Principles of Public Relations

Principles of Public Relations A Presentation by Jide Johnson, kce,rmcNigerian Institute of JournalismLagos.

IntroductionPublic relations has become part of the fabric of modern society. [Seitel,2011:47]

Public relations is an instrument and mechanism for cultivating public opinion and public support. [Seitel,p.277]

Introduction IIPrivate and public organizations depend on good relations with groups and individuals, whose opinion, decisions ,and actions affect their vitality and survival. (Seitel,p.36)

Introduction IIIEvery organization, no matter how large or small, ultimately depends on its reputation for survival & success.[ Broom,2009:3]

What is Public relations?Public relations is about reputation-the result of what you do, what you say and what others say about.[Broom,2008,p.3]

Why Public relations?Public relations affect almost everyone who has contact with other human beings. All of us, in one way or the other practice public relations daily. For an organization, every phone call, every letter and every face-to-face encounter, is a public relations event. [Seitel, 2011:39]

Why is difficult to define pr?Robert Heilborner, an American historian describes the field of pr as a brotherhood of 100,000, whose common bond is its profession and whose common woe is that no two of the can ever quite agree on what the profession is (see Seitel,2011:36)

Why is difficult to define pr-FactorsThe scope of pr is limitless & pervasive.Duties of practitioners vary from org.2 org.Lack of control mechanism

Definitions I Public relation is the management function that focuses on relationships and communications that individuals & organizations have with other groups (publics [stakeholders]) for purpose of creating mutual goodwill. (Arens,2004:339-340)

Definition IIPublic relations is the discipline which looks after reputation, with the aim of earning understanding and support and influence opinion and behaviour. It is the planned and sustained efforts to establish and maintain goodwill and mutual understanding between an organization and its publics (Broom 2008: 25)

Definitions III Public relations is information given to the public, persuasion directed at the public to modify attitudes, and actions and effects to integrate attitudes and actions of an institution with its publics and of publics with those of that institutions. (Barney, 1961)

Definitions IV Public relations is a management function, which evaluates public attitudes, identifies the policies and procedure of an individual, or an organization with public interest, plan and execute a programme of action to earn public understanding and acceptance (Griswold).

Operational Definitions.Simply put, public relations is the communication process of building, maintaining and cultivating relationships with key constituents/publics in a communication environment. PR is the cultivation of favourable relationship with the public and stakeholders of an organization through a conceptualized and well executed planned programme of communication.

Conceptual Definition IRex Harlows definition formulated in 1976 from a review of 472 definitions by 60 leadings scholars and professionals is also instructive here:

Harlows Postulation Public relations is a distinctive management function, which helps establish and maintain mutual lines of communication, understanding, acceptance and cooperation between an organisation and its publics; involves in the management of problems and issues; helps management to keep informed on and responsive to public opinion; defines and emphasises the responsibility of management to serve public interest; helps management to keep abreast of and effectively utilise change, serving as an early warning system to help anticipate trends; and uses research and ethical communication techniques as its principal tool

Social negatives of prAs identified by Cultip et al. (2000) as follows, PR is seen as detrimental to society as it is perceived as:Gaining advantages for and promoting special interests, sometimes at the cost of public well-beingCluttering already choked channels of communication with the debris of pseudo-events and phony phrases that confuses rather than clarifyCorroding our channels of communication with cynicism and credibility gaps

Social Positives of PRPR can be perceived as beneficial to society if it: improves the conduct of organisations by stressing the need for public approvalserves the public interest by making all points of view articulate in the public forumserves segmented society by using communication and mediation to replace misinformation with information, discord with rapportfulfils its social responsibility to promote human welfare by helping social systems adapt to changing needs and environmentsImproves professional practice by codifying and enforcing ethical conduct and standards of performance

Pr and Communication.The ultimate goal of PR is to improve communication amongst parties involved in a relationship developing, maintaining and sustaining goodwill with most ,if not all the publics.

