For a long time, the value of Public Relations (PR) as a profession has gone mostly unrecognised by stakeholders in organisations and industries. Organisations like the African Public Relations Association (APRA) have taken it upon themselves to change this narrative by offering PR professionals new perspectives that cut across borders.
The annual APRA Conference is a vehicle used by this institution to elevate the status of this profession. As part of the activities for the 35th Annual conference, APRA partnered with The Comms Avenue to host a LinkedIn Live conversation on a pressing topic for most PR practitioners in Africa.
While our speakers were from three different regions on the continent, the conversation revealed that all the speakers had, at one point or the other, experienced similar challenges practising Public Relations.
Our erudite speakers, Lily Adimefe, Marketing and Corporate Communications Manager; Nicolas Emane, Partner, Program Communications at Mastercard Foundation; and Santher Mbacham, MD and Founder, ImageNation PR, as well as as our expert moderator, Lesijolu Eite Eric-Nwabuzor, Executive Director of The Comms Avenue shared their wealth of experience with us during the LinkedIn Live session.
The conversation, which held Tuesday, 7th May, 2024, was themed “Respect, Relevance and Remuneration: What is the Real Value of PR in Africa?”. Our speakers had a lot to say, but we have culled the following takeaways that we encourage you to embrace as you execute your work:
- As an African professional, your work has to reflect beyond the local sphere to the concept of Africa flourishing. Beyond the implications of your work locally, you can contribute to Africa’s global brand through the work that you do.
- As a PR professional, you have the gift of foresight and should not be an afterthought. Your strategic thinking can contribute to building sustainable businesses locally and globally, and should be prioritised not only by your organisation, but personally by you as a PR professional, as well.
- In order to be efficient, your communications must be embedded in the larger strategy of the organisation. You need to move away from seeking visibility to strategically aligning with the organisation’s goals. This is how you will achieve relevance.
- Having the right credentials does not necessarily make you the right fit for an organisation. Every organisation has a culture and language. To be the right fit, you must be able to relay your strategies, metrics and successes in the language that your key stakeholders understand, and this makes them partners in your strategic process.
- No doubt, storytelling is a big part of what you do. However, from an internal standpoint, data is key. Data is what will show the rigour of what you do in a way that your stakeholders will understand.
- You have to embrace transparency, integrity and constant communication as a professional. You also have to find a balance when communicating the realities of executing PR strategies with your organisation, clients or vendors, keeping relevant parties updated in real time as best as you can.
- As you grow, you need to move from being tactical to being more strategic and anticipating what your organisation or clients need(s) ahead of time. Once you can clearly outline your value, you can confidently engage with Management and tie it to an increase in remuneration.
If you found the highlights of this conversation insightful, APRA is hosting Communications professionals from Monday 13th May to Friday 17th May, 2024 at its 35th annual conference in Côte d’Ivoire. Many such conversations will take place, all geared towards elevating the practice of Public Relations across the continent.
We believe this Conference will provide tremendous, multifaceted value to PR professionals, and encourage you to attend. For further information about the conference, send an email to letstalk@thecommsavenue.com.
