Public Relations (Theory)

Unit 2

Unit 2

Nature & Scope of Public Relations

Structure: 2.1 Introduction Objectives 2.2 Nature and Scope of Public Relations 2.3 Career Building in Public Relations 2.4 The PR Process 2.5 Functions of the PR Department 2.6 Qualifications and Responsibilities of a PR Person Work assignments of PR 2.7 Principles of Public Relations 2.8 Summary 2.9 Terminal Questions 2.10 Answers

2.1 Introduction
In unit-1 you were introduced to pertinent slices in the history of Public Relations. In this unit, apart from introducing you to the nature and scope of public relations as profession, we shall delve into the process and the principles of the field. We will identify the qualifications and responsibilities of a public relations officer, and look into the career building opportunities that the sphere professes. Objectives: After studying this unit, you should be able to: discuss the nature and scope of Public Relations describe career building in Public Relations explain the PR process discuss the functions of the PR department list the qualifications and responsibilities of a PR person describe the principles of Public Relations

2.2 Nature and Scope of Public Relations

PR as a process serves to achieve a number of functions. The nature of PR is essentially a task of promoting rapport and goodwill between a person, firm or institution and the community at large through dissemination of
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information. It seeks to earn support, mobilize or solicit favors for a cause or a problem or for an institution/ individual. The nature of PR work is generally based on the following principles: 1) Communication: PR communication strives for three objectives: to develop rapport to aid in attitude development to enhance understanding Rapport: PR communication seeks to earn support by establishing rapport. It aims to build a harmonious and mutually advantageous bridge between an organization and the community, i.e. through dissemination of ideas, and also by providing feedback from the public to the management. PR departments use two way communication for promoting rapport and goodwill between a person, firm or institution and the community at large. Since PR can be established only through dissemination of information, it first assesses the attitudes of the public towards the organization and then executes the programs to gain public understanding and acceptance from the managements point of view. Attitude development: It evaluates public attitudes, identifies policies that interest the public, and executes the program of communication accordingly. It works on long term association. It should be remembered, here, that since PR is built on a sound moral base, the communication must be sincere and based on facts; only then the right attitude can be developed. Enhance understanding: Mutual understanding requires, by definition, two-way communication. A Public Relations policy for any organization, for example, should include both inward activity and intelligence to assess the policies and behavior of the management, to see whether action is necessary to improve the organizations image; as also outward activity to inform the public about its achievement. 2) Public Opinion: PR helps in creating public opinion. Public opinion is the conscious assessment of individual opinions of the majority among the masses, based on their attitudes and widely held beliefs, molded by public interest. It assesses the attitudes of the public towards the organization. It also executes communication programs to gain public
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understanding and acceptance of the managements point of view. Public opinion impinges itself on an organization at many levels: i.e. with official bodies, contacts with stockholders, relations with distributors, wholesalers, etc.; it also constitutes the reactions of buyers or consumers. 3) Social responsibility: The social responsibility of any organization stems from the concept that all organizations work in the name of the people with the main aim of serving their interests. Many companies, though they get profit from the society, do not show concern for the latters welfare and thereby end up having problems. The public relations department helps any organization to attune itself to the needs and aspirations of the community it serves. The department identifies the interest of the organization with that of the community, and promotes participation in festivals or the sponsoring of local sports events; it can extend service in terms of instituting scholarships or may concern the construction of bus shelters, or even promote a local cause. Community participation is need based and should generally fulfill the requirements of the community. 4) Providing Publicity: Publicity is for the dissemination of facts and ideas about individuals and institutions for various purposes such as to attract attention, gain prestige, advertise products, or to satisfy public interest in an institution or for an individual. The main job of public relations is to create publicity for the organization, its products and services. The department involves itself in the production and planning of various tools of communication which provide publicity. The publicity tools are as follows: house journals, preparation of booklets and pamphlets, advertising, community work, corporate donations, direct mail, arranging exhibitions and media tours etc. Self Assessment Question 1. PR departments use ________________ communication for promoting rapport and goodwill between a person, firm or institution and the community at large.