Pr as planned process of communication.Communication is process of exchanging information, imparting ideas, and making oneself understood by others. It also includes understanding others in return(Seitel.p.78).

We all use communication to maintain and improve relationship.

Communication Defined Communication is any process in which people share information, ideas and feelings. It involves not only spoken and written words but also body language, personal mannerism and styles-anything that adds meaning to a message-anything that adds meaning to a message. (Hybels and Weavers, 11, 2001).

The Process of Communication IThe Sourceinitiator

Encodingtransference of thoughts ,ideas & feelings into codes and symbols

The Message .. Verbal , non-verbal forms of thoughts ,ideas & feelings

The Process of Communication IIThe Medium airwaves, sound-waves, cables

Decodinginterpretation & translation of message into thoughts.

The Receiverthe target audience

The Process of Communication IIIThe Response the purpose of communication/intended outcomes.

Noise..any interference in the coding process that reduces clarity of message

Feedback the actual outcome/response to the message

The Goals of Communication I

To informprovide information that guides decision making

To educate simplify complicated process

To persuadeused to change /alter / reinforce perception or attitudes and opinions

The Goals of Communication II

To motivate propels actions or reactions of people/targets

To communicate build understanding

To relatethe tool and mechanism of relationship building.

Guiding Principles of Pr as a communication ProcessAccording Professor Melvin Sharpe cited in Seitel (2011:38) the process of PR is characterize by five principles:Honest communication for credibilityOpenness and consistency of actions for confidenceFairness of actions for reciprocity and goodwillContinuous two-way communication to prevent alienation and to build relationshipEnvironmental research and evaluation to determine actions or adjustment needed for social harmony.

Communication Skills of pr The mastery of these communication skill is central and critical to public relations practice.WritingSpeakingListeningPromoting, andCounseling

Public relations as effective CommunicationsCommunication is one of the major and most important assets that an organization has. Public relations is communication programme that can serve as a convenient shelter from attack and a useful mechanism for dealing with bad news (Treadwell & Treadwell ,2000:17)

Public relations as effective Communications IIPublic relations is, after all, communications and the basic form of communication is still the written words. [Bivins, p.3]

Communication begins with words. Words are among our most personal and potent weapons. Words can soothe us, bother us, or infuriate us .They can bring us together or drive us apart. They can cause us to kill or be killed.[Seitel,p. 82]

Public relations & WritingPublic relations practitioners are professional communicators. And communications means writing-communications-that is, effective writing and speaking-is the essence of practice of public relations. (Seitel.p.335)

The fundamental skill of public relations practice is the ability to write

Public relations & Effective Communications IIIWriting lies at the heart of public relations equation. writing requires ideas and ideas require thought(Seitel,2011:336-7). Rudimentary principles of writing includes: Speaking , Grammar ,Punctuations [and-editing] The inability to write will make you vulnerable & dispensable and vice versa.

Public relations as process of Influencing Public opinionPublic relations professionals are always engaged in a planned process of influencing the attitudes and actions of their targets.

The goal of effective public relations is to harmonize internal and external relationships so that an organization can enjoy not only the goodwill of all its publics but also stability and long life. (Seitel p.38)

Relational activities in prPublic relations is all about building relationships. Public relations is designed and employed to build relationships with various categories of publics, to whom communications programmes and appeals are made for so as to build understanding and acceptance for a product/ service/ organization and a policy or support a cause.These actions are regarded as relational activities in public relations.

Relational activities in prGovernment relations: all activities geared towards building relationships with tiers of government,-(federal, state &Local) its agencies.Corporate relation projecting positive image for an organization in the biz environmentCommunity relations cordial & harmonious relationship with host communities.

Relational activities in prMedia relations cordial & harmonious relationship with media organizations and practitionersInternational relations cordial & harmonious relationship with the international communityCustomer relationscordial & harmonious relationship with customers

Relational activities in prShareholders relations cordial & harmonious relationship shareholdersEmployee relations cordial & harmonious relationship with employeesFinancial relationscordial & harmonious relationship financial institutions.

