by proving the worth of the spent? Are your media strategies in sync with the journalists' instincts and resonate with the media interests?

To register yourself online :
http://www.conferences.com.sg/registration.htm

CJ

Ethical Dilemma

Almost every day a PR person faces numerous ethical dilemmas which makes him stop and ponder: Is it right? Can it be done? Should I do it?

Please share your personal experiences how you resolved the personal ethical issues especially when dealing with your bosses, or the media, or any of the stakeholders in the course of your duty.

CJ

Denise Lawrenece's Talk

Denise Lawrence of UK, Department of Value Education, Brahma Kumari’s World Spiritual University, in her special talk, organized by Global Forum for Public Relations on 24th Dec 2006, here in Hyderabad said we live in a highly materialistic world which compromises and contaminates our life style. The power of materialism has eroded the natural spiritual strength and people are unable to resist corruption, temptation and a variety of addictions.

Narrating her experience in media during her career in UK & US she said that a country like India with its age-old historical background and following the commandments contained in great epics like Ramayana & Mahabharata, which advocated human and ethical values in the normal life has a great potential to take up many practices of the present day including Corporate Communication.

She said that the root cause of any ill was the general spiritual depletion and the need of the hour was to restore spiritual component of a human being and the source of spiritual strength. Such an environment will enable us to integrate the power of spirituality into our social, professional, communication and family approach.

She, therefore, stressed the need for ensuring ethical values in dealing with corporate communication to achieve positive credibility for the organization.

She has co-related these elements to the Golden Triangle set by the Global Forum with regard to Professionalism, Ethics and Spirituality for effective Public Relations.

The chief guest of the programme, Dr. C.V. Narasimha Reddi, Editor of PR Voice, observed that Corporate Ethics and Public Relations Ethics should go hand in hand in gaining organizational credibility. He advised the corporate communicators to bear values and ethics in mind in their day-to-day corporate activity. Quoting the meaning of ‘meditation’ as ‘connection’ he said that the very business of corporate communication is to establish a connection between the organization and its various publics. This way, meditation can be used as a ‘medication’ to overcome stress and strain and to sharpen one’s own skills.
(Contributed by Mr. Y. Babji)

Best PRSI Chapter Award for Chandigarh

Chandigarh Chapter of Public Relations Society of India got the Best Chapter Performance Award at the just concluded 28th All India Public Relations Conference organised by PRSI at Lucknow.
Mrs. Renuka Salwan, Chairperson of Chandigarh Chapter, who had led the 21 member delegation from the Chapter, received the award from the chief guest, the former president of Mauritius.
PRSI Chandigarh Chapter had been instrumental in starting and mentoring a Chapter of PRSI in Himachal Pradesh earlier this year, besides launching its own website, and regularly organising programmes for professional development of its members.

Chandni Luthra's Talk

It is for the information all those who confirmed for attending the talk by Ms Chandni Luthra, Vice President, ITDC, New Delhi, on "New Dimensins in Tourism Promotion", at Chandigarh on 12th December stands postponed now to 19th December, Tuesday, at 5pm at the UT Guest House.
The Department of Tourism, UT Administration, Chandigarh, is the sponsor of the evening.