UNS — The Public Relation of Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta held a Webinar on Public Relation, Branding, and Data Information on Tuesday (17/11/2020). Conducted through Zoom Clouds Meeting, the webinar was attended by 59 participants from public relation officer at the level of university, faculty, and unit in UNS and outside of UNS such as from ISI Denpasar and Universitas Negeri Surabaya (Unesa).
Four competent speakers were invited in the webinar, Abdul Kohar (Director of News Coverage and Person in Charge of Medcom.id), Qomarul Hadi (Senior Journalist Kedaulatan Rakyat), Vinda Maya Setianingrum (Chief of UPT. Public Relation Unesa) and Dr. Deddy Whinata (Deputy of Public Relation UNS).
In his opening remark, Prof. Jamal Wiwoho as the Rector of UNS stated that in the disruption era, various changes and progress in information occur very quickly. Therefore, he hopes that Public Relation of UNS in each unit can be responsive toward various information and develop good coordination with one another. “We really hope that information directed to UNS public relation is balanced, valuable, and soothing for readers. And that public relation can become the frontline in providing fast and accurate information,” Prof. Jamal stated.
Supporting Prof. Jamal statement, Abdul Kohar as the first speaker mentioned that Public Relation must have unlimited creativity, not confined in one box, always restless and willing to learn new technology, and thirsty for new information. The current information, Abdul Kohar added, is very important to capture the symptoms and mitigations of sudden changes. Therefore, public relation can react to the changes promptly and find an appropriate solution.
On the other hand, in the context of university branding, Abdul Kohar emphasized that public relation office should understand their specialization. Does their university have specialization in research network, community services, alumni, or connecting university with the external working world? Public relation also needs to play the specialization in the faculty and unit and establish icons through their experts. This process requires information and comprehension of what people need. Content created by public relation should be selective and disseminated through appropriate canals, to reach the targeted audiences and generate greater impact. “Public relation works become impactful, felt, and able to create a more personal communication between the intended parties or external parties as a target,” Abdul Kohar explained.
Dr. Deddy Whinata as the Deputy of Public Relation UNS discussed products and performance of UNS Public Relation. On this occasion, Dr. Deddy also introduced a motte that he named ‘AYO’ to public relation officers in UNS. In performing public relation duties, Dr. Deddy stated, we must be ‘Aktif, Yakin, dan Observasi’ (Active, Confident, and Observation). This means to actively collect and manage information, confident to their institution, and able to convince the public about UNS quality. “Lastly, observation. Observing the potential in UNS, including in faculty to be able to develop an image for UNS,” Deddy stated. Humas UNS
Reporter: Kaffa Hidayati
Editor: Dwi Hastuti