The UGM Public Relations and Protocol Office organized a public speaking training session for the PR teams of faculties, study centers, and work units within Universitas Gadjah Mada.
Ika Sastrosoebroto, a PR and brand consultant and the founder and president director of Prominent Public Relations, facilitated the training.
Dr. Andi Sandi Antonius Tabusassa Tonralipu, the Secretary of UGM, expressed hope that all participants would effectively utilize this training to aid in communication efficiency, allowing for smoother interactions without constant hesitation or waiting.
Actively engaging in communications by faculty or work unit PR will serve as a role model in any setting.
“Let’s not wait for issues to escalate before feeling confused. Such situations are, in fact, communication problems. You are a role model within your faculty or work unit, and everyone can submit information to UGM,” said Dr. Tonralipu on Wednesday (October 25).
In line with the rector’s message that faculty or work unit PR is expected to create at least two pieces of news per month, the secretary stated that this is crucial for effectively disseminating current information from faculties or work units.
He conveyed that the public speaking training is a simple activity to foster unity in the UGM campus. He suggested that unity and collective action can place university leaders (the rector) and UGM as an institution at the forefront of all social media platforms.
“Thanks to our collective effort, the rector has become popular on social media. Similarly, UGM as an institution is popular across all social media platforms,” he explained.
During her presentation, Ika Sastrosoebroto highlighted that personal or institutional credibility is not attained through merely appearing cool, winning awards, or doing anything else but instead through organic development and others speaking highly of it.
“Advertisements call this a testimonial, and in public relations, credibility comes from a third party’s endorsement. Where does this third party come from? Stakeholders, employees, employees’ families, the community, or anyone who cares and speaks positively about UGM,” she elaborated.
She pointed out that in communication, nothing is entirely natural. Even though it may seem so, it’s all meticulously crafted. Public relations, she emphasized, is not solely about creating awareness; it must also lead to tangible business outcomes.
She illustrated that in marketing, a person might attempt to sell, but the market starts closing the door. In this situation, a public relations professional is crucial; they must rekindle and strive to keep the door from closing.
Hence, they keep speaking and working around the issue. The result is the door opening again so that the company can secure partnerships or collaborations once more,” the PR expert clarified.
Sastrosoebroto stressed that despite the possibility of PR activities or press releases being handled by machines with ChatGPT and other technologies, live communication remains essential and must be conducted by humans. The presence of human communicators is pivotal as they act as catalysts.
“Because 100 percent of communication work programs won’t run without live communication. Ineffectiveness in communication leads to misunderstandings and frustrations because we are social beings who enjoy socializing with others,” Sastrosoebroto affirmed.
Responding to the training, Indah from Gamamulti Group expressed her hope for gaining additional knowledge. No similar activity has been organized at UGM since the pandemic.
“Thankfully, UGM Public Relations conducted this training in person, particularly in the realm of PR, providing us with updated insights into the latest information,” she commented.
Rafika from Gadjah Mada Medical Center mentioned that this was her first training. She hopes to gain new experiences in public speaking and public relations.
Author: Agung Nugroho
Photographer: Firsto