COMM411 Study Guide

Unit 1: Public Relations Fundamentals

1a. Discuss the origins and aims of public relations, including key historical milestones and the fundamental objectives of this field

Who are some of the early pioneers who developed public relations?
What are the component parts of the modern definition of public relations?
What are the fundamental objectives of public relations?

Public relations as a profession traces its roots back to the 1800s in the United States. In the earliest application of PR, organizations used it for publicity. During the Press Agentry phase, communication was one way from the organization to the public at large. The circus showman PT Barnum is an example of this phase. The practice of public relations evolved to an executive function, where practitioners advised corporate leaders on organizational decision-making. Some well-known practitioners include Ivy Lee, Edward Bernays, and Arthur Page. Ivy Lee is best known for his work communicating on behalf of the Pennsylvania Railroad during the nation's westward expansion. Edward Bernays is best known for developing a system of scientific persuasion, which means he researched target audiences to develop messages that would resonate with them and encourage them to take action. As an executive at AT&T, Arthur Page developed a set of principles regarding the practice of public relations on behalf of corporations. He emphasized the importance of PR as a management function and reputation management.

The four components of public relations are management, communication, organization, and publics. PR practitioners manage and coordinate tactics to help an organization reach its goals. PR practitioners plan, implement, and evaluate organizational communication strategies and tactics. When we use the term organization, we mean commercial enterprises, nonprofit organizations, or governmental agencies. Publics are groups of people held together by a common concern. PR practitioners communicate on behalf of an organization to many different publics.

Some fundamental objectives of public relations include developing and maintaining relationships between the organization and its publics, systematically listening to and understanding the concerns of publics, planning and implementing strategic communication campaigns that take into consideration the needs of the public and the goals of the organization.

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1b. Describe the role of PR within diverse business sectors and organizations

What is the hierarchy of PR roles?
What are some of the specialty practices of public relations?
What is the difference between working as an in-house PR practitioner and a member of a PR agency?

The hierarchy of PR roles includes communication technician, expert prescriber, communication facilitator, problem-solving facilitator, and communication manager. These are roles and not formal titles of public relations positions. Communication technicians are entry-level practitioners who do writing and editing tasks that support campaigns and programs. An expert prescriber is a staff member with a specialization like employee relations. They have authority over their specialty area and may report to a communication manager or another member of senior management. Communication facilitators liaise between the organization and members of a target public (members of the media relations team). Problem-solving facilitators are problem-solvers who collaborate with other managers. Communication managers are staff members who manage either the public relations function at larger or one of the subfunctions of PR within the organization.

Common public relations specialties include issues management, media relations, community relations, corporate social responsibility, investor relations, marketing communications, government relations, internal relations, and crisis management. Issues management is a problem-solving management function. Media relations practitioners liaise between the organization and members of the media. Community relations tactics focus on building stronger relationships with members of communities (both regional and industry-wide). Corporate social responsibility refers to managing those tactics the organization uses to be a good community citizen. Publicly held corporations have investor relations personnel who liaise between the company and stockholders and financial analysts. Marketing communication staff liaise and support the marketing function of the organization. Government relations staff liaise with local, regional, and federal government representatives. Internal relations or employee relations ensures that employees and volunteers are up-to-date with organizational news and information. Crisis management goes hand-in-hand with issues management to help respond to crisis situations and sometimes avoid crises.

PR practitioners find work as in-house practitioners or specialists within a public relations agency. In-house practitioners work for one company, their employer. Public relations agencies are firms that represent many clients.

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1c. Describe the fundamental components of a public relations campaign, including the tools essential to PR planning

What is the difference between a public relations campaign and a public relations program?
What are some examples of quantitative research a PR practitioner may use in the initial research stage of a PR campaign?
What is an example of qualitative research a PR practitioner may use in the initial research stage of a PR campaign?

Research is the first step in any public relations campaign or program. A campaign is a collection of tactics used to reach an organizational goal. A program is an ongoing collection of public relations strategies and tactics focusing on a particular public. PR practitioners conduct research to gain an understanding of the organization's challenges. This research sets the stage for planning tactics to reach specific publics. Two types of research are conducted: quantitative research and qualitative research. Quantitative research collects numeric data that can be quantified, such as the U.S. Census data that describes a community using demographic values. Qualitative research collects descriptive data, such as opinions and behaviors. Qualitative data could include answers to a customer survey about a product or service.

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Unit 1 Vocabulary

This vocabulary list includes terms you will need to know to successfully complete the final exam.

Arthur Page
campaign
communication facilitator
communication managers
communication technician
community relations
corporate social responsibility
crisis management
Edward Bernays
expert prescriber
four components of public relations
government relations
internal relations
investor relations
issues management
Ivy Lee
marketing communication
media relations
problem-solving facilitators
program
PT Barnum
qualitative research
quantitative research