This is was a presentation that I gave to the Creative Capital group at The Hospital on May 12, 2008. Its much more personal than my usual presentations.
6. Every day, to earn my daily bread I go to the market where lies are bought. Hopefully, I take up my place among the sellers. - Bertolt Brecht
7. WHAT IS PR? "Public Relations is a management function which tabulates public attitudes, defines the policies, procedures and interest of an organization followed by executing a program of action to earn public understanding and acceptance.” - Edward Burnays "Public Relations is a set of management, supervisory, and technical functions that foster an organisation's ability to listen strategically to, appreciate, and respond to those persons whose mutually beneficial relationships with the organisation are necessary if it is to achieve its missions and values." - Robert L. Heath, Encyclopedia of Public Relations “ Public relations is about reputation - the result of what you do, what you say and what others say about you. Public relations is the discipline which looks after reputation, with the aim of earning understanding and support and influencing opinion and behaviour. It is the planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain goodwill and mutual understanding between an organisation and its publics.” - CIPR What Is PR?
8. WHAT IS PR? PART 2.0 PR in practice “ Public relations takes many forms in different organisations and comes under many titles, including public information, investor relations, public affairs, corporate communication, marketing or customer relations. Number 26 (out of 95 theses): “Public Relations does not relate to the public. Companies are deeply afraid of their markets.” - Cluetrain Manifesto “ To add to all the confusion, not all of these titles always relate accurately to public relations, but all of them cover at least part of what public relations is. At its best, public relations not only tells an organisation's story to its publics, it also helps to shape the organisation and the way it works. Through research, feedback communication and evaluation, the practitioner needs to find out the concerns and expectations of a company's publics and explain them to its management.” - CIPR