#rfacademy

By Shelly Govila

"For millions of years, mankind lived just like the animals. Then something happened which unleashed the power of our imagination. We learned to talk and we learned to listen. Speech has allowed the communication of ideas, enabling human beings to work together to build the impossible. Mankind's greatest achievements have come about by talking, and its greatest failures by not talking. All we need to do is make sure we keep talking." — Stephen Hawking

In July this year, team members from our various global offices gathered in Kuala Lumpur to share best practices and success stories, and learn from industry leaders and communication experts. We set out to better understand Ruder Finn’s digital tools and learn how to wield these powerful weapons, all with the ultimate aim of becoming a trusted advisor for our clients, going beyond the traditional call of duty.

And so, we delved deep into a vigorous two days of exercises, sharing sessions, and insightful conversations. We learned the crucial importance of rich storytelling, and how good content, paired with the right context, could help our clients create narratives that would truly stand out from the crowd. We learned the importance of analytics, and how to incorporate digital tools into our work to drive deeper insights for our clients and their audiences.

And yet, most of all, in the midst of this inspiring and invigorating learning experience, the one thing that could not be taught through a seminar, but only learned through action, was the beauty and art of collaboration. Our teams seemed to be brimming with wild creativity, running like an electric charge through the room. We felt it collectively, and the ideas resulting from team brainstorms continued to surprise and delight us all. While role-playing scenarios, when tasked with creating an integrated multi-platform communications campaign in under 45 minutes, the teams - largely made up of strangers who had just met that morning - did not balk at the challenge. Each of us laid out our respective strengths, merged them together, addressed our weaknesses, and voila - we had a plan. And when those plans were challenged by others, we did not crumble. We looked at each other - bound by a single mission - and found alternative solutions. Within hours, we had learned to trust each other, and understood that we had become better consultants for it.

In today’s interconnected workplaces, working across borders in virtual teams is easier than ever before. As we continue to take on increasingly complex and multi-dimensional briefs from our clients, we must understand that often, the only way to pull off many of these tasks is to assemble the knowledge and skills of team members from home and abroad. Effective collaboration is only possible when we come together to achieve our shared goals. As we begin to learn more about each other’s expertise, experiences, strengths, and ambitions, we begin to develop our own emotional intelligence.

By Lisa Carson

Every two days, more content is published on the internet than humankind produced from the start of the written word until 1998. That’s a lot, to say the least. As brands approach this marketplace of ideas, they’re confronted with a highly competitive environment that lacks precedent. If readers and consumers simply don’t have the bandwidth to take in a brand’s message, how on earth are corporations to tell their stories in a way that makes an impact?

The answer is maddeningly simple: tell stories that make people truly feel something. As I gathered with my colleagues in Kuala Lumpur in July this year to participate in RF Academy, we were all primed to ask and answer the same question: how can we create communications programs that stand apart from and above the competition? How can we better help our clients own the news cycle? As we reviewed case studies, discussed current client work, and bantered about best practices, one key learning began to crystalize: for stories to break through, they need to be about so much more than the product, service or industry. Stories need to have cultural equity and personal relevance to make an impression that sticks.

Take the widely championed Heineken video, “Worlds Apart,” that made the rounds this year. While the implicit purpose of the content was to demonstrate the universalism of sitting down for a beer with a stranger, the key emotional takeaway of the video was how we can be made better by embracing diversity. It was short, it was subtle, and it was impactful. Headlines praised the content as people around the world discussed. Did they discuss the value props of Heineken, and call out a preference for the key differentiators of a particular beer? No. They nodded to the brand with a quiet reverence that seemed to say, you get it. Market conditions, trends, offerings … all of it changes. But what savvy communicators know is that the way you make someone feel is what lasts.

By Brianna Rabe (Mulligan) 

Ahead of attending Ruder Finn’s Academy in Kuala Lumpur, I was most excited for the chance to meet with enthusiastic and talented colleagues from across our global network, to learn about and discuss the state of public relations, and how we can work together as a collaborative team toward Ruder Finn’s vision.

My agency experience, like so many of my colleagues at Ruder Finn, is inherently based on non-siloed, cross-practice teams, often working on projects that span across digital, social, internal communications, and media relations. I have always found that this collaborative team model not only trains up better professionals who can think more broadly, but leads to complete and creative solutions and strategies for our clients. I was hopeful that the RF Academy would serve an opportunity to expand this unified team approach even further; and hear more about the different ways we all think to learn from each other; incorporating one another’s different perspectives and experiences into how we work on this side of the world.

Despite having some preconceived notions about what I thought I might learn at the Academy, what I found most interesting was that although we all came from different geographies, experiences and skill sets, there are certain things that are global in our industry. In other words, the things that separate us actually tie us together. Below are a few of my other key takeaways from our lessons and discussions at the RF Academy:

Different perspectives add unique value when taken together

“If there is any one secret of success, it lies in the ability to see things from the other person’s angle as well as your own.” - Henry Ford

True symbiosis for a team can happen when people bring different skills, experience, and perspectives together in one room. When working together, a unified team will provide unique and fully-thought out plans that take a fresh approach and nuanced thinking into consideration. This differences in experience and expectations was clear when our teams were comprised of Ruder Finn colleagues from Hong Kong, Beijing, Singapore, and New York. Each team can learn together and incorporate each other’s strengths to be the best possible partner to our clients.

