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Be Happy!

“You can’t punish me today because it’s International Day of Happiness,” says Karla, after I told her I was going to take off my belt because of the outstanding assignment she was working on. I thought that this was a ruse to get out of the bind she was in but nooooo, it really is international happy day.

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Twitter Matters!

Being a professional communicator, I have used Twitter lots of times. I promote it to my clients at PRMR Inc. because social media is important. You need to monitor and respond to your stakeholders, and you need to feed them information in the mode that they prefer. Yada yada yada.

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Observing A Royal

I am an old fashioned Barbadian. What does that mean? Well it means I am really proud and believe in respect and dignity. It also means that I am not star-struck by anyone, not even royalty. In my job at PRMR Inc. and otherwise, I have met stars, authors, international politicians, heads of multinational corporations etc. and do not have a picture to show for it.

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Queen’s Baton to Arrive in 14 Days

Bridgetown, Barbados – In just 14 days, the Glasgow 2014 Queen’s Baton will arrive from Guyana, the 42nd of its 71 Commonwealth destinations. Barbados will provide an integral link when it welcomes the baton as it travels on one of the most engaging relays in the world. Today the Baton is currently travelling through St. Helena (an island in the South African Ocean).

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PRMR Investigates: How to Communicate a Difficult Message?

At PRMR Communications Consultants Inc. we have often had to deal with clients facing a crisis. In most cases, at both the individual and the company level, no one is quite certain how to discuss a controversial topic. Crisis communication is seen as scary and intimidating.

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PRMR Investigates: Facebook and the #hashtag

PRMR Communications Consultants recently attended the IABC World Conference in New York. Just before we left, everyone was buzzing about Facebook and the introduction of the #hashtag. Was this the move that would crush the competition from Twitter, Tumblr and other platforms? Or was Facebook losing focus?

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PRMR poses the question: Can Social Media make us Healthier?

PRMR Communications Consultants Inc. has long been an advocate for healthy lifestyles and wellness. We have a passion for health and as an organisation based in Barbados we are particularly aware of the problem of chronic non-communicable diseases (CNCDs) facing the Caribbean right now.

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Barbados Port Inc (BPI) Celebrates Shipping Industry Stalwart’s 40 years of service

Bridgetown, Barbados – March 25, 2013 – After four decades of outstanding service to the shipping industry in Barbados and the Caribbean, Mr. Glyne St. Hill will be testing the waters of retirement this year. At a recent ceremony hosted by the Barbados Port Inc. (BPI), St. Hill’s contributions to the industry were celebrated and he was hailed as a stalwart and pioneer.

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Making Lists Key To Success

I have been pondering on what I wanted my first blog of the year to be about. Should it be about public relations, my other personal interests or should it be about the resolutions that I have made for 2013. It is January 15 and I have finally gotten over my writer’s block thanks to Linked In and Richard Branson. Having just read Branson’s blog on making lists I had an “aha” moment.

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Charisma Not Just For A Few

 

Some of the best leaders and most iconic figureheads in the world have been successful because of their ability to motivate and inspire others to action behind a common goal or vision.

No doubt, this ability to inspire others can be attributed to charisma; a quality until recently, many thought was possessed only by a select few.

In the best-selling book Leadership-Charisma, author Bud Haney proposes charisma is not a quality or attribute, rather it is a perception one person has of another whose personality he or she finds appealing.

Haney, who will be the featured speaker at the upcoming Leadership-Charisma seminar hosted by Profiles Caribbean Inc. and the Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry proposes, “It takes two people – one to observe what he or she describes as charisma, and another to behave in a manner that the observer perceives as being charismatic.”

This means that charisma constitues a series of behaviours, which can be taught, learned and mastered by any individual. This is what makes the model proposed by Haney powerful, it examines the behaviours, mannerisms and attitudes that have made some of the most charismatic leaders great and which can be easily adopted by any business manager or leader.

Notwithstanding, like most things in life practice makes perfect! For those persons not naturally charismatic it is absolutely necessary to decide to stay committed to learning and developing this ability.

Becoming charismatic definitely requires a commitment to investing the time and energy to putting that knowledge to work CONSISTENTLY.

All managers and business owners are encouraged to attend this life-changing seminar on developing Leadership-Charisma, at the Hilton Barbados Resort on December 6, from 9:00am-11:00am and repeated from 1:30pm to 3:30pm.

Participants will receive a free Leadership Charisma index report along with the book, Leadership Charisma by Bud Haney and Jim Sirbasku. The report is designed to score on individual levels of charismatic behaviour and compare these scores to other leaders across the globe.

For more information on corporate and individual registration, interested persons should contact Profiles Caribbean Inc at (246) 431-0830 or the Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry at (246) 434-4750.

About Profiles Caribbean

Profiles Caribbean Inc. (PCI) is a regional company which was established in August 1994 to provide organizations with technologically advanced human resource tools and services to help them to hire, train, manage and develop people more effectively. PCI is the regional representative for the Texas-based Profiles International Inc., one of the leading providers and developers of occupational assessments in the world today. The company engages primarily in Psychometric Assessments, Search and Selection and Human Resource Consulting services.

