REMARKS FROM THE EDITOR
In response to your intellectual curiosity, this is the first issue of EGA briefings. EGA briefings are aimed at sharing trends, knowledge and developments, strategies, tactics and current issues relating to the practice of communications management in context of developing an individual’s potential as a young executive, the future leader – wherever you are.
We are all aware that in the process of shifting the paradigm – from Industrial era to Information era, change is the keyword.
Change is the process of transforming mental attitude. It depends on how fast one can accept the facts and make any essential changes. For some people, it takes considerable time and effort. And yet if we do not want to change, we will be forced to. If we do not want to lead, then we will have to follow. If we do not want to control our own future, somebody will. Therefore, we must be in the frontline of change. Change in the way we think – the way we work and the way we live.
EGA briefings is meant firstly to motivate the reader in finding out and implementing positive changes to the desired target. Secondly, to raise the reader’s potential and enthusiasm to be a professional communicator. And thirdly to assist the reader to be in the frontline of change. It is written in English as it will challenge the reader getting into the global environment through the practice of reading – thinking – speaking and writing in the international language of business. It will encourage the reader to be bilingual professional.
Your individual comments, ideas and personal experience will be mostly welcome and they will appear on the second issue in a special column : Reader’s Contact in the next two months.
Take any possible opportunity to ‘stay in demand’, or you will be sorry.
Happy New Year and enjoy your reading.
With best wishes,
Elizabeth Goenawan Ananto
Editor
TIPS OF THE MONTH
- Most people like changes, but only a few are willing to change.
- No matter how far you are behind somebody, if you do not move quickly, you will be left behind. But you begin thinking on how to get going, you will have to know where to start.
Do you really want to change?
Follow these steps
- Increase your Awareness – get away from your routines, look around and see the changes around you, your readings, your friends, your colleagues, your competitors, find yourself. Where am I now? What do I want to be?
- Widen your Knowledge – encourage yourself, be positive, read more books, magazines, join courses, follow the trends
- Improve your Understanding – join organization, attend seminars and discussions
- Try best to change your Perception, set up your target, act rationally, be assertive
- Be confident in your Belief – seek references and confirm your step to move
- Change your Attitude – Ask your friends, relatives whether they see you change
- Then change your Behavior – Say No, if you do not agree. Don’t ever try to please everybody. Stick to your behavior in a flexible and acceptable manner
COMMUNICATIONS
Communicating is not something that just happens. It requires attention to the substance of your message, how you present it, how to get the best chance of being correctly received and understood.
Here are some signs of poor communications that are expressed in the following statement :
- I wish i knew what she was talking about
- I do not really understand what he means
- I’m not sure what he wants me to do
- If you really mean that, why didn’t you say so?
Different styles of communication are needed to meet your target audience. You will have to adjust your style on the purpose of sending an idea, whether : to inform, to persuade or to collaborate.
Selling the Boss on Your Idea
If you think you have a good idea for a new product or service or any development plan, consider the following strategies :
- Find out what makes the idea good. How does it fit to the organization’s overall strategy?
- What resources and skills will be needed?
- Get support from senior management, colleagues, and coworkers
- Know your limitations. You may be good in marketing, but ignorant in finance. Get a mixture of expertise in your team
- Start requesting a small budget to test the idea
- Commit less but do more. Do not over promise
- Find the right time to publicize your effort. Internal publicity at the wrong time can cause jealousy
(Source : Marshall Loeb’s writing in Fortune)
PUBLIC RELATIONS
Myth and Reality
Myth :
Public Figure – Someone who like people – celebrity party organizer – artist – glamorous publicity, extensive promotion, dealing with the commercial world and external public only.
In reality :
Public Relations is dealing with issue management, reputation management, crisis management, engineering of trust, establishing relationship of an organization and its public based on mutual understanding and acceptance. It deals with both the internal and external public of an organization. It is mostly concerned with strategic communications based on truth, ethical code of conduct and professional standard of performance.
Theoretical framework of public relations
- Is a management function which evaluates public attitudes, identifies the policies and procedures of an individual or an organization with public interest, and plans and executes a program of action to earn public understanding and acceptance. (Cutlip, 1985)
- Public relations practice is the deliberate, planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain mutual understanding between an organization and its publics. (Harlow, 1976)
In practice – public relations refers to many things.
- Some people refer to just public relations, PR – Purel or Humas (in Indonesian). It appears with anything that attracts media attention. Others see public relations as an effort to hide the truth or putting a positive spin on bad news. Public relations means different things to different people and often has a negative meaning (Cutlip, 2000)
Some not’s of public relations
- Not a free or unpaid advertising
- Not a soft sell neither promotion nor publicity
- Not meant to cover up bad management concept
MANAGEMENT
New Concepts of Management
- Corporations and organizations are increasingly viewed as NOT hierarchical structures fitting a traditional organization chart, BUT as adaptable organism, made up of more smaller organisms and existing in an interacting with a large whole.
