Profile of Srinivasan Natarajan, Toronto, Canada

                                                                WRITER AND ANALYST  

By SRINIVASAN NATARAJAN

                                                            

OBJECTIVE AND GOALS

I desire a challenging position as a communication and public relations professional with a mission to be a vital part of the organization that encourages learning and has a proactive working environment so that I grow with it and gain valuable experience. My initial goal is to begin as a communication co-ordinator in a news agency where I get an opportunity to develop my communication and public relations skills. The skills gained will be positively and effectively used for further growth within the organization. In five years I like to see myself reaching the higher management position.

MY BRAND

Effective Writer and Analyst

BRAND DEFINITION

As a reporter I am gifted with the skills to analyze and interpret information with ease. This has been vital to demonstrate the ability to communicate effectively. Creative talent, technical expertise and an eye to details has sharpened the skill to communicate effectively to readers and other related agents.

I am an effective writer with the skill to multi-task under constant deadline pressure. As I strongly believe that ‘’skill set is important. But mindset is most important,’’ I use database, maps, and public records as source materials to effectively analyse and communicate my view on an issue of social and economic relevance. This got me the “Best Reporter” award.

For me communication is vital. I know how to get an instant fix on what’s hot and what’s not for my target audience. I have tried to use the media to focus attention on specific issues that has a large impact on the community. Effective writing combined with a good skill to analyse and interpret information has been the key to the success of my news stories. The skill to write effectively has made my stories wound up on the front page of the newspaper

Besides effective writing, the knowledge and vision to prepare media kits for the prospective advertisers is worth a mention. Helping writers in research was part of my internship program. All these experiences put together helped me to develop a sense of solid news judgement, which distinguishes me from other communicators.

 My major task as a reporter has been to collect information and prepare stories that keep people informing about local, state and national events. The facts about events and news are analysed before I start to write or report stories about them. This is where I demonstrated my skill to analyse issues in-depth.  

I have been successful to provide views on current issues, news tips and investigative leads. What makes me unique is my strong work ethic and passion for communication. Writing for the print, web and social media gave me the leeway to become an effective writer. Journalistic excellence with the skill to write effectively makes me a perfect match for a career in Corporate Communication and Public Relations.

POSITIONING STATEMENT

A highly talented, energetic and enthusiastic person with enomorous experience in the fields of event management and reporting stories on print, social media network, live and on tape, researching, developing and co-ordinating.  I enjoy being able to use words to express my thoughts to focus attention to debate an idea. The facts about events and news are analysed before reporting about them. People oriented; enjoy working directly with general public.

With a ‘can to do attitude’ I consistently demonstrate the ability to be extremely productive in a high volume and high stress environment.

SWOT ANALYSIS

STRENGTH

·         Can effectively communicate an idea to the related target audience

·         Extremely productive in high volume and high stress environment

·         Ability to analyse and interpret information

·         Skill to interact, co-ordinate, and get along with the co-workers and public contact

WEAKNESS

·         Take risk in times of contingency and unexpected circumstance

·          Work alcoholic

·         At times carry emotional tone to my story

·         Often get involved in  too much details of the event before reporting on them

OPPORTUNITIES

·         Good at preparing media kit based on existing situation and circumstance

·         Can use database, maps, and public records as source materials to deliver message effectively to the target audience

·         A strong writer who can multi-task under constant deadline pressure

·         Can use words to debate an idea

THREATS

·         Getting into details to debate an idea can sometimes lead to distorted content

·         Fail to meet the deadline at times of extreme unwarranted situation

·         Interpretation of information sometimes lead to negligible factual errors

EXAMPLE TO SUPPORT MY BRAND

There have been situations where my skill to communicate effectively has been rewarded. Lambadis are a group of rural community in Southern India. The community had been deprived of basic facilities. My opportunity to write about the deprived benefits for the community turned effective. The tone of the message was clear and effective. The article was based on background details. Database, maps and public records were used as source materials to debate the issue. My purpose of communication was clear. As the story wound up on the front page of the newspaper it got adequate attention. The Government took the issue seriously and announced benefits to the community. One of the long pending issues that got settled was to declare this community as Scheduled Tribe. This is one of the examples that reflect my brand.

