Living It: Spotlight on PR Woman Delali Diana Amaglo

Name: Delali Diana Amaglo
Company/Position: Sunon Asogli Power Ghana Limited/Public Relations Officer

Describe your job in one sentence. 
It is challenging, fun, and most of all an eye opener every step of the way. 

How did you get into Public Relations; how long have you been in PR? 
I’ve been in PR steadily for almost two years. But I’ve also been in communication for the most part of my life without concentrating on a specific aspect. I finally decided to focus on PR because it is first of all an area of interest to me. Then I also realized how essential it is increasingly becoming to the survival of individuals and corporate bodies as a whole. So when I felt like a ‘’square peg in a round hole’’ in all the other fields and employments I’d been in, it dawned on me that it was time to do what I love to do best – Public Relations.

What is your interest/specialization in PR? 
I am usually interested in the Issues and Crisis Management part of PR. But my specialization will be in Strategic Communication and Negotiation. For now, I’m an all-rounder. 

What is a regular day for you as a PR Person? 
Every day comes with its own pressure. Sometimes, there is a lot of desk work to do. Other times, I’m out and about. There are usually unforeseen interjectory schedules but generally, I have a full plate. Busy you call it?

How do you think PR can help change how brands are perceived? 
I think no matter how well a brand is established or relatively quiet, if a brand decides to stay without any effective public relations effort,  it will take the public a longer time to understand the relevance of the brand to society. Therefore, a brand needs to be strategically propagated by a skillful PR person in order to gain the needed recognition. That notwithstanding, a brand could stay in obscurity or be known but not for its real reasons. Hence to gain the required understanding and long-term acceptance, the brand will need a creative and analytical thinker to prepare and convince the public to garner the necessary positive perception of whatever brand image it intends to put in the public domain.

What kinds of challenges do you face in your Public Relations career choice? 
Before I answer this I need to state that, Sunon Asogli Power Ghana Limited is a 100% Chinese owned company. It is also important to mention that China is a Communist Nation and this makes them very conservative across all spheres. In effect, the role I play is essential in bridging the communication gap between the conservative Chinese workforce I find myself with, their culture, work ethics and policies and the “extremely liberal” Ghanaian culture and work ethics.   The biggest challenge however is learning to understand the Chinese way of working and getting the Chinese to understand the acceptable way of working especially when it comes to PR and communication in Ghana. All other related issues usually take me through different phases of emotions - psychological and intellectual- but I eventually settle in. 

As a PR Professional, what can’t live without……?
I really can’t do without my phone, information (internal and external) and access to the internet. There is little information one can get access to without the internet.  And since PR thrives on information, it is only prudent to have a device that can afford you such convenience always. Besides, the internet is essential for the transmission of whatever information my attention is drawn to, in sending or receiving. It is therefore crucial to have these three. 

Do you feel pressured to dress well for the job? 
Pressured? No. Am i conscious of my appearance? Certainly! It is the number one thing for me. As a lady and a PR practitioner, my appearance speaks volumes.  It determines the level of attention I’m accorded at a first glance and the physical impression i leave on the minds of the people I encounter on the job as the face and representative of my company. Hence, there is no room for shabby dressing even if I’m not on official duty. Every day and place is a working environment for me as a PR practitioner, so i need to unapologetically look the part.

Any advice to young ladies especially African women who may want pursue a career in PR or any communications related field? 
Young ladies should disillusion themselves from the myth that PR is a walk over and anyone who speaks eloquently can be a PR practitioner. Again, PR is not a platform for lies and popularity contest. There is more to it than all that. It takes love, passion, selflessness, wisdom, a high sense of composure and professionalism to make a good PR practitioner. In effect, they should not try to take up a career in PR just to fill a void.

This is a series of interviews for Women in PR in Ghana (#WIPRgh). Its purpose is to bring the spotlight on such women and also serve as a resource for students in PR.

Faith Senam Ocloo
CEO

E’April Public Relations

Follow me on twitter @eaprilPR and @faithsenam

Living It: Spotlight on PR Woman Millicent Baku

Name:    Millicent Baku

Position/Company:    Public Affairs Officer/West Africa Examinations Council(WAEC)



Describe your job in one sentence: My job as a Public Affairs Officer and Head of Protocol at the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), Headquarters is a very challenging but also a very fulfilling role.

How did you get into Public Relations; how long have you been in PR? I did not set out to be in communication or public relations to be specific. I always knew I was good with words and for me that meant I needed to be a lawyer. After secondary education, I applied to Legon to do law but my application was late so instead of staying home for a year doing nothing, my father decided that I should enroll in a communication school. I listened to him and I loved the school and the course so much that I have no regrets in my choice. I am now in my 8^th year of working in Public Relations.

What is your interest/specialization in PR? I like public relations as a whole because I am good with people and I like seeing problems as challenges but the aspect of PR I find very fascinating is Persuasive Communication.

What is a regular day for you as a PR Person? Hmmm a regular day for me differs from day to day. Being responsible for 2 offices, PR and Protocol, I am always pulled in different directions. In PR, I have a boss who keeps me busy with a lot of writing and reading and in Protocol, I have to plan and luckily sometimes delegate the work. Right now, we have our annual conference coming up this March, this means planning every aspect of the conference, writing speeches and various reports etc. at the same time, I have to see to travel arrangements for delegates all over the member countries.

How do you think PR can help change how brands are perceived? When you call yourself, your product or service a brand, and no one gets to know about it, then the effort you used in branding was a complete waste. It is one thing to brand and another thing to communicate your brand to your audiences. This is where PR comes in to communicate effectively to your publics what your brand stands for and how different it is from others. This means that anyone looking to brand themselves or their business needs to employ PR skills and tactics or a PR specialist to get the job done effectively.

What kinds of challenges do you face in your Public Relations career choice? Besides the bureaucracy that goes on in the public sector, a lot of what we study about PR is theoretical and very different from what the actual job entails. Especially working for an examination body, you are faced with the challenge of balancing how much information the public should have while at the same time safeguard the integrity of the institution. This means being able to balance information flow among all stakeholders of the council. I have learned a lot on the job and have gained a lot of exposure within the past years.

As a PR Professional, what can’t you live without… the one thing I can’t live without is my brain and my gadgets (computer and phones). If I lose them my job is on stand still.

Do you feel pressure to dress well for the job?n From the very first day on the job, my CEO made me understand that as a Public Relations Professional I was automatically the face of my organization this meant that I had to be at my very best at all times – appearance, comportment etc. all inclusive. Fortunately, I always like to look my best because it gives me some kind of confidence. So no. there is no pressure except on my pocket.

Any advice to young ladies especially African women who may want pursue a career in PR or any communications related field? I will encourage more young ladies to venture into the world of PR and Communication because it is a very interesting field and one that will take you place if you let it. But to get to the top, you have to be well spoken, well read, develop excellent interpersonal relationship and skills and of course be ready to learn. No one can teach you confidence in the classroom. You can only be confident if you are knowledgeable in your field and you apply that knowledge to whatever you do.