Module 1

What is Public
Relation?
 Topics to be covered
Proactive and Reactive Approaches
Public Relations Process
Behavioural Public Relations Model
Persuasion Model
Two way symmetrical Communications Model
When communications is not enough?
20 great truths about Public Relations
 PR
Is the systematic effort to create and
maintain goodwill of an organizations
various publics
Customers
Investors
Dealers
Vendors
Employees
Media
Usually through publicity and other non
paid forms of communication
 PR
PR is ninety percent doing good and ten percent
communicating about it.
PR cant and shouldnt gloss over the bad deeds
of an organisation to make them look good,
but can should professionally help to get credit
for a job well done by the organization
 The Purpose of Public Relations
PR- An Applied Science
Capability of handling cases successfully for
employers and clients
Putting theories and principles to work in a way
that benefits the organization and society
PR- A responsibility of Management
Management must be able to get the cooperation
of people both inside and outside the organization
 Focus of PR- On Behaviour
Improved purchase by , and relationships with
customers
Better community relationships
Active support on issues from opinion leaders
Reduced tension with watchdog agencies
Greater employee loyalty or productivity
More confidence in the value of a company's stock
For a non-profit agency, increased donations
Proactive and Reactive Approaches
Every organisation has reputation, be it good or
bad
Reputation influences the ability of the
organisation to
Win friends
Persuade others to do business with it
Or be trusted in public matters
When something is done consciously done, the
result is a PR policy
Proactive and Reactive Approaches
Reactive mode
Wait for pubic criticism, emergencies, or bad
publicity before the organisation act
Usually likened to be fire fighters who dont get
going until there is a fire
Proactive mode
Approach is like fire prevention
Constantly look for opportunities and problems
Strategy and Planning make the difference

1. Understanding your organisation's or clients

business, operations, culture, and goals
thoroughly
2. Learning as much as possible about the
publics on which it depends for success
3. Putting that understanding and knowledge
together in a formal strategic plan
 PR Process (RACE Model)
Research
Often includes formal research, to define clearly the
specific problem or opportunity
Analysis and planning
To devise and package a strategy
Action, relationship building and communication
To implement strategy
Evaluation
To determine results and to decide what, if anything, to
do next or to do differently
 PR Process (RACE Model)
Research
PR problems dont come with all the facts and
history
Practitioners responsibility to gather the facts and
perceptions from stakeholders
Done through informal and formal research with
internal and external and take holders
 PR Process (RACE Model)
Analysis and Planning
Involves prioritizing stakeholder publics for the situation at hand
Setting the goals for the program
S = Specific: Is the goal direct and to the point?
M = Measurable: Is the outcome measurable?
A = Attainable: Is it possible to achieve this goal?
R = Realistic: Is it likely this goal will be met?
T = Time locked: How much time do you have? How much time
do you need?
S = Sufficient: If the goal is met, will you be where you need to
be?
 PR Process (RACE Model)
Action, relationship building and
communication
Implementation of plan
Reviewing the plan based on the continually
changing situation and progression of stake
holders perception and behaviours
Activities involve many one way and two way
communication tools
 PR Process (RACE Model)
Evaluation
To determine the successfulness of the plan
Evaluation take place at two levels
1. Monitoring
2. measuring
 Behavioural Public Relations Model

Behaviour is the only outcome that truly

counts -First posited by Pat Jackson
What stakeholder groups think or feel means
very little unless their behaviour make s a
difference
Motivating the people to
Do something
Not to do something
Or let you do something
 Behavioural Public Relations Model

Model basically shifts the objective away from

awareness as a goal to a behavioural response
What behaviours am I trying to motivate?
rather than What information am I trying to
communicate?
 Behavioural Public Relations Model
A Rarely
Awareness
Usually

