JAKARTA, PRINDONESIA.CO – The dynamics of national politics which happening throughout 2019 did have a quite strong influence on PR practitioners in designing their PR programs. Some restraint themselves, but there are also those who dare to use the political momentum to grab the attention of the audience for their corporation/organization. This kind of story will still possibly appear in 2020, although the intensity is not as high as in 2019. The reason is that in 2020, simultaneous regional elections will take place in 270 cities/districts/provinces. Whatever it is, continuing the issues and dynamics that are developing this year, in 2020 it seems that the world of PR will still be tinged with issues surrounding the use of big data and the further effects of the disruption phenomenon. PR INDONESIA gathered several insights that will hopefully be used as a reference for PR practitioners in Indonesia to create more effective and optimal PR programs. First, the data will be a new best friend. As reported by www.mediaupdate.co.za, since digital has become an integral part of everyday life, then interpreting data is an important skill for every PR professional. In 2020, data will play a greater role than before. This will be needed to guide PR efforts, measure the impact and determine the value of PR comprehensively. In 2020, PR will be greatly influenced by in-depth and precise data, changing the way campaigns are made, run, and evaluated. So that next year, there will be many more highly focused PR campaigns that are designed to reach a specific audience. Second, more focused on PR specialists. As consumers become increasingly critical of marketing, PR professionals will receive more pressure. In 2020, there will be more PR agencies that focus on one industry. PR agencies’ work is also getting more specific. If it happens, the phenomenon of specialist advertising agencies that began to grow in the early 2000s will repeat. Quality Content Third, PR will be a part of the strategic marketing campaign. As many public relations companies will become specialists, then PR activities will be more integrated into the marketing function. The boundaries between PR and marketing will vanish. PR practitioners and marketing will work together, share their knowledge of the 2020 trends, and collaborate to produce success. Fourth, emotions become the focus. The world is now increasingly governed by an algorithm and electronic devices, which means that PR needs to have “human” elements to stay relevant when sharing a message. In order to be a “proof of the future”, PR practitioners need to deliver relevant content. To quote www.bluedoor.agency, in 2020 there will be more demand for relevant and authentic quality stories and content. Trust will play an even more important role in the success of a business and its relationship with the public. And fifth, PR must be the strategic function of management. The increasingly complex challenges of PR work make PR must be in a strategic position in front of the management. This is so that PR practitioners have adequate authority to execute strategic PR programs, to become a reliable spokesperson for the management, and able to manage sufficient budgets. In the end, in the midst of a speed race, the desire to get the most attention, it takes effort to get out of those traps. This is so that the message being communicated looks different so that it has a clear positioning for the audience. In short, looking for a “quiet space” among the crowd is a choice that is worth a try next year, so that PR campaigns are really effective, relevant, credible, and glorify human so that public attention can be attained. Welcome to 2020. Happy new year!

JAKARTA, PRINDONESIA.CO – Your tongue is fire. The classic proverb illustrates the risk of a speech that is often not thought of, and then it can result in a fatal consequence for the speaker. There are so many cases of misspeaking that trigger insult, offense, to personal and institutional crises, especially that comes from public officials. For example, a Minister’s words about “ankle-length trouser” “niqab”, and “radicalism”. Later, the Minister clarified all his remarks were not as the public interprets. He said that he did not forbid women from wearing the veil, but it should not be worn by the state civil servants while serving in a government agency. As well as the ankle-length trouser which is only forbidden from being worn by state civil servants while on duty. Another case is about a Governor who banned “poor” tourists from visiting his region. Again, this (wrong) remark was clarified by his subordinate as a “marketing language”. Although it has been clarified, both the Minister’s and the Governor’s remarks are a sign of a lack of good public communication. Whatever the reason, the racket has already occurred in the public. Imagine if they were never have spoken about some of the issues above, surely the potential for a racket in the public would never be created. Being a public official should have control over their speech if they are not sure about what you intend to disclose. Recklessly sharing a discourse to get a public response is not beneficial at all. Speak the Truth An important lesson for public officials from so many cases of misspeaking is the importance of learning to speak the truth. True in content and context. There is a Javanese proverb that says: “Bener ning kudu Pener”. The right speech must be accompanied by the right context or momentum. Because if it’s not, even if the content of the speech is true, if the momentum is wrong, it will potentially have a negative impact. How does public officials realize that their style of speech needs to be managed so that they do not speak recklessly?  There should be an alert from the communication team around the public official who dares to provide input on how the official speaks. Unfortunately, not all communication teams in the public official’s inner circles have the courage to remind the Boss. Sometimes they even ask for help from a third party to provide a good perspective on how to speak to the leader. Of course, this is not wrong. However, those who accompany the public official every day that must be able to remind them. This is a serious and interesting challenge for public relations (PR) practitioners who are in the inner circle of public officials. Either the Special Staff of Communication, the Head of the Public Relations Bureau, the Director of Communications, and the Communications Expert Staff. Their very important task is the same: Giving advice to the Boss in order to speak appropriately and wisely. I remember the principle of Ivy Lee, the father of modern PR. That PR, and of course the leaders, when speaking must deliver truth with accurate facts. Especially for PR, Lee advice for them to try to be close to the boss and can influence the policy/communication style that will be conveyed by the boss to the public/audience if it has the potential to cause a racket. O public officials, manage your communication (style) wisely and always remember Ivy Lee’s advice and the classic Javanese saying. If not, be prepared to face the storm of communication crisis due to incorrect and inappropriate remarks. Adieu! (asw)

