Level B Courses

For participants of level B courses an advanced understanding of communications is prerequisite. The seminars focus at the needs of seniors who – either in the PR department of an organisation or in an agency – have a supervising function in their team and provide advice to corporate management. Level B courses are designed for PR consultants who strive for sophistication in their business.

The seminars provide in-depth, active learning experience through continuous interactive liaison with faculty members. Smaller audiences, working on real cases guarantee high level involvement and results. All level B seminars have an international scope.

Lobbying in Brussels

What you need to know about the European Union

To find the right way through the complex organizations of the ‘European Institutions’ (Commission, Parliament, Council) is a challenge even for Europeans themselves. The European Parliament and the Council of Ministers, representing the 27 member states, are the main decision makers over proposals for directives and regulations from the European Commission which has the exclusive ‘power of initiative’. In 2006 the Council enhanced the Parliament’s powers to oversee the ‘comitology’ procedure. It is these procedures and regulations which people dealing with the EU Institutions need to understand.

Who should attend

Public affairs specialists, whether from consultancies or from companies, trade associations, trade unions, the public sector or from consumer/charity/single issue groups
Lawyers, both in-house and private practice
Chairmen, Chief Executives, corporate communications specialists and senior managers responsible for activities which may be affected by forthcoming EU legislation developments

Content

How the EU works
Understanding the Co-decision and Conciliation procedures in the EU
The role of the Member State offices in Brussels
Making use of the European Commission Delegation to the PRC
The European Parliament’s power
Bi-lateral issues PRC – EU

Fee: 900 EURO

Internal Relations

Since all communications start “at home” the employees have to be a top priority target audience. Only well informed employees are motivated and feel part of the company culture. Thus employees need to understand what their organization stands for, where it is heading and what place they might have in the future. Research shows that motivated work forces not only act as brand ambassadors but overall achieve and produce better results in terms of quality and output in their day-to-day work.

Who should attend

Management in companies going through major change processes
Middle management with responsibility in human resources departments,
Public Relations personnel responsible for internal relations
Staff writers for in-house publications.

Content

The role of the internal PR staff
Creating a communications strategy
Developing an annual plan
Handling the challenges of organizational competition
Involvement of senior management to act as representatives of good communication and behaviour.

Results

Participants are enabled to write, plan and run their own internal communication programs, supporting the key mission of their company.

Fee: 900 EURO

Issues and Crisis Management

No single organization is on the safe side forever. To be able to deal with the unexpected may save an organization’s existence. The seminar concentrates not only how to deal with bad press but starts giving worthwhile advice how to avoid a crisis. It deals with the emotions on both sides: within the company and outside. The key learning is: The core of every crisis is bad preparedness and the inability to deal with emotions.

Who should attend

Top management, to get a feeling how crises can impact their work and affect their personal life
Second line management, to be prepared to deal with a crisis
Public Relations management, to learn the tricks of the trade
Support staff, to learn their roles

Content

Risk assessment and preparedness planning
Issues monitoring and decision making
Anticipating threats
Understanding the role of the media
Internal communications
Spokesperson training
Repairing damage to reputation and recovering from a crisis

Fee: 900 EURO

Media Training (train the trainer)

Media relations is the PR person’s task. Communication is an art and a technique: the art of dealing with the media in good times as well as in shifting tides of public pressure, a technique that helps company spokespeople to respond to concerns and emotions in a better way. It is now more than critical than ever for companies, private and formal institutions, political parties and governmental bodies to be able to articulate their point of view about what they do and why they do it. The more people within an organization understand how the media work and how to deal with the media, the better it is. Our seminar is designed to enable participants to convey the experience learned during the seminar to a broader audience within their organization. We provide them the appropriate knowledge and material.