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2.3 Career Building in Public Relations

Extensive and excellent career opportunities are open in the field of Public Relations. For that matter, PR departments have become an inseparable part of the management and organizational manpower: i.e. in thousands of Industrial units, service agencies, educational institutions, private and public sector bands, business enterprises, hospitals, hotels, welfare agencies, trade associations, cooperatives, MNCs. A PRO is most frequently employed by the following: 1) Business corporations: Most of the companies, irrespective of size, engage one or more persons to assist in handling PR responsibilities. The duties vary with the corporate orientation. A PR officer is also addressed with the following titles Welfare Officer, Communication Executive, Industrial Relations Officer, Information Officer, Publicity Officer, Customer Relations Officer, Guest Relations Officer. Some company PR departments also handle institutional advertising. In many cases, the company merges the public relations department into a larger operation known as integrated marketing communications, wherein advertising, PR, and sales forces combine their energies and resources to present the communication/selling messages under a common umbrella. 2) Corporate offices: This refers to PR in the field of industry, trade and other businesses. While Public Relations scope extends to policy and strategy and counseling managements, corporate relations is limited to the companys relationships with specific target groups, among clients, stockholders, commercial interest groups, and sometimes liaisons with government officials to secure mutually acceptable objectives. 3) Associations: The PR department is created to develop favorable operating environments for a trade or an industry, i.e. to provide thousands of jobs for public relations people. In these offices, PR people plan conventions and workshops and provide information to the press and public to cast their industry in the most favorable light. 4) Non profit service agencies: NGOs also need the services of PR professionals. In this case, the organization has to be in touch with the
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donors/beneficiaries and the government offices constantly. It also has to arrange some outreach programs to propagate ideas. E.g.: Red Cross. 5) PR agencies: The services of PR officers are available for hire. Many business houses may be too small to maintain their own PR departments and find it more efficient to utilize the services of a public relations counseling firm, or retainer on an hourly basis as needed. Many companies hire the services of an agency when they need to approach the press in a different area or while handling a specific project. Self Assessment Question 2. A PR official can also be called a Guest Relations Officer. (True/False)

2.4 The PR Process

Public Relations handles the entire PR process using effective tools in communication across industry verticals and horizontals. Communication with clients is the triumph key, as a result of which PR recognizes there are always opportunities to serve internal or external clients better, faster and less-expensively; accepts that client service can be measured and improved. The stages involved in the PR process are as follows: Research stage Information stage Awareness stage Interest stage Demonstration stage Success stage The first step in PR is research (fact finding). The first step to research is identifying the problem. The problem depends on the situation. E.g.: drug abuse/political interference/union activity/losing confidence of the shareholders etc. Research involves gathering intelligence enabling the organization to plan programs responsive to its publics in problem situations, including the monitoring of public relations programs during the implementation stage and evaluating the programs impact. It also relates to researching the opinions, attitudes and expectations of various publics in
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order to provide authoritative counsel; as also, it concerns the dissemination of educational material to stockholders, lobbyists and others. Research being scientific, systematic, relevant and specific in nature, the hypothesis is worked out carefully. It should be remembered that solving a problem should start from listening. The following methods are used to identify generic problems: a) Personal contacts: It pertains to communicating with the target group (sample size). b) Gatekeepers: This relates to identifying the opinion leaders (teachers, religious leaders etc.). c) Feedback analysis: Feedback is received through mails from customers. Periodic reviews of letters/mails from the customers help in identifying problem areas. d) Reports: Field reports are sent by agents, field officers and marketing officers placed at different business centers of the office. The periodical reports sent by agents/officers make for informal feedback. e) Focus group discussion: When the sample size is deeply probed, it will provide all necessary details about the drawbacks in an organization. f) Content analysis: A scientific approach, content analysis can provide objective details about a product/organization/person.

In the process of communication a PR person asks a few basic questions to him/herself. They are as follows: Why why are we communicating? Who who are we trying to reach? What what is to be spoken of? How how should a matter be presented?

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The question pattern is best represented by J Walter Thomsons cycle which is known as the T-plan (fig: 2.1).
Where are we?

Are we getting there?

Why are we there?

How can we get there?

Where could we be?

