INTRODUCTION

Definition:
Public relations include ongoing activities to ensure the company has a
strong public image. Public relations activities include helping the public to
understand the company and its products. Often, public relations are
conducted through the media that is, newspapers, television, magazines, etc.
As noted above, public relations is often considered as one of the primary
activities included in promotions

Meaning:
"Public relations help an organization and its publics adapt mutually to each
other."

Role of Public relation:

Public relations help our complex, pluralistic society to reach decisions and
function more effectively by contributing to mutual understanding among
groups and institutions. It serves to bring private and public policies into
harmony. Public relations serve a wide variety of institutions in society such
as businesses, trade unions, government agencies, voluntary associations,
foundations, hospitals, schools, colleges, and religious institutions. To
achieve their goals, these institutions must develop effective relationships
with many different audiences or publics such as employees, members,
customers, local communities, shareholders, and other institutions, and with
society at large. The managements of institutions need to understand the
attitudes and values of their publics in order to achieve institutional goals.
The goals themselves are shaped by external environment. The public
relations practitioner acts as a counselor to management and as a mediator,
helping translate private aims into reasonable, publicly acceptable policy and
action.
As a management function, public relations encompass the following:
 Anticipating, analyzing and interpreting public opinion, attitudes,
and issues that might impact, for good or ill, the operations and
plans of the organization.
  Counseling management at all levels in the organization with
regard to policy decisions, courses of action, and communications,
taking into account their public ramifications and the
organization's social or citizenship responsibilities.
 Researching, conducting, and evaluating, on a continuing basis,
programs of action and communication to achieve the informed
public understanding necessary to success of an organization's
aims. These may include marketing, financial, fund raising,
employee, community or government relations, and other
programs.
 Planning and implementing the organization's efforts to influence
or change public policy. Setting objectives, planning, budgeting,
recruiting and training staff, developing facilities-in short,
managing the resources needed to perform all of the above.

Need for Public Relations:

