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INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC

RELATIONS OF SINGAPORE

In This Issue

TMC Academy-IPRS Student Chapter MOU Signing Ceremony

NUS-IPRS Student Chapter MOU Signing Ceremony

IPRS-PA/NACLI Public Communication Series: Understanding the Social Media

IPRS-Singapore Press Club (SPC) National Day Party

Visit to SMRT Corporation

IPRS Visit to BW Group: Understanding PR, typhoons and rogue waves

University of Canberra Visit to Singapore

TP-IPRS Student Chapter Talking Point Series: Is Radio Important to PR today?

Professional Certificate in Public Relations and Mass Communication Intake 01-2016

IPRS Featured Trainer: James Suresh

Issue No. 04/2016 July/August

An official publication of Institute of Public Relations of Singapore in PDF format, 11 pages only. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, micro-copying, photocopying, recording or otherwise) be reproduced in whole or part without prior permission from IPRS. The opinions and views in this newsletter do not reflect the official view of IPRS.

17 August - TMC Academy-IPRS Student Chapter MOU

Signing Ceremony

There was much excitement for everyone involved in celebrating the launch of the

IPRS-TMC Academy Student Chapter. It marked a new beginning of an important

relationship between TMC Academy and the Public Relation professionals in

Singapore. The Chapter allows our students to expand their network with student

members from other IPRS Student Chapters as

well as PR professionals in the industry.

Representing IPRS at the launch was Robert

Conceicao, President, IPRS, Eric Chan, Council

Member, IPRS, and Lennette Koh, Manager, IPRS

Secretariat. Dr. Chin Kon Yuen, Chairman of TMC

Academy, Yeow Cheng Khim, CEO-TMC

Academy and Wei Wah Lim, TMC Academy IT &

Communication Industry Advisory Board Chair

Person and Director, Asia IT Site Operations at

Microsoft Operations Pte Ltd represented TMC

Academy.

At the ceremony, Student Chapter President,

Lee Dongho was awarded a

Certificate of Appointment to

lead the inaugural Student

Chapter. Prior to the event, a

campus wide poster design

competition was held to

celebrate the launch of the

Chapter. Students presented

the concepts of their poster

designs at the event. The top

three poster designs were

voted by the attendees and

the winning poster was

chosen to be the official

poster to represent the

IPRS -TMC Academy

Student Chapter from 2016-2017.

Left to right: Yeow Cheng Khim (CEO, TMC Academy), Lim Wei Wah (TMC Academy IT & Communication Industry Advisory Board Chair Person Director, Asia IT Site Operations at Microsoft Operations Pte Ltd), Dr. Chin Kon Yuen (Chairman, TMC Academy), Robert Conceicao (President, IPRS) Eric Chan (Council Member, IPRS)

(Continued on page 2)

The winner of the poster competition presenting her idea.

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12 August 2016 - NUS-IPRS Student Chapter MOU Signing Ceremony

The National University of Singapore (NUS)’s Communication

and New Media (CNM) Department signed a Memorandum of

Understanding (MOU) with the Institute of Public Relations

Singapore (IPRS) to launch a Student Chapter.

The MOU was signed by Professor Mohan J Dutta, Provost’s

Chair & Head, CNM Department and Robert Conceicao,

President of the IPRS Council in the presence of

representatives from both organisations, including IPRS

Council Member, Eric Chan.

As it is the beginning of a new school term, a new Student

EXCO will be elected soon which will then organise and

supervise activities of the Student Chapter.

Left to right: Professor Mohan and Robert at the signing ceremony.

The article and photos were contributed by students from TMC Academy. (From left): Lee Dongho, (President of Student Chapter, TMC Academy), Lalethaa d/o Karamjeet Singh

Left to right: Lennette Koh (Manager, IPRS Secretariat), Adrian Heng (Accredited Member, IPRS), Emmanuel Benedict (Vice President, CNM Society), Chiang Hai Xuan (President, CNM Society), Professor Mohan J. Dutta (Provost’s Chair & Head, Department of CNM, NUS), Robert Conceicao (President, IPRS), Eric Chan (Council Member, IPRS), Assistant Professor Iccha Basnyat (Department of CNM), Maythil Aishwarya (Senior Executive, Department of CNM, NUS)

The winning poster was by I-Yin Lin, a Mass Communication student. The event ended successfully with a tea and a networking

session between staff and students of TMC and IPRS. The IPRS-TMC Academy Student Chapter will be organising activities

that members can look forward to in the coming months.

