PR Academy

0830

Registration And Morning Coffee

0930

Arrival Of Guest-Of-Honour
Dr Vivian Balakrishnan
Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports & Second Minister for Trade and Industry

0940

Opening Address By Guest-Of-Honour

0955

The Benefits Of Two-Way Communication Between The Government And The People
Howell James, Permanent Secretary
Government Communication ( UK )

In 2004 the UK Government appointed its first Permanent Secretary, Government Communication to modernise government communication through a more strategic, citizen-focused approach. Howell James discusses the importance of two-way communication - moving away from a culture of announcement to one of explanation and engagement with the public.

1040

Morning Refreshment

1100

Stakeholder Engagement: A New Model
Sarah Gorman, Special Consultant
Spaeth Communications ( Singapore )

Today's governments are thinking differently and incorporating new strategies and techniques for engaging with the public. They understand that one spokesperson, even the most charismatic leader, is not enough. They want unique ways for a leader to leverage his or her influence and communicate with diverse audiences. And they need motivating material that can be packaged and deployed to persuade hundreds of others. Sarah Gorman shares a world-best approach for communicating with stakeholders, including a systematic plan adopted by the US Secretary of Education.

1145

The Streamwatch Programme In Australia : A Case Study In Engaging Communities In Communicating The Corporate Message
Renato Ramsay, Manager
Dalhousie Consulting ( Australia )

The Streamwatch Programme started off in 1990 with the participation of children from 15 schools to monitor the water quality of rivers and streams in New South Wales . What was envisaged as a small-scale community project has now grown and involves more than 2,000 community groups in Australia, the Pacific Islands, New Zealand, Taiwan and Europe, and with more than 200,000 participants trained to various degrees in water quality assessment. Renato Ramsay, the key player behind the project, shows how theStreamwatch Programme became an overnight “sensation” thanks to community participation in measuring and restoring water quality in streams.

1230

Lunch

1330

Making Public Voices Work Through Good Facilitation
Dr Roberta Ryan, Associate Director
Elton Consulting ( Australia )

Many meetings, especially public meetings, can turn into your worst nightmare if these are not properly planned and facilitated. Skilled stakeholder-engagement is a key requirement that underpins the success of feedback/consultation sessions or “town hall” meetings. Discover what good facilitation is all about and how a skilled facilitator can manoeuvre through “landmines” of a potentially controversial policy as Dr Roberta Ryan takes you on a journey of discovery.

1415

Public Engagement: Hong Kong 2030 Study
Ava Ng, Deputy Director of Planning (Territorial & Sub-Regional)
Planning Department ( Hong Kong )

How is Hong Kong positioning itself as “ Asia ’s World City ” – to be one of the world’s international cities and a leading city in Asia , making best use of its developing relationship with the Mainland? Ava Ng discusses the importance of community input in helping to create a framework for Hong Kong’s physical development over the next 30 years, and how one sieves the “right ideas” that will work and resonate with the people, especially when people are full of “ideas”.

1500

Integrating Stakeholders: The South Outer Bangkok Ring Road Project
Phimchai Yuthabandol, Former Director of Environment Group
Department of Highways ( Thailand )

Bangkok is known for its dense traffic. Solutions to the city’s congestion problems included constructing a skytrain and building wider roads. However, these solutions often mean “bull-dozing” into the lives of various groups of people living nearby. Phimchai Yuthabandol shares how the Department of Highways in Thailand has continuously sought support from Thai citizens to build the South Outer Bangkok Ring Road - an elevated 6-lane motorway with a long 8-lane cable-stayed bridge of about 1 km across the Chao Phraya River.

1545

Afternoon Refreshment

1605

Public Consultation: The Singapore Experience
Dr Gillian Koh, Research Fellow
Institute of Policy Studies (Singapore)

1650

Experts Dialogue

A final opportunity to ask that burning question. In addition to our distinguished speakers, we have invited two other special guests to share their perspectives on the media’s role in public consultation and e-consultation. Based on the last three conferences we had, this session promises to be lively, and thought-provoking

Moderator:
Arun Mahizhnan, Acting Director, Institute of Policy Studies

Panelists:
Warren Fernandez, Foreign Editor, The Straits Times
Toh Yong Chuan, Head, Feedback Unit;
plus all our esteemed speakers

1830

Vote Of Thanks & Close of Conference