The readings from this week (only Chapter 11 pages 287-297 of Public relations: theory and practice, as they were the only readings I had access to) focussed on the role of public relations practitioners within organizations.
The readings made me think more about public relations theory/practice in that it is more than forging communicative relationships with the media and the public. I had never realised that public relations has a place inside an organization as well as outside. The employees of a company are also technically a ‘public’, whose opinions and loyalty are as important as customers or clients.
I found some of the “Tools and channels of communication” a bit trite eg. Birthday greetings on a noticeboard, employee of the month awards, office ‘Wear a Silly Hat’ Day etc. They would personally irritate me more than create a sense of community. And, for instance, if I had been unfairly treated or I did not have a positive relationship with my co-workers, a framed certificate or an office memo would not make me any more of an “ambassador of goodwill”. However, some of these tools do provide a practical means of communication and would positively affect the flow of internal information.
I think the key point to remember from this week's readings is that internal communication is extremely important for maintaining the positive reputation of an organization.
2 comments:
yo madeline '19' briggs.
so, i think your point that employees also make up a part of the public is an important concept and the fact that PR must also occur within the organisation is very true.
What is your beef with silly hat day? i disagree with you in that i think that it is important that there be some some form of employee initiatives to make them feel somewhat valued and like they are not working in a PR sweat shop. Sure it's not guaranteed that a person works in an organisation that has a silly hat day or crazy tie friday will then become a 'goodwill ambassator' for the organisation, but it's better than a disgruntled employee complaining by word of mouth about their shoddy work conditions and creating a negative reputation about the company. To make my point i will refer to my shameful place of employment, they are horid slave drivers and i have been forced into the role of a 'badwill ambassator' due to the lack of crazy hat days.
Dear Madeline,
I agree with your learning that public relations has an equally important role within the organization as well as outside. Much like yourself, i too believed that PR was first and foremost about communicating with the public however it would seem that perhaps communication within the company is more important -- hats off for picking that up.
On the subject of hats, i find it both shocking and appalling that you consider the 'tools and channels of communication to be "trite", namely 'silly hat day'. Would this concept not bring an element of freshness to the workplace? Could this initiative not be the catalyst for a brilliant sun protection campaign? To answer 'no' would be blasphemy! Furthermore, birthday greetings are a wonderful way to show employees that the organization cares about them. Having just turned 19 (HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!) you of all people should be aware that these sorts of well wishes bring warmth to the heart, a warmth that will fuel employees into a working frenzy. After doing your readings you should be aware that happy workers are a key to an organization's success.
Having had my rant, I think your blog is tops and look forward to returning soon.
Much luv, Dr.P.R.Bernays
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