About the BCCI

The Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry (founded 1825 - incorporated 1868) is a voluntary non-profit organisation for businesses established under an Act of Parliament (BCCI Act, 1983-10).

 

 

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Dreams and Aspirations

Right now I am stuck between a rock and a hard place. Do I go after my dreams or do I further my studies based on my promising future in office administration. It may be strange to hear but I do like working as an office professional. Then again I am starting to really become interested in event planning, should I go after that too. I love to cook and think the world or at least Barbados should know about it. Its been a while now since I did any real cooking I was a little depressed for over a year about the direction of my life and stopped baking and cooking. A little rusty now I guess.

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Settling

Have you ever felt like no matter what you try to do your life was a routine? Work, home, sleep, work, home, sleep and the cycle just continues to be the same. Sometimes I just think it’s my laziness that stops me from getting up and going out there and making life more than routine but enjoyable. Most times I stay at home going crazy with boredom just because I cannot be bothered to move.

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IDB Staff Serves Goodwill to the Salvation Army

IDB Staff as they worked the production line to serve the less fortunate at the Salvation Army on Sunday.

Bridgetown/November 7, 2012/

The Inter-American Development Bank resently served up some goodwill to the poor at the Salvation Army Community Feeding Centre.

Country Representative, Joel Branski said that the goodwill visit in which IDB staff in Barbados prepared and served more than a hundred lunches was part of a community outreach program. “We are here in Barbados and we are cognizant that while the IDB’s mission is supporting the country’s socioeconomic development, it is also very important to make a positive impact on our community. I am very happy with the good turn out by staff to do this service for the community” Branski said.

Senior members of the Salvation Army expressed their gratitude to the IDB for taking up the challenge to provide the meals for the clients of the Centre. Major Rosemary Brown indicated that the Salvation Army was indebted to a number of organisations for their generosity which helped them to facilitate the Sunday feeding programme and indicated that there is still a Sunday free each month for other companies or organisations to adopt.

Janette Archer-Headley, Operations Senior Associate of the Bank, and member of the Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) group coordinated the outreach activity. She explained that the feeding of the poor at the Salvation Army was a continuation of the IDB’s mandate through its D&I Action Plan to build its relationship with its community.

“The purpose of the D&I is to foster an inclusive work environment with a more diverse workforce, a workforce that reflects the diversity of the Bank’s member countries and that enriches the quality of the IDB’s work,” Archer-Headley said. “The staff of the IDB Barbados Country Office was happy to be able to contribute to the society in this way, we are all very conscious that they are persons less fortune than ourselves and we were happy that we could lend a hand and spread some goodwill in this way,” she said.

About the Inter-American Development Bank

Established in 1959, the Inter-American Development Bank is the largest source of development financing for Latin America and the Caribbean, with a strong commitment to achieving measurable results, increased integrity, transparency and accountability. The IDB has an evolving reform agenda that seeks to increase its development impact in the region.

Besides loans, the IDB also provides grants, technical assistance and does research. Its shareholders are 48 member countries, including 26 Latin American and Caribbean borrowing members, who have a majority ownership of the IDB.

For More Information, please contact:

Pamala Proverbs

Communications Advisor

Inter-american Development Bank (IDB) Barbados Country Office

pam@prmrinc.net

(246) 438-7592

http://www.iadb.org/

 

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Wendy’s New Pigtails

How much money, advocacy, brokering and creativity went into making Wendy’s pigtails news? That was the question that popped into my mind when my daily Genieo pop-ups flagged the tittle “Wendy’s Pigtails Are Getting A New Tweak”. Of course that is an excellent headline for sparking anyone’s curiosity so I clicked on the link and read the news which lead to a video feed, and guess what? The video clip was of ABC reporting on Wendy’s pigtails. ABC! Can you imagine that? Excellent work Wendy’s PR team!

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Communicating

Even within a small communications company, communications can be ineffective. My boss always says “come on, we are selling communications we must be able to do it ourselves effectively every time.” Of course this is not always the case because effective communications is not simplistic. As human beings we communicate with every inch of our being and sometimes our intentions and what we communicate do no not match, there is a disconnect. Emails can be worst, as what we write may not be interpreted in the way we intend.

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Leading the IABC Accreditation Completion Program in Barbados

“No man is an island!” This is one of my favorite sayings and with this as my mantra my goal after successfully completing my IABC accreditation was to get other professionals through this daunting but highly satisfying process. When five or more persons get together to do accreditation from a single chapter it is called an Accreditation Completion Program (ACP). The benefits are that you get a discount on your registration, you have a senior leader to help you through the process and of course a community, so to speak, of other individuals doing the program that you can use as sounding boards.

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Winners Announced For The CITI Micro-Entrepreneurship Awards For The Caribbean

Kingston, Jamaica, September 3, 2012 - Citi Foundation, the Caribbean Microfinance Alliance, and the Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF) are pleased to announce the winners for the 1st annual Citi Micro-entrepreneurship Awards for the Caribbean. The Awards recognize a microfinance institution and a micro-entrepreneur that have each demonstrated remarkable success in the English-speaking Caribbean. Five finalists were chosen for each award and a jury of six experts on microfinance and micro-entrepreneurship in the region has selected the winners.

