Public Relations

Dear Melanie-

I want to thank you for your inquiry regarding public relations. The field of public relations is diverse--it is much more than just advertising or marketing. All corporations, organizations and small businesses can benefit from public relations whether it be promoting a client or resolving a conflict. According to “Public Relations: The Profession and the Practice, Second Edition,” public relations can include “research, counseling/advising, government affairs, media relations, public affairs, marketing communication”, and much more.

The Public Relations Society of America summarizes what public relations encompass as follows:

· “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.

· Examples of the knowledge that may be required in the professional practice of public relations include communication arts, psychology, social psychology, sociology, political science, economics, and the principles of management and ethics. Technical knowledge and skills are required for opinion research, public-issues analysis, media relations, direct mail, institutional advertising, publications, film/video productions, special events, speeches, and presentations.”

A good public relations representative must have outstanding people skills and be able to communicate well with the media and others. It is important for a PR representative to have good relationships with all media and know how to control a situation, whether good or bad. There are instances when miscommunication or misconception will occur and the representative will have to find a solution or know how to handle the situation.

PR is not only about the corporation, but also about the publics that affect the company. The company must to know the needs of the public or publics it deals with. Much of PR deals with research and knowing the clients you represent, and the public's opinion of them.

I hope this helps with your inquiry about the field of public relations. Remember, this is not all that PR includes. As I said before, PR is a diverse field with many different aspects, but this should bring you closer to understanding the wider scope of the profession.

Sincerely,

Raelle Cunningham