Global Public Articles

Anyone who is familiar with the world of celebrities have heard of public relations firms aka PR companies, but just what does such a company provide?

Well, to answer that, one has to understand the term “public relations”. As one would suspect, the term implies a reciprocal relationship between two or more parties. Often, one of the parties engaged is the “public”. Via a second party, information is exchanged to said public. This information is processed and provided in a manner that expresses a certain sentiment in a succinct and understandable way. It is also presented in outlets that will obtain a vast amount of exposure for the individual or individuals seeking the services of a PR company.

In many occasions, the media is one of those outlets and is more commonly used to aid politicians, athletes, actors and musicians. However, it would be a mistaken belief that public relations is only utilized by stars and celebrities, in fact, this all important tool of communication can help various types of relation aspects such as:

Employee/Labor relations

A PR firm can become an extremely invaluable asset when it comes to the often tricky and volatile relationships between employers and their workers. Many people think that PR company services are only called into play when talks break down between union officials and businesses. It would surprise many to learn that a public relations firm can be employed to help employees understand their rights and what is required of them within a given company structure. Often time’s, business will hire a PR company when they have to address a body of people and give new instructions. Speeches, lectures and business conventions may lay claim to public relations involvement as well.

Media relations

with media relations, a PR company can act as a consultant to coach an individual on how to handle themselves when they are in the public eye. Although stars do often use this service, normal individuals, such as a suspect in a murder trial or someone who is looking for a lost family member can use a public relations firm to appeal to the citizenship. Although many companies will stoop to low ball tactics, a reputable PR firm abides by a certain code of ethics and tries to ensure that the information being put into the public arena is factual.

Investor relations

Investor relations are set up by a public relations firm to foster dialogue between a particular company and it’s shareholders. Unlike media relations or labor relations, the target audience is very specific and often times extremely educated on the topic at hand. In an effort to give those seeking information a glimpse into a companies stock offerings, investor meetings and conventions scheduled. In this way, analysts, shareholders, stockbrokers and the like can gather to learn more about investment prospects. For businesses seeking to reap new investment a capital, the use of a PR company is a very smart move.

Say no-to spin doctors

If you have done something wrong, it may be best to fess up eloquently than try to wag-the-dog. An ethical firm will not tell you to lie to the public. They may of course consult with you regarding the type of information you wish to make known, but today’s politically savvy populace can usually see through spin.

The right PR Company will try to combine tactics that will get attention or enable you to get your point across. They will also attempt to keep you from coming under fire for obvious ploys or publicity stunts by making smart assessments of the climate you will entering into. For these reasons, any person who wishes to grab the national spotlight, or foster better communication with employees or investors, need to l investigate the powerful tools that a Public relations firm can provide.

Toronto PR company offers extensive experience in public relations, media relations and corporate communications. We seeking professional public relations representation, consider Polaris Public Relations.

You’ve been working in the same office for two years and yet you still have no idea of the name is of the guy in accounts or the lady on reception. Sound familiar? It’s amazing how we can work with so many people on a daily basis and still know so little about them. Head down and working hard, we can often forget that our colleagues have another life outside of work. Team building activities are an excellent way to overcome this and encourage employees to bond. By strengthening relationships out of work, relationships within the workplace will also improve and as a result, are more likely to generate a more productive, enjoyable working environment.

Before you organise your team building event, you will need to think about the specific objectives you want to achieve from the whole experience. These are likely to depend on the nature of your business however may include increasing communication, enhancing leadership skills, breaking down barriers between colleagues, encouraging creative thinking and time management and even boosting morale within the workplace.

The nature of the events themselves will vary depending on what you are after however they should be based in comfortable and enjoyable environments and never set out to make people feel uncomfortable or embarrassed. The whole idea is to create positive thinking and lift people’s spirits. Team building should encourage supportive encouragement between team members and promote healthy competition.

One of the most popular forms of team building is to relish in the great outdoors. Given that many of us work inside, often behind a computer screen or in a compact office, having the chance to enjoy some time out in the fresh air is a great way to motivate, invigorate and build team spirit. Any activity that encourages healthy living is beneficial, and supporting employees to get up from their desks and get active is a great way to help blow away a few of works stresses, even if it’s just for a few hours.

Some excellent options for outdoor team building include clay shooting, archery, assault courses, quad biking or 4×4 driving. It’s important to think of an activity that will appeal to all team members, of both genders and all ages. Choosing an activity that will isolate team members simply contradicts the whole point of the exercise.