Trust is the very groundwork from which all successful partnership are built

“If people like you, they will listen to you. But, if they trust you, they will do business with you.” -Zig Ziglar

Ruder Finn’s obligation to working alongside our clients to achieve success is paramount to how we conduct our business; and the trickle-down effect of day-to-day account management mirrors this commitment. Trust is built on your ability to be credible, reliable, sincere, and empathetic, and is the foundation from which we build all our client relations. This may sound intuitive, but hearing it spelled out is truly enlightening. Being our clients’ trusted partner is the most important responsibility we have; and from hearing examples like how our Chinese counterparts are driving creative campaigns to drive brand attention in a heavily regulated environment or how our Singapore team members are solving for clients’ crises underlined our discussions that when our clients trust us and we trust them, our work is exceptional.

We are on the client’s team

“Great things in business are never done by one person. They’re done by a team of people.” -Steve Jobs

Ruder Finn’s commitment to working as partners, not simply vendors, is consistently showcased in the amazing work we are able to accomplish alongside our partners. And, this promise to be on our client’s team was clear from how each Ruder Finn colleague from across the globe discussed our work or brainstormed during simulations. It’s imperative to take the time to work with our clients to identify the core problem for which we are solving, and actively listen to them to understand the breadth of what they are working for. Then, work together to think of impactful, creative, and smart solutions.

By Mika Ike

Earlier this summer, I was fortunate enough to travel to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to attend the second-annual Ruder Finn Academy with my colleagues from around the world. Among other topics, our two-day crash course focused heavily on digital transformation.

Today, there’s so much discussion around new technologies, like artificial intelligence, and their future implications on work – what industries will be most affected, which jobs will cease to exist as a result, and so on.

But, despite the utopian tech world that’s envisioned by so many, one thing was clear to me from our discussions at Ruder Finn Academy: it still comes down to people.

Here are a few ways:

Our influence as marketers and communicators remains: Technology is no doubt a powerful tool to help shape human judgment, but it will never replace humans altogether. Analytics tools, like Ruder Finn’s Beacon, a full-service insights and analytics suite, offer significant potential to gather vast amounts of data and identify and predict patterns, but human understanding of those insights is still required. Even today’s most developed artificial intelligence machines are capable of mistakes or misunderstanding commands. The challenge looking ahead will be to figure out how to quickly and effectively bring these kinds of advanced tools together with humans to solve problems. 

A focus on audience is more important than ever: In our line of work, it’s easy to get lost in the number of views, likes, and shares, and forget about the human element of communications – who we’re trying to target. We see this happen among clients as well. Take the healthcare industry, for example, which at its core serves to improve patients’ lives. There are so many ways that new technologies, like sensors and apps, could better connect doctors with patients. Yet, these technologies are not always being used in a productive way. Of about 60 doctors flash polled during a recent medical conference, 75% said they feel technology drives them farther apart from their patients, compared to the 25% who felt it brings them closer together. Across every industry, we need to keep the consumer in mind and use technology to enhance our interactions, rather than let technology alone dictate what we do.  

Building a digital culture is key: While most companies acknowledge the arrival of a digital transformation, many of them aren’t currently equipped to handle it. When it comes to preparing an organization for this, it’s not just about senior leaders implementing the latest or greatest number of technologies, but about creating a culture where all employees are encouraged to embrace and develop digital skills. Immersive training sessions, like Ruder Finn Academy, are a great example of this culture-building.

We asked two of our 2017 Ruder Finn Leadership Academy participants, Carmen Lee (Hong Kong) and Emilie Hayhoe (New York), to reflect on their experiences at this year’s RF Academy which took place in Kuala Lumpur.

Did the RF Academy meet your expectations?  Carmen It was what I expected in terms of the opportunity to network with colleagues and experts from other offices. But the experience of creating a crisis management plan with colleagues from other offices, and presenting the plan to the guest judges of senior management, was really beyond my expectations. I enjoyed this process a lot! The group discussion on digital storytelling and analytics also exceeded my expectations.

Emilie It was difficult to know what to expect heading into the Academy. I knew it would be a chance to connect with global colleagues and learn about our crisis and digital capabilities in greater detail, but that was it. Now that I’m on the other side of the experience I can say the Academy exceeded my expectations – everything we did at the Academy was edifying to a degree and I came out of it with new friendships, a better understanding of the work we’re doing globally and inspiration to work more collaboratively with global offices.

 What did you enjoy most at the RF Academy? Carmen I enjoyed the analytics part the most. To me, our role as consultants never changes – we help clients understand their customers, and then formulate communications campaigns to drive business results. The advances in marketing technologies and visualisation tools are here to help us make more informed, real-time decisions. We should all learn how to utilise these tools better.  During the training, all of us agreed that data analytics needs to be a core element of our work, both internally and externally.

