Talking Heads UK is a regionally based organisation that offers training, networking and events. They have just released their schedule of professional development courses for Bristol for September and October 2011. Training is delivered by practitioners in the areas of marketing communications, business management, advertising, PR and creative design.

Introduction to PR
At the end of this session, attendees will be able to:

• Understand the scope of PR practice and its relationship to ancillary functions/professions including journalism, marketing, advertising, promotions and publicity practices
• Refer to practical examples clarifying what PR does and how it works in various organizations (agency and in-house)
• Detail the nature of the PR industry, its different sectors, historical development, role of professional bodies, and role of PR in society
• Explain the role of PR practitioners, key competencies and practices
• Consider how working in PR is changing and opportunities presented by trends (eg social media, integrated marketing communication)
• Reflect a professional approach to PR practice regarding ethical issues, best practice, legal/voluntary controls, PR’s reputation.

Date: 14th September 2011
Venue: Bristol

Making a PR campaign happen
At the end of this session, attendees will be able to:

• Follow a clear planning approach to include: research, objective setting, campaign execution, resource management, monitoring and evaluation
• Use appropriate tools to analyse typical PR issues/opportunities, understand public psychology, and review organizational goals
• Distinguish and determine relevant objectives and strategies reflecting task and outcome approaches
• Use a variety of techniques to generate creative, effective ideas
• Choose, implement and evaluate a broad range of PR tactics
• Produce clear reports that detail proposed activities, manage delivery, control budgets/resources and review campaigns

Date: 22nd September 2011
Venue: Bristol

Writing PR proposals
At the end of this session, attendees will be able to:

• Develop a client brief based on an ability to assess client needs, use tools and techniques for gaining insight into situations, analyse trends and identify emerging issues and opportunities
• Structure a PR proposal to meet the needs of senior management and client organisations
• Prepared detailed cost breakdowns covering budgets, timeframes (using GANTT charts and other approaches), staff and supplier requirements
• Demonstrate and sell creative ideas through proposal and presentation documents
• Produce PR proposals that have a clear call to action to secure executive and budgetary approval
• Address issues such as intellectual copyright, conflicts of interest, competitive advantage, etc

Date: 26th September 2011
Venue: Bristol

Crisis management
At the end of this session, attendees will be able to:

• Identify and assess risk relating to potential issues and crisis in a range of relevant organizations and situations
• Develop appropriate approaches of crisis preparedness, including planning processes, manuals and training needs
• Implement crisis detection and prevention strategies, including early warning scanning, risk/issues management and emergency response
• Review approaches to crisis incident management, including crisis recognition, activation procedures, flexible response mechanisms, operational and communications management, partnership working
• Undertake post-crisis review, including operational recovery, impact analysis, evaluation and modification
• Prepare relevant communication materials, including holding statements, ‘dark’ websites and social media strategies, management briefings.

Date: 4th October 2011
Venue: Bristol

PR on a budget
At the end of this session, attendees will be able to:

• Review case study examples to determine opportunities for achieving strategic goals with small budgets
• Improve effectiveness, efficiency and profitability of PR campaigns
• Develop partnership approaches that use networking and budget sharing to extend reach and effectiveness of operations
• Apply negotiating techniques to maximise potential of existing resources
• Identify and adjust key levers of successful return on investment
• Manage time investment more effectively to increase productivity of staff and suppliers

Date: 6th October 2011
Venue: Bristol

Managing personal & organisational reputation
At the end of this session, attendees will be able to:

• Identify the key drivers of personal and organizational reputation
• Implement effective techniques that improve personal reputation to boost career potential, earning/charging rates, status with clients and senior management, and professional standing
• Review and develop strategies to identify and address reputational gaps in a range of organizations
• Develop corporate image and identity campaigns that deliver effective reputational change
• Benchmark organizations against competitors to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats
• Identify and implement winning strategies for reputational recognition

Date and Venue TBC

All courses run from 10.00 am to 4.30 pm with lunch and refreshments included.

Cost: each course is £175 per delegate if you're a member of Bristol Media, CIPR or CIM. £195.00 per delegate if non members.

Offer:  Members of CIPR, CIM, Bristol Media can book on a Two For One offer so £175.00 for two delegates.  Maximum 2 bookings per company (so one offer), and first five bookings on each course only will apply.

To Book: Email hello@talkingheadsuk.co.uk with your course title, date and the names of the delegates attending, and details of whether you are applying for the Two For One offer or call Freephone 0808 147 6939

For further information visit the website : www.talkingheadsuk.co.uk

Note: All sessions will be hands-on with opportunities to practice skills, ask questions, undertake exercises and work on real life case scenarios.