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February 2013

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LEADERSHIP AWARD NOMINATIONS DEADLINE EXTENDED!
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What better way to set yourself apart at this year’s ACE Awards Gala than by winning an award?

The Leadership Awards nominations window has been extended for ONE more week! This is your chance to nominate yourself, or a deserving peer or colleague for one of these prestigious awards. Please submit your nominations to ace@cprstoronto.com by March 7, 2013.

Entry is free of charge. Winners will be announced and recognized at the ACE Awards Gala on April 24, 2013. Winning an award at the ACE Gala provides valuable recognition in front of a room of PR professionals, industry mavens and communications experts – better than a business card!

Categories include:

CPRS Toronto Public Relations Student of the Year – Recognizing a CPRS Toronto full or part-time student graduating this year who has a solid academic record and has demonstrated interest in professional development. Click here to read about what last year’s Student of the Year is doing now.

CPRS Toronto Young Public Relations Professional of the Year (Under 30 years of age) – Recognizing a public relations professional (under 30 years on March 23, 2013) who has been in the industry for less than three years (i.e., since March 23, 2010) who has made significant achievements in his or her career.

CPRS Toronto Public Relations Professional of the Year – Recognizing outstanding personal achievement within the public relations industry over their career, with particular focus on their successes over the past year (2012-2013).

CPRS Toronto Mentor of the Year Award – Recognizing a volunteer who has served as a mentor to public relations professionals or students in the year of 2012/2013.

CPRS Toronto Volunteer of the Year Award – Recognizing a volunteer within CPRS Toronto during the previous year (2012/2013) year.

Click here for more information about each category, and submission requirements.

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Stand out (!) with a CPRS Toronto Public Relations Student of the Year Leadership Award
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By Miranda Germani

It can be tough for students and new grads to stand out from the crowd when looking for that perfect first job. Everyone’s education and work experience tend to be similar, so winning an award can really make you shine.

One person who did just that is Robin Smith, winner of the CPRS Toronto Public Relations Student of the Year Leadership Award at the ACE Awards gala in 2012. Here’s how he used this opportunity to land a role with one of the top agencies in Canada.

“Winning the Student of the Year Leadership Award was a major stepping stone for me. I used my acceptance speech as a ‘pitch’ and advertised myself to the people most likely to make new hires. Before leaving the stage I had received my first business card, and by the end of the night I had met some very important people,” Robin says. This strategy worked, and as Robin went on to explain, “By following up on the contacts I made at the ACE Awards Gala I was able to secure a full-time position with one of the best agencies in Canada, starting my first job after graduating from Seneca College.”

Robin encourages anyone to apply, saying “I think a self-nomination is a great career building move. I knew going into the nomination that it would be a long shot, but the satisfaction and confidence that being recognized brought was a huge reward. If you’re not nominating yourself and you’re giving your colleague the nod, it is a big show of respect for that person. Taking the time to highlight the talents of one of your colleagues is a great way to show that they are appreciated and valued.”

Robin thinks his application stood out to the judges due to a shining reference, with solid volunteer experience sealing the deal.

“Receiving an ACE Award was amazing, totally fantastic. When I got the message from the President of CPRS Toronto it caught me so off guard that I just started laughing. Toronto is one of the most important cities for Canadian PR practitioners, with a large and active community, and being recognized by the group was a huge honour, especially considering how many PR students there are in post-grad programs across the city.”

If you think you or someone else should be recognized, now is your chance to nominate yourself or a deserving peer for the CPRS Toronto Public Relations Student of the Year Leadership Award. And there are no barriers to throwing your hat into the ring – entry is free!

In addition to the CPRS Toronto Public Relations Student of the Year Leadership Award there are also Award categories for Young Public Relations Professional of the Year, Public Relations Professional of the Year, Mentor of the Year and Volunteer of the Year.

More information is available on the CPRS Toronto Leadership Awards page. But hurry, the deadline is soon! Nominations must be submitted by February 24, 2013.

The Leadership Awards will be presented at the ACE Awards Gala on Wednesday, April 24, 2013.

