Making public relations history
“Any fool can make history, but it takes a genius to write it”, according to Oscar Wilde. Those of us assembling in Bournemouth for the third International History of Public Relations Conference can debate this view after two days of illuminating presentations on the history of our field. We should also remember another Wilde quote: [...]
Looking for excellence in public relations
What exactly does ‘excellence’ mean in public relations? Is it something to be achieved by anyone following a particular approach (as implied by the Model of Excellence), or demonstrated by those recognised by the industry (such as winners of the CIPR Excellence Awards)?
My dictionary equates the term with ‘extremely good’ or ‘pre-eminent; which are [...]
Relationship advice for PR practitioners
Relationships are in the DNA of PR – in fact, the name itself indicates the function manages relations with publics. But the priority in PR practice is largely on writing skills rather than interpersonal ones; whilst although academic definitions and literature highlight two-way communications, they largely omit what is required to build and maintain mutually [...]
Sex sells – faking it in public relations
Women are successful in public relations – UK data shows a 64:36 female:male gender split in an industry worth £7.5bn. In particular, young women are attracted to the occupation – dominating specialist degree courses (by 4:1 in my experience) and reflecting the largest demographic group in practice.
The secret of their success is often stated as [...]
In praise of publicity – a woman’s history
I’ve yet to come across Constance Hope in any public relations textbook – perhaps not surprising as women are largely missing from the history. Indeed, apart from Doris Fleischman, I am unaware of any female voices writing about early experiences of the practice in the US; and Fleischman’s contribution inevitably is linked to her husband [...]
PR is what PR does – a question of ethics
Not surprisingly there’s been a great deal of discussion of ethics in relation to the News Corp phone-hacking scandal. Although journalism and corporate governance are facing the real ethical questions, public relations has been brought into the mix by many commentators. Indeed, the Vancouver Sun attributes any ethical lapses in journalism to the practice of [...]
PRoust questionnaire: Richard Bailey
Richard Bailey MCIPR experienced public relations educator (university and professional qualifications) and a former business journalist and PR manager/consultant.
The PRoust Questionnaire provides a quick insight into a public relations practitioner’s interests and point of view, as well as their professional beliefs and values. If you are not [...]
PRoust Questionnaire: Nelly Benova
The PRoust Questionnaire provides a quick insight into a public relations practitioner’s interests and point of view, as well as their professional beliefs and values. If you are not familiar with the original 19th-century Proust Questionnaire, please see details at the end of this post.
1. What is your most striking characteristic as a PR [...]
PR – it’s a woman’s world
It is nearly 25 years since the publication of Cline’s ‘Velvet Ghetto’ study of women in public relations which responded to the increasing feminisation of the occupation. Undeniably today, the field is one dominated by women – indeed, based on my UK experience, 90% of the students on undergraduate PR degree courses and studying for [...]
Facing up to the PR talent challenge
One of the interesting outcomes of my position on the boundary of PR academia and practice is that I’m often asked for recommendations about finding PR talent.
This frequently applies to recruiting placement students (interns) or young graduate practitioners. However, at the PR career starting point, there are many who advocate a specialist degree is not [...]