Thinking About A Public Relations Career?

 Without a solid, well-designed foundation, few buildings successfully
withstand the ravages of time and weather. And so it is with public
relations, ever-dependent upon how well its practitioners understand
the discipline.

Yet, some public relations people manage to go through their entire
career without a firm grasp of what public relations is all about. Their
response to crises, or to requests for well thought-out solutions to
public relations problems, reveals a serious lack of understanding.
They confuse the basic function of public relations with any number
of tactical parts that make up the whole, such as publicity, crisis
management or employee relations. Understandably, they feel unsure
in approaching public relations problems, then uncertain about what
counsel to give their clients. Many, relying on career-long miscon-
ceptions about public relations, forge ahead anyway advising the client
ineffectively sometimes with damaging, if not dangerous counsel.

If you undertake a public relations career, you can take steps to avoid
this sad waste of your talent by discussing public relations’ strategic
role in any organization with professionals whom you respect. But
do it early, do it seriously, and do it now so that you create that solid
foundation of understanding about this business that will help you make
a meaningful contribution to the field of public relations for many years
to come.

My core belief about the basic function of public relations has allowed
me to feel right over the years about my assessment of public relations
problems and opportunities and about the counsel I give the client. It also
provides the tools I need to defend that advice if necessary.

In my experience, the key question about that central function was, and
still is “What do both internal and external clients want from us?” I
believe they want us to apply our special skills in a way that helps them
achieve their business objectives. But no matter what strategic plan we
create to solve a problem, no matter what tactical program we put in
place, at the end of the day the public relations professional must modify
somebody’s behavior if we are to earn our money.

That’s right, modify somebody’s behavior. But, on the way we must do
everything necessary to reach our target audiences, and to nurture the
relationships between those audiences and the client’s business by
burnishing the reputation of the company, its products and services.
We’ll do our best to persuade those audiences to do what the client
wishes them to do. And, while seeking public understanding and
acceptance of our client, we’ll insure that our joint activities not only
comply with the law, but clearly serve the public interest. Then, we
pull-out all tactical stops to actually move those individuals to action.
Our client will be pleased that we have brought matters to this point.

But, when that client measures our real effectiveness, I suggest that
he or she will be fully satisfied with those public relations results only
when our “reach, persuade and move-to-action” efforts produce a
visible, and desired, modification in the behaviors of those people
our client wishes to influence. In my view, here is the central, strategic
function of public relations – the basic context in which we must
operate – and one that is best learned at the beginning of your career.

end

About the Author

Bob Kelly, public relations consultant, was director of public
relations for Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-Public Relations, Texaco Inc.;
VP-Public Relations, Olin Corp.; VP-Public Relations, Newport
News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communications,
U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press
secretary, The White House. mailto:bobkelly@TNI.net

 Robert A. Kelly

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