In the practice of PR, the power of community relations or the need to stay communicated at the grass roots is perceived as less glamorous, and also not so important. But, hold that thought.
Cyclone Phalin that battered the Eastern coast yesterday evening/night saw one of the worlds largest evacuation - latest figures speak of 5.5 million people evacuated in the states of Orissa and AP. The mammoth task would have been possible only with a swift flow of crisis communication top-down in the chain.
Not just plain communication - at every local village, taluka, small town, fishermen community level the task of communicating the need to evacuate was taken up by the local community heads, facilitated by the local and state governments. These local community leaders are constant communicators, and are seen by the community as persons of credibility and a fair amount of authority.
The success of such a massive and urgent effort is nothing but a success of the combination of powerful communication, channeled through the persons wielding credibility/authority at the grassroots level.
And in that is the lesson for most PR/community relations professionals - sustained and credible communication right to every single village cluster - combined with the right articulation is what works.
Must be an eye opener for many of our corporations who think local community relations can be done by big noise in the mainstream media.
Cyclone Phalin that battered the Eastern coast yesterday evening/night saw one of the worlds largest evacuation - latest figures speak of 5.5 million people evacuated in the states of Orissa and AP. The mammoth task would have been possible only with a swift flow of crisis communication top-down in the chain.
Not just plain communication - at every local village, taluka, small town, fishermen community level the task of communicating the need to evacuate was taken up by the local community heads, facilitated by the local and state governments. These local community leaders are constant communicators, and are seen by the community as persons of credibility and a fair amount of authority.
The success of such a massive and urgent effort is nothing but a success of the combination of powerful communication, channeled through the persons wielding credibility/authority at the grassroots level.
And in that is the lesson for most PR/community relations professionals - sustained and credible communication right to every single village cluster - combined with the right articulation is what works.
Must be an eye opener for many of our corporations who think local community relations can be done by big noise in the mainstream media.
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