Fig. 2.1: T - Plan

To find answers for the above cycle (fig: 2.1) in the T-plan, a strategy is intended which covers both media selection and the communication plan: i.e. based on the diffusion theory, the initial stage of the PR process begins. As a PR practitioner tries to implement new ideas, methods, equipment, you may note, any new change is always resisted. The change can be represented via the following stages (fig: 2.2):

Fig. 2.2: PR stages

All in all, a PR person should know how much information is to be diffused among the public and how to diffuse it. From the information stage till the success stage, due care must be taken.
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The other key concerns in the PR process include the following: People: PR people use online and electronic software/hardware tools to serve clients. If they don't know a tool, they cannot provide services well, or alternately, the service they provide could be incomplete and expensive. Training: A software package like Microsoft Office can serve clients in ways that are beyond the skills of many public relations professionals. A common word processing package provides tools that many public relations professionals cannot use. Training guides professionals towards better, faster and less expensive ways of using software/hardware tools. Focus: The PR process focuses on tasks that professionals must take up and shows how to work better, faster and less expensively while serving clients. Classroom training is a poor substitute for on-the-job guidance. A public relations professional is no different from anyone else. What seems easy in a classroom suddenly becomes difficult amidst deadlines and under client pressure. Leadership: Change comes from the top. If a public relations executive is determined to provide better client service, it will indeed happen. If the executive ignores the process, change will not occur. Persistence: Anyone who has helped professionals change work practices knows that it is hard work, requiring patience and endurance. There are failures. The key is to stay with a change until it becomes comfortable. Measurement: The PR process estimates gains from changing a process before the change is made and tracks benefits after the change is implemented.

Self Assessment Question 3. The third stage in the PR process is the ___________ stage.

2.5 Functions of the PR Department

Functions of the PR dept. include the following: 1) Agenda setting (planning): The main function of the PR Department of a company is agenda setting. This provides a clear distinction between what we think about and what we think. The difference is that the former
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includes what we know (cognition), whereas the latter refers to our opinions and feelings (predisposition). Agenda setting suggests that mass media can have a substantial impact on the cognitive level without affecting predisposition. To reach the goal, a PR person designs a campaign based on following grounds: The effectiveness of persuasive propositions The impact message The criteria of media selection The campaign time table The budget

2) Publicity: Publicity deals directly with the gatekeepers who control the flow of news. The gatekeepers are constantly bombarded with information from press agents, piles of press releases, free tickets, coupons, etc. A successful PR department is one which formulates programs for free exposure of the company. These exposures are more powerful than the exposure obtained through advertising campaigns. 3) Communication (Media Relations and Placement): PR requires knowing how to communicate through mass media, news media, magazines, Sunday supplements, freelance writers and trade publications with the intent of getting to publish or broadcast news and features about or originated by an organization. Responding to media requests for information requires a keen understanding of how all media work. Editors are hard pressed for space. Gaining confidence and developing a spirit of cooperation and mutual respect are essential to both the public relations professional and the journalist. The communicated message should be: seen/read/listened to (i.e. published) believed (i.e. decoded by the receiver) remembered (i.e. accepted) acted upon (i.e. adopted in practice) Remember, the gatekeepers do not bother to open mail from certain organizations. Firstly because PR inundates the media with daily press releases. Secondly, many press releases try to masquerade as news. 4) Evaluation: The ability to gather information accurately, thoroughly and promptly is essential. Besides personal interviews and library research, this
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may involve using survey techniques as also designing and conducting public opinion polls. To an increasing degree, top managements expect research and evaluation proficiency from their public relations advisers. Evaluation aims at: Reach: The evaluation of what percentage of the employees received the publication on a timely basis. Exposure and recall: The amount of recollection of publication by sample size. Credibility: Trustworthiness as regards publicity material. Understanding: The readers/customers perception about the status of the company. Readability: Understanding the motto of the company.

Self Assessment Question 4. The main function of the PR Department of a company is ______________.