Who should attend

People who have the competence and responsibility to work as trainers in their organization
Managers leading people who have to generate media coverage
Press and communication managers who want to improve their skills.
Executives of governmental agencies and institutions

Content

How the media/journalists think and work
Generating news for the different types of media
The journalist as the medium
How to place news – tips and tricks
Strategic approach to media relations
Understanding and building relationships
On camera training
How to convey seminar learning in-house

Fee: 900 EURO

Social Media

The Web 2.0 is a dream as well as a nightmare for CEOs, marketers and politicians all over this world. On the one hand it enables them to speak uncensored and authentically to various publics whenever and wherever they wish. They can reach fragments as well as whole audiences with the tip of their fingers. On the other hand everybody using the web can place whatever they think and feel about a company or the government or an individual, regardless whether what they are publishing its true or not. Of course there are laws and legal restrictions. But who cares!

Our seminar deals with how to use the Web 2.0 best to the needs of the company, institution or an individual. We develop strategies and tactics to make the web work for us. We develop instruments to use in times of crisis and we talk about who should communicate. The internet is rapidly changing the media landscape and creating new roles in communications.

Who should attend

PR manager and their officers dealing with the Web 2.0 communities
Crisis communication experts
Marketers who want to know how to use social media

Content

What is the Web 2.0, how does it function, what should you know to make use of it
The social and political implications
Blogs, video and audio news releases, podcasting, video on demand, social networks
The factor behind its growth
Cultural, ethical and organisational issues
Crisis communications via the internet

Fee: 900 EURO

Creative Event Management

As creative an event might be – as long as it does not support the overall communications strategy and brand message, it is not working well and you waste money. Good events not only attract people, build customer relationship and create news: They also contribute to and build your image.

How to create events which become “talk of the town” is the key topic of our seminar. We lead our participants through the essentials from the first brainstorming to the final plan and budgeting. Events cost money and it is more than important to manage them well to get as much as possible return on investment. A key consideration should always be: How to involve the media. It is great to reach a couple thousand people directly and nearly on an individual basis, but it is even more rewarding to see the message spread to millions of potential customers.

Who should attend

Public Relations officers with at least one year praxis
Event manager from corporations and agencies who wish to improve their skills
Business owners who wish to achieve positive results for their company, services or products

Content

Brainstorming techniques
Creative venue sourcing
Strategy and messaging
What makes an event more than an event
Developing themes relevant to specific audiences
Planning and organization
Event logistics
Generating hooks to get and keep the media interested

Fee: 900 EURO

How to get best Value from an External Consultancy

To source out specific PR activities to an agency may often be a good idea and a matter of intelligent choice. This seminar deals with how to select the “right” agency. A difficult task and a challenge even for experienced Public Relations professionals. All agencies organized in national and international PR associations work professionally. But they are never as professional as a demanding client expects. The choice already starts with simple questions: What agency is best for the job? Network or domestic agency, generalist or specialist, small or big. Who sees you as his most important client? Whom can you trust?

But that is only the beginning. The real problem lies in guidance and control of the selected partner agency during the assignment and the evaluation of their work.

Who should attend

PR manager with international responsibilities
Local PR function in branch offices abroad
Company management with international competency and responsibility
CEOs of company subsidiaries

Content

Develop the brief
Briefing and controlling
Criteria for selecting an agency
Guidance and control of the selected partner agency during the assignment
The client in the “driver’s seat”
Evaluation

Fee: 900 EURO

Program Development

Good Public Relations are based on strategy with set objectives and goals which have to be reached in a given time frame and budget. PR programs have impact if they are carefully planned, have their priorities and activities clearly laid out and harmonized with the overall mission of the company. This is a challenging task for the PR function within a company or for an agency working on behalf of a client. The PR plan must answer the question: Whom do I want to reach, when, where, how, and with what message / news to influence the mind of my audience to think positively about the corporation, it’s services or products. The “Program Development” seminar conveys “state of the art” techniques in program writing. The seminar deals with corporate programming as well as with marketing communications.

Who should attend

Public Relations practitioners from corporations and PR agencies
Management from mid-size companies
Management of institutions and government agencies who wish to conduct continuous Public Relations

Content

Communications strategy and planning
Managing a global PR campaign
The culture trap
Building stakeholder relationships
Targeting decision makers
Introducing CSR concepts
Communicating to internal audiences
The creative process
Evaluating the results
Creating, managing and running events

Fee: 900 EURO