The winner of the Excellence in Microfinance Award will receive a cash prize of US$10,000 and the winner of the Excellence in Micro-entrepreneurship Award will receive a cash prize of US$3,000. Both winners will also receive a short video on their business or institution, an award certificate and a trip to the award ceremony at the Caribbean Microfinance Forum IV in Bridgetown, Barbados on September 30, 2012.

The winner of the Excellence in Microfinance Award is:

Access Financial Services (Jamaica)

Access Financial Services has established itself as one of the premier providers of loans in the Jamaican microfinance sector, serving 5,599 active Business loan clients through its fourteen branch island-wide retail network. Founded in 2000, the company was successfully listed on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange by 2009. Access has prioritised “working class entrepreneurs” as a key market segment and consistently provides convenient and innovative loan products for this segment. Despite a challenging economic environment which saw a 1.1% decline in Jamaica’s Gross Domestic Product, in 2011 Access recorded a 35% increase in the number of loans disbursed.

The winner of the Excellence in Micro-entrepreneurship Award is:

Javier Basto, Basto & Sons Plantain Chips (La Inmaculada Credit Union, Belize)

In 2008 Javier Basto began frying plantains in his backyard and selling them to friends and neighbors in affordable US$0.50 bags in Guinea Grass Village, Belize. From that humble beginning, his plantains gradually gained popularity for their unique and tasty flavour, and he soon expanded with financing from La Inmaculada Credit Union for equipment and improved facilities. The Basto & Sons product line now includes cassava chips and churros (a fried flour-based chip) and is sold to grocery stores in Orange Walk Town, Corozal Town and Belize City. Sales have risen quickly from US$39,000 in 2009 to US$68,250 in 2011. Mr. Basto now has 7 employees and sells 5,000 bags per week with a goal of expanding to 7,000 bags per week.

The 4 other finalists for the Excellence in Microfinance Award were:

  • Churches Cooperative Credit Union (Jamaica)
  • First Regional Cooperative Credit Union (Jamaica)
  • Institute of Private Enterprise Development (Guyana)
  • Seva MFI (Suriname)

“The microfinance institution finalists demonstrate professionalism, innovation and above all, dedication to their clients, as they achieve success in Caribbean marketplace. By helping their clients grow their businesses through loans, training and other services, these institutions are fostering economic development in their communities,” said Tomas Miller, MIF Access to Finance Unit Chief and Awards Jury Member.

The other 4 finalists for the Excellence in Micro-entrepreneurship Award were:

  • Romaldo Cal, Cal’s Bakery (La Inmaculada Credit Union, Belize)
  • Somaroe Khemradj, Rice Farmer (Seva MFI, Suriname)
  • Beverley Paton, Beverley Grocery (Institute of Private Enterprise Development, Guyana)
  • Norine Roberts, S & N Enterprise (Grenville Cooperative Credit Union, Grenada)

“All of the finalists for the micro-entrepreneur award started off with just an idea and a small amount of capital to start their business. They are engaged in diverse activities such as baking, farming and retailing, and in just the past three years, most of them have more than doubled their annual sales. Through remarkable drive, ingenuity and hard work, these entrepreneurs have overcome challenges, expanded their business, hired new employees and helped to improve their respective communities,” said Winsome Leslie, MIF Senior Specialist and Team Leader for the Caribbean Microfinance Capacity Building (CARIB-CAP) I and II programs.

Dennis Evans, Citi Cluster Head for the Caribbean said, “This initiative is part of Citi's commitment to the economic empowerment and financial inclusion of the communities where we are present. Citi is proud to be working with the IDB MIF in supporting the Caribbean Microfinance Alliance, and to be launching the Citi Micro-entrepreneurship Awards (CMA) in the English-speaking Caribbean for the first time. I look forward to meeting and congratulating the winners in person at the awards ceremony.”

The Citi Micro-entrepreneurship Awards will be presented at the Caribbean Microfinance Forum IV in Bridgetown, Barbados on September 30, 2012. The Forum is an important knowledge-sharing venue for microfinance institutions in the Caribbean and discussions this year will cover issues such as the state of microfinance in the Region, responsible microfinance (i.e. client protection, etc.) and the Smart Campaign, the value of a Caribbean microfinance network as a mechanism for knowledge-sharing, and development of the microfinance industry. Individuals interested in attending can contact Villet Bennet at Villet.bennet@developmentoptionsja.com. The Caribbean Microfinance Forum is being held in conjunction with the Inter-American Forum on Microenterprise (FOROMIC) hosted by MIF/IDB on Oct. 1-3, 2012, in Barbados.

The Citi Micro-entrepreneurship Awards for the Caribbean are financed by the Citi Foundation and administered by the Caribbean Microfinance Alliance (CMFA) and the MIF. The awards program has 3 goals: 1) to raise awareness about microfinance; 2) to build awareness about the important role microentrepreneurs play in their local economies; and 3) to develop the next generation of microfinance networks.

