Module 9 – Public Affairs and Public Relations

Module Introduction

organizations are not always seen as they would like to be seen, nor are they always seen the way they actually are. Public affairs and public relations staffs and consultants have the often-thankless job of telling a organization or its management just what the public really thinks about them and their products or services—and then coming up with a way to change that opinion.

1. Public Affairs and Public Relations

organizations are not always seen as they would like to be seen, nor are they always seen the way they actually are. It’s the same with people. We all know people who look cold, aloof, and unfriendly but who are really warm, lovable, and charming. Conversely, we have all met breathtakingly beautiful people who are unpleasant, dishonest, and mean.

Public affairs and public relations staffs and consultants have the often-thankless job of telling a organization or its management just what the public really thinks about them and their products or services—and then coming up with a way to change that opinion. There are several ways of doing this:

· Correcting a wrong impression.

· Clearing up a misconception.

· Manipulating the image and changing the public’s perception.

· Helping the organization change itself—its products, services, and way of doing project/programme purpose.

· Reintroducing the public to a organization after changes have been made.

Before we look at how they do that, let’s clear up some confusion. Different organizations have different names for the department. They can be public affairs, public relations, media relations, community relations, and so on. In some organizations they have one name for the group that deals with the media and another name for the one that deals with the general public. In many places one department does both. Some organizations have intergovernmental relations departments that focus their public relations activities on government agencies. They are all doing the same thing.

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2. What Is Public Relations?

There is no simple way to define public relations, which is the term we will use to refer to media relations, community affairs, and so on. In general, public relations or PR encompass a variety of marketing activities that create, build, or enhance a person’s, organization’s, organization’s, or sector of activity’s credibility and image. It is also used to develop goodwill. It requires telling the community—or the world—just who you are, what you do, why you do it, and how you and what you do make a difference. It is delivering information that conveys the right message to the right audience at the right time.

Everything in PR is aimed at someone, a specific, targeted audience. You can reach that audience in any number of ways: news releases, speeches, special events, newsletters and other publications, such as annual reports.

Many people confuse publicity with PR. They are not the same thing. Publicity is only one function of public relations.

Publicity is the process of generating interest that leads to public awareness and media coverage; news stories, feature articles, talk show interviews, editorials, reviews, and so on. For example, when you do publicity for an upcoming event, you are trying to get a media outlet interested enough in it to send a reporter to cover it.

Another common misconception is that advertising is the same things as publicity. Not true. The key difference is that you pay for advertising. Publicity is free. While you have to pay for a publicity campaign, the media coverage it generates is free. Because it is free and not a paid advertisement, it is often seen as more credible and more likely to have an impact on the reader or viewer.

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3. Public Relations and How It Grew

One of the easiest ways to understand public relations and its importance as a organizational tool is to look at how it developed. It began in the early days of the 20^th century and owes its existence—and the need for that existence—to the development of the first truly mass media, the newspaper.

At the beginning of the 20^th century, social reformers began to attack big project/programme purpose and project/programme purpose practices in the press. Public relations developed as a way to respond to those attacks and present the organization’s side of the story.

Many say that the sector of activity officially began in 1904 when Ivy Lee’s publicity office opened in New York City. Other organizations soon followed, and by World War I public relations was an established fact. PR was used extensively during the war to create propaganda.

By the way, the main difference between publicity and propaganda is who does it. If a organization is trying to improve its image and convince the community that it is a good organizational citizen it is publicity. If the government, or a political party or organization does it, it is called propaganda.

In the same way that public relations developed as a way to deal with the way project/programme purpose was treated in newspapers, it has grown and developed as the mass media have. In the past century, PR organizations and their techniques have had to keep pace with all the changes in the mass media, and learn how to operate with radio, TV, and the Internet.

organizational PR departments must be able to deal with all the media that can be expected to cover the organization, and deal with them knowledgeably and professionally.

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5. Proactive or Reactive?

