PR & Communication for Hospitals

Introduction:

This course will take you step-by-step through proven approaches to Public Relations (PR) planning and management in hospitals and healthcare organizations. By following these steps, PR professionals will achieve results that can be measured and reported back to top management, and directly contribute to the organization’s success by enhancing its reputation and improving its relationships.

You will be shown how the fundamentals of PR are vital, and how significant they are to understand organizational reputation and relationships. A PR professional in hospitals, can often be in a challenging, difficult and even confusing situation. Therefore, attending this course will enable you to develop the skills needed to present practical and achievable plans that win the confidence of management.

Targeted Groups:

• Media Center Professionals in the hospitals and healthcare organization
• PR Professionals

Course Objectives:

At the end of this course the participants will be able to:

• List the functions of public relations in a changing environment.
• Plan and organize a PR program by familiarizing themselves with the main functions of a PR professional.
• Practice the key communication skills and techniques essential for performing their PR duties.
• Implement their know-how to communicate effectively with the internal and external publics of the organization.
• Justify the role of a PR professional in supporting the image and reputation of the organization by becoming proficient in both verbal and written communication.
• Prepare and execute a press conference.

Targeted Competencies:

• Planning, organizing and leading
• Controlling and evaluating
• Verbal and non-verbal communication
• Media handling
• Building rapport
• Providing and receiving feedback
• Managing conferences

Course Content:

Unit 1: PR in a Changing Environment:

• The origin and development of PR.
• Definitions of PR.
• Scope of PR.
• Objectives of PR.
• Guiding principles of PR professionals.
• PR campaigns.
• New roles and perspectives.
• The role of PR in building and supporting the image of the organization.
• PR in a hospital environment.

Unit 2: The Functions of PR:

• Management principles.
• Planning and organizing the activities of PR.
• Leading and controlling PR projects.
• Ingredients of successful PR planning.
• Main qualities of PR professionals.
• PR position in the organization.
• PR position in the hospitals.
• Responsibilities of the PR professional.

Unit 3: PR and Communication:

• Communicating with the internal and external public.
• Key components in communication.
• Diffusion and effects of communication.
• What makes effective communicators in PR.
• Communication functions.
• Overcoming barriers in communication.
• Non-verbal communication.
• The communication abilities for PR professionals.

Unit 4: The Role of PR Professionals in dealing with the internal and External public:

• Understanding difficult personalities.
• Dealing with difficult personalities.

Unit 5: Oral Communication Skills:

• Kinds of verbal communication
• How to prepare for a presentation or a speech.
• Rehearsing your presentation or speech.
• Verbal and non-verbal skills while presenting.

Unit 6: Written Communication Skills:

• Writing for the eye and ear.
• Fundamentals of writing.
• Written communication media.
• Preparing a press release.
• Writing and producing newsletters.
• Designing and producing brochures.
• Preparing articles for magazines.

Unit 7: Press Conferences:

• Defining a press conference.
• Reasons to hold a press conference.
• Conducting a press conference.
• Preparing a media and press kit.
• Building good relations with the media.
• Principles of dealing with the press during a crisis.