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Change and the Organization

Organizations should strive to have a culture that embraces change. This is important so that when change comes, as it always does, employees would not sabotage the organization because they already operate in a culture that is dynamic. In situations like mergers and acquisitions for example, managers can be sure that employees would be less resistant and would make a smooth transition into new cultures and territories if the culture already promotes development.

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Tweeting and Responsible Sporting

A serious sports enthusiast, I was an Olympic Games junkie. I sat for hours in front of the television and watched sport after sport, living vicariously through the athletes. Appreciating fully the sacrifice, dedication and discipline that each athlete at the games had to endure to reach, let alone medal in the games.

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FOROMIC Promoted At BCCI Luncheon

The Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s monthly luncheon, scheduled for the Hilton Hotel on Wednesday July 25 is one in a series of events leading up to the premier event for micro enterprise development, FOROMIC XV.

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Of Joe Paterno, Living Legends and Doing the Right Thing

I am not at all for living legends. Yes I believe in letting persons know how we feel about them when they are alive but the legend status should be reserved for the dead and the statutes and monuments erected long after you are gone so that your track record could be documented and debated and you are not around to make any faux pas after the statues are up.

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Corporate Citizenry

Recently I tried reaching a client on the telephone but no one was answering the telephone at the company. I wondered how busy the workers were that no one was answering. A few calls to almost all the extensions resulted in someone calling me back a few minutes later. I was informed that it was family day and no one other than the lady who answered was in office.

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Design Evolution

During my final year in college back in 2006, I remember one of my tutors speaking about the future evolution of design predicting that the trend would see design moving away from simply being for a predominantly print medium to mobile technology. At the time I probably just said something like “hmm” and shrugged my shoulders. I don’t remember thinking much of it because cell phones weren’t as widespread as they are today.

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Walkers Demonstrate Their Support for Breast Cancer Awareness

Over 200 walkers turned out to support the Breast Screening Programme (BSP) of the Barbados Cancer Society as it climaxed its 10th anniversary week of activities last Saturday with the Champions In Pink Walk & Extravaganza at the Garrison Savannah. The event was held in conjunction with the Barbados Turf Club who named all the races on that day in honour of the BSP.

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I Protest. We are Creative!

While catching up on my reading, I came across the story “Creativity Crisis” in the Public Relations Society of America’s Strategist Journal, Spring 2012. It spoke of public relations professionals getting high marks from their executives and business leaders for their “relationship building, political acumen, compelling writing and good strategy”. For creativity however, they looked elsewhere.

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Are you busted?

I have always been pretty busty. From age 9 I was already in a bra and it seemed to me as if each year my breast grew larger and larger. During Secondary School I had to face the fact that my breasts were an unusual size for my age, which made me refrain from participating in any sporting exercise. As I got older my breasts always became an issue when it came to wearing certain clothes - paying high prices for one shirt. There was also the issue of occasional pains in my back and my breasts.

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The long and short of it all!

Recently I questioned why I decided to cut my hair. Really, are the advantages and disadvantages of having short hair any different to having longer hair? Honestly, short hair takes a lot of maintenance but at the same time is very manageable. Longer hair, on the other hand, yes it requires maintenance but we tend to brush it back into a ponytail or just clip it up or wear it down. In my opinion, shorter hair also tends to suit those with a little extra flesh on their faces, like me.

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Design On the Go!

Being into technology, especially the type that can make life easier, I get pretty excited every time I stumble onto a really nifty (yes I said nifty) app! Now we should all be pass the stage of just taking our ipads to meetings to show clients the beautiful masterpieces that we as Designers create on a daily basis. But what if the client, after seeing your work has a new idea they’d like to see? Oh sure, you can just take out the old paper and pencil and start sketching. Oooor you can bring your sketch to life on your ipad, right on the spot!

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Champions in Pink Extravaganza

Are you a small business or a large corporation, looking for new and innovative ways to promote your business in Barbados? Then take advantage of this opportunity to raise brand awareness, increase sales and support a worthwhile cause. The Breast Screening Programme is hosting its inaugural Walk and Extravaganza at the Garrison Savannah on June 16, 2012.

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Of Monopolies and Consumer Woes

The economic crisis has herald a worrying paradigm for the consumer and that is the reemergence of monopolies. With small businesses crumbling under the economic pressure, large conglomerates are taking the opportunity to buy up limping companies to build capacity.

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Pinterest and Me(me)

On the heels of a very informative webinar from the last IABC webinar touting the benefits of PINTEREST -'PRMR Inc is now an official 'pinner.' We have already started to post a few images on our pin boards; about Styling for the PR Practitioner (my favorite, which will undoubtedly have the most pins), Favourite Places and Spaces and PR Books for Dummies. All of the topics I am sure people will certainly enjoy.

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Religion Truly Social!

My blog post this week is more up Mariama’s street, she being a Christian, but when I stumbled on RD Magazine’s Blog Post on “Five Social Media Trends That are reshaping Religion,” I could not help but think about the meeting we had just last week with the PR Manager of the Barbados Port Inc., Freida Nicholls and her telling us that church is not the same without her ipad since she uses her Bible app in church, which she prefers to the physical bible.