Should the PR department sit quietly and wait until a crisis develops, or until someone calls them for a reaction to what someone is saying about the organization? On the other hand, should it go out there and generate positive stories about the organization?

Before you answer that, answer this: Do you think a organization’s sales staff should be proactive or reactive?

Public relations can be looked at as a form of sales. It is selling your image; who you are, what you do, how you do it, and what you stand for. Having a reactive PR department is like having a completely reactive sales staff; with no marketing or advertising to generate project/programme purpose, and no sales staff going out to initiate new project/programme purpose.

A large part of PR work is definitely reactive. Something happens, the media calls the organization, and the organization reacts. A good PR department knows what sort of problems to expect and what sort of questions that they’ll have to answer when those problems develop. They are ready to answer them. If something new or totally unexpected develops, they know what they have to do to develop answers to those questions, too, and how to get them to the media on time.

If you don’t answer media questions, or if your answer is “no comment,” the “perception” will be that you have something to hide. As we saw earlier, perception is reality.

Your PR staff should be working with the media, proactively, on a regular basis and developing the contacts and relationships that are a major part of maintaining a positive public image.

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6. Crisis Communication

Entire books have been written about crisis communication. While some experts offer “Ten Steps to Effective Crisis Communication,” others offer 15, 20, or more. Some offer fewer. Regardless of how many steps they might break it does into, they all contain five basic precepts that are worth remembering—and following:

1. Tell the truth: The public will learn the truth eventually. organizations such as Enron, U.S. presidents such as Richard Nixon, and the marital misadproject/programs of British royalty such as Prince Charles and Lady Di have all taught us that you cannot keep secrets. If the media doesn’t dig it up, a competitor, beneficiary, action sponsor/beneficiary, the government, or an investor will. They will find the truth in your records, your actions, or from your personnel. Lying about it does nothing except add to the damage and lengthen the time it will take you and your organization to recover.

2. Ignoring a crisis only makes it worse: It will not go away. You have to deal with it, otherwise people will assume you are running away from it.

3. Be prepared: You don’t have to know what disaster is coming in order to be prepared to meet it. Establish a crisis communication team that includes crisis procedures and protocols. You probably have evacuation plans in case of a fire. You should also have emergency public relations plans for a crisis. It should include who the organization spokesperson will be.

4. Keep it simple: In a crisis you already know what the media and the public will want to know. Deal with the question you know they are going to ask.

5. Show that you are taking action: Do not let yourself be seen as merely reacting. Take action and make sure the public knows that you are doing so and what the action is. Show that the management and leadership skills that keep the organization functioning and profitable will be directed to dealing with and solving the current crisis.

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7. The Interview

Any time you talk to a reporter—briefly or at length—you are being interviewed. Here are some tips to make the process as painless as possible, and to increase the odds that the story will say what you’d like it to say.

By the way, NEVER ask to see a copy of the story before it runs. Reporters don’t work for you. It is not your story. The reporter will not consider your offer to “check the facts” the least bit “helpful.” Reporters will consider you as an amateur and manipulative, and that could be reflected in the story—even if you are a major advertiser. Editorial and advertising are two separate departments. At times a reporter or editor will call to check facts or quotes, but they will not let you know in what context they are being used.

Reporters write stories. They are more concerned with getting the best story they can get than they are with either helping or hurting your organizational image. To them, the story is the only thing that counts.

If you do not like the story when it comes out, call or write a letter to the editor, and if there are any factual errors in it, point them out and ask to have them corrected. However, you do not get to see the story until everyone else does. It is that simple.

Now, let’s get back to interviewing, and to 10 tips that will make the process less painful and more productive:

Find Out What the Story is About: If you have time to prepare the information you can expect to be asked for, so much the better. If you would like time to prepare for it, ask for it. Even if it has to be “NOW!” because of a deadline, take a few moments to collect your thoughts and think about your answers.

