What are you doing to stay relevant?

Recently I had the pleasure of representing CPRS as the keynote speaker at the Global PR Summit Canada 3 in Toronto, which welcomed delegates from around the world to discuss top issues facing the world of communications today.

To prepare for my presentation, Relevancy in a Disruptive World, I spoke to some corporate leaders about the challenges ahead and used the seven megatrends outlined in our 2017 white paper “The Elevation of Public Relations” as a jumping off point. One of the takeaways of my talk was that in order to be exceptional communicators and thought leaders of the future, we must develop a mindset to be innovative, shape the culture and speak the language of business today.

As Canada’s largest PR and Communications Management association, we have much to be #CPRSproud!  The advocacy and thought leadership that continues to be demonstrated year over year in the name of CPRS and ethical public relations makes me both thankful and proud of our collective efforts.

As a proud Mount Saint Vincent University grad, I am delighted to see the establishment of an almost unprecedented endowment from the estate of Neil and Ivy Oakley that provides Bachelor of Public Relations students with a paid membership to CPRS.  This extraordinary and thoughtful gift from the Oakley’s enables students to get involved, network and have early exposure to the important work being done by dedicated, ethical communications professionals across the country.  This will certainly increase their relevancy and impact.

Another exciting initiative CPRS has been involved with recently is Humber College’s creation of a new CPRS Senior Fellow in Residence position – the first time we have had one of our Fellows appointed to an academic institution as a formal representative of CPRS.  Humber’s new Senior Fellow in Residence, Eileen Tobey, APR, FCPRS, is using her extensive work experience and knowledge to instill the importance of professional ethics and high standards of practice to the next generation of communicators coming out of the Humber program.  We can’t wait to welcome the next generation of ethical communicators into the CPRS family. 

Now what about you? What are you doing to stay relevant in today’s world? If you haven’t already, you may want to start by earning your APR designation. Earning those three letters to put after your name shows your commitment to the highest standards and an ability to effectively navigate our ever-changing communications landscape. This year’s deadline to apply is Dec. 1, so if you’re up for a challenge and ready to start your APR journey, make sure to get those applications in soon. 

And of course, if you’ve had your APR for a while, you may aspire to joining the CPRS College of Fellows. Our newest cohort of CPRS Fellows will be announced soon, so good luck to this year’s candidates who applied earlier this year. If you haven’t thought about it before, check out the application process online and seriously consider it.

And if you’re not quite ready for accreditation or don’t quite meet the qualifications of Fellow yet, there’s still a lot of upcoming professional development opportunities to help professionals at all levels to stay up to date and learn best practices. RSVP now for our upcoming webinars and catch up on any you’ve missed in the Bill Rees Learning Centre.  It’s a great place to learn new skills.

Block your calendar for June 2-4 and register for our next annual conference being held in Edmonton. The Extra Early Bird registration deadline for Evolving Expectations 2019 is Dec. 14, so get your passes soon.  We’re pleased to host you at Edmonton’s brand new, JW Marriot hotel so hope to see you all there!

Staying relevant in today’s disruptive world is not just a once-and-done process.  It’s a mindset and is a fundamental element in our quest to be exceptional communicators. So, with things moving faster than ever, remember to stay connected, curious and inspire a culture of innovation in your organizations so that you and your team stay aware and adapt accordingly.

Be sure to watch our video on the future of public relations, which outlines the seven megatrends featured “The Elevation of PR” white paper and first premiered at the Global PR Summit 3 earlier this month.
#CPRSproud

Dana Dean, APR, FCPRS LM
National President
Canadian Public Relations Society