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Freebies for your family weekend from @RyersonU
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Sheldon Levy, CEO at Ryerson University invited the community to come experience the Ryerson campus at the 20th Annual CEO Awards luncheon.

Here are a couple free things to do while you’re there:

Also be sure to checkout

And if you had any doubt about why today’s Ryerson is so great, check this video out.

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Archived presentation: CEO Award to Sheldon Levy @RyersonU (23:50)
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Click the arrows in the bottom right corner to watch in full screen.
Also be sure to checkout some pictures from the event and this video showcasing Ryerson University’s growth.

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National conference reminder: Save $400 by Feb. 18
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This June, join us in Ottawa to help Change the Conversation! CPRS Members – register by February 18th and save $400 off full conference delegate pricing for Conversations 2013.

More than 20 keynote presentations and workshop sessions over three days will help frame the conversation around communications.

Confirmed speakers include: Heath Applebaum ABC, MCM, Brent Barootes, Ira Basen, Danielle Côté, ARP, Terry Fallis, Richard Fournier, ARP, Daniel Granger ARP, FSCRP, Caroline Kealey, Amelia Kennedy, Trish Krause, APR, Sean Lewis, Fraser Likely APR, FCPRS, Derek Lothian, Kevin McCann, Brenda Sweeney, APR, Evan Solomon, Daniel Tisch APR, FCPRS, Martin Waxman, APR and Howard Williamson.

 

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President’s message: Sunshine in February
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There’s a long, uphill bridge that takes you from the green (end) of the 14th hole to the tee box (beginning) of the 15th hole. When you are walking, you really feel it in your legs and back especially on a hot day.  You’ve already walked 14 holes worth of turf which is about 5 km pulling this bag that’s getting heavier and heavier despite the fact that you keep emptying it of golf balls (see last month’s message!).

But you keep going because you love this game, and you know you’ll be sad when the 18th hole (the last hole) has come and gone. Plus, ahead of you lies the 15th…a Par 5 that doglegs left and has water around the hole. But you can par this one without too much skill or sweat and attempting that energizes you enough to continue plodding uphill till you reach the tee box.

Isn’t that the way it is with us at this time of year?  Winter has settled into the city of Toronto. Enthusiasts of warmer temperatures and brighter days hope that the season is more behind us than in front, yet we are reminded that February 1 is only half way through the season of winter. So, we look for things to keep us going like that great 15th hole.

CPRS Toronto has a great event on February 26th that is like the bright sun in a dreary season. Daniel Tisch, APR, FCPRS is presenting. Tisch is chair of the Global Alliance for Public Relations & Communication Management.  Chair of the Global Alliance!  A CPRS Toronto member and chair of the Global Alliance! How cool is that for us!

The Global Alliance is a confederation of the world’s major communications industry associations.  Dan is also a Fellow of the Canadian Public Relations Society, and CEO of Argyle Communications, one of Canada’s premier independent public relations firms.

I heard Dan speak at the CPRS national conference and on other occasions. (By the way, Early Bird Registration for this year’s conference in Ottawa ends February 15th so make sure you register before the deadline!)

Anyway, going back to hearing Dan speak on previous occasions, it’s kind of awesome (awesome in the real sense of the word) how CPRS members like all of us share similar needs and goals of so many other PR professionals around the world.  The Alliance centers its work on unifying the public relations profession, raising professional standards all over the world, sharing knowledge for the benefit of its members and being the global voice for public relations in the public interest.

In November, Dan attended the 7th World PR Forum in Melbourne, the Alliance’s biennial event…a chance to learn from top communicators on every continent, and also from leaders of businesses, governments and civil society from around the globe.  Delegates debated the “Melbourne Mandate for Global Communication”, a new universal statement on the emerging areas of value that public relations and communication management bring to organizations, and to society.

On February 26, join us at the Globe Bistro to find out first hand from Dan if you are practising to the full scope of the new Melbourne Mandate for Public Relations and how these ideas – and ideals — can enhance your practice, counsel your clients and guide your professional development.

I trust this will be a very satisfying Par score for you – write down a 5 on the scorecard and move to the 16th completely energized.  Dan is a very engaging speaker.

I hope you can make it, and also hope to see you there!