Relational activities in prInvestor relations cordial & harmonious relationship with investment communitiesDealer distributor relations cordial & harmonious relationship with distributive networkMarketing Public relations all relational activities designed to achieve marketing objective of an organization.

Other related Areas of prAdvertising: is information paid for and placed in the media by an identified sponsor. It is a controlled method of placing messages.

Publicity: is information provided by an outside source that is used by the media because the information has news value. Uncontrolled unpaid for method of media placement.

Other related Areas of prPublic opinion Polling: is the systematic collection and interpretation of information on what the public thinks or feel about a person, issues and events.

Public Affairs: is that specialised part of public relations that builds and maintains relationships with governmental agencies and community stakeholder groups in order to influence public policy.

Other related Areas of prLobbying: is a specialised part of public relations that builds and maintains relations with government primarily to influence legislation and regulation.

Issues management: is the proactive process of anticipating, identifying, evaluating, and responding to public policy issues that affects an organisations relations with its publics.

Other related Areas of prNews management: When individuals and organisations seek to affect the flow and content of news through news releases, news conferences, and staged events.

Marketing Communications: Marketing programmes designed to build and sustain relationships with targets consumers using all forms of communication tools and techniques

Political Choices: The expressions of preferences and decisions over who gets what (and who does what). how, and when in a society. From political choices over time public policies emerge

Other related Areas of pr

Political Culture: The network of attitudes and beliefs that orient people and groups to politics and government. Every nation seeks to impart norms and values to its people (such as patriotism, nationalism, obedience to authority), and the people in turn have distinct ideals about how the political system is supposed to work.

Politics: The struggle for who gets what, how, and when in the society. It includes the competitions for the attention of, and influence in the government. Public relations can make politics become robust, through the exchange and cross fertilisation of competing ideas

Other related Areas of prPopular Culture: Those aspects of a culture readily available and commonly known by virtually everyone in a culture.

Commonly, popular culture is an activity of entertainment (movies, television, newspaper, magazines, sport, popular music, art and literature) in which significant segments of the populations participateif only as customers or an audience .

Popularisation of politics, makes celebrity and role models out of politics and not the entertainment industry alone for the younger generation.

Other related Areas of prPublic Discourse: Our political, religious, informational and commercial forms of conversation. It is that conversation in which members of society engage in public communication about their collectives lives. For examples, Town Hall Meetings, constituent meetings, Press briefings and conferences

Strategic tools of prNews/Press Release: written communication about an organization, its product/service or brand prepared and issued to the media , with the aim of gaining editorial coverage

The Video News Release (VNR) is a short report or an interview on the subject, with an added visual impact of the story (the footage of the event reported)

Strategic tools of pr 2 Special Events: are designed to reach a specific narrow targeted audience Open House, factory tours, Grand openings and commissioning.

Broadcast and Print interviews: Securing and granting of interviews by key personnel of the organization,

Strategic tools of pr 3Sponsorship/contribution: builds goodwill and brand recognition by associating with an event or group,.Press Meeting/Conferences: Briefings where journalists are invited from target media house attend. Community Relations/Philanthropy: building goodwill for the organization with local or host community in its environment of operation

Strategic tools of pr 4Media Relations: all efforts to publicize the products/ organization to members of the press.

Media Tours: getting booked on TV and Radio talk shows and visiting media organizations by key functionaries of the organization

News Letters and Publications: Internal communications programme.. Bulletin, Catalogue, Prospectus, In-house journal.

Strategic tools of pr 5Advertorials: a mix of advertising and editorial content in print media coverage.

Websites: A group of worldwide pages usually containing hyperlinks to each other and made available by an individual company, educational institutions, government or organization.

Strategic tools of pr 6Speaking Engagements: speaking before industry conventions, trade associations, meetings and other group provides opportunity for company in front of a good target audience and offers networking opportunities for generating customer leads.