JAKARTA, PRINDONESIA.CO – Communicating does require equality of position between the parties because communication is not only a transfer idea, there is also a character exchange. If the parties that communicate with each other have the space to accept each other’s opinions, surely the communication will run smoothly, and then harmony is created. The harmony of views, as well as the harmony of differences. The difference in every group to the nation is a gift, as well as a blessing that should be nurtured. Differences in ideas can result in a diversity of points of view. Differences in social backgrounds will give more colorful characters. Hence, social harmony always requires a willingness to “share”. Share opinions, share stories, to share wisdom. In this digital era, the disharmony phenomenon has the potential to spread everywhere, no matter the social and economic strata, and even culture. Counterproductive narratives that often circulate on social media are the trigger. Taking cover behind the anonymity of social media, it only takes a few seconds to trigger. Social Media Mask The “tragedy” of public polarization in the legislative election and presidential election last April, some of which was the result of the discretion of utilizing social media. The hereditary social assets of the nation in the form of tolerance can hardly be a catalyst for the disharmony potential of political choices. Harmony, social solidarity, and tolerance almost no longer shows its real face and covered by the masked face of social media. Communication harmony gets its real test in this digital era. Moving away from the digital approach is impossible. However, allowing counterproductive communication practices on social media is truly unwise. Educating the public in communicating in the digital era is the right way to strengthen back the social harmony. Additionally, it surely requires an exemplary attitude from the leaders. Counterproductive narratives that are displayed to the public at all times are the spice of conflict potential that triggers social harmony. It is time for the leaders to hold back the lust for excessive communication. More listening, less talking, and self-restraint are wise choices for the public. Carry out the communication at the right momentum and with a narrative that is nurturing for the social foundation of the public. Perhaps, it is sometimes necessary to keep silent, so that harmony is created when the communication occurs, instead of bombarding the field of communication with meaningless narratives. (Asmono Wikan)

JAKARTA, PRINDONESIA.CO – What Ridwan Kamil mean was that the messages and leadership style of every leader must really adjust to the public they lead. In concrete, if the people lead today use a lot of gadgets to communicate, then the leader must also use the same thing so that the messages they communicate are right on target. Although simple, but in practice, it is not easy to communicate in order to stay relevant. There are many factors that influence it. For example, the leadership ego. There are many leaders who are over-confidence if their leadership style is correct. The proof, they were re-elected as a leader through direct election democratic mechanism. So, what else needs to be changed so that it is relevant? The leadership ego also makes it difficult to adjust to the changes in the communication program being carried out. “If the program has been successful so far, why should it change again?” More or less that’s the answer that often came out when discussing program updates. Of course, programs that change every time are also not good. Continuity of work and communication programs is needed as long as they are still relevant to the targeted audience. If so, how to encourage “relevant” issues to become the “key” to any communication efforts? One of the best ways is to test the product/communication that is run through a competition. Another way that can be used is by using the audit approach. Ask the public, are the messages being communicated so far still relevant to the needs that the public wants to hear and know? If not, it is appropriate to make changes as soon as possible. Act Strategically Relevant in every situation becomes very urgent to always be confirmed, guarded, and reminded. Irrelevant communication messages, especially which are delivered by the wrong person and the wrong situation, will only worsen the situation. It can even lead to a correction of their reputation. The good news, if every communication message is able to be created and manage relevantly, it will further strengthen credit for the institution, leader, and whoever delivers it. The benefit, the reputation will rise high to become a positive balance to guard against a crisis situation. Building relevant messages also don’t need a lot of costs. It is enough to act strategically in understanding a situation, map clearly, design a good strategy and message, surely the communication will obtain a good result. And, of course relevant! Have your messages and communication style relevant? If it hasn’t, it’s worth to introspect, relearn, and test all the time without stopping until finding the relevant point to be communicated to the public. (Asmono Wikan)