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30 July 2016 - IPRS-PA/NACLI Public Communication Series:

Understanding the Social Media Landscape

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube and other platforms come to our mind when the phrase “Social Media” pops

up. Being born in the Gen Y era, I was fortunate to see the world change and advance through technology. Being an active

user of Social Media, I wanted to hear an expert’s view on Social Media, especially in the local context. Stephen Forshaw,

Managing Director, Corporate Affairs, Temasek Holdings Pte Ltd and past IPRS President shared insights on “Understanding

the Social Media Landscape” in the one-hour session.

Stephen began his presentation with statistics that showed that Singapore had the highest penetration of Social Media in the

world. This surprised me as Singapore is a small nation with a 5.5 million population and yet we have 3.8 million Social Media

users. That’s more than half of the population!

Stephen added that the enormity of new technologies has not only connected the world but has its downsides, too. For

example, terrorists are able to use technology for propaganda. He reminded the audience to keep in perspective that

technology by and large, brings positive uses. Social Media sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram “democratises” media

by giving everyone a platform to voice or communicate their views. These can often be as powerful as a newspaper. However,

he stressed that while this is good, individuals must use it with responsibility.

How then can one be responsible when using Social Media? Stephen pointed to the following:

Listen

Understand

Converse

Engage

Not broadcast

Stephen concluded by sharing that Social Media is

“viral” and a two-way process! Be ready to respond

reasonably, quickly, and thoughtfully.

Some key aspects one should consider before posting

online:

Am I revealing too much about myself?

Am I showing a negative side of myself?

Could someone feel disrespected?

Who might be able to read this?

Could someone misinterpret what I’m saying?

What would people think if my comment was reproduced in the newspapers tomorrow?

Am I posting in anger?

I was happy to take away these key aspects especially to the question “Am I posting in anger?” I personally felt that this is one

of the most dangerous things to do that could get one into serious trouble. Often, when upset, we tend to say things without

thinking only to regret it later. On Social Media, it may be too late to regret given the speed that feeds are spread. So, give it

some thoughts folks!

Left to right: Stephen Forshaw and the moderator, Teo Lin Lee, PBM, (Vice-Chairperson, Queenstown CCC)

(Continued on page 4)

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27 July 2016 - IPRS-Singapore Press Club (SPC) National Day Party

The annual IPRS-SPC National Day Party was held at The Salon at Hotel Fort Canning. About 40 IPRS Members mingled with

friends from the Singapore Press Club to celebrate Singapore’s 51st anniversary. The event kicked off with welcome addresses

from Patrick Daniel, President, SPC and Christina Cheang, Vice-President, IPRS.

The highlights of the event were for guests to come dressed in their best national costumes and a “Best Dressed Contest”.

Guests were invited to purchase flower garlands and adorn it on whom they felt were the best dressed. Participants indulged in

a sumptuous spread of local delights amidst mellow harmonies of cool jazz. Another highlight of the party was the launch of

SPC’s official cocktail, “The Write Choice”. A drink that a tired and stressed PR Practitioner may like to have after a long day of

work.

Left to right: Chantelle Shalini and Lennette Koh (IPRS Secretariat) and Prof Gregor Halff, (Council Member, IPRS)

Patrick Daniel, (President, SPC) Christina Cheang, (Vice-President, IPRS)

Ywenna, the performer for the party

The article was contributed by Debayan Dutta who hails from India. He is a Bachelor of Communication undergraduate from the University of Newcastle, Singapore. As an aspiring photojournalist, he loves to cover travel related issues, events and socio-political topics. Debayan shares an equal amount of passion for writing and hopes to make a career in journalism.

