....VIKRAM KHARVI ....

The objective of this descriptive study was to determine the level of writing proficiency public
relations practitioners are equipped with to meet the requirements put forward by the ever evolving new media space. The study has also attempted to identify the perceptions of academicians from leading communications institutes/colleges on the writing abilities of communications students and the changes made by them to adapt the writing skills required by the new media. This study, combining… Show more

The objective of this descriptive study was to determine the level of writing proficiency public
relations practitioners are equipped with to meet the requirements put forward by the ever evolving new media space. The study has also attempted to identify the perceptions of academicians from leading communications institutes/colleges on the writing abilities of communications students and the changes made by them to adapt the writing skills required by the new media. This study, combining survey results of senior practitioners of India’s largest public relations consultancy and academicians teaching communications across the country, confirms the significant dissatisfaction amongst the senior practitioners with the quality of writing amongst entry-level PR practitioners. Majority of educators who participated in the email based qualitative survey, reported that writing abilities in public relations students are of grave concern and that most students entering the programs lack basic writing abilities, leave aside their writing abilities for new media. Hence, all participants reported the need for new curriculum developments in response to new media as communication tools. The study is based on a qualitative email survey collected by 14 senior practitioners and equal number of academicians. The study also highlights the need for increased attention to technical training required to develop the writing skills for future PR practitioners, and creates an opportunity for an on-going study to track writing skills of entry-level PR practitioners in India over time Show less

Practice what you Preach is a ride into the nuances of Public Relations as told by a PR professional. The author draws out instances from his years of experience and learning, along with tips and advice from other professional names in the industry to present a clear-cut picture of what PR is all about. A compilation of his published columns, this book has been integrated into a definitive guide to understanding PR in its true sense, helpful for practitioners who wish to see themselves as… Show more

Practice what you Preach is a ride into the nuances of Public Relations as told by a PR professional. The author draws out instances from his years of experience and learning, along with tips and advice from other professional names in the industry to present a clear-cut picture of what PR is all about. A compilation of his published columns, this book has been integrated into a definitive guide to understanding PR in its true sense, helpful for practitioners who wish to see themselves as successful professionals.

What does it mean to be in the field of Public Relations? How does it work? Why is there a constant tiff between PR and media? Addressing these, and many more questions, Vikram Kharvi solves the common myths surrounding Public Relations. Show less

Today's consumer is a totally different animal than the consumer of even five years ago, meaning, what was effective and influential five years ago is not necessarily so today. She is more likely to be influenced by someone in their social network than one with a tenuous connection. Today's consumers are informed, time-compressed, and difficult to impress, and they are only influenced by ads that are relevant and provide information. They don't want to have products pushed at them, even from a… Show more

Today's consumer is a totally different animal than the consumer of even five years ago, meaning, what was effective and influential five years ago is not necessarily so today. She is more likely to be influenced by someone in their social network than one with a tenuous connection. Today's consumers are informed, time-compressed, and difficult to impress, and they are only influenced by ads that are relevant and provide information. They don't want to have products pushed at them, even from a celebrity. Just because an ad is incredibly popular, funny and/or viral doesn't mean that it is effective with consumers. Show less

The most valuable people in any organisation have deep smarts — business-critical expertise built up through years of experience which helps them make wise and take swift decisions. If you wish to become this go-to person in your company, but don't have the time or opportunity to accumulate all the experience of your predecessors, acquire the knowledge in a different way — by reading. Yes, very simply said but hardly practised these days.