The Role of PR in the New Media Lanscape

When public relations first started back in the early 1900s it was defined as a ''management function which tabulates public attitudes, defines the policies, procedures and interests of an organization ----followed by executing a program of action to earn public understanding and acceptance.

People relied heavily on other people for the information they used to make their decision. One of the most important functions of Public Relations at that time was reaching opinion leaders in the media- journalists and analysts were top of the list. And it was not hard to find them.

A more recent definition from the Encyclopedia of PR says ''Public Relations is a set of management, supervisory, and technical functions that foster an organization's ability to strategically listen to appreciate and respond to those persons whose mutually beneficial relationships with the organization are necessary if it is to achieve its missions and values.'' That seems more appropriate for the media landscape we are operating in today.

The web has given people the power of voice. Peer reviews and opinion are more influential than ever before. Social media has made it a lot easier to foster the ability to listen and respond. But how do we identify the right people?

Are they the same as they were before? Not at all. In fact journalists, analysts and A-list bloggers, although still important, are now only about 40 per cent of your influencers. The other 60 per cent are probably unknown to you.

Only 9 per cent of companies are identifying and making an effort to build one-on-one relationships with those influencers, says Nick Hayes of Influencer 50. ''Influencer marketing is at the same stage PR was at a few years ago with a small number of firms that understand the benefits reaping big rewards.''

David Phillips in the Journal of Communication Management says ''building and managing relationships with those who influence an organization or individual's audiences has a central role in public relations.'' If the role of PR in the past was to find and work with the journalists and analysts (who were the major influencers) then PR's role today is to find these unknown influences and build positive relationships with them.

You may not immediately know who your influencers are. There is no universal ranking system. Someone who is an influencer for me might not be for you.Work with the people you identify and watch your analytics. The proof is in the decision and the action people take as a result of information they get from an influencer.

Correctly identifying influencers is a large part of your social media strategy.

Social Media Is an Exclusive Domain of PR Professionals

Social media is a method of communication. To be effective in social media, whether as a marketer or just as an ordinary participant, a person, first and foremost, must communicate well.

Yes, social media tools are mostly driven by technology. But they are driven by technology to deliver a message or messages.

We are in an era of technology transition. Communication professionals are learning quickly that to be relevant and effective in the age of social computing, there is more to competency than communication skills. Technology has become a requirement of the skill set. Yet, so many communication professionals- from public relations to customer service staff and writers to journalists- are horribly deficient in average computer understanding, much less that of web-based technologies and tools.

Therefore, it is not fair to plant social media efforts totally on the shoulders of the public relations staff today, unless of course PR department can exhibit the kind of tech-savvies required to accept the responsibility. It will be in the best interest to employ a specialist in social media who reports to the same person or department as the public relations director with both instructed to work hand-in-hand on social media projects.

What is most telling in social media efforts is the message. As soon as three to five years from now, I see social media marketing as an almost exclusive domain of public relations professionals so long as we get our collective heads out of our assess and learn how to do it.

Social media is essentially public relations in the online world. Divide the category up by components- blogs, social networks, micro blogging, podcasts/Web TV/collaborative software- they each ladder in some way to a component of public relations- writing, corporate communication, community relations, media relations and event management.

PR as social media in many ways also addresses the concerns of the online community that marketers don’t belong. Assuming we can trim away the corporate speak and manage transparent communication efforts in years to come, public relations representatives are the least likely to sell and most capable of speaking as humans to humans, rather than selling hucksters to ‘’consumers.’’

Where must social media fall in the corporate structure? Right now, it depends. Tomorrow social media will evolve into components of a sophisticated public relations effort. The only question in my mind is will public relations evolve to embrace it?

GOOD PR PRACTICE CAN SAVE SMALL COMPANIES IN CRISIS

The thinking goes that big companies face the most daunting crises, based on sheer size, number of employees and scope of operations.

David Brimm, corporate counselling expert, says even small companies can have big PR problems. Small companies face the same types of crises as large companies: physical damage to the company (flooding, fires, etc.), lost of a large account, quality issues (customer complaints, governmental intervention, recalls, etc.), employee injury or death, corporate malfeasance, and negative media attention.

Brimm suggests that depending on the crisis, it is important to create a plan to address the emergency. As a sole owner with a small staff, you will want to be the point person to demonstrate your personal involvement and concern. Outside public relations counsel will be critical, if the emergency impacts the community and becomes newsworthy.

