PR FROM THE BEACH

Let's break public relations - and boldly head to the future

 

Everywhere in the world you can hear the same cries - ‘business is broken’ or, more worryingly, ‘government is broken’. If we are to help assuage these cries, then PR needs to break too - break away from past misconceptions, determine its role for the future and equip practitioners with the skills and understanding they need in order to get things fixed.

Public relations builds and sustains the relationships we need to keep our licence to operate - that is what we do. 

Relationships involve trust, satisfaction, commitment, loyalty and reputation. Poor communication undermines and breaks down even the best relationships, so communication (visual, written, oral and experiential) plays a significant part in public relations practice - but it isn’t the only element. There are many facets to public relations practice and to really determine the future and relevancy of the profession, those facets need to be recognised, acknowledged and explained within all types of organisations and at all levels, as well as to wider society.

NASA's New Year Shuttle Sale - a bargain at $28.2m

I have always known that if I ever won one of those huge lottery jackpots - you know the ones, they send everyone into a ticket buying frenzy - I would give most of the winnings away once the mortgage was paid and the kids looked after. After all, what would one do with all that cash?  But seeing the latest 'bargain' available from NASA, in the shape of the space shuttle, I would be sorely tempted to blow the whole lot. Trouble is, I would never get it on the drive.