Uganda Police Spox, ACP Rusoke urged Public Relations practitioners to share facts. The PR Fundi Masterclass panelists were ACP Rusoke Kituuma, Spokesperson of Uganda Police Force; Ishta Atukunda, Head of Branding at Bank of Uganda; and Ian Rumanyika, Fundi host.
Panelists at the PR Fundi masterclass emphasized effective communication planning, stakeholder mapping, ethics, emotional intelligence, truth-telling, timely information management, and research during a discussion on the dynamics of crisis management in Public Relations: spin, or alternative facts on September 26, 2024.
Rusoke shared his practice experience and how there is a PR crisis every day in Police which necessitates crisis communication. He shared that he works with 29 PR officers for the regions in Uganda. ”As you rise in police ranks, you rise within communication responsibilities. Communication is on a daily in Uganda Police. ”-Rusoke.
According to Rusoke, PR people must understand that the World we live in is dynamic and dynamics relate to relations. He shared key professional Police considerations like national interest when they are going to speak publicly. ”Information in Uganda Police flows in such a manner that you cannot individually concoct your own lie.” -Rusoke Uganda Police Spox,
Atukunda warned PR practitioners to always guard their reputation by not telling lies but above all share details with those who must have them. She reminded participants that all they have in this life is their name. Without credibility, there is no profession. Atukunda believes no PR crisis warrants outright lying and you have no monopoly on information. Atukunda warned PR practitioners against lying during a crisis just to buy time because it affects their credibility in future.
Atukunda challenged PR practitioners to master the art of spotting patterns during crises. Has a similar crisis happened before and how was it handled? She used the Uganda COVID-19 case study of how the government executed their communication strategy drawing lessons from the HIV/AIDS pandemic experience.
Ishta recommended effective transparency when planning communication messages. Practitioners must decide which details to share when and with who during a crisis to achieve organizational goals. To her, an average person may not need to know much about the issue but the basics to enable them to make up their minds.
Atukunda believes alternative facts is misinformation. You cannot inspire confusion and achieve your goals in the middle of a crisis. Sometimes you may need to shut up because information may prolong a crisis.
According to Atukunda, a communication blackout during a crisis is dangerous, it creates a vacuum. She emphasized this drawing perspectives from the case study of the Ukraine Central Bank following a regulation backlash.
Ian Rumanyika, the Fundi Host reminded participants to always wear a hat of emotional intelligence when planning their crisis communication messages. Ian called upon PR practitioners to be transparent and truthful because the public will fact-check them everyday. According to Ian, You don’t only speak for the institution but also for your own reputation.
The class was attended by over 17 Participants working for Uganda-based organizations in sports, university education, beverage manufacturing, Banking, Law, Insurance, Betting, Public sector and security. The panelists and participants shared about Mental health, ethics, individual personal brand reputation, organizational reputation protection, misinformation, social media, fact-checking, and stakeholder engagement.
ACP Rusoke Kituuma, is the current Spokesperson of Uganda Police Force. An Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) with 17 years of law enforcement experience. Ishta Atukunda, is the current Head of Branding at Bank of Uganda. She has over 10 years of experience in brand strategy, media relations, and public affairs, crisis management and digital marketing.
PR Fundi Masterclass is an affiliate of the NODE Group. The PR Fundi Masterclass is a 120-minute programme focused on over 100 topics to give professionals mastery over PR tasks. PR Fundi also runs other customized sessions for particular Organizational staff needs.PR Fundi Masterclass targets PR people, Brand Managers, and Government communicators.