Emilie Hands-down, I enjoyed meeting and networking with the people at the Academy. I greatly enjoyed seeing Jean-Michel (Chairman of Ruder Finn Asia) lead the Academy with finesse, ensuring every participant was engaged; getting to know Charles Lancaster (Head of Crisis and Risk in Asia) and learn his POV on crisis communications leadership; hearing David Ko (Head of RFI in Asia) passionately present the creative, smart, inspiring work he’s leading in Hong Kong and his enthusiasm for digital and analytics. Connecting with the smart and motivated leaders of Ruder Finn’s global offices made the Academy exceptional.

What is your number one takeaway from the conference? Carmen How much business opportunity data analytics can bring to myself and my colleagues! 

Emilie We’re better together. It’s pretty cool that we have the ability to tap into a diverse pool of deep thinkers, industry experts, trend starters and thought leaders.

 How will your experience change the way you work moving forward? Carmen There are two things I am focused following the Academy. One, to be more collaborative and find ways to interact and engage with colleagues around the world. It helps now that I know the faces behind the names, and that I have people I can easily reach out to. Second, I will be more open to incorporate digital tools in developing and delivering our clients’ stories. I learned a lot about how to incorporate digital, even on a small level, to my work, and the impact it can have on the results.

Emilie  The Academy has inspired me to think differently – whether it’s bringing a creative lens to a new business brainstorm, leveraging analytics to drive deeper insights for existing clients, or tapping into Ruder Finn’s global team for expertise or inspiration.

If you could give advice to next year’s participants, what would it be?Carmen  Enjoy your conversations, discussions, and meetings with the colleagues, judges and trainers from all the different offices. Make the most of them during your experience. There is always more than one way to do things, and there are always better alternative solutions available. All you need to do is open yourselves up to the different possibilities, share your experiences, and learn from each other.

Emilie Be a sponge and have fun. The Academy is such a unique experience, the best thing is to go into it with a positive and open mind. Here are some additional considerations:

-          Connect with everyone at the Academy – presenters, senior executives and fellow participants

-          Be curious – gain an understanding of what we’re doing across our global offices, understand the key players and clients and swap key learnings

-          Ask questions – it’s a great way to demonstrate engagement and learn from others

This blog is part of a series on the RF Academy, a selective two-day training and networking program for our rising global stars across the agency. The Academy took place this year in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and focused on specialized areas such as crisis and risk training, and new business presentations.

By: Kristina Breux

After 24 hours of flying, I walked into The Majestic Hotel in Kuala Lumpur delirious, but excited nonetheless. It was all a bit surreal – less than two weeks prior, I sat in a conference room in New York and booked my flight half way around the world with little to no planning, which for me, a type-A person who lives by her Google Docs, was atypical to say the least. But this is exactly what I was after – an opportunity to break my routine and challenge myself to think differently.

I applied to RF Academy for the chance to meet my global colleagues face-to-face and explore a new country. My expectations were high from the start, but somehow RF Academy managed to exceed them. From forging lasting, personal connections to learning about the ins and outs of crisis and digital, everything about RF Academy was truly amazing.

Here are a few key learnings from my experience:

Be in the room when you’re in the room: At the start of RF Academy we were told that the next few days would be cell phone and laptop free. I immediately started to panic. How could I possibly go the entire day without checking my email? Yes, Malaysia was 12 hours ahead of New York and both my teams and clients were asleep, but what if they needed me?! Despite this initial shock, my anxiety subsided, and I began to enjoy being disconnected and in the moment. All too often, we attend meetings or brainstorms without truly being present. Sure, we’re physically in the room, but we’re either multitasking or going over our to-do lists in our heads. It was freeing to set aside our devices and devote our undivided attention listening to each other and sharing ideas. We accomplished so much in a short amount of time, simply because we removed all distractions.

Share with purpose: From social media to blogs to podcasts, there are countless opportunities to share impactful stories and create emotional connections online. For some of our global colleagues, however, this is not always the case. In China, where social media initially provided a beacon of hope for the journalist community, we’re seeing accounts get shut down by the government left and right simply because they don’t like or agree with the content being posted. We’re incredibly lucky to have so many channels available to us in the United States to publish meaningful content, and should be taking full advantage of the powerful engine that the Internet provides for us by using it to tell stories that matter. As David Ko from Ruder Finn Hong Kong put it, “think of social as a magazine, not an advertising platform.” We need to create content tailored to the interests of readers and viewers that creates a real emotional connection. Otherwise, we’re just adding to the clutter.

To stay ahead of the curve, look beyond your four walls: It’s widely accepted that diverse teams produce more creative ideas, but on a day-to-day basis, most of us aren’t taking advantage of our counterparts across the world. The best part of RF Academy, by far, was the time we spent ideating and collaborating with colleagues and partners from China, Singapore, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, and Malaysia. On the last day of the program, we were given two hours to develop a communications plan for a mock crisis scenario. It was incredible to see what we were able to accomplish together in such a short period of time by building off everyone’s unique expertise.