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| The Elements of Public Relations. |
When we talk about elements in relation
to P.R, we mean what constitutes public relations. As earlier enlightened, P.R
looks at building and maintaining image, be it of a person, a group or an
organisation. Today’s subject looks at what goes into the art of image
building; a complement to the functions of P.R.
1. Public relation is a planned
activity. This is because the functions executed in P.R are intentional and
an organization has the intention of doing it. It is designed to influence,
gain understanding, provide information and obtain feedback vis-Ã -vis an
organization and its publics.
2. P.R is a management function that establishes and
maintains mutually beneficially relationship between an organization and its
publics on whom its success or failure depends. As a management function,
it looks at anticipating, analyzing and interpreting public opinion, attitudes
that might impact on the operations of the organization. Counselling
management at all levels of the organization (Board, senior management,
functional management) with regards to policy decisions, course of actions and
communication taking into account the public interest or the organizations
corporate social responsibilities.
3. It concentrates on reputation
building, damage prevention and control. As I have always echoed,
P.R concerns itself with image building and maintenance; creating a perfect
picture to the general public about one’s entity or corporation. Whenever there
is a crisis, the P.R practitioner prevents the crisis from damaging the
corporation’s reputation. And when the crisis has done some damage, the
practitioner comes in to mop things up. An example is the Melcom case in Ghana
in 2015. After the Melcom building had collapsed maiming and injuring citizens,
the P.R.O of the company came in to do what we term as damage control.
4. It is a two-way
communication. This is either between an individual and the public, a
group and its publics or an organization and its publics. It is communication
between two entities to foster excellent relationship in order to achieve an
individual, group or an organization’s objectives. An example is
Ex-President John Mahama of Ghana (individual) and his relationship
(communication) with citizens of the country (publics) on whom he once rose to the
high office of president.
5. It applies to every member
of the community. No one is exempted from the practice. This is to say
that everyone is a stakeholder in the practice of image building and promotion
be it commercial and non-commercial organizations, governmental and
non-governmental organizations. For example, Ghanaians are stakeholders in the
promotion of their cultural heritage or anything Ghanaian to the rest of the
world.
In all image stands out as a fulcrum/pivot to building relationships; a major tool for societal advancement. In our next article, we will be looking at the body of P.R as a management concept. Your comments and views are welcome in the comment section below. And for further consultation or questions, please email to hrforumonline@gmail.com.
Also Read: Top 7 Communication skills for workplace success.
Source: HR Forum Media
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