Here is what a participant had to say:

Henry Fung, Chairman, Springleaf Neighbourhood Committee, said that he attended the talk in the

hope of hearing views from a professional. He was glad he made time for it. He found Stephen’s

talk insightful and objective.

The article was contributed by Lennette Koh, Manager, IPRS Secretariat, who attended the talk.

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22 July 2016 - Visit to SMRT Corporation

SMRT Corporation opened the doors of its Kim Chuan Depot to about 30 IPRS members and members of its Student

Chapters. During the visit, SMRT provided valuable insights into its Corporate PR, Train Control Operations and maintenance

at its Rolling Stock.

Mike Yeo, from Circle Line Operations and Maintenance led the tour of the Train Operation Control Center and the Rolling

Stock department. He shared how train systems ran and the “behind the scenes” procedures. Did you know that SMRT tracks

its trains in seconds and not in minutes that we usually see

on the notice boards at the train platform? At the

underground Rolling Stock Department, visitors were briefed

on the train overhaul process, i.e. maintaining and servicing

of parts of the train. The visitors were amazed at the

different operations and parts of a train, which are normally

concealed from the eyes of commuters.

The visit ended with a candid Q&A session hosted by

Patrick Nathan, Vice President, Corporate Information and

Communications, and his colleagues, including David Boey, Deputy Director, Corporate Marketing and Communications and

Jean Pham, Lead, Social Media, Corporate Marketing and Communications. When asked about the general staff morale,

Patrick shared that for every negative feedback that SMRT received, they were showered with ten compliments. Patrick and

his team shared how SMRT adapts both its communications and engagement strategies differently and tailor it to the level of

urgency required.

There were several questions on social media and its measurement. Key points highlighted included:

It is important for an organization to adjust and understand both social and traditional media because one could be used as

a means to engage and create awareness while the other could serve as a customer relations channel.

Presence on social media is not just about maintaining presence but also building advocacy and effectively

communicating your messages.

In evaluation, always choose the right metrics and analyze the impact of the campaign. For example, SMRT tracks a set of

KPIs and ROIs that the company monitors closely. But what’s more important is to analyze the change of

perceptions and conversations among the public.

(Continued on page 6)

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The article was contributed by an IPRS Volunteer, Gabriela Gunawan, Public Relations and Journalism

graduate of University of Newcastle, Singapore.

Caroline Oh, Final Year Undergraduate, Communications Studies at University of Newcastle,

Singapore

“The trip to Kim Chuan Depot was an eye opener. I learned a lot from the SMRT Corporate

Communications team: on how they run their social media. For example, what is considered a

big-enough’ issue to post on social media and how SMRT evaluates its campaigns. It was indeed a

fruitful trip.”

12 July 2016 - IPRS Visit to BW Group: Understanding PR, typhoons and rogue waves

The weather gods were smiling on the visitors from the Institute of Public Relations of Singapore. Bright sun and windless

conditions meant a quick and relatively smooth 40-minute boat ride out to sea, where Very Large Gas Carrier (VLGC) BW

Loyalty was anchored.

The visit hosted by BW Group, started with a summary of the mandate of the Corporate Communications and Branding

Department at BW Group, followed by a safety briefing by Global Head of Fleet Security, Geoff Pearson. Once on board BW

Loyalty, the group wasted no time getting acquainted with the crew, and looking around the vessel exploring areas such as the

(Continued on page 7)

The visit ended with a lunch of salmon, chicken, roast beef, shrimp,

french fries, and steamed rice. If you were feeling peckish still, the

Head Cook on board also baked a cake and cinnamon rolls for the

visitors.

A VLGC is a high-tech “floating office”, capable of generating its own power, water, and carry valuable energy cargo

(liquefied gas at large quantities, 84,000cbm) across the world’s oceans for weeks on end, with only a crew of about 25.

