INTRODUCTION TO PUBLIC RELATION

DEFINITION OF PUBLIC RELATION

Public Relation is the organization's effort to build and manage long-term relationships with its strategic publics and minimize conflicts with them. (J.Grunig, 1992).
Institute of Public Relations Malaysia (IPRM): Public Relations is the deliberate, planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain mutual understanding between an organization and its public.

International Public Relations Association (IPRA):

PR is the art and social science of analyzing trends, predicting their consequences, counseling organization leaders, and implementing planned programs and action which serve both the organization’s and the public interest.

Institute of Public Relations (IPR, UK):

PR is about reputation, the result of what you do, what you say and what others say about you. PR practice is the discipline which looks after reputation with the aim of earning understanding and support, and influencing opinion and behavior.

Summary of definitions:

Practicing two-way communication
Creating mutual understanding and positive relationships with important publics
Researching the needs of the publics
Reputation management of the organization
Counseling the organization’s management

Umbrella of Public Relations Activities

Media relations
Customer relations
Community relations
Employee relations
Financial relations
Governmental relations
Image-building
Issue management
Crisis management

Skills Required of PR Practitioners

Research skills
- able to identify important publics of the organizations - able to find out what these publics want or need from organization and what organization can do to meet these needs.
 - able to gather facts about potential problems and emerging issue.
  - skills to conduct personal interviews, review library materials, do content analysis, do opinion research or hire research firm and know how to evaluate research conducted.

Writing and Editing skills

-able to write and edit press release, speeches, feature articles, product information, brochures etc.
-can communicate in other languages.

Other Communication skills

-arranging speeches for the CEO
 - face to face to groups or mass media
 - coaching executives how to present their speeches
  - able to present the speech themselves

Production skills

    -know how to design and do layout of copy.
    - choose appropriate typography, artwork and photographs for brochures.
    - design web pages.
    - have multimedia knowledge

Organization Skills

-Skills and knowledge in organizing & managing events (news conferences, open houses, launchings etc)

Personal Qualities

-Character & integrity
-A sense of judgment and logic
-Ability to think creatively and imaginatively
-Truthfulness and discretion
-Objectivity
-Deep interest in solution problems
-Broad cultural background
-Intellectual curiosity
-Effective powers of analysis and synthesis
-Intuition
-Training in social sciences and in mechanics of public relations

Public Relations Compared With Other Functions

-Public Relation
-Limited control of message
-Choice of communication
-Timing & frequency of media coverage
-Can achieve greater appeal and acceptance
-Editorial placements
-In-depth reports and detailed articles

Advertising

-Total control
-Unlimited choice of communications medium
-Timing & frequency
-Lower level credibility & believability
-Receptivity & retention are low
-Advertising expenditures are higher
-Length of commercials, page sizes, layout, costs, design are limit.

Marketing

-Focuses on building a relationship with primarily one public- the customer public.
Propaganda
-Gaining support for an opinion, creed, or belief.
-Prejudice in favor of its topic.

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