Brimm who has 25 years of experience in the corporate, agency and association sectors, says whatever the path company takes, it is important to speak as one voice so that the constituents don’t receive confusing or inconsistent information.

He says communication is the key. In a crisis, the first thing to understand is that there are internal and external constituencies. The most important of these is the employees. In a small company, the rumour mill works very quickly. Bad news will likely immediately impact productivity and morale.

In such a situation it is important to meet with every employee as a group so they get the same information at the same time. Brimm says this accomplishes two goals:

·         It stop the rumour mill

·         It creates an atmosphere of trust, so that employees are less likely to spread disinformation about the company and its management.

Brimm points out that this is an important PR tactics to handle crisis situation.

Customers and vendors have to be addressed. The company’s future is tied to those of their customers and vendors. Consequently, any perceived business setbacks will be of great interest. Reassure these stakeholders with information about the crisis, it’s possible duration, and what, if any, impact this might have on the business relationship. There is a need to keep them apprised as conditions unfold.

Talking about the media in such crisis situation, Brimm says if a crisis impacts the community, local news reporters may want to cover the story. It is important that at this point, a single manager is the spokesperson for the company. A spokesperson must be equipped with three talking points (i.e. what happened, what is being done, how long might the situation last).

If there is a concern about public relations strategies, bring in an outside PR consultant to take through the crisis. The PR consultant can bring in an outside perspective and formulate a plan.

Brimm says never say ‘’no comment’’. In a void, reporters will fill in the unknown with their own opinions.

Important suggestion is ‘’Don’t Panic’’. Brimm says the key to addressing a crisis is to approach it with calm and forethought. Think about the options and take the time to formulate a plan. Don’t jump into the fray without a response.

At some time in every business’s future, a crisis will emerge. There is a need to address it with confidence by creating a crisis plan that outlines potential emergencies that could impact business. It may not cover every contingency, but it will be a good starting point.   

Black Day in Egypt

Embattled Egyptian President Honsi Mubarak says he wants to step down but fears chaos if he does. '' I am fed up. After 62 years of public service, I have had enough,''Mubarak said in a 20-minute interview with ABC reporter Christiane Amanpour. It is stated that Mubarak told Amanpour during a phone conversatin earlier this week with U.S. President Barack Obama, he told Obama, ''you don't understand the Egyptian culture and what would happen if I step down now?''

Is it an Egyptian culture to attack on journalists who have been covering the protest against the embattled President? It is a shameful act. The Mubarak supporters whatsoever have no right to physically assault foreing journalists covering the 10th day of the protest. CBC reporter Margaret Evans had some of her equipments siezed. Separately, CBC host Mark Kelley and his crew were in a vehicle on a bridge when they were surrounded by a group of armed men who demanded to search the car.Only a plea from Kelly's Egyptian driver, who had been pulled out of the car, defused the tense situation.

The treatment of journalists led Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon to call in the Egytian ambassador to Canada to express his '' grave concerns''about the treatment of journalists. Radio Canada reporter Jean-Francois Lepine and camerman Sylvain Castonguay were roughed up by pro-government supporters near Cairo's airport Wednesday. Castonguay was badly beaten, and the attack only ended after soldiers intervened.

Globe and Mail reporter Sonia Verma said she and her colleague Patrick Martin were '' taken into some sort of custody'' Thursday morning after their passports were seized at a miltary chckpoint. They were freed three hours later, Verma said on Twitter.

CNN's Anderson Cooper said he, a producer and camera operator were set upon by people who began punching them and trying to break their camera. Another CNN reporter, Hala Gorani, said she was shoved against a fence when demonstrators rode in on horse and camels, and feared she was going to get trampled. Two Associated Press correspondents were also roughed up.

CBS newsman Mark Strassman said he and a camera operator were attacked as they attempted to get close to the rock-throwing and take pictures. The camera operator, whom he would not name, was punched repeatedly and hit in the face with Mace.

The attacks appeared to reflect a pro-government view that many media outlets are sympathetic to protestors who want Mubarak to quit now rather than complete his term. There is a concerted campaign to intimidate international journalists in Cairo and interfere with their reporting. There must be a pro-active campaign to condemn such atrocious attack against journalists.