Posted on Classic PR Conversations Current PR Conversations

Reflexivity Memo on PR practice from craft skills to education. A case of ‘plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose’.

As a passionate advocate of reflective practice and lifelong learning, it’s always useful to look back at my previous writing/thinking. Thanks go to João Duarte for providing this ‘reflexive moment’ by noting the 15-year anniversary since publication of a PRC article ‘grilling’ James Grunig. We are forever appreciative of Jim’s willingness to engage, and grateful to Toni Muzi Falconi for his facilitation. Publication of that collective interview was prompted by my piece called A radical...

Posted on Classic PR Conversations Current PR Conversations

15 years after: the collective “grilling” of Jim Grunig still delivers visionary insights on the future of PR

By João Duarte, National Scientific Committee member, FERPILab 15 years ago, a group of PR scholars, practitioners, critics, and lecturers collectively challenged Jim Grunig to address some of the recurrent issues that emerged in the PR Conversations blog at that time. [See original post: https://www.prconversations.com/engaging-and-grilling-the-social-side-of-james-grunig/] Everything about this collective interview was innovative. From the multicultural background of the interviewers, the co-operative nature of the venture, to the generosity of Jim to step out of his...

Posted on Current PR Conversations PR Motion

Applying the deep roots of rhizomatic learning to relationship strategies in public relations

The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and systems in recent years has led to consideration of the role of the human in public relations. It is asserted that machine learning will enable more and more routine tasks to be automated, whilst practitioners will concentrate on strategic matters, such as building relationships. Yet, this distinction between tactical and strategic, technician and management reflects a traditional 20th century, mechanistic way of thinking. The organisation is conceptualised...

Posted on Current PR Conversations PR Axis

Tracing the measurement origins of PESO

There are some acronyms that we become so familiar with that we no longer know who originated them. Indeed, students aren’t even expected to credit the source in their work. Think about the following: PEST or SWOT. Then there are models and concepts that become disassociated from their originators over time. How about the Diffusion of Innovation, Nudge or SMART objectives? Even if we don’t know whose idea it first was, or even the name...

Posted on Current PR Conversations PR Nexus

Happiness and the improvement of professional PR/communications practice 

Effectiveness in PR/communications practice usually involves thinking about evaluation and measurement metrics. But what about the human aspects of how we as individuals – and collectively – can improve our professional practice? This PRConversations conversational post examines the importance of happiness as a performance improvement trigger. I’ve discussed this interesting proposition by email with David Sawyer, a successful UK PR consultant, who starts with the story behind his new book, RESET: an unconventional early retirement plan for midlife (salaried) careerists...

Posted on Current PR Conversations PR Motion PR Vision

Career ambitions beyond strategic communications

It is nearly fifty years since Broom and Smith first published their studies into professional role development in public relations. This established career ambitions of advancement through a hierarchy of aspiration from delivering technical services to attaining an expert manager position. This simple structure has been critiqued for reflecting a traditional favouring of a linear male mobility. Early research found that women in public relations tended to remain in technical positions, while men dominated management...

Posted on Current PR Conversations PR Motion

Addressing the talent challenge in PR – finding stability in volatile times

There is no shortage of opinion on the future of work. One thing that most people agree is that “the way individuals look for work and companies identify and recruit talent” is changing. This largely means matching services using digital platforms. Another trend is towards flexible working within a ‘gig economy’. In this PR Conversation post, I discuss how these developments affect the PR industry, with Nigel Sarbutts, founder of The PR Cavalry, a service...

Posted on Current PR Conversations PR Mediums PR Motion

Keeping silent – PR lessons for evaluating purpose and influence

There probably couldn’t be two more contrasting campaigns being talked about in one week than the 30th anniversary Nike’s Dream Crazy commercial fronted by Colin Kaepernick and the single Listerine sponsored post by Instagram ‘influencer’ Scarlett Dixon. What they have in common is controversy. This is not uncommon as a marketing strategy – for instance, it has been used deliberately by the likes of Ryanair and Protein World in recent years. Controversy as a marketing strategy...

Posted on Current PR Conversations PR Motion

The art of smart thinking in public relations

This PR Conversations post looks at the challenges in attracting smart people to build sustainable careers in public relations, by sharing a conversation that I’ve had with Ann Pilkington, founder of PR Academy, the largest provider of professional PR qualifications in the UK.  Dr. Heather Yaxley It seems to me that there’s a perennial debate in public relations about the merits of experience versus qualifications. Indeed, research I’ve undertaken looking at the evolution of professional PR qualifications...

Posted on Current PR Conversations PR Mediums

A mindful approach to using social media as professional communicators

Over the past decade or so, public relations has been in a rollercoaster relationship with social media. Nervous initially to jump onboard, since then we’ve been up the hype cycle with several peaks of inflated expectations followed by swoops down into the trough of disillusionment. Are we currently in a valley of despair following all the shenanigans of ‘fake news’ and ‘data scandals’? Or on an upwards slope of hope driven by artificial intelligence (AI)...