CorpComms Magazine

Matt Tee, permanent secretary for government communications, has acknowledged the challenges facing government communications in the climate of swingeing cuts, calling on public sector PR professionals to up their game and make themselves indispensable by demonstrating their effect on the bottom line.

Tee made these remarks at the Chartered Institute of Public Relations's annual general meeting in London on 15 June.

Warning of a shake-up in public sector communications, he said: 'Brace yourself. The outlook for public sector PR is going to be challenging. We PR practitioners have to up our game. We need to benchmark, measure and evaluate what we do. Creating awareness isn't enough. We have to show a clear return on investment - and the private sector can teach us a lot in this respect. It's about delivering maximum bang for buck. People in PR need to become more demonstrably professional in achieving value and impact.'

Though he acknowledged the progress that had already been made. 'As far as meaningful accreditations go, the CIPR's Chartered Practitioner status is spot on.'

Tee also advised communications professionals to be flexible and diversify their expertise. 'Their skills should not just relate to a single area of PR. It's about becoming more generalist and extending beyond the comms mix. That also means developing a broader knowledge of other areas of the organisation, closer collaboration with colleagues and improved management skills.

'The fact is, in the cost-cutting climate we are facing, things are going to get very tight. Less money for services equals less money for comms. We need to share resources, work less in silos and be able to move staff around to different areas of need, especially at times of crisis.'

share me: del.icio.us | digg | reddit | Tweet