What’s on this week

Ethics is the cornerstone of professional practice in communication, and I’m proud to be taking part in a webinar in the week ahead to discuss this important issue.

It’s being organised by CIPR Inside as part of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations’ focus on ethics this month and you’re welcome to join in.

There are lots of events happening over the next 10 days for comms pros to attend, I publish this round-up every Sunday to help you plan your time. To see what’s on for the rest of the year, see my comms calendar.

The only way is ethics
CIPR are sharing different resources and events with members and the wider communication community throughout September. Ethics month is an opportunity for public relations professionals to reflect on their ethical responsibilities as practitioners.

The webinar is on Thursday 17 September at 12.30-1.30pm UK time. It’s free for CIPR members to attend and will earn you five CPD points.

It’s being hosted by Katherine Bradshaw, Communications Manager (pictured) at the Institute of Business Ethics and author of its guide Communicating Ethics Internally, who will be sharing her advice. I’ll be joining CIPR Inside committee member Hannah Thoresby to pose questions to Katherine and join the discussion.

Sign up here, and follow CIPR Inside on Twitter @CIPRInside.

The main themes we aim to cover are:

1. Internal communication is a specialist comms area and different to traditional PR. Professionals working in internal communication need to balance between what the business needs and wants to communicate and being honest with their colleagues (employees) and giving them a voice.
2. Handling bad news. Balancing the business needs and being honest with colleagues. The importance of internal comms earning and maintaining trust among colleagues.
3. Empowering employees. Persuading business leaders to give employees a voice, letting go of the traditional control and command style of management.
4. Balancing compliance and control with open and dynamic comms and cultures. Are our values strong enough for people to be able to make good ethical choices and decisions within the boundaries and ensure we meet our compliance obligations?
5. Corporate values vs personal values. Do we walk the talk. Do the values you have ‘written on the wall’ accurately reflect how people behave and what actually happens in the organisation?
6. Being the organisation’s moral conscience. How do we manage that ‘responsibility’ as individuals? How do we nurture this ‘skill’ in new IC pros?

Sign up here.

Courses and events

• 15 September: Essential grammar course, IoIC, London
• 15 September: Engage for Change: Employee Surveys Over Promise and Under Deliver, Groucho Club, London
• 15 September: CIPR Fellows lunch, London
• 15 September: PRCA Independent Consultants: 10 Key Trends in 10 Minutes, London
• 17 September: Barn to Boardroom, 2-9pm, Sussex
• 17 September: CIPR Inside webinar.

I hope you have a good week.

Rachel

Post author: Rachel Miller

First published on All Things IC blog 13 September 2015.