During the pre-industrial period, business and social relations were simple,
straightforward and on a person to person basis. That was possible because
business and society were much less complex in structure and character than
they are today and competitiveness was minimal. The need for public
relations today is therefore inherent in the very nature of modern and
government. Business cannot rest satisfied with production, distribution and
making profits. It must involve itself with community activities and inform
the public on a regular basis what its achievements and failures are. Public
relations in business provide a channel through which business can talk to
various publics and public in turn can talk back to business. The function of
Public relations is not merely to combat criticism or complaints but rather to
create goodwill and understanding and in building up a favorite’s climate in
which an organization can function.
How it Can Help?
The publicity and promotional aspect paves the way for the sale of products
or services, so much so that some companies have placed sales quotas on
their product publicity people. Internal motivation is a vital factor which
affects the bottom line by building morale, enhancing productivity and
creating team spirit. It also helps recruit qualified people and retain them.
Public relations provides an early warning system by avoiding disruptions
which may occur when a single surprise issue or unplanned-for
social/political change arises. Public relations provide an organization with
new opportunities because the people involved in public relations interact
with more internal and external audiences than anyone else in the
organization. Public relations people have a conning tower from which to
identify new markets, new products, and new methods.
Public relations help to protect the present position when an organization is
under attack. For instance, Proctor and Gamble did not suffer declining
sales, morale or stock values during the tampon debacle largely because of
their expert public relations handling of the problem -communicating the
company's position.
Public relations help to overcome executive isolation, something that can
affect every organization sooner or later. An inescapable assignment of
every public relations practitioner is opening the eyes and ears of
management to what's really happening "out there." Public relations helps
organizations manage change something they must do to stay competitive
and efficient. But since change is threatening and often resisted, smooth
transition through a necessary change guided by public relations
professionals is a real dollar-saver.
Steps in a public relations campaign:
Effective public relations require a knowledge, based on analysis and
understanding, of all the factors that influence public attitudes toward the
organization. While a specific public relations project or campaign may be
undertaken proactively or reactively (to manage some sort of image crisis),
the first basic step in either case involves analysis and research to identify all
the relevant factors of the situation.
 The organization gains an understanding of its various constituencies
and the key factors that are influencing their perceptions of the
organization.
 The organization establishes an overall policy with respect to the
campaign. This involves defining goals and desired outcomes, as well
as the constraints under which the campaign will operate. It is
necessary to establish such policy guidelines in order to evaluate
proposed strategies and tactics as well as the overall success of the
campaign.
 The organization outlines its strategies and tactics. Using its
knowledge of the target audiences and its own established policies,
the organization develops specific programs to achieve the desired
objectives.
 It involves actual communication with the targeted public. The
organization then employs specific public relations techniques, such
as press conferences or special events, to reach the intended audience.
 The organization receives feedback from its public. How have they
reacted to the public relations campaign? Are there some unexpected
developments In the final step, the organization assesses the program
and makes any necessary adjustments.
Public Relation strategies:
Public relations efforts are efficient and cost-effective ways to speak to your
market. Because PR information comes through the media, an "objective"
source for your potential customers; it often carries more weight than
advertising. Here are some tips to help you get the word out about your
company:
 Local town newspapers cover local town material. When you
have something to say, send a short (two or three paragraph) press
release no fancy form is necessary. For example, our local paper will
usually print a release about a business expansion or the addition of
new personnel. If one can take a reasonable picture, send it with the
release.
 Get the names and contact information of the business editors of
regional and major magazines and newspapers. Call the editors to
introduce yourself and your business and offer your expertise to
them if they're ever doing a story which relates to your particular
area. Editors always need sources, especially when a big story is
going down. Even if you own the local plumbing franchise, you may
be called by an editor to comment when the county sewage system
backs up.
 Get to know the editors in your field. If you have a small widget
store, get to know the editors of Widget World, Widget Today or
whatever publication that speaks to the particular market.
 If possible, get a Web site and get it in order by linking to other
sites. Web sites are a wonderful public relations tool: They don't cost
much to keep running (as little as $30 per month), and they make our
business look modern and savvy.
 When you go to industry events, stop by the press room. If you
can't get in without valid credentials, leave a stack of invitations to
your trade show booth, party, etc. on the registration table, near the
door.
 Throw parties. They don't have to be expensive; cheese and
crackers and soft drinks are enough. Celebrate your business
anniversaries (one year, five years, etc.). Celebrate new
management, redecorate and have a grand opening, do whatever you
can think of to get your name in the paper. Invite local dignitaries
like the mayor or town council members; it's their job to attend these
functions and you can usually get someone to agree to attend. Then
call the local journalists to tell them who will be attending. Invite the
 journalists, too. They probably won't come, but they'll remember
your celebration and how well you are doing.
 When your business gets to a certain size, you'll need to hire a
professional firm because you will want exposure in larger markets.
You also won't have time to use these strategies; you'll need
someone who has specific expertise and relationships with the media
that you don't have time to form. You'll know you need a
professional firm when the time comes, because it will be worth
more to you to pay someone else to do it than to do it yourself.

Goals of public relations

Some of the main goals of public relations are to create, maintain, and
protect the organization's reputation, enhance its prestige, and present a
favorable image. Studies have shown that consumers often base their
purchase decisions on a company's reputation, so public relations can have a
definite impact on sales and revenue. Public relations can be an effective
part of a company's overall marketing strategy. In the case of a for-profit
company, public relations and marketing should be coordinated to be sure
they are working to achieve the same objectives.

Another major public relations goal is to create good will for the
organization. This involves such functions as employee relations,
stockholder and investor relations, media relations, and community
relations. Public relations may function to educate certain audiences about
many things relevant to the organization—including the business in general,
new legislation, and how to use a particular product—as well as to overcome
misconceptions and prejudices. For example, a nonprofit organization may
attempt to educate the public regarding a certain point of view, while trade
associations may undertake educational programs regarding particular
industries and their products and practices.
Communication:
"Any act by which one person gives to or receives from another person
information about that person's needs, desires, perceptions, knowledge, or
affective states. Communication may be intentional or unintentional, may
involve conventional or unconventional signals, may take linguistic or
nonlinguistic forms, and may occur through spoken or other modes."