- Management was the welding of power, NOW dealing with empowering individuals to respond creatively to changing situations.
- Intuition is becoming honored in management, alignment around a shared vision and purpose is recognized characteristic of the creative organization.
- It involves honoring the purpose, allowing it full play in the organization, and relying on the motivation associated with it
- Traditional management practices are replaced by an emerging form of leadership .
- Feminine qualities will be the new style of management.
(Source : 21st Century Business: A Background for Dialogue – Willis Herman)
LEADERSHIP
Find out the characteristics of true leader as stated by Peter Drucker
- Leaders aren’t threatened by by others who have strengths they lack
- Leaders don’t want clones of themselves as employees. They never ask : ‘ Do I like or dislike this employee?’ But they do not tolerate poor performance.
- Leaders continually ask ‘What are my organization’s purposes and objectives’ and ‘What qualities are acceptable performance and adds to the bottom line?
- Leaders start projects by asking ‘What has to be done?’ instead of ‘What do I need?’
- Leaders then ask : ‘What do I have to do to make a real contribution?’
The employees and their bosses
- When the employees are talking about the prospect of their jobs, the boss says they are demanding.
- When the employees are discussing how to anticipate the improper management decisions, the boss says they are gossiping.
- But when the bosses gossip, that is discussion!
Tip : Encourage a role play among the employees, let the boss observe the play
GLOBAL TRENDS
The Five Principles of Ethical Power for Individuals
- Purpose : Be ethically sound, conscience guided, feel good about myself
- Pride : Not need the acceptance of others to feel important. Balanced self-esteem keeps the ego and desire
- Patience : Have a strong belief that things will eventually work out well. Do not expect instant result and be at peace with what comes
- Persistence : Stick to purpose. Be consistent with intentions. Never give up.
- Perspective : Enter each day quietly and get focus. Listen to inner self and see things more clearly
(Source : Ethics in American Business, K.H. Blanchard)
ENGLISH CORNER
Tips to avoid some common mistakes
| Don’t write: | When you mean: | Write: |
| Thank’s | Thank you | Thanks |
| Your’s | It belongs to you | Yours |
| It’s mean | It refers to, implies | It means |
| Don’t say : | Say : |
| I am agree with you | I agree with you |
| I don’t happy with it | I am not happy with it |
| I think I do not know | I don’t think I know |
| Please repeat it once again | Please repeat it or Please say it again |
| I like it very very much | I like it very much |
TIPS FOR JOB HUNTING
- Seek more chances for interviews
- Adjust your approach to each company’s culture
- Be consistent with all your personal qualifications
- Apply ‘interpersonal communication’ skills
- Try to access the hidden job opportunities
- Be on time, positive thinking and assertive
Preparation for Job Hunting
- Evaluate your strong and weak points
– Work condition : entrepreneur or employee, stress or no stress, being independent or dependent, prestige, money or career, value perceived?
– List of priority : high income, career, social status
– List of jobs : engineering, marketing, designing, auditing or anything is ok? - Analyze job market opportunity
– Seek alternatives, search information, browse the internet.
– Get as many companies you can get – find the background, culture, access
– Send an application and ask for an interview – find contact, encourage yourself, be positive!
PROFILE OF THE EDITOR
Elizabeth Goenawan Ananto
Elizabeth Goenawan Ananto – the editor of EGA briefings has more than twenty five years of teaching experience in educational and professional services on English for Special Purpose, Business Communications and Public Relations in the last ten years.
A graduate from the Faculty of Letters – English Department, Padjadjaran University in 1976, she is a faculty member of the Trisakti University, teaching English and Business Communications in the Faculty of Economics. Her appointment to the Head of Public Relations Unit in 1990 – 1994 has inspired her to take a postgraduate study of Public Relations in Stirling University, Scotland. She acquired a Master of Management in Marketing from STIE IPWI in 1997 and in December 1998 she began pursuing her doctoral program in Management in the Northem University of Malaysia.
With her consistent involvement in professional organization in public relations nationally and internationally, she has been invited to join a number of task forces in the international level that leads her to the Board Member of the International Public Relations Association (IPRS) for the year 2000-2001. As a Board Member, she has taken on a specific responsibility in the future development of IPRA, in developing education and training in particular, developing education and training and in particular, developing IPRA student membership worldwide.
“EGA briefings is my initial step of a long process to be a writer in public relations. I will continually share my spirit, enthusiasm, knowledge and experience in this developing society”.