Perhaps you budget doesn’t quite allow for taking the entire team out on an adventure activity; however that doesn’t mean you can’t still get involved. There are many different challenging team building games that you can take part in, even from your own office. Book the board room, order some drinks and nibbles and get your team involved in some lateral thinking games.

This will help to promote determination, team work, creativity and problem solving in a relaxed and fun environment. Teams can be split up throughout the day to encourage sociability and could include quizzes and game-shows based on famous TV programmes such as Who Wants To Be A Millionaire or Family Fortunes for example.

A great idea for encouraging team work and creativity is to organise an event similar to The Apprentice, where you spilt the team in to a number of small groups and give them all a task to complete. You may give them a budget and a theoretical event to organise and leave them to work together to see who come up with the best ideas.

Team building is an excellent way to create positivity in the workplace, improve productivity and generally boost company morale, whatever your budget, premise size or nature of your business.

Dominic Donaldson is an expert in Business Communications
Find out more about Team Building and the benefits it can bring to your business.

Ever since the fire safety regulatory reform (fire safety) order 2005, fire safety training has become a legal requirement for staff members around the country. As a result, basic fire safety awareness has become dominant in both the workplace and the home. Whether you are an employer, employee or simply a general member of the public, understanding what to do in a fire could well be one of the most important set of skills you ever learn. From understanding basic safety precautions to enrolling in full fire safety training, it is imperative you are familiar with a few basic facts.

Within the workplace, certain members of staff may find they are allocated as fire wardens, expected to tackle small fires with extinguisher equipment, understand where all the emergency exits are and what to do in the event of a fire. When taking on these roles, fire marshals will require training in order to perform their role effectively. It is important for employees to learn not only what to do in the event of a fire, but also how to prevent one breaking out in the first place.

Those enrolling on a fire safety training course will be taught the current fire safety legislation, the effects a fire has on companies, the chemical processes that result in a fire (think of the fire triangle), the causes of fire, the effective evacuation procedures, how to react to fire, calling the fire services, fire protection methods and also basic fire extinguisher training, as well as daily and weekly checks.

These courses are well worth investing in and while they will only take up a few hours out of one day, the skills learned will be invaluable for life. Each trainee on the programmes receives an IFE approved certificate of attendance to recognise their achievements. Apart from physical recognition, the training courses allow staff members to feel suitably prepared for the responsibility of controlling the workplace and their colleagues, in the event of a fire.

Similarly, there are courses available for managers, who require the set up and running of basic fire safety induction sessions in their workplace within current legislation. Training staff will spend time with managers assisting them in the implementation of an induction plan for staff, looking at company fire safety policies and procedures, responsibilities that should be given to specific employees, key issues from the key risk assessments and a summary of the legal position regarding fire training and induction. This training course usually takes a full day and will also result in an IFE approved certificate of attendance.

Similarly, there are plenty of every day fire safety precautions the general Joe Public should be aware of, even if attending a training course is not an option. Ensuring you have fully working fire alarms, extinguishers and fire blankets fitted in your home and fire escape routes planned is basic human survival.

These precautionary measures must be well maintained and adequate for the number of residents and the size of the property. Smoke alarms are cheap and easy to install, and can be bought at any DIY or electrical shop from as little as five pounds. It is important to regularly check the batteries to ensure they are in fully working order.

To help minimise the risk of electrical fires, it is important to unplug appliances that aren’t in use and never overload adaptors with too many plugs.
For those who own an electrical heater, never cover it and never leave burning candles unattended. If young children are in the house, be sure to keep matches well out of their reach and for those who smoke, never do so in bed.

Whether you are an employer, looking to improve fire safety training in your workplace or simply need to familiarise your home with fire safety precautions for the family, be sure you are familiar with what to in the case of a fire. No one ever expects to fall victim but like the scouts say, Always Be Prepared.

Dominic Donaldson is an expert in Fire Training Programmes.
Find out more about Fire Safety Training and how it will provide you with invaluable skills of how to deal with a fire.

For years, the idea of generating customer traffic by offering a toll-free 0800 phone number far outweighed the idea of charging for the call. However recent figures are suggesting that in fact sales of the 0845 variety are today, far outweighing use of the 0800 number. So why the change and why are we now suddenly being asked to call a number that is no longer free of charge?

0845 numbers do not represent a particular geographical location. Instead they are a reputable prefix that can be used with any phone number to ensure a local flat rate is charged from wherever you make the call. This is a service available to UK companies, predominantly directed towards customer call centres. Both the business and the customer split the bill and contribute to the cost of call.

