PUBLIC RELATIONS – SHEKU P How do I want the people to react and see my organization or institution? The answer to that is what I call public relations. Arguably, no sober PR person would want the name of his organization or institution to go into the black books of the publics. The trend of making your organization appear gregarious in the eyes of the public is what PR people should focus on. Therefore, as an ardent student of Mass Communication and Public Relations, I see the discipline to be the love and dedication that PR people show towards their organizations so that the public would see it fantastic at all times. The organization would certainly not always be right, but that should not disturb ones’ PR journey. If the organization is wrong, admit and defend. This can be done through the PR strategies and tactics that would be discussed thoroughly as we get along. What is Public Relations? Public Relation Society of America - Widely Accepted Definition The formal practice of what is now commonly referred to as “public relations” dates to the early 20th century. In the relatively brief period leading up to today, public relations has been defined in many different ways, the definition often evolving alongside public relations’ changing roles and technological advances. The earliest definitions emphasized press agentry and publicity, while more modern definitions incorporate the concepts of “engagement” and “relationship building.” ‘The notions of building relationships have now been narrowed down to establishing a good will between an organization and its public.’ SPK In 2011/12, PRSA led an international effort to modernize the definition of public relations and replace a definition adopted in 1982 by the PRSA National Assembly. Under the Public Relations Defined banner, PRSA initiated a crowd sourcing campaign and public vote that produced the following definition: “Public relations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.” Simple and straightforward, this definition focuses on the basic concept of public relations — as a communication process, one that is strategic in nature and emphasizing “mutually beneficial relationships.” “Process” is preferable to “management function,” which can evoke ideas of control and top-down, one-way communications. ‘’This can also mean a strategy that the PR person adopts to handle or tackle any point in the Public Relations business. The process of the Pr person should be SMART – Tonya Musa. The process of a structured public relations process should be Specific, Measurable, Accurate, Realistic and Time bound. [SMART]. This can also be linked to John Marston’s RACE acronym. Research, Action, Communication and Evaluation [RACE] are fundamental tools that a PR person should use the execution of his functions.’’ SPK “Relationships” relates to public relations’ role in helping to bring together organizations and individuals with their key stakeholders. ‘’This is the real concept of establishing the goodwill doctrine between an organization and its publics. Building relationships that are beneficial for the organization or the institution that one works for must be a target for the PR person. You are likely to lose as a spokesperson if the public does not trust your institution. That could be attributed to inefficient public relations. Let people say ‘this PR person is like wow’ that is definitely a positive trend, but allowing the public to consider your PR skills ineffective is an unfortunate approach. It is the trust that people have for your PR tactics and strategies that helps in building the mutually beneficial relationships for your organization and its publics.’’ SPK “Publics” is preferable to “stakeholders,” as the former relates to the very “public” nature of public relations, whereas “stakeholders” has connotations of publicly-traded companies.’’ ‘’The classification of publics in PR can also be understood from the question ‘what impression do I want to create in the minds of people? Those people that you want to create or leave an impression for are your publics’’ – SHEKU P D ULTIMATE As a management function, public relations also encompass the following: • Anticipating, analyzing and interpreting public opinion, attitudes and issues that might impact, for good or ill, the operations and plans of the organization. • Counseling management at all levels in the organization with regard to policy decisions, courses of action and communication, taking into account their public ramifications and the organization’s social or citizenship responsibilities. • Researching, conducting and evaluating, on a continuing basis, programs of action and communication to achieve the informed public understanding necessary to the success of an organization’s aims. These may include marketing; financial; fund raising; employee, community or government relations; and other programs. • Planning and implementing the organization’s efforts to influence or change public policy. Setting objectives, planning, budgeting, recruiting and training staff, developing facilities — in short, managing the resources needed to perform all of the above. • Structuring planned organizational responses for immediate release – SPK • Channeling public opinion and evaluating them at top management level OTHER DEFINITIONS Public relations (PR) is the way organizations, companies and individuals communicate with the public and media. A PR specialist communicates with the target audience directly or indirectly through media with an aim to create and maintain a positive image and create a strong relationship with the audience. Examples include press releases, newsletters, public appearances, etc. as well as utilization of the World Wide Web. ‘You simply cannot afford not to communicate with the Public because that is what makes you a PR tycoon. Your zest to meet and pass on information to the public should always be hale and hearty. In all of this, attitude is fundamental, but I shall attempt to discuss the concept of attitude and public relations in the closing stages of this piece’ – SPK PR and the World of Business The world of business is characterized by fierce competition and in order to win new customers and retain the existing ones, the firms have to distinguish themselves from the competition. But they also need to create and maintain a positive public image. A PR specialist or firm helps them both create and maintain a good reputation among both the media and the customers by communicating in their behalf and presenting their products, services and the overall operation in the best light possible. A positive public image helps create a strong relationship with the customers which in turn increase the sales. ‘It is only a sober PR person who does what is required in the business world. Most times, this is evident in marketing which is the broader concept of advertising.’ SPK PR Tools and Techniques PR specialists and firms use a number of tools and techniques to boost their clients’ public image and help them form a meaningful relationship with the target audience. To achieve that, they use tools such as news releases and statements for media, newsletters, organization and participation at public events conferences, conventions, awards, etc.. PR specialists of course also utilize the Internet tools such as social media networks and blogs. Through the mentioned tools, PR specialists give the target audience a better insight into their clients’ activities and products/services as well as increase publicity. However, ‘it takes a proactive PR person to make the headlines constructively. Only a few people can leave up to this. The lack of equipment to achieving this is one of the great challenges in the Public Relations field, but a structured PR person can always make the headlines by working within the lines’ – SPK. Who Can Work as a PR? A PR specialist is usually required to have a relevant type and level of education such as a Bachelor’s degree in communications or journalism. Proper education, however, is not enough to become a PR and much less to become a successful PR. A PR specialist needs certain skills (they are acquired through additional education and training), in the first place excellent writing and verbal communication skills. But a PR specialist also must know to work under pressure and be able to answer a variety of questions including unpleasant ones. For example, if the client is under a public “attack”, a PR specialist needs to establish a control over the situation and protect the client’s good reputation. ‘Not everyone can become a successful PR person. This is a point that people just have to understand. The task of being a PR mortal is just that huge. Trails, humiliations, problems etc do exist and if one is not too strong he or she might conclude that ‘how I wish I was never into the PR trade.’ However if you ask me, to be real PR person is big, but not big/ Just look at world as if it is under your control and then try to control things as and when they appear.’ Even your enemies would love that step. SPK ATTITUDE & PUBLIC RELATION – SHEKU P One of the worst public relations practice is poor attitude. Mankind cannot live without problems, but that should not show up in your PR job. Your attitude as a PR person has a long way to go in building mutual relationships for the organization and its publics. The PR professional should be the last to put up attitude problems, even when it comes to the worst. Try as much as possible to act by the rules by structuring your attitude for the better. A good PR attitude is a plus for successful public relations, whiles people with bad and unprofessional attitudes are likely not to make the lists of better PR practices. Therefore in all of this, professionalism counts a lot and the good attitude certainly aids in all of this.
Posted on: Fri, 23 Jan 2015 12:02:59 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015