Importance of communication in public

relations:
Public relations creates awareness and support among an organization's
constituents for its products, services, management views, intellectual
capital and its distinct approach to doing business. It helps build credibility,
manage risk, establish reputations and drive sales. From your receptionist to
your CEO, everyone carries a message that impacts your reputation. Further,
the speed of communications has enabled a level of transparency today
which exposes a company, creating greater risk than ever before.
As an internal communication professional you know that your role is of
strategic importance to the organization. More than just developing well-
written material to disperse to staff, you play a key part in promoting
cultural and behavioral change and in improving the overall performance of
the organization.
However, senior management often fail to recognize the active role internal
communication can play in engaging employees and in entrenching the
values of the organization. Internal communicators need to not only
demonstrate the value they add to the business, but to also overcome any
impediments to the success of their communication strategies so that their
work is viewed as effective like
 Engaging the involvement of stakeholders
 Making the most of existing communication strategies
 Dealing with a lack of communication skills amongst team leaders
 Measuring the effectiveness of campaigns
 Making yourself heard whilst employees are dealing with
information overload

When you speak in meetings, do people pay attention? Do your instructions

really sink in? Are you proactive about bringing sensitive issues to the
forefront? Are you comfortable mediating disputes? Ineffective
communication skills can lead to misunderstandings and missed
opportunities, and can damage your credibility

Public and media relation:

Public relations include ongoing activities to ensure the organization has a
strong public image. Public relations activities include helping the public to
understand the organization and its products. Similar to effective advertising
and promotions, effective public relations often depends on designing and
implementing a well-designed public relations plan. The plan often includes
description of what you want to convey to whom, how you plan to convey it,
which is responsible for various activities and by when, and how much
money is budgeted to fund these activities. Similar to advertising and
promotions, a media plan and calendar can be very useful, which specifies
what media methods that are used and when. Often, public relations are
conducted through the media that is, newspapers, television, magazines, etc.
Publicity is mention in the media. Organizations usually have little control
over the message in the media, at least, not as much as they do in
advertising. Regarding publicity, reporters and writers decide what will be
said.

Handling the media :

Never lie to a reporter. If you don't know an answer, simply say so, but add
that you will be happy to find out and get back to them. If you are not at
liberty to discuss a particular aspect, again, say so, but never lie. Your lie
will be discovered, and a good story will turn bad.
Don't be forced into saying something you don't want to say. If you don't
feel comfortable answering a particular question, answer the one you want
asked. Be clear about the point you want to get across. Always bring the
discussion back to your points. Be smart. Be professional. Learn from
others. Invite friendly media people to come to your organization to give
workshops on interviews, and other topics. Understand the media people you
are trying to influence and make sure they understand you.
If you don't have a person in your organization who can attract press
attention, try to find someone who can. Whether we like it or not, the reality
is that some people are media stars. Build relationships with those people,
involve them in your issue, and don't hesitate to ask them to stand with you.
Stars also come with egos that need to be stroked, and sometimes handling
them can be more difficult than handling the media, so beware.
Forms of communication:
Communication has various forms in terms of the verbal and non-verbal, the
technological and non-technological.

 Intrapersonal communication-Intrapersonal communication is

individual reflection, contemplation and meditation. Conversing with
divine, with spirits and ancestors may be called as transpersonal
communication. This is vital experience in religious and monastic life
in ashrams and places of prayers.
 Interpersonal/face-to-face communication-this communication is
direct face-to-face communication between 2 persons. It is personal,
direct and intimate allowing for maximum interaction and exchange
of words and gesture. Indeed it is the highest, the most perfect form of
communication that 2 person can attain.

 Interactive communication-Communication via the new media such

as video, cable, tele-shopping, computers and internet is usually
termed as interactive communication. A major characteristic of this
communication is that sending and receiving messages is at one’s
convenience. They are Point-to-point communication systems and can
approximate to the interpersonal, the group or the mass.

 Group communication-communication with large no. of public. It is

thus more complex process than interpersonal communication. The
level of mutual participation and understanding among the members
suffers. The larger the group the less personal and intimate is the
possibility of exchange. In fact as the group grows in size
communication tends to be more difficult and problematic. The degree
of directness and intimacy therefore depends upon.
Public Relations-a communication
technique used in industry:
Public relations is a communication technique frequently used in dealing
with employees, trade union, association and also with government, press,
media, rival industries and the general public.

The most widespread methods of communication with internal publics

includes house journal, L/C letters, meetings and methods for external public
includes press releases, press conferences, exhibitions, sponsorships. The
vital function of PR department is to ensure a streamlined communication
system, a system that keeps channels of communication open all the time to
people within the organization as well as to the various external publics.