2.6 Qualifications and Responsibilities of a PR Person

A person who practices PR can be termed as a PRO. A Public Relations Officer plays a dual role. At level one he positions himself as advisor and counselor to the management. On other hand he functions as a technician using a tool bag of communication strategies and tools comprising of press releases, presentations, announcements of special events. He also communicates the intentions and decisions of the management to the public. People generally working in the field of public relations define their job by the kind of activities they perform. E.g.: Technical Writer, Content Editor, Event Manager etc. A person who chooses public relations as his field needs to be multifaceted. He ought to perform many activities for promoting concepts amongst his publics. According to Pat Jackson, former president of Public Relations Society of America, the PR practitioner of today needs to be a researcher, counselor, strategic planner, educator, communicator, cheerleader and many more roles pooled into one. People who work in the field of Public Relations get to do a variety of programs not only to keep the public informed but also to express loyalty towards the company.
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Edward L. Bernays has listed eleven personal characteristics of an able PR practitioner: 1) Character and integrity 2) A sense of judgment and logic 3) The ability to think creatively and imaginatively 4) Truthfulness and discretion 5) Objectivity 6) A deep interest in the solution of problems 7) A broad cultural background 8) Intellectual curiosity 9) Effective powers of analysis and synthesis 10) Intuition 11) Training in social sciences and in the mechanics of public relations Based on the above criteria the characteristics of a Public Relations Officer as per Bill Cantors suggestions can be derived as follows: A social person: To be a good PR person one must like to meet people; in PR one tends to get acquainted with different kinds of people. There should also be the desire to serve the public and extend help, as the position demands one to provide solutions to many problems. A PR professional ought to know how to win friends and the confidence of others. This denotes that one should respect the views and opinions of others, by way of being polite and sociable. A PR person is generally perceived as likable, friendly and one who is genuinely interested in others. All in all, he/she should have a cheerful personality embedded in self confidence. Educational qualifications: A good University degree or some other parallel educational qualification is essential for success in the PR profession. However, whatever your educational qualifications are, if you are prepared to know how to work hard then you will excel in any set task. Communication skills: In Pr it is essential to be good in communication skills. A good PR person is also a good listener. Good communication is necessary as you would have to persuade people reasonably, nicely and pleasantly. Develop word power. Have flair for words. The more the words at your disposal, better will be the presentation skills. Develop the habit of reading. Ability to quote facts and figures at the appropriate time will help you gain proficiency in the field.
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Good character: A PR person should possess the qualities of honesty, integrity and character. These are quite essential to win the faith of people (the management as well the public). He/she should develop objective thinking abilities, i.e. judgment should be objective in nature. A PR professional should have the capacity to understand a situation in detail. Curiosity: A PR person should have an inquiring mind. He ought to learn everything possible, be it about a product, service, client or organization. He should be curious to know people, places, things and events happening around. Knowledge about current affairs is essential. Finally, if and when strategies dont work, PR professionals regard them not as personal blunders but as learning opportunities. Individual Initiative: A successful public relations executive should take charge of situations before it blows out of proportion. One should not wait for instructions but take the initiative to solve the problem in an emergency. One should have a creative mind, and believe in developing original ideas. Versatility: A successful public relations executive should perform well in a multiplicity of areas. The desire to learn and the ability to focus on varied subjects is a must. So to say, a PR person should posses the ability to write articles and deliver speeches in public. Ambitious: A successful PR person is one who is spurred by ambition. He should not be afraid to take calculated risk. 2.6.1 Work assignments of PR The job responsibilities of a Public Relations Officer can be summarized in the following way: 1) Writing and editing: Composing print and broadcast news releases, feature stories, newsletters to employees and external stakeholders, correspondence, web-site and other on-line media messages, shareholder and annual reports, speeches, brochures, film and slideshow scripts, trade publication articles, institutional advertisements and product and technical collateral materials. 2) Media relations and placement: Contacting media with the intent of getting them to publish or broadcast news and features about or originated by an organization. Responding to media requests for information, verification of stories and access to authoritative sources.
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3) Research: Gathering information about public opinion, trends, emerging issues, political overtones and legislation, media coverage, special-interest groups, and other concerns related to an organizations stake holders. Researching also includes gathering material about competitors by searching on the internet, designing a research program, conducting a survey etc. 4) Management and administration: Programming and planning in collaboration with other managers, determining needs, establishing priorities, defining publics, setting goals and objectives, and developing effective strategies and tactics. This area also involves administrating personnel, chalking out the budget, and planning program schedules. 5) Counseling: Advising top management on the social, political and regulatory environments. It also involves counseling the affected during crisis situations, and working to establish unique path-breaking strategies. 6) Special events: Arranging and managing news conferences; organizing special programs like 10K runs, walkathons, anniversary celebrations; visiting dignitaries, holding contests etc. 7) Communication: Appearing before groups, coaching others for speaking assignments, as also managing a speakers bureau to provide platforms for the organization before important audiences. 8) Production: Creating communication using multimedia knowledge and skills, photography, layout, audio-visual presentations. 9) Training: Preparing executives and other designated spokes-persons to deal with media and to make other public appearances. Assisting others to improve writing and communication skills. Helping the organization in introducing the changes in organizational culture, policy, structure and process. 10) Serving as liaison with media, community and other internal and external groups. Listening, negotiating, managing conflict, and being a mediator between the organization and its important stake-holders. Self Assessment Question 5. A person who practices PR can be termed as a _________.