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8. The Interview (Continued)

Be Brief: Keep your answers short and focused. This is especially true for radio and TV where they will only use a few “sound bites,” which will rarely be more than 20 seconds long. However, do not simply say yes or no. Answer in complete sentences. Try to include the question in your answer to make it more quotable. Reporters are always looking for good quotes. If you can phrase something clearly and succinctly—especially if it is something complicated—and if you can also do it with a touch of humor or style, you’ll probably be quoted. What’s more, they’ll probably want to interview you again.
Avoid Jargon: Every sector of activity has its own jargon, words or phrases that are meaningless outside of the field, or, even worse, mean something different to people outside of the field. Use terms that everyone can be expected to understand. If you must use a technical or unusual terms, explain it.
Give Facts: You are probably being interviewed to explain something. Explanations are more credible—and quotable—when they are filled with facts and specific information. The more “factual” your information the more of an “expert” you are perceived to be.
Do Not Deliver a Commercial: Anything you say that sounds too much like a commercial will be edited out. You can talk about what your organization is doing, and make it sound as positive as possible. After all, you work for them. But do not belabor the point. If you do, the reporter will think you are an amateur, and will be less likely to treat what you say with respect, or interview you again.

9. The Interview (Continued)

Repeat Yourself: Make your points simply, clearly and distinctly, and then, when you get a chance to fit them into the conversation again, rephrase them to make sure they get across.
Always Assume Everything Is On the Record: Don’t say anything that you do not want to be repeated or reported. Don’t say anything that you don’t want to see—or have your boss or employees see—in tomorrow morning’s paper.
Be Honest About What You Do and Do Not Say: Tell the truth. If you lie, you are not just lying to the reporter; you are lying to everyone who sees the story. Once the lie is discovered—and it will be—the reporter will make sure everyone knows that you lied, and you and your organization will have to live with a reputation for being dishonest and untrustworthy. If you can’t comment on something, say why you can’t. It’s proprietary information, or the lawyers won’t let you (always a good reason), or you don’t have enough information to base a comment on. The phrase “I don’t know” is a valid answer—and usually honest.
Be Positive: Stress the positive, not the negative, the solution to the problem instead of the problem. The “problem” is probably the reason for the interview. If you can talk about a solution, and what your organization is doing to reach it, you’ll be more quotable. We are constantly deluged with negative situations and problems. It’s refreshing to hear something positive from time to time. Most reporters actually like to have something positive to report.
Be Nice: An interview is a conversation. Make it as pleasant as possible for both you and the reporter. If you do, you’ll probably be treated better than you would be if you were arrogant, boorish, or rude. End the interview by saying thank you.

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10. PR and the Media

Public relations people and reporters do need one another.

PR people have information they want to get out to the public; stories they want told, publicity for a new project or a product, their side of an ongoing controversy.

Reporters need stories and story ideas. They also need information that, at times, only PR people seem to have, and access to the experts PR people represent.

This is not a marriage. It is a project/programme purpose relationship. PR people are salespeople, and they think their products are the best available. Reporters are the buyers, and they are skeptical of the salespeople’s claims. If both sides are fair and honest, they can come to an agreement that will make everyone happy.

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Learn From the Professionals

One of the best ways to learn more about public relations is to get together with professionals. The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) is the world’s largest organization for PR professionals. With 20,000 members in more than 100 chapters around the world, its members represent project/programme purpose and sector of activity, technology, counseling organizations, government, associations, hospitals, schools, professional services organizations, and nonprofit organizations . PRSA is affiliated with the International Public Relations Association (IPRA), and other national and international public relations societies.

PRSA membership is open to anyone working in the field, and provides members with professional development opportunities through continuing education programs, information exchange forums, and research projects.