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Colgate continues its contribution to the battle against diabetes

Colgate-Palmolive in partnership with Super Centre Ltd. and Knights Pharmacies, has for a second year made a significant contribution to diabetes awareness in Barbados, capping off the initiative with the recent presentation of over BDS $3,000 to the Barbados Diabetes Foundation and the Diabetes Association of Barbados.

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Public Relations Jobs Among The Most Stressful

Now I understand totally why I am spending so much money on hair colour every week trying to keep up with my rapidly greying head of hair. According to PR Newser, it’s my job to blame! PRNewser has quoted CareerCast list of best, worst, most stressful, and least stressful jobs for 2012. At number seven on the most stressful list is the PR executive. My dream job, My passion!

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Goodbye to Adrian Randall!

Goodbye to Adrian Randall a steward in the fight against Heart Disease in Barbados. It’s paradoxical that what would eventually take his life was complications from this disease since he had made the fight against heart disease and strokes his passion since he and his late wife retired to Barbados.

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Of Planes and Service

I could not help but jump all over this “I love JetBlue -- Customer Service Done Right” story in Forbes, especially after Mariama brought up the topic of customer service in her blog last week. Being a bit of a flight snob myself, Jet Blue never appealed to me because there is no business class service. The current economic climate however forced me to revaluate how I spend my money and since the back and front of the plane arrives at the same time, I made the decision that flying first/business class was one of those non-essential luxuries that could be cut.

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Good Going Senator Kerry-Ann IFill

This is a wonderful age to be living in - electricity, telephony, air travel, Satelites in outer space, A Black American President and now a blind woman, President of the Barbados Senate. Good going Kerry-Ann Ifill. This is brilliant on 2 counts: first female President and a differently abled person to boot.

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New Healthcare Facility in Warrens

One of the projects that will kick off our year is the opening of the Warrens Healthcare Clinic in Warrens, St. Michael. The clinic, located in Warrens (opposite the newly constructed Barbados Red Cross complex) will be an ultra modern facility, outfitted with the newest equipment for effecting diagnostic care. This includes x-rays and MRIs.

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Working with the Barbados Port Inc

This year marked the 50th Anniversary of the Barbados Port Inc. As one of our clients, we have provided them with several PR services including crisis management, event coordination and general media relations.In coordinating events for the Port our work has extended from within the Port itself, to Farley Hill and even to the Harrison’s Cave. The latter occasion we enjoyed a spectacular cultural evening sponsored by the BPI for the Caribbean Shipping Association’s 41st annual general meeting.

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Public Relations Defined

The Public Relations Society of America has launched a project to have its members and others submit definitions for Public Relations. I read a number of stories surrounding this project and felt as if all of them were mine. Especially Rosanne Fiske’s story on your family not understanding what you do. When I worked at the Nation Newspaper as it Corporate Communications Manager, my mother was fine with that because she understood the concept of working for a reputable organization no matter the job. When I set up my own PR Agency she was however very worried for me because she could not fathom how I would make money and what service I was truly offering.

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Seldom Semicolon

As mundane as the topic of punctuation might seem, at some point in our lives we will have to write a piece of literature. As a result, we will need to understand the basics of punctuation and how best to use them. The semicolon is one of those forms of punctuation that most people try to avoid. This is usually because they don't know how and when it should be most appropriately used. The below blog will provide you with the three basic ways that semicolons are used. I encourage you (especially those of you in or thinking about working in the field of public relations) to embrace them on your journey to becoming a better writer.

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The Perils of Punctutation - The Comma Part II

The comma is one of the hardest working forms of punctuation. It does not matter the type of piece that is being written; whether press releases, scripts or speeches, commas are an integral part of written language. In part 2 of the series on the Perils of Punctuation, I invite you to review some more uses for the comma.

 

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Its Time to Break the Social Media Stigma

Public Relations practitioners and communicators in general took social media for granted for a long time but now these social communities are the best and biggest things since slice bread. Everyday I open my email there is another invitation to attend a conference, seminar, webinar etc. on some social media tool like this one today for example from Amy Jefferies, 
Communications Director
 PR News.

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Why NGOs in the Caribbean should embrace social media?

Having spent the better part of my Saturday developing my professional skills learning the intricacies of websites and networking; in one more week (if I pass the test) I will be a CIW (Certified Internet Web Professional) Site Development Associate. This means I will be competent in building basic websites.

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PR Practitioners: Time to Go Pro Bono

Having worked in an NGO environment at home here in Barbados, and at the Caribbean and international levels; I know that public relations is one of the major tools in the arsenal of these organisations.

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Business Owners Employee Challenges

On PRMR Inc.'s blog this week Mariama pointed readers to 101 tips for leaders and reading the post I could not help but think what tips are there not just for a manager, but also for a business owner especially in these harsh economic times. Being a public relations consultant who preaches employee engagement and creating a positive work environment, I am very cognizant about practicing what I preach as a business owner.

