We are all walking mission statements

As I got settled in to our reading for class something dawned on me. If I had a mission statement, what would it be? I realized that because we do not have the choice of whether we communicate or not, what we wear and how we act are representative of our “mission statement.” Like a mission statement for an organization, ours must be updated and revised occasionally as we grow, and we strive to be memorable and understandable.

The sky is the limit

One of my favorite things about being in communication and pr is the fact that there are no boundaries when it comes to creativity in communication. Everything and anything is communication and everything and anything can be a channel for that communication. A pr practitioner can’t rule any ideas out. However, there is the planning process, which is quite structured and intricate. I have learned that goals are vital for any communication plan, and making the goals tangible allows them to become more real. This may sound dumb but it honestly works. If you put on your to do list “go to the gym” it is not as effective as writing down a tangible workout like “10 pushups.” (Weak example but you get the idea.)

Say what?

One of the most common flaws in communication plans, in my opinion, is confusing language. Simplicity does not get the credit it deserves. I blame this partially on high school English education. It was not until college that I realized that using words like “utilize” is not necessary or impressive. Unless you plan to be a novelist, fancy language and drawn out sentences is seriously uncalled for and unsuccessful communication. I thought it was interesting that the text said it is good to write like you talk because it made me understand why blogging has become so popular and reader-friendly. The chapter on grammar was well written. I thought the examples of grammar gone wrong were hilarious (even though it probably wasn’t funny for the violators at the time.)

Here is a Cingular commercial that I think is hilarious, and a good example of what using jargon or confusing language can sound like:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nIUcRJX9-o

Navigating through the PR Maze

Public relations is not only an ever-changing industry but a constantly growing one as well. As new technologies surface and the need for image control continues to be important public relations must react by creating new channels to communicate and persuade. While having good communication skills is still the concept at the heart of public relations, it definitely does not cover the abilities necessary to succeed in the field.

Most people do not understand the inner-workings of public relations. Through my education and my experience actually working in the field I have seen how complex the levels of effort put into a public relations strategy are. To execute a campaign a PR group’s work begins way before the actual implementation of the strategy. They must analyze and predict trends so that they can anticipate the organization’s best effort to connect with its publics. All of these steps are vital to control public relations two-way street, in which success is a mutual benefit between an organization and its publics. PR practitioners must use good judgment in order to know how to respond to and adapt to the continuously changing channels and publics.

Although some people label PR practitioners as manipulators or con artists those who are involved in the industry know that ethical decisions are a large part of their strategic planning. Trust is a key ingredient in establishing credibility with primary publics, and since building bridges is second nature to being successful in PR, practitioners must be careful with putting a “spin” on information. Along with that thought, those in PR have to always be aware of their limits in language and in publics because what is right and acceptable today probably won’t be tomorrow. I have always thought an interesting, and more recent example of inaccurate information is the advent of “touching up” photographs of people in the media. While this is a usually harmless practice it is still inaccurate, and those who look at diet photos of touched up people and believe the pictures are accurate are being misled.

However, persuasion is, after all, the point of public relations as well as the point of any communication. It is innate for us to try and persuade others of our beliefs and attitudes. Consumerism has taken over our society and because of this, persuasion has become even more important and competitive in order to succeed. This is why PR practitioners must study and understand the attitudes, opinions, and beliefs of diverse publics.

These two organizations below have fascinating case studies that I think are beneficial to look over for an idea of how PR practitioners actually go through the steps of analysis, prediction, and carrying out planned execution of strategies.

WorldCom Group: Case study layout on an anti-tobacco campaign
http://www.worldcomgroup.com/casestudies.cfm

PR Consultants Group: Case studies on Cold Stone and Vegas
http://www.prconsultantsgroup.com/case_studies/index.html

This website is a great place to go for information on media outlets and the various channels of public relations. It provides links to organizations and publications that PR practitioners would be interested in.
http://www.prplace.com/

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