 

 

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CEO reshapes downtown core; recognized for leadership
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by Natasha Radlovic

Ryerson University is going through many changes both internally and externally. The CPRS CEO Award ceremony, held on January 30, honoured Sheldon Levy, the president and Vice Chancellor of Ryerson University, as the man leading all these changes.

Gone are the days when the university was referred to as “Ry High.” With new buildings and programs transforming both the academic and visual appearance of the school, Ryerson is becoming both a cultural and educational hub for downtown Toronto.

Through Levy’s leadership, Ryerson was a key player in revitalizing the Maple Leaf Gardens and further advancing the university’s role as a city builder.

Levy described his three fundamental features for the city-building strategy:

  1. Density
  2. People first and public transportation
  3. Design excellence

CPRS TORONTO 20TH ANNUAL CEO AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

Through a “people first and public transportation” fundamental feature, he described that cars might be sacrificed as second priority. Although some people may not agree with this approach, he demonstrated that he is serious about his plan and that he stands by it.

With 23 million people walking past Ryerson every year, the university has taken on the responsibility for improving the Dundas/Yonge community.

In supporting the design excellence fundamental feature Levy said, “If you build ugly on Ryerson, not only will the university and the students suffer, but so will Toronto.”

Levy explained how his involvement in public relations and knowledge of communications helped to successfully deliver the message and solve issues that have come up in regards to the changes concerning the Ryerson neighborhood.

The CEO Award statue is a silhouette of two people conversing – symbolizing the art of communication.

Through an extremely inspiring and engaging speech, Levy demonstrated that he knows how to keep the audience listening by speaking in a tone that is laid-back but also informative and professional.

“We have built a new cultural street for Toronto, a new cultural street for Canada, and an important new destination,” ended Levy.

This year marked the 20th anniversary of the CPRS Toronto CEO Award of the Year award. 

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Melbourne Mandate offers new role and value for PR
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Defining an organization’s value, building a culture of listening and taking responsibility for communications for ourselves and our organizations are things we all do daily.  That’s why I’m looking forward to learning how the Melbourne Mandate will affect my role in organizational communication at Sony Canada.

On Feb. 26, Daniel Tisch, APR, FCPRS, Chair, Global Alliance for Public Relations & Communication Management, will present the new Melbourne Mandate for Public Relations to CPRS Toronto Members. It is the product of a year of consultation and deliberation by the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication 

At the World Public Relations Forum (WPRF) in Melbourne, Australia, 800 delegates from 29 countries endorsed this bold new mandate for the role and value of PR, identifying three emerging areas of value for the profession:

  • The definition of an organization’s character and values;
  • The building of a culture of listening and engagement; and
  • The instilling of responsibility in both organizations and individuals, reconciling our distinct and potentially conflicting duties to our organizations, our profession, our society and our own consciences.

Daniel Tisch is widely known as an international public relations practitioner, speaker, writer and industry leader. He is the Chair of the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management, the confederation of the world’s major communications industry associations, a Fellow of the Canadian Public Relations Society, and CEO of Argyle Communications, one of Canada’s premier independent public relations firms.

Daniel’s presentation will shed light on ideas raised during the WPRF, for example:

  1. Benchmark your organization: PR and communication professionals can use the concepts in the Mandate – and tools such as the ‘integrity index,’ which measures an organization’s adherence to its own stated values – to benchmark PR practices within their own organizations
  2. Talk with managers: The Mandate can be the basis for a discussion about the role of PR with senior executives and managers from other disciplines. The core question for exploration is whether the organization is using PR in a truly strategic way
  3. Plan professional development: PR and communication professionals can consider the individual skills and organizational capacities needed to implement the Mandate in their organizations – and incorporate them into professional and organizational development plans
  4. Advocate: The conference urged the world’s professional associations to officially endorse the Mandate and use it as an advocacy tool to make the case for public relations at the local, national and international levels

The Argyle Communications blog shares how other well-known PR thinkers have responded to the Melbourne Mandate, beyond 800 delegates who participated in the WPRF in November 2012.

Join us on Feb. 26 to discuss how the Melbourne Mandate can enhance your PR practice with CPRS Toronto Members – register here.

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