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Blogging Is For Everyone

"Blog" is a shortened version of the word "weblog". Information is stored online either for private viewing or open to the general public. A blog can often report diary-type commentaries and provide relevant links to articles on other websites. The articles follow the order in which they were updated to the blog site. Blogs address all the different phenomena that we face as a people. Blogging isn’t limited to a particular age group or profession. People blog about fashion, cars, politics, social issues and more…

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Lift Male Standards - MHM In the Community

Just under 50 secondary school boys taking part in the Life Skills Programme of Supreme Counseling for Personal Development have been urged to help rebuild the standards of young males across the island.

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IABC Barbados Has A New Board

Last night I retained the presidency of IABC Barbados. Having been a founding member of the chapter I am witnessing first hand its struggles and its mini victories. We started with just about five members, grew to 15 last year and now at the start of my 2nd year as president, we have 23 members.

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PRSA Chair Rosanna Fiske Statement on News Corp.'s Crisis Response

Commenting on the escalating crisis surrounding the News Corp. phone-hacking scandal, Rosanna M. Fiske, APR, chair and CEO of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), today issued the following statement regarding the reputational fallout for News Corp. and the company's response:
News Corp. misguided response to the escalating phone-hacking scandal will undoubtedly become a case study for business schools and public relations professionals on the potential perils of not properly managing the reputations of all of a company 's assets. In trying to make excuses for unethical actions by some News of the World reporters and editors, Rupert Murdoch has demonstrated a profound lack of understanding of how his actions and words influence the public.
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PR Practioners Don't Think Up Stories: My Response to Mail Online Story

I read the Mail Online story “Insider reveals: PR men would think up a story and Rebekah’s Sun and News of the World would run it word for word. Some were complete fiction” (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2013046/Rebekah-Brooks-Sun-News-World-run-fictional-stories-insider-claims.html) and was pretty much disgusted as a former journalism student and more so as a seasoned PR practitioner.

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The Barbados Port Inc. Celebrates Its 50th Anniversary With Staff

The Party stand came alive on Friday, May 6, as management and staff of the Barbados Port Inc. commemorated their 50th Anniversary with a karaoke session and quiz, entitled 'Propa Port Quiz.'

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Maria Holder Memorial Trust Donates Life-Saving Equipment To Pediatric Unit Of QEH

Sick and critically ill children in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) are benefitting from over $60,000 worth of equipment donated by the Maria Holder Memorial Trust (MHM).The equipment, which includes stethoscopes, incubators, recliners and IV poles among other things, was sourced from BioMedical International Corp and Collins Ltd.

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Working With Initiatives For The Future Of The Port

Plans to improve the operations of the Bridgetown Port are progressing steadily. Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Barbados Port Inc., David Jean-Marie, said as much at the company's brunch at the Bridgetown Cruise Terminal Sunday. "Currently, we are busy with initiatives for the short, medium and longer term future of the port. These include revising the Port Master Plan, separating cruise and cargo, developing the Central Container Examination Facility, completing berth number five and replacing container handling equipment.

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The Importance of Communications

Communications is easily overlooked, but the ability to communicate effectively is necessary to convey the thoughts and visions of an organisation to people. Speech and words are the mediums to convey directions and provide synchronization. Without communication, there is no way to express thoughts, ideas and feelings.

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Digicel gives to fight against diabetes

Digicel is playing its part in assisting the Diabetes Association of Barbados in its quest to educate Barbadians about diabetes.
The mobile telecommunications company has been working closely with the association over the past few months and recently presented the membership with two Jablotron desktop phones to be used as hotlines.
Digicel's commercial director, Alex Tasker, explained that the company was pleased to work with the DAB as diabetes is one of the most prevalent illnesses on the island.
"We will be assisting the association with its educational programme to ensure that every single Barbadian is aware of diabetes and its related complications. We are extremely passionate about the prevention and management of this disease in Barbados and are aware that through education, we can give this process a boost.
"Over the past few weeks members of the association have been joining us on our radio shows and other events to give the public information on the association and diabetes and now, with the two new Jablotron desktop phones, they have another avenue to get this information out, not only to members of the DAB but to the general public as well," Tasker explained.
Immediate past president of the DAB, John Grace, thanked Digicel, noting: "We are extremely grateful for all the assistance Digicel has offered us over the past few months. It is great when a company is concerned with the health and well being of the citizens of the country it operates in and we quite pleased that Digicel has a keen interest in Diabetes and the effects it is having on Barbadians.
The numbers for the two hot-lines are 836-3737 and 836-2737 and members or the general public can feel free to call for any information or advice.
Taken from the Evening Edition of the Barbados Today, April 20, 2011
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Young People with Diabetes in Barbados A Worry

When we look at the number of young people with diabetes in Barbados, something is definitely wrong, says Southern Region chairman of the Diabetes Association of Barbados, Rudolph Smith.

