Public Relations: Not As Simple As You Had Thought...

October 2008

Public Relations: Not As Simple As You Had Thought...

By Leo H (Me!)
Class of August 2007

Public relations (PR) which is considered a new industry by many people, has now evolved and grown in importance for many organisations. This is a fact. Sadly, PR is ignored by many organisations, even by big corporations that play a very important role in generating growth in the economy.

First of all, let us try to understand the definition of PR and its role in an organisation. Many people, even scholars, find it hard to interpret and define PR. Until today, countless definitions have been generated to help people understand this industry and the nature of a PR practitioner's job. In the end, only a few of them-particularly the ones that meet the academic requirements-are adopted.

Many are unaware that public relations was once called publicity or even simply known as "an act of hype". It is believed that PR started when human beings began to communicate and influence each other. Case in point, Ivy Ledbetter Lee who was recognised as one of the earliest-if not the first-PR counsellor who managed to improve the Rockefeller family's public image in the face of many labour issues. By using his many tactics, Lee managed to turn the negative aspects of the situation into positive ones.

From what I had learned (and am still learning), PR is not "go tell a story" and should not be handled in an ad-hoc manner. My lecturer taught me that PR is about RACE (research, analysis, communication and evaluation), but I did not actually realise the true meaning of each element then.

Allow me to elaborate. Many people think that research is a waste of time, but if you do not do the research first, you may well be wasting even more time, planning and scripting things that you may not even use. Research, in brief, is for one to understand the issues or situations that need to be addressed. So, even a little bit of research will help. It is a process of collecting information which may lead to insight into what one did not know before, such as identifying your audience, pin-pointing problems and defining messages, and to a certain extent, preventing crises from happening.

Only then can one proceed with proper planning to achieve the stated objective-in other words, getting the answer to the question: "how do we achieve it?" This involves mostly strategy, tactics and budgeting to achieve the said objective. Next is communicating the message to the appropriate audience, by drafting a suitable message and working on the best way to communicate it through, i.e., to execute what has been planned.

We do not, however, end the PR process by just executing the communication. We evaluate the whole process, assessing it in an unbiased and neutral way, in order to know where to improve. It is like working on an art piece-one needs to know where to add and when to stop. With each project, we need to know what went wrong and which area to improve. Through assessment, we gain more in-depth knowledge that we can use later.

After working in the industry, I finally grasped the meaning of the four elements of RACE when I whispered to myself, "Oh! How true..." I never fail to remind myself that I am there but not quite there yet; but this is a good thing and it means more room for improvement.
When I related my experience in the industry to one of my acquaintances, he asked me, "Isn't it boring to be in this industry and repeat what you do?" His remark did not surprise me. One may not understand what we PR practitioners do, but it never appears to be repetitive for me. Perhaps, the process might be long, but it is never repetitive as each and every project and campaign have different requirements and they always challenge your limits to ensure that the communication efforts work for the organisation or clients.

PR presents a logical and sensible solution for delivering all communication requirements by addressing issues faced by the organisations that we represent so that our clients can grow and prosper. And on top of everything else, all this has to be conveyed strategically and in a well-planned manner to achieve the stated objectives. One has to be well prepared, body and mind (and maybe even soul), in order to take up this ever challenging and stressful role of a PR practitioner. Well, for me, it is the passion that drives me to go further. It took some time for me to realise this, but I am happy that I did.

At the end of the day, I go home with a smile on my face, in cheerful spirits and feel contented with what I had achieved, and everyday is a brand new day. Things are much easier now, for sure, with so much support and encouragement from my superior and colleagues. Needless to say, teamwork makes things happen.

About the writer

Leo H, completed his degree in Public Relations in 2007. His strong interest in communications spurs him to further his studies. He also has experience in the hospitality and retailing industry.

He is actively engaged in many talk and dialogue sessions conducted by students to create awareness and a better understanding of the diversity of PR and communications in Malaysia. (P/S: If you still dunno who that is... Hint for you: That's me!)