But why are businesses now swapping from 0800? Perhaps the greatest reason is simply that it is more cost effective. 0845 numbers offer one fixed annual cost to business owners but do not charge per call, unlike their 0800 competitors. Businesses will typically be expected to pay anywhere between 3p and 6p per minute to receive calls made on their 0800 numbers as well as a set up fee and monthly rental. If the company receive a large quantity of traffic, they may well find their costs start to rocket.

From the customers point of view, it’s easier to memorise a 0845 number than a regular 11 digit number. It’s also a great deal more convenient as customers are not restricted to necessarily calling during regular working hours. Sometimes you call a branch number, only to discover you need to speak to a different department or contact. Calling a 0845 number often means your call can be directed through an automated service to ensure your query is sent to the right person.

0845 numbers also come with a range of additional options, such as replay that allows the business to record all their incoming calls and a call queue manager. This can be useful in customer service where you may be required to recall certain conversations. The queue manager allows the 0845 owner to hold all their calls on the network until they can answer them. There is also an automatic menu feature to redirect calls and a data capture system that will ask the caller to type in specific information that the company may require, such as a password for security.
This is common practise when calling about financial matters in particular banks for telephone banking.

0845 numbers are great for saving money and time, for both corporate and customers. It allows companies to offer excellent customer satisfaction and develop their business by being available to receive calls around the clock. It also means customers only have to pay the price of a local charge for their call. On top of that, if their calls are being directed more appropriately, it’s understandable why popularity of the o845 number is overtaking its freephone competitor.

Dominic Donaldson is an expert in the communications industry.
Find out more about 0845 number and how they differ from 0800 numbers for both clients and customers

A recent announcement by Google came with much fanfare and excitement from most Gmail users. The introduction of voice and video chat capabilities is viewed by most as an exciting step forward for the already “feature-rich” Google e-mail interface. Slowly but consistently, Google is creating a centralized portal for users to communicate with the world through a multitude of mediums. The addition of Google voice and video chat is simply another addition to what is most likely a growing list of upcoming additions.

However, instead of considering the new features a positive step in multi-media experience, the real truth is that most Gmail users should consider it an invasion of personal productivity and have the right to feel an ever increasing sense of disappointment and concern. There’s 3 reasons why the addition of Gmail voice & video chat should concern most users.

Reason #1: Personal Productivity
The first involves the growing “Email Monster” phenomenon that attempts to destroy daily productivity levels. Let’s face it, e-mail is a great communication tool but it is not today what it was intended to be when it was created. Or maybe it is and people just do not care. But the use of e-mail in your personal and work environments hinders productivity no matter how it is measured. The time savings realized through immediate communication are more than offset by unproductivity through the reading, writing, sending, and receiving of SPAM, non-value add information, and the urge to remain on the lookout for “that” e-mail.

The announcement by Google to integrate voice and video chat into Gmail simply furthers the concern for additional productivity loss. The fact that voice and video exist at all is enough of a scare as it will pull people away from what they should be doing. HOwever, the fact that they exist within an e-mail interface is even scarier as the time spent in your Gmail inbox will no doubt increase.

Reason #2: Additional Distraction
A huge problem with e-mail involves its role as a distractor. How many times have you logged in to check an e-mail only to check a second, third, and many more? It’s generally hard for anyone to not check an unread e-mail and this leads to an ever increasing number of distractions and opportunities to be pulled away. It does not take long before an e-mail leads to a website or another article that you read and ultimately compound the distraction issue. Effective productivity is lessened by distraction and e-mail is enough of a distraction by itself. Unfortunately, the addition of voice and video chat serve as additional distractors that can only have a further negative affect on your time.

Reason #3: Increased Pressure To Login
One of the most important ways to combat the Email Monster is to “unplug” from e-mail altogether. However, human nature and curiosity often gets the better of a mental war of most people. The pressure to log into your e-mail account is already high. Yet the additional of voice and video chat will only contribute to the problem and make it increasingly difficult for those users who have made the important decision to “unplug”.

Overall, Google has demonstrated an great sense integration and centralization of its tools and has rolled them out in a way to enable faster and more widespread communication. However, this same integration and centralization is poised to have severe and negative consequences on Gmail users when viewed from a perspective of personal productivity and daily accomplishment.

If you are spending more than 20 minutes each day managing your e-mail than your productivity is being destroyed by the “Email Monster” - destroy this monster by watching this short, 2 minute video absolutely for free at http://www.EmailMonsterMovie.com