Introduction to Public Relations

Week 1: Chapter 3- Role of the public relations practitioner
Key roles for PR:
 Managerial
 Operational
 Reflective (role of analysing changing social values to adjust to organisations, standards and values of social responsibility and is aimed at influencing the dominant coalition).
 Educational (aims to increase communication competence of employees).

• Systems theory works on a basis that everything in the social world is part of a system that interacts with other systems on that the whole equals more than the sum of its parts.
 Katz and Kahn, explained the interactions b/t organisations and their environments, interactions b/t organisations and interactions within organisations
 This models assumes that PR practitioners are part of an open system interacting with other systems and therefore the nature of the role will not be fixed but depend on the influences both in and out of the system from early experiences and education through ongoing continuing professional development (CPD)
 This model reaffirms that the PR practitioner as counsel must be aware of the context of their own role and of organisation or client, have interest in and understand, the wider community
Hargie (2000) suggests competence in a profession involves 3 sets of skills:
 Cognitive (knowledge base)
 Technical or manipulative skills inherent in a profession
 Social or communication skills
Ideal PR Practitioner:
 Facilitate communication within organisation as well as external publics
 Advise senior management using higher level skills as well as hands-on activity
 Committed to lifelong learning and CPD as well as being active in professional body
 Educate others about the values of PR to help reinforce PR as a profession
Week 2: Chapter 1- Public relations origins: definitions and history
• Harlow’s definition of PR:
 PR is a distinctive management function which helps establish and maintain mutual lines of communication, understanding, acceptance