Smith was speaking to the DAILY NATION after an installation service for the 2011 executive officers of his region at the Providence Methodist Church, Christ Church.
The chairman, drawing on statistics of “two years ago”, said the increase with which “young people [were] coming down with diabetes” was “of great concern”.
Smith lamented that though accurate and relevant information on the disease was easily accessible and available to the public, it seemed as though “we are not getting the message through to our young”.
“And I don’t understand why, because there is a lot of information out there in the print and electronic media, and now the Internet. So it is a case that people know what to do, but they are not doing it . . . . They are not doing what is necessary to make sure that they live a better life,” he said.
Smith pointed out that the Ministry of Education had implemented a system to have healthy snacks sold at schools, but said he had observed the opposite.
“In my passing, I am seeing a lot of people selling things that cannot be classified as being healthy for children. I am not saying that those vendors should not have some type of business, but I think that they can substitute what they are selling with that which is much healthier.”

Taken from the Daily Nation Newspaper April 18, 2011.

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The Scorpion and The Frog: The nature of the relationship between journalism and PR?

The panel discussion hosted by the IABC and CARILEC, focused on the relationship between journalists and public relations practitioners: ‘Kissing cousins or Mortal enemies.’

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Kissing Cousins or Mortal Enemies :- A Panel Discussion hosted by IABC Barbados in association with CARILEC

Media Relations plays a key role in the corporate communicator's ability to deliver messages to the public. But what's the true nature of our relationship? Is it one of shared goals or conflicting ones? Can we be close, or should we keep our distance? Who needs whom the most?

Richard Thomas, VP Communications IABC Barbados
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NATIONAL ACTIVITY TASKFORCE READY TO GET BARBADOS MOVING

Ilaro Court will be a hive of activity this Saturday, March 13, as the National Task Force on Physical Activity and Exercise, stages its inaugural Get Moving Barbados Exercise Event. The free event, which will run from 1:00 to 6:00 p.m., is designed to have persons of all ages #8220Get up; Get Active and Get Healthy." It will include a number of activities, all led by qualified fitness professionals.

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Health and Sports Our Thing

Everyone has something they are good at or know for. No matter where I go sports and health follow me. It should be no surprise then that I found myself teaching the Event Planning course for the Barbados Olympic Association last Saturday and PRMR Inc. is coordinating the Inaugural Exercise Event at Ilaro Court for the National Task Force on Physical Activity and Exercise.

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Early Childhood Education, the answer to Region's Youth Problems

BRIDGETOWN,Barbados, March 1,2010/PRMR Inc.

Powerful evidence from one study after another proves that high quality care in the first years of life can greatly reduce the risk that today's babies and toddlers will become tomorrow's violent teens and adults. High quality early learning and care is one of the most powerful weapons against crime, while poor early childhood education multiplies the risk that children will grow up to be a threat to society.

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Scope for Prosthetic Limb Creation in Barbados

There is scope for Barbados to create its own prosthetic limbs to fit many amputees on the island.

This observation was made by the President of the Barbados Diabetes Foundation, Dr. Oscar Jordan, who noted that while this may be a long way in coming, such a facility could assist in the rehabilitation of amputees, recognising that there are over 200 amputations performed annually in Barbados.

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Call for Exhibitors for Diabetes Global Village

Barbados has one of the highest rates of Diabetes globally and nearly everyday someone has an amputation related to diabetes.#160#160 It is for this reason that the Barbados Diabetes Foundation has renewed its efforts to put the disease high on the public#8217s agenda and is calling on the private sector to get on board in the fight against this remorseless disease, through exhibiting at the 3rd annual Global Village Expo.#160

 

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Step-by-Step Foot Care Project Launches In Barbados

Bridgetown/Tuesday July 14, 2009/PRMR Inc.

Barbados' high amputee rate is about to go down. So says podiatrist Simone McConnie, Chief Operating Officer of the Barbados Diabetes Foundation. This is to be achieved through the Step-by-Step Diabetes Foot Care Project to be launched this weekend at the Pan American Health Organization. The two day workshop is a joint effort between the Barbados Diabetes Foundation, Rotary Club of Barbados South and the Ministry of Health.

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Jammin#8217 Enhances Tourism Product

The local tourism sector received a major boost recently with the launch of Barbados#8217 newest catamaran, Jammin#8217 where featured speaker at the launch, Deputy Chairman of the Barbados Tourism Authority Mr. Austin Husbands, said that the sailing service was integral to Barbados#8217 tourism product.#160

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Caribbean Bride Magazine at New York Wedding Expo

Destination theme vacations are the latest tool being used in the region to stimulate the tourism industry. So says Dave Cox of the Barbadian based Caribbean Bride Magazine.

Caribbean Bride Magazine was featured last month at the inaugural Destination Weddings and Honeymoon Expo in New York.

The Destination Weddings and Honeymoon Expo is a new venture of The Worldwide Group Travel in partnership with the Jamaica Tourist Board. The "Jamaica Only" event was held at the Holiday Inn Westbury in Carle Place.

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Be Remarkable

I copied this from Judette's Facebook. Why? - because only last weekend someone asked me about putting merchandise from my company PRMR Inc. in a bag of give-a-ways for a Jazz show.

