“Less Is More: A Remarkable Day of Strategic Communication Training with JAPEN and IPRM”

The recent training program on “Stakeholder, Segmentation & Personas” for JAPEN’s PR practitioners, organised by IPRM, turned out to be quite extraordinary. It is common for people to throw around words like “success” and “milestone” too easily — but this time, the phrase “less is more” couldn’t have been more spot on. It wasn’t your typical sit-and-listen session. This was different. It felt real, raw, practical and hands-on.

As a trainer, I have to admit — I walked in expecting the usual: a few polite nods, some hesitant questions. What I got instead was a room full of energy, authenticity and surprisingly bold conversations. From the very first session, there was this unspoken agreement: “Let’s keep it real,” and we did. The honesty, the openness, even the occasional uncomfortable truths shared — it was genuinely inspiring. It reminded me why I love doing this.

What made the program special?

For one, it wasn’t theory-heavy and the use of presentation slides became secondary. We built everything around a real-world scenario: the Petronas Gas Pipeline Explosion at Putra Heights that took place on 1 April 2025.

It was remarkable to see how much we can learn from each other through candid and straightforward exchanges. The willingness to share insights, debate issues, and build upon each other’s contributions created a dynamic and enriching environment.

I’m deeply grateful to all the participants for their courage, honesty, energy and making this program an unforgettable experience. A huge thank you to IPRM, too, for consistently pushing the bar higher for Public Relations development in Malaysia. Without their vision and support, sessions like this simply wouldn’t have happened.

#IPRM #PRdevelopment #PRtraining #Japen #Strategiccommunication #CrisISCOMMS

By Abdul Latiff Puteh, Founder – White & Associates, Malaysia