This visit cannot be classified easily, for participants learnt about

meteorology, geography, history and even food safety. Diverse topics

ranged from the dangers of ice, the predictability of typhoons and how

vessels avoid them, and the unpredictability of rogue waves which can

overwhelm the usual capabilities of ocean-going vessels. Geography

lessons were interspersed with practical guidance on how to take

provisions and keep food fresh over a three-month period while out at

sea; a lesson on how cargoes of Liquefied Petroleum Gas are loaded

and unloaded; and how water is pumped into ballast tanks to maintain

The IPRS members with Lisa Lim, (Senior Manager,

Communications and Brand, BW Group) on extreme left

and Captain Geoff Pearson, second from right.

engine control room, navigation deck, cargo control room, the kitchen,

laundry room and even the crew’s sleeping quarters.

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The article and photograph were contributed by Lisa Lim, Senior Manager, Communications and Brand, BW

Group and Accredited IPRS Member.

What is PR’s contribution to a maritime energy transportation company? Above all, the objective is similar to any other

industry – reputation protection and promotion. In the oil and gas industry, safety is a priority.

PR practitioners remain ready to react in a crisis, which can involve pollution at sea impacting the environment and wildlife;

significant loss of life; and threats from pirates who can target cargo or crew. Beyond such crises, which one always prays never

occur, in-house magazines have to be written, websites have to be maintained, corporate presentations have to be made, events

have to be managed, and drills have to be conducted to ensure that we are ready to support the business in times of peace and

emergencies.

28 June 2016 - University of Canberra Visit to Singapore

IPRS was happy to have hosted a sharing session by our President, Robert Conceicao, to a visiting team from the University of

Canberra on “The State of Public Relations in Singapore” at the Furama Hotel City Centre. The visitors were led by two

academics from the University, Dr Scott Rickard, Assistant Professor of Communication and Shaun Cheah, Lecturer, Discipline

of Communication, and comprised of 14 students from the Faculty of Arts & Design (majoring in Public Relations and

Advertising). The visit to Singapore was part of one of the University’s courses.

Robert covered three main areas in his session:

About IPRS

Overview of the PR Industry in Singapore

Issues facing the PR profession in Singapore today

The students appreciated the knowledge and experiences shared by our President and the lecturers were pleased and hope to

have more of such trips in the near future.

Robert sharing on “The State of PR in Singapore” with the visitors. The visitors from University of Canberra.

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24 June 2016 - TP-IPRS Student Chapter Talking Point Series: Is Radio Important to PR today?

The advent of the internet and digital technology has drastically reduced the dominance of TV and newspapers in the media

landscape. What about the role of another traditional medium - radio? That was the subject of the Talking Point series

launched by the new executive committee of Temasek Polytechnic-Institute of Public Relations of Singapore (TP-IPRS)

Student Chapter at TP’s campus.

The lively session by radio experts Felicia Nah and Sebastian Sim was held at the radio studio classroom of MediaBiz Studios,

a dedicated state of the art facility of the Diploma of Communications & Media Management (CMM). CMM students obtain

hands-on training using up-to-date radio and television production equipment. The former programme directors with local radio

stations, before joining TP as lecturers, thoroughly engaged the audience consisting of IPRS members, PR practitioners as well

as students with their humorous yet very informative insider perspectives of radio.

They also shed light on the inner workings of radio stations and their experiences working with PR practitioners, highlighting the

fact that, radio is still a highly relevant and indispensable platform for publicity despite advancements in the digital age. A key

advantage that both speakers highlighted was the fact that radio is still relatively the most instantaneous medium compared to

other traditional media such as TV or print advertising.

“The public is now more discerning and less prepared to accept information dished out by advertising. Radio has an edge over

the other media in terms of credibility as information is controlled,” said Sebastian.

“Radio has the distinction of being the only traditional media platform that you can legally engage in while driving,” Felicia

pointed out.

Sebastian and Felicia also shared very useful tips that would assist PR practitioners to connect with the right radio presenter

and ultimately, the right target audience.

The audience were taken on a tour of the radio editing and production rooms, where they witnessed a behind-the-scene live

recording session of a radio programme by a CMM student presenter.

Left to right: Sebastian Sim, (Lecturer, TP, and former Programme Director, Power98FM), and Felicia Nah, (Section Head, CMM TP and former Assistant Programme Director, 938LIVE).

