People who I am sure do not give their own legal advice or conduct surgery on their own bodies appear to be DIYing Public Relations… and it shows.

SPEECH WRITING, and indeed SPEECH MAKING, requires specific expertise, and a well-crafted speech can improve the speech-making of someone whose style needs honing.  If there is something sufficiently noteworthy to say, consult an expert and say it properly.  (You can reach M Power at email@mpowercct.com)  If there is nothing particular to announce, spare your audience the drivel of saying nothing and give them some entertainment – music, comedy,….

NEWSLETTERS can be an effective way of promoting a business or organisation.  We like to say ‘do good things and tell people about them’ but in the hands of amateurs, newsletters can be damaging to your business.  In-boxes are getting full of e-newsletters.  Lots of competing stimuli.  If you have nothing to say that helps those you are mailing to (advertising disguised as ‘news’ doesn’t make it news) seek expert help or don’t bother.

EVENTS, particularly big flash corporate ones, are the area in most need of professional public relations assistance.  Here are some tips if you insist on DIYing event management.

THE FIVE POINT M POWER APPROACH TO PRODUCING COMPELLING INVITATIONS

How a professional invitation can help get people to your function and help establish the running sheet for the event as well.

It is increasingly difficult to a) get people to rsvp in the affirmative and b) actually attend your function.  Busy people get swamped with invitations.  Here’s how yours can get the right people at your next function.

Invitations are the scene setters.  If you want impact, and you do, have them designed (note, software does not a designer make) and print them (and not the DIY style on the printer in the office).  Electronic invitations don’t demonstrate enough effort and are too easy to dismiss.  Invitations should tempt people.  Almost dare them to risk missing a great function!

A great invitation (invites is wrong – invite is a verb) communicates –

1. WHAT THE INVITEE IS BEING ASKED TO ATTEND AND WHAT THEIR ROLE IN IT WILL BE.  Bare minimum information for the invitee should be day, date, times (starting, official proceedings starting and likely ending time) and venue (specifically, full address, access information, map reference, contact number for the time of the event).

2. WHAT THE EVENT IS FOR.  People need to know how important it is that they attend.  (I couldn’t get a baby sitter for a dinner invitation but was very much available when I was tipped off I would be missing a close friend’s wedding.)  They need to know how many people are being invited.  (If they attend, will they get lost in the crowd?  Will anyone notice if they are there or not?)  You can say “We have invited all of the people we have done business with over our five years here” and people will expect to get lost in the crowd, or “Please join us and our other key clients for dinner in the private dining room at…”, and people will know it is a small group and that their absence might matter.

3. WHAT PEOPLE ARE EXPECTED TO WEAR.  Nothing worse for women than going to a dinner straight from work and being surrounded by women who dressed specifically ‘for the party’ (especially important if the venue is not traditional or the function is on the weekend).

4. WHAT WILL HAPPEN AT THE EVENT.  This is one of the most important aspects – almost always forgotten by DIYers.  Invitees want to know if they will be fed.  If it is after 6.30, is it dinner and the seat and the table that goes with it (and the opportunity to talk properly to people)?  Or is it standing up and finger food? (more than two hours – people over 35 need chairs).  (Can they make a dinner commitment for later?  Or are they going to be ‘caught up’ for hours without dinner and miss a meal?)  Are they going to be subjected to endless corporate speeches?  Tip for corporate public relations DIYers – if you invite people to a function after work, feed them and entertain them (a speech from the marketing manager rarely counts as entertainment anywhere – although your chances are much improved if you get M Power to write it and coach the presenter).  If it needs to be a speechfest, hold it in business hours and invite only the people who really need to be there.  Spare the rest of them the torture.  If you are planning something special (and if you’re not, why on earth not?) make sure your invitation makes this clear.  The first thing an invitation has to do is get people to come.

5. WHY IT’S A BETTER OFFER THAN A LAMB ROAST, OR CSI, OR… (Hey, it’s easier to stay home!)