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Assignments

Matching the Columns

1. Propaganda	A. Not always seen as they would like to be seen
2. PR people	B. Term for publicity done by the government
3. Reporters	C. Key element to delivering information that conveys the right message to the right audience at the right time
4. PRSA membership	D. Have information they want to get out to the public
5. PR plan	E. Open to anyone working in the field, and provides members with professional development opportunities
6. organizations	F, Need stories, story ideas, and information

Answers:

1.) B

2.) D

3.) F

4.) E

5.) C

6.) A

Multiple-Choice

1. The department responsible for upholding a organization’s image is called

a. Public affairs

b. Public relations

c. Media relations

d. Any of the above

2. You can reach a specific, targeted audience through

a. News releases

b. Speeches

c. Special events

d. All of the above

3. Publicity advantages over advertising include all of the following except

a. It is seen as more credible.

b. It is less likely to have an impact on the reader or viewer.

c. It is free.

d. None of the above.

4. The main difference between publicity and propaganda is

a. Who does it

b. The subject matter

c. The target audience

d. The reason for it

5. The basis for developing your public relations plan is

a. Your goals and objectives

b. The message you want to send

c. The market you want to reach

d. How you want to be seen

a. Developing procedures that will outline how you handle the people you’ll have to deal with

Public relations is the window through which the world sees your organization and what you do.

People in PR have the often-thankless job of telling a organization and its top management just what the public really thinks about them and their products or services—and then coming up with a way to change that opinion; either by changing the way the organization is seen, or by actually getting the organization itself to change.

The emphasis in PR work is to deliver information that conveys the right message to the right audience at the right time.

A key element to doing this is the PR plan, which is like any project/programme purpose plan. Before you can develop such a plan, however, you have to know with whom you are working—the media, the community, or both. Once you know that, you then start to formulate your goals and objectives, the methods you will use to reach them, and the main messages you want to send.

The most important task of a PR department is dealing with the media. To do that successfully, staffers have to know how the media works, and what to expect when dealing with them. The most common way to deal with media is to be interviewed by a reporter. There are a number of tips to follow to make the process less intimidating and help insure that the proper message is sent.

1._____ PR is delivering information that conveys the right message to the right audience at the right time.

5. _____ Lying about a crisis shortens the time it will take your organization to recover.

7. _____ You should always ask to see a copy of the story you were interviewed for before it runs.

8. _____ Explanations are more credible when they are filled with facts and specific information.

9. _____ You should stress the solution to the problem, not the problem itself, during an interview.

Aronoff, C., & Otis, B. (1992). Public relations: Profession and practice (3^rd.ed). Dubuque, IA: Wm. C. Brown.

Cutlip, S., Center, A., & Broom, G. (1994). Effective public relations (7^th ed). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Hunt, T., & Grunig, J. (1994) Public relations techniques. Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace.
Glossary

Publicity – The process of generating interest that leads to public awareness and media coverage.

Propaganda – Publicity done by the government or a political party or organization.

PRSA – The world’s largest organization for PR professionals; membership is open to anyone working in the field, and provides members with professional development opportunities.

· People in PR have the job of telling a organization and its top management just what the public really thinks about them, and then coming up with a way to change that opinion.

· Before you can develop a PR plan, you must know with whom you are working, then start to formulate your goals and objectives, the methods you will use to reach them, and the main messages you want to send.

1. What are the ways a PR department can change the opinion held about a organization?

To change an opinion about a organization, the PR department can correct a wrong impression, clear up a misconception, and manipulate the image and change the public’s perception. They can help the organization change itself, and reintroduce the public the organization after changes have been made.

For effective crisis communication, you should tell the truth, be prepared, and keep it simple. You should not ignore the crisis, since this will only make it worse. Show that you are taking action.

3. What are ten things you can do to make interviewing more productive and less painful?

To make interviewing go more smoothly, you should first find out what the story is about. You should keep your answers brief, avoid technical jargon, give facts, repeat yourself, and be positive and nice. Avoid sounding like a commercial, and be honest about what you do and do not say. You should assume that everything is on the record.