The article and photographs were contributed by Andy Sim (President, TP-IPRS Student Chapter) and Cedric Cheok (Publicity Secretary, TP-IPRS Student

Chapter), respectively.

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Professional Certificate in Public Relations and Mass Communication Intake 01-2016

The first run of the Professional Certificate Course for the year took place over a three-month period from March to June 2016.

It saw ten participants from various industries such as construction, health and the public sectors, whom obtained a wealth

of knowledge and experience from our seasoned trainers, all of whom were IPRS Accredited Members.

Key concepts and techniques covered in the course included:

How to develop a Communication Plan

Media Relations

Crafting News Releases

Crisis Management

Event Management

Corporate Social Responsibility

Integrated Marketing

Digital Communication

Here’s what some of the participants had to say about the course:

IPRS Featured Trainer: James Suresh

James Suresh is a trainer, best-selling author and PR consultant. In addition to writing

comics, James is also a certified EQ trainer with ‘Six Seconds Inc’ based in the US, an

Accredited PR Practitioner of the Institute of Public Relations of Singapore and an NIE

certified teacher. James served in the Ministry of Defence for 15 years. Five of those years

were spent in the Public Affairs Department. He has co-created comic icons such as Mr.

Kiasu which was transformed from a comic book series into a TV series. His comic strip

titled Kopi Thiam was also featured in the Malaysian Star newspaper and local papers.

Christiana Widjaya, Senior Associate, Corporate Communications, RGE Pte Ltd.

“Love this course a lot! The content was relevant. There was a good combination of instructors both

academics and practitioners, who provided different and balanced point of views. The duration was not

too long nor was it too short either. Besides acquiring skills and knowledge, it was also a great place to

exchange ideas with friends from the same profession. Definitely will recommend this course to

others!”

Nicole Kwok, Senior Communications Officer, Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS)

"I learnt a lot more about the relevant PR strategies and opportunities. There was a good mix of theoretical and practical

training. Good pace, great trainers and conducive environment."

Look out for the next run of the course, which is tentatively slotted between March and July 2017. For more information, you

may visit our website, email us at admin@iprs.org.sg, or call 6534 1841.

“I have always kept my creative juices going by writing a book every couple of years. They

include “When I was in Uniform’, ‘On a Street in Singapore’ and ‘Singapore in the 60s”

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James set up his own event management company which now focuses on corporate training. James believes that the future

belongs to those who innovate. He believes Singapore needs to lead rather than follow in the move towards innovation. Hence,

he is doing his bit to encourage organisations and individuals to discover their creative potential and achieve greater success in

their chosen professions. With the growing demand in soft skills, James is bringing a series of three workshops to encourage

creativity in every industry. Be sure to catch them while you can. Additionally, you could get a further discount for signing up for

two or more of these workshops.

The three customised workshops are:

1. Customer Centricity and Empathy – Wednesday, 21 September

2. Applying EQ to Enhance Relations – Tuesday, 11 October

3. Creative Thinking, Innovation and Problem Solving – Monday, 28 November

These workshops would encourage PR folks to understand and appreciate customer centric behaviour and harness the

strategies applied by marketeers to achieve greater success in their PR efforts. Here are some questions we asked James:

Why did you come up with these topics for the workshops?

In the PR industry we constantly have to think of creative ways to help our clients launch products or services. We need to be

creative when pitching stories to the media. With the growing integration of marketing, advertising and public relations, there is a

need for PR professionals to collaborate with marketeers and advertising professionals to achieve mutual goals. I have always

felt that the workplace is more than just a task oriented environment. In reality we are dealing with people with emotions whether

they be our internal or external audience. I believe that everyone can benefit from harnessing the power of emotions to motivate

themselves and others to achieve goals. In a stressful work environment, we all can benefit from learning how to manage our

own emotions and reacting appropriately to the emotions of others.

How can PR people benefit from these workshops?

PR practitioners especially need to be creative in developing press angles, designing collaterals, writing speeches for clients and

seeking effective ways to engage their audience through traditional and social media. They also have to find creative ways to

engage their audience through events and media exposure. To be an effective PR professional, they also need to understand

and appreciate how the other aspects of communication works including advertising, promotions and marketing strategies. This

will help them work better with their counterparts in the communication industry to achieve mutual goals. In the PR industry we

are constantly communicating with stakeholders, an understanding of EQ and how to apply communication can give us an edge

over our competitors.