It is often said and expected as a critical requirement that a PR professional should have strong media relations. This actually means that a PR professional should know journalists on a personal level so that they can plant stories in the media on behalf of their client or company or can help stop negative stories. I believe that it is this expectation from us that is core cause of all the negative reputation we have earned over the period of time. It is only because of such demands from our… Show more

It is often said and expected as a critical requirement that a PR professional should have strong media relations. This actually means that a PR professional should know journalists on a personal level so that they can plant stories in the media on behalf of their client or company or can help stop negative stories. I believe that it is this expectation from us that is core cause of all the negative reputation we have earned over the period of time. It is only because of such demands from our employers that our profession has got a bad reputation of being fixers, spin masters and middlemen. Because of the so called relations, clients get their job done through us but at the hind side they just see us as liaising officers. On the other hand, I don’t want to get into to specifying what reputation we enjoy amongst media people as well. Show less

It is every entrepreneur's dream to get his venture in the public eye, being known and appreciated by his stakeholders for the products and services on the offer. But getting the word out on a consistent basis is often a challenge to these, time constrained start-ups. For them getting their business up and running becomes priority, while marketing takes a back seat. They are remarkable individuals with no clue when it comes to blowing their own horn. Their products are yet unproven, sometimes… Show more

It is every entrepreneur's dream to get his venture in the public eye, being known and appreciated by his stakeholders for the products and services on the offer. But getting the word out on a consistent basis is often a challenge to these, time constrained start-ups. For them getting their business up and running becomes priority, while marketing takes a back seat. They are remarkable individuals with no clue when it comes to blowing their own horn. Their products are yet unproven, sometimes in new market niches, and they are viewed by all with utter skepticism. Show less

Public Relations (PR) industry has started growing in the past one decade enormously. Many educational institutions have started separate courses on PR to prepare the students for this industry. Many educated youngsters join this industry with fat salary. PR is no longer 'Media centric'. The clients expect to get 360 degree brand image, to face the global competition.

The curriculum in the educational institutions do not match with industry needs. The youngsters who come out with book… Show more

Public Relations (PR) industry has started growing in the past one decade enormously. Many educational institutions have started separate courses on PR to prepare the students for this industry. Many educated youngsters join this industry with fat salary. PR is no longer 'Media centric'. The clients expect to get 360 degree brand image, to face the global competition.

The curriculum in the educational institutions do not match with industry needs. The youngsters who come out with book knowledge, need to get integrated with the industry. This could be possible only through continuous updating and learning process.

Do the young professionals take initiative in updating their knowledge and skills? Do the young professionals have a right attitude to connect to the industry? Even when the opportunity is provided, how do they utilise this to their advantage? To what extent senior professionals in the industry take interest in grooming the seniors? Is the learning aligned to the right practices? Do the professionals share the case studies with fellow professionals?

With these questions, we contacted Mr Vikram Kharvi, a Mumbai based young journalist turned PR professional over phone for an exclusive interview. Mr Vikram Kharvi is moderating a discussion group on PR for the past one year and also publishes a PR newsletter from this month. He is one of the few young professionals, who take lot of interest in developing the profession.

Please listen to his free and frank views, by clicking 'play' button in the flash player. (The audio streaming will be smooth in broadband connections. If the streaming is not smooth, please right click this link and save the link/target to your desktop in mp3 format and listen) Show less

Over the last few years, it has become apparent that social media has captured the fancy of most
people. The extensive use of social media has drastically changed the way people communicate and share information. PR practitioners use social media every single day to get the word out about clients, to communicate with customers and to respond to questions or problems. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other social sites have quickly become important tools in a PR practitioner's overall toolkit.… Show more

Over the last few years, it has become apparent that social media has captured the fancy of most
people. The extensive use of social media has drastically changed the way people communicate and share information. PR practitioners use social media every single day to get the word out about clients, to communicate with customers and to respond to questions or problems. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other social sites have quickly become important tools in a PR practitioner's overall toolkit. However, this study explores how PR practitioners (n=146) use the power of social media to connect, and develop relationships with the journalists as against the traditional method of face-to-face meetings and telephonic conversations with the journalists to develop relationships with them. The findings of the study revealed that Some of the platforms used by PR practitioners to engage with the journalists include Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, various PR groups that exists on various social platforms etc. Show less

Security in this service-oriented industry has come to occupy a significant position in orer to protect guests from crime risks and compromise their reputation and goodwill. Vikram Kharvi investigates

B P Sahni is a figurehead in the hospitality training arena and has provided it with a brand image. Vikram Kharvi learns how he had to push his limits to achieve this