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2.7 Principles of Public Relations

We can describe the function and role of public relations practice by stating ten basic principles: 1) Public Relations deals with reality, not false fronts. Conscientiously planned programs that put public interest in the forefront are the basis of sound public relations policy (i.e. PR deals with facts and not fiction). 2) Public Relations is a service-oriented profession in which public interest, not personal reward, should be the primary consideration (PR is for public and not personal service). 3) Public interest is the central criterion, since the public relations practitioner must go to the public to seek support for programs and policies; public interest is the central criterion by which he or she should select these programs and policies. (PR professionals should have the guts to say no to a client or to refuse a deceptive program). 4) PR professionals should never lie to news media, either outright or by implication. He should by all means preserve the integrity of the channels. 5) PROs are right in the middle, i.e. between an organization and its publics. As such, PROs must be effective communicators - conveying information back and forth until understanding is reached. 6) To expedite two-way communication and to be responsible communicators, public relations practitioners must use scientific public opinion research extensively (PR is no guessing game). 7) To understand what their publics are saying and to reach them effectively, public relations practitioners must employ the social sciences psychology, sociology, social psychology, public opinion, communications study and semantics (intuition is not enough). 8) Because a lot of people do PR research, the PRO must adapt the work of other related disciplines, including learning theory and other psychology theories, sociology, political science, economics and history; i.e. practicing PR needs multidisciplinary applications. 9) Public relations practitioners are obligated to explain problems to the public before these problems become crises (PR practitioners should alert and advise, so people wont be taken by surprise).
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10) A public relations practitioner should be measured by only one standard: ethical performance. A PR practitioner is only as good as the reputation he or she deserves. Arthur W. Page practiced seven principles of public relations management as a means of implementing his philosophy. They are as follows: 1. Tell the truth. Let the public know what's happening and provide an accurate picture of the company's character, ideals and practices. 2. Prove it with action. Public perception of an organization is determined 90 percent by what it does and 10 percent by what it says. 3. Listen to the customer. To serve the company well, understand what the public wants and needs. Keep top decision makers and other employees informed about public reaction to company products, policies and practices. 4. Manage for tomorrow. Anticipate public reaction and eliminate practices that create difficulties. Generate goodwill. 5. Conduct public relations as if the whole company depends on it. Corporate relations is a management function. No corporate strategy should be implemented without considering its impact on the public. The public relations professional is a policymaker capable of handling a wide range of corporate communications activities. 6. Realize a company's true character is expressed by its people. The strongest opinions good or bad about a company are shaped by the words and deeds of its employees. As a result, every employee active or retired is involved with public relations. It is the responsibility of corporate communications to support each employee's capability and desire to be an honest, knowledgeable ambassador to customers, friends, shareowners and public officials. 7. Remain calm, patient and good-humored. Lay the groundwork for public relations miracles with consistent and reasoned attention to information and contacts. This may be difficult with today's contentious 24-hour news cycles and endless number of watchdog organizations. But when a crisis arises, remember, cool heads communicate best. Self Assessment Question 6. A company's true character is expressed by its people. (True/False)
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2.8 Summary
In this unit you gained insight into the PR process, the nature and scope of PR, and the functions and principles of PR. We also had a look at the qualifications and responsibilities of a public relations officer, and discussed career prospects in the budding sphere. So long as there is a drive to take calculated risk, PR welcomes its proponents with open arms. Yes, it could be you who can make it big next! For now, read on to know more of what the profession entails.

2.9 Terminal Questions

1. What are the functions of a PR department? 2. Prepare a concise report on the PR process.

2.10 Answers
Self Assessment Questions 1. two way 2. true 3. awareness 4. agenda setting 5. PRO 6. True Terminal Questions 1. Refer section 2.5 that describes the functions of a PR department. 2. Refer section 2.4 which describes the PR process.

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