Besides PR people, who should attend these workshops?

Besides PR professionals, marketeers, advertising professionals, individuals interested in enhancing their creative potential,

emotional intelligence and appreciate the importance of marketing and selling goods, services and ideas should attend these

programmes. Whether they work in public or commercial sectors, these programmes will add to their skill sets to make them

more effective at work.

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2015/2017 Council

President Robert CONCEICAO Vice-President Christina CHEANG Honorary Secretary LIN Liangmin Honorary Treasurer Joanna WONG Council Members Edgar LEE Eric CHAN Gerald DE COTTA Jovina ANG Lily LIM Mike LIEW Dr Gregor HALFF (Co-opted) Stephen FORSHAW (Co-opted) Honorary Legal Advisor Samuel YUEN

Affiliate Members Participants from the 2016 IPRS Professional Certificate in Public Relations and Mass Communication Course 02-2016:

Ms Serene Chew, Executive, Public Affairs, Lasalle College of the Arts

Mr Ong Wee Siong Herrick, Media Relations Executive, Singapore Prison Service

Ms Jules Chan Ms Zeng Xian Ms Sum Hew Mun Ms Tiffany Lim Yoke Chee

Participants from the 2016 IPRS-MINDEF Certificate in Public Relations and Mass Communication Course:

Mr Foo Chao Kiat Mr Kelvin Tan Ms Justine Leow Mr Naseer Khan Ms Fiona Phua Mr Shawn Seah Ms Gladys Toh Mr Alan Teo Mr Chan Wei Le

Contact Us

Have any queries or feedback for us?

43A South Bridge Road Singapore 058677 Tel: +65 6534 1841 Fax: +65 6534 4691 Email: admin@iprs.org.sg Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/iprs.group

To join us, visit

www.iprs.org.sg for more

information.

For any enquiries on our

privacy policy, please write to:

Institute of Public Relations of

Singapore (IPRS)

43A South Bridge Road

Singapore 058677

Email: dpo@iprs.org.sg

Calendar of Events

IPRS Welcomes New Members! On behalf of the IPRS President and Council 2015/2017, a warm welcome to our new Members who joined us: Corporate Member TMC Academy

Full Member Ms Magdalene Tan, Director of Marketing and

Communications, Human Capital Singapore, Lifelong Learning Institute

SEPTEMBER

21 – Workshop: “Customer Centricity & Empathy” by James Suresh, Managing Director, Training Plus International Pte Ltd (T)

OCTOBER

5 – NUS CNM IAC-IPRS Industry Leaders Forum 2016 (T)

5 – PSB Academy-IPRS Student Chapter MOU Signing (T)

7 – IPRS-PSB Academy Forum: “The Future of Jobs in a Digital-first world” (T)

11 – Workshop: “Applying EQ to Enhance Relations” by James Suresh, Managing Director, Training Plus International Pte Ltd (T)

12 – IPRS-Foreign Correspondent Association Forum 2016: “How Should PR Practitioners Approach Foreign Media?”

13 – Singapore Management University-IPR Symposium: “What is Asian PR and what answers do current research have?”

27 – Talk on “IP Issues faced by PR Professionals” by Samuel Yuen, Honorary Legal Advisor, IPRS and Managing Director, Yuen Law LLC (T)

NOVEMBER

22 – Republic Polytechnic-IPRS Student Chapter MOU Signing Ceremony (T)

23 to 25 – Intake 03/2016 - Introduction to Public Relations and Mass Communication Course (T)

28 – Workshop: “Creative Thinking, Innovation and Problem Solving” by James Suresh, Managing Director, Training Plus International Pte Ltd (T)

*(T) - Tentative

For more details on the above events, kindly contact the IPRS Secretariat at 6534 1841 or email admin@iprs.org.sg.

The Secretariat Manager : Lennette KOH Finance & Accounts : Darissa Guah

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