R
B
LR
Occasionally
R
Latent Readiness Ultimate
Desired
Behaviour

Usually
B
TE R
Preparatory or
(4 Types) Relationship
Intermediate
Triggering Events Building
Behaviour
 Behavioural Public Relations Model
Step 1
Awareness
A person cant act on something that he or she is
not aware of
Publicity via mass media
Latent readiness
Open a file in the mind of the stakeholder in
which to store information and feelings about the
subject
 Behavioural Public Relations Model
Step 2
Latent desire to act on then newly acquired awareness
Can be positive or negative
Triggering event
An activity that motivates stakeholders to act on their
latent readiness
Natural/Manufactured triggering event
Intermediate behaviour
Puts the organisation in direct contact with people
 Behavioural Public Relations Model
Public relations is a process by which the
organisations establish positive relationships
which lead to positive behaviour
Hence PR could also mean Positive Relations
 Persuasion Model
Persuading people to change their behaviour is difficult
Model for persuading those who are hostile to an idea
and who are required for the success of a program
Developed by Kerry Tucker
Four steps involved in the model
1. Creating dissatisfaction with the status quo
2. Offering the program as a viable option to the status quo
3. Presenting benefits of adopting the new idea and
consequences of rejecting it
4. Modeling the desired behaviour
 Persuasion Model
The key of the course is creating dissatisfaction with the status
quo
In effect, the subject has to see and agree that the existing
behaviour is wrong
Self persuasion may challenge the existing belief
Offering a new idea as solution to the cognitive dissonance
created by the crack in the wall of defence
Outlining the benefits and consequences may reinforce the
subjects decision and helps to clear doubts
Modelling the desired behaviour presents a picture of the subject
of the new world in which the new behaviour is the norm
 Two-Way Symmetrical Communication Model

First introduced by Jim and Larissa Grunig

The model tries to first understand the wants and need of
the subject and public
Then shaping the organisation's decisions and actions to
meet that need
Concept is close to idea of merging public and private
interest
Uses Bargaining, negotiation and conflict resolution
strategies to effect change in the ideas, attitudes, and
behaviours of both the organisation and its publics for
mutual benefit.
 When communication is not enough?
Communication alone doesnt get an organization where it needs
to go
Beyond communication
Involves altering the way society thinks and acts in order to achieve the
level of change needed to satisfy an organization's goals
Good communication strategy and tactics to make major societal
changes
First step Affect mores
Are the informal rules by which we all agree to live
Once mores have been in place for long enough to become established
policy ,laws are enacted to give them official status
Engineered solution
When persuasion, mores, and laws are ineffective
Way to physically prevent the behavior
20 great truths of Public Relations
1. The long term security of the organization or
product is far more important than short term
expediency.
2. Perceptions is reality, facts not withstanding
3. Unfulfilled expectations create most PR
problems
4. Planning and preparation are invaluable. When
disaster strikes, its too late to prepare a crisis
plan or build a legacy of trust
20 great truths of Public Relations
5. The value of research is inestimable
Every planned PR program should start and end with research
Every PR plan should evolve from research
Research should be conducted at every step of the program
6. PR needs to always play its position and let the other
departments legal, operations, marketing, etc. play
theirs
7. Communication must always follow performance
8. PR frequently turns on timing. Knowing when to act is as
important as knowing what to do.
20 great truths of Public Relations
9. If your client, product, or organization is challenged:
Dont ignore the challenge
If the challenge is unfair, fight back as hard as you can
If the challenge has merit, fight for corrective actions
10.The Media-PR relationship will never be better than
professional. There are no favors for free lunches anymore.
11.Ad hoc pressure groups wont give up or go away. You have
to deal with them directly or they will consume you in the
media
12.PR has to be involved from the beginning to have maximum
impact
20 great truths of Public Relations
13. Full and complete disclosure and communication is the
best way to keep from getting greedy when entrusted
with the publics money
14. Doing the right thing is more important than doing the
thing right. There is no such thing as corporate
ethics. People are either ethical or they arent, and
these people determine the ethics of an organization
15. If you have to say something, the truth is always best
16. Appeals to others self interest are seldom unrewarded
20 great truths of Public Relations
17. Involvement in the planning stages provides
ownership and support
18. If top management is not sold, the project will
never succeed
19. Absent trustworthy information, people assume the
worst. Rumors thrive in the vacuum of no
information
20. Most negatives can become positives with a little
creative effort and a lot of hard work
End of Module 1

Thank You