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Free Webinar to Help NGOs Strategy

I have been working for a number of non-profits recently and one thing is true of all of them - they are very budget conscious. Sometimes you find the program you are working on has to be self sufficient.

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Civil Society Key to Healthy Caribbean 2008 Conference

GIS Barbados/Wedneday October 8, 2008

The Healthy Caribbean 2008 Conference, which will be staged here from October 16-18 at the Accra Beach Hotel, will bring together a cross section of partners from CARICOM countries to plan civil society’s response to the increasing burden of Chronic Non-communicable Diseases (CNCDs).

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Science of Peace Lecture in Barbados

Science of Peace Lecture and Award/PRMR Inc./ September 25,2008

The spotlight on Chronic Non Communicable Diseases and their impact on Caribbean citizens continues in October when the Faculty of Medical Sciences of the University of the West Indies, hosts the prestigious Inter American HeartFoundations (IAHF) Science of Peace Lecture and Award Ceremony

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Healthy Caribbean 2008 Conference

Press Release: Healthy Caribbean 2008 Conference/September 29, 2008/PRMR
Inc

Recognizing the high health and financial costs of chronic diseases to
the region, one year ago Heads of Government of CARICOM countries met in Port of Spain and
expressed a determination to reduce the suffering and burdens of chronic
disease to the citizens of our region. 

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Verdun House on track to receive Accreditation

Verdun House, a project of The Substance
Abuse Foundation Inc., is on track to attaining international accreditation for
its treatment programme from the European Association for the Treatment of
Addiction by early next year.  This is
thanks to direction from the drug rehabilitation charity Action on Addition out
of the United Kingdom (UK).

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Caribbean Wellness Day

There is to be no traffic on Broad Street for four hours on Saturday, Septmeber 13.  This is because  Caribbean governments have declared the second Saturday of September Caribbean Wellness Day and The Ministry of Health, National Insurance and Social Security is placing the focus on wellness in Bridgetown for the first ever observance of the day.

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No Time To Blog

Since the launch of IABC Barbados I have been too busy to blog. Sacrilege, according to Christal Mc Intosh, President of the Chapter who has recently made a commitment to blog every day.

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Diabetes Association stepping up Outreach to Children

The Diabetes Association of Barbados has stepped up its campaign
to bring about an awareness of diabetes, especially for local children.   Following the International Diabetes
Federation declaring the focus on children for two years straight, the
Association has examined its projects and has enhanced its educational
programmes.  According to President of
the Association, John Grace “education is the corner stone of any movement for
change” therefore this is where his Association has placed this year’s
emphasis.

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Healthy Caribbean 2008 #8211A Wellness Revolution Conference

This campaign against CNCDs continues in  Barbados at the Healthy Caribbean 2008 Conference, October 16 – 19.  Barbadian cardiologist, Prof. Trevor Hassell and Prof.
Henry Fraser, Dean of the Faculty of Medical Sciences, Cave Hill Campus, are
leading the Conference’s organising team. 
According to Prof. Hassell the Conference, which is being facilitated by
The Pan American Health Organisation, the InterAmerican Heart Foundation, the
Barbados Ministry of Health CNCD Commission and the Heart & Stroke
Foundation of Barbados, will be critical to crafting the Caribbean’s
collaborative response to combating the current epidemic.

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The Press Release and The Press Conference- Tools and Tactics

You know the saying the more things change, the more they remain the same.Well I was at a gathering of pr professionals recently and a number of issues came up.None of them were new, which was no surprise.But what did surprise me was that the topics that received the most attention were not new media and social networks on the web, what received the most dialog were the century old press release and press conference.

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Cricket Legends of Barbados Cruise

Press Release/ Pamala Proverbs/PRMR Inc./ May 25, 2008

The Cricket Legends of Barbados will be adding their contribution to the Australian Cricket tour of the West Indies with a cruise on board the MV Harbour Master for the Barbados leg on Tuesday, June 17 from 5pm to 9pm.

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Glucosamine Important for Healthy Joints

May 15, 2008/Bell Pottinger USA

Apart from the celebration of mothers, the month of May
is being highlighted around the world for the treatment and prevention of
arthritis.  This may be coincidental, but
the fact is that the two marry well together as women are prone to arthritis
and losing their bone density as they age.

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Hello IABC

Well we have made the first step! After a successful meeting of a good mix of Barbados' pr stalwarts, mid-career professionals, newbies, and individuals interested in the profession, a board of management have been chosen to do the work to get the Barbados Chapter of IABC off the ground.

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RELIEF FROM RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS WITH NO HARMFUL SIDE EFFECTS

March 31, 2008/Bell Pottinger USA

The results of a five-year study show that Cod Liver Oil can reduce the amount of anti-inflammatory drugs taken by Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) patients by over 30 percent.
Anti-inflammatory drugs, such as Ibuprofen and Aspirin, are heavily prescribed
to relieve pain for those with Rheumatoid Arthritis. However, fears are growing
among consumers about the dangers of long-term use, with reported side-effects
including stomach bleeding, high blood pressure and an increased risk of heart
attacks.

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