Internet: An electronic communication network that connects computers network and organizational computer facilities around the world.

Strategic tools of pr 7Blog: A websites that contains an online personal journal

E-mail: a mechanism for transmitting messages electronically

Media Kits: Is a package of stream of information provided by an organization to get its message out. Its content can include: news features, backgrounder, a position paper, fact sheet, photos, or drawing with captions advertising reprint

Strategic tools of pr 8Social Media: Any online technology that people use to share content, opinion, insights, experiences and perspectives. Examples of social media applications include social networking sites: facebook and my space ;video sharing site YouTube; content sharing sites :Digg and video sharing site flicker,etc .(seitel 2011: 349)

Strategic tools of pr 9Social media networks: websites that has to do with building relationships between among people (particularly youths) of different cultures in various part of the world and across many nation. E.g. Face book, hi5 You Tube and MySpace This tool has an added value of reaching over sixty million people across the globe at a go.

Strategic tools of pr 10Media Room: a part of the website of large organization that is used to publish all press releases, company history, executive bios, high-resolutions digital photos and even digital downloadable press kits. Online media room helps reporters to get potential stories on line. Twitter: Is a service for friends, family and co-workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: what are you doing?

Strategic tools of pr 11CD ROM: (A Compact Disc Read Only Memory) A CD containing computer data that cannot be altered.Podcast: A programme (as of music or task) made available in digital format for automatic download over the interest.

E-Newsletter: A small editorial publication (as of leaflet or flyers and organizations have with other groups newspaper) containing news of interest chiefly to a special customers, employees, shareholders

ConclusionPublic relations is everything from planning entire communications campaigns to writing letter to the editor. It involves any activity that enhances the reputation of your client, mediates disputes between various publics and your client, helps to achieve mutual understanding among all parties involved in an issue, advocates on behalf of client or cause, provides guidance and direction, and results in positive and mutual well-being[Bivins,2008:2]Spin, cover-up, distortion, and subterfuge are the antitheses of good public relations. Ethics, truth, credibility-these values are what good public relations is all about [Seitel, 2011:47].

ReferencesArens, W. F. (2004) Contemporary Advertising, Ninth Edition, Boston: McGraw-Hill Irwin Inc. Belch, E. G and Belch, A. M.(2001) Advertising and Promotions An Integrated Marketing Communications Perspective, fifth edition. Boston: McGraw-Hill Irwin Inc.Bergh, B. G. and Katz, H (1999) Advertising Principles, Choice, Challenge, Change, Lincolnwood, Illinois: NTC/Contemporary Publishing Group.

Gagnon (2003). The Marketing Manager Handbook. The Key to Sales and Marketing Success. United States: Internet media

References

Kothler,P. and Armstrong, G (2008).Principles of Marketing,12th Edition. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.Lattimore. D., Baskin, O., Herman, S., and Toth, E.(2007) Public Relations Profession and The Practice. Boston: McGraw-Hill Irwin Inc. Moriarty,S.(1994).Public Relations in Integrated Marketing Communication : The Benefits of Integration in Public Relations Quarterly, Fall 1994,pp 38-44

ReferencesOsborne.(1994 Getting Full Value from Public Relations in Public Relations Journal, October/November 1994,p.64 Seitel, F.P(2011)The Practice of Public Relations, Eleventh Edition. New Jersey: Prentice HallShrimp, T. (2000) Advertising and Promotion: Supplemental Approach of Integrated Marketing Communications, Fifth Edition; New York: The Dryden Press.Smith,P.R and Taylor. (2002) Marketing Communications An Integrated Approach of Marketing Communications, Third Edition. London: Kogan PageTixier,M (1995).Appraising communication: reality or utopia. International Public Relations Review. 18:3

Treadwell, D and Treadwell,J.B.(2000). Public Relations Writing, Principles in Practice. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.