The old order changeth, yielding place to new” is a line from Alfred Lord Tennyson’s poem, Morte d’Arthur. It appears in the poem as the dying words of King Arthur, who realises that future generations will have different views than he does. This first paragraph is reproduced verbatim courtesy of the Google AI overview, which now features at the top of every search page. A clear sign of the new PR world that we live in. Reputation is now in the hands of generative AI and what it decides to offer up. This is a new world for public relations professionals to navigate and not surprisingly, AI was sprinkled into the conversation at PRAXIS11 on and off the stage.
Lesson 1: Adapt to change. This year there were 17 (of us, me included, who had attended all editions of PRAXIS from the very first magical one that happened at Pondicherry. We have borne witness to the evolution and growth of this industry in India. More importantly, Amith mentioned that about 70 percent of the folks attending the event this year were exploring it for the first time. New energy, new experiences, and new geographies represent a new order emerging in the ever-changing world of public relations. The PR professional of the future needs to be AI ready and that was the theme of the article I wrote for the magazine that all the delegates received. Asking better questions is something we need to get better at doing.
Lesson 2: Courage is the secret sauce. Priya Paul in the opening keynote talked about having the courage to create contemporary spaces that had points of differentiation. Her desire to create a place where people could relax and be themselves brought her to a point where she established boutique hotels as a category in India through a strategy of “Leadership with differentiation”. The touchpoints for this journey needed her team to understand and believe in this proposition, to see what she could see, and for this to happen she said “We created a culture code that recognises and rewards people”. This is an important lesson in PR. It takes courage to create something and we as an industry must have the courage to dream big and offer a differentiated service. The closing keynote brought home the point of courage as well. Huma Qureshi said “The crippling fear of failure holds you back from being creative…” She went on to add that when courage works, it’s called success, when it does not people say what a stupid idea. Have courage and persevere.
Lesson 3: Customers often know what they don’t want. Sometimes they don’t know what they want till we show them something new that appeals to them. This too was wisdom from Priya Paul, in the context of the hospitality industry. I believe this is true for the PR industry as well. We need to innovate and keep creating new offerings that excite and pique the imagination of our customers. They need to say “Wow, I had no idea this is what Public Relations can do…”. This will only happen when we solve the problems that clients have in ways that they could not imagine. The beauty of PR as a profession is that it has no boundaries, only our imagination and creativity limit us. The time is perfect for PR to push the envelope and do more and be more.
Lesson 4: Boil up all news (good and bad) – Speak truth to power. This important reminder about the role of the PR leader to be the eyes and ears of the organisation came to me courtesy of Anita Gupta. Sudhir Sitapathi reinforced what Anita said in a slightly different context. The way he put it was “I want to say this Vs. what do people want to hear? Turn the mirror to help the leader see clearly. That’s part of what a good communicator needs to do. Speaking truth to power. Access to senior leaders by PR leaders is a crucial part of the job definition. Sudhir said “you will be surprised how much it is appreciated. I look for people who tell me the truth because I automatically trust them. Don’t couch it.”
Lesson 5: Failure can be a way to build. Anita gave the example of an employee ambassadorship program that her leadership had suggested be implemented. What seemed like a great idea received pushback from some quarters “why would we push out messages from our personal handles?” Learn from this. She also added that counterculture is positive because it challenges normal thinking. It forces organisations to reshape guidelines and principles. She reminded us that communication is not only about sharing information and that “we are the leaders of social change and progress”.
Lesson 8: He who lives and runs away gets to fight another day. As Anita so eloquently put it “There is always the asshole factor that comes up”. Have a thick skin. And the corollary to this is while there are times to lean out, as PR people we need to lean forward and get involved. Rahul Welde pointed out that PR tends to take a back seat or side seat. He said that remind yourself “Who is driving ?” the answer is always “The brand and customer.” The rest of us are along for the ride, so anyone can lean in and PR should do so more often.
Lesson 9. The power of a personalised and thoughtful thank you. Priyanca Vaishnav had made for me a beautiful origami gift and receiving this from her is the one memory that will stay with me when I think of PRAXIS11. It made me feel special. The more we do that with our stakeholders the more powerful PR will become as a discipline.
Lesson 10. Pay it forward and make it personal. I had the privilege of awarding two scholarships on behalf of Adfactors to some of the SCORE students. I spent a few seconds on stage with them and later that night got thinking that I didn’t know these people. I went in search of them the next day and spent some time talking with them. Who are these two future torchbearers of PR? Supriya Routray and Saloni Kumari. I now have their numbers saved and have asked them to stay in touch as they navigate their way forward. A reminder to myself to make the time to get to know people. Relationships are at the heart of Public Relations. The future of our profession should get to know us and we need to know them.
Lesson 11. Make time for ‘raw and real’ coffee and conversations. Of the many outside-the-room conversations that happen at any PRAXIS, three that bring a smile to my face are the ones I had with Ben Smith, Aniruddha Atul Bhagwat, and Sonya Madeira. I have always enjoyed spending time with Ben and from his first coffee catch-up before he launched PR moment in India to the Pune coffee, our conversations have always been real. Honest no sugar-coating sharing of views and learnings with each other. I value this deeply. Similarly, with Anirudh what started as a quick catch-up turned into a lovely long sharing of views on a topic, we both love – messaging. This conversation too was underscored by a deeper and very honest sharing, very unlike a first-time meeting. I hope it is the first of many more coffee catch-ups to follow. Sonya and I are friends first (from 1994) and PR professionals second. Catching each other up on what’s happening and not happening in life felt so comfortable and easy. That is the beauty of meaningful relationships, real conversations emerge.
PRAXIS11 for me felt like a milestone event because it seemed to mark the “growing up” of our industry. There was more oneness. Less my agenda and my consultancy more us together. Less corporate communication vs PR consultancy more public relations and its evolving role. A move from ‘me’ to ‘we’ is a much-needed and welcome step in the direction of an industry that is maturing. The stage brought together Leaders from all walks of life sharing their experiences and was less dominated by PR folks. Learning from the wider world that we serve was useful. Kudos to Amith Prabhu and the entire team that has been the force behind bringing the industry together over the years and may the road rise to meet us as we step into the future of PR.
There was another small but significant personal change this PRAXIS brought with it for me. It was the first year that I did not have a drink with my comrades. I am grateful to be included in many of the after-parties – an invitation that signals community and camaraderie. But this time I found myself hanging out with the morning walkers – instead of the hangover gang. The old order changeth… embrace the new.
The views and opinions published here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the publisher.
A trusted coaching and communications professional, Nikhil Dey is a certified life and leadership coach (International Coach Federation - ICF). Nurturing talent and helping clients achieve their goals is what makes him happy. He loves learning from students of communication, teaching courses and guest lecturing at various educational institutions. When he is not working you will find him on the tennis court or out for long walks with his family and four legged friends.
Previously he has held senior leadership positions at Weber Shandwick and Genesis BCW.
He can be reached on twitter @deydreaming
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