Five reasons public relations helps business productivity | Public ...

The pivotal role of public relations, and the fundamental tenets which underpin it, for business productivity have been highlighted by the findings of a 2011 survey of more than 1,400 corporate executives, employees, and educators. Poor communication, a lack of collaboration, compromised honesty, leaders often not seeking out the views of others, and a toxic inability of workplaces to identify and discuss issues truthfully and effectively, are stymieing productivity and the achievement of business objectives.

Each of the six elements noted above can be turned around by the application of best practice public relations, most notably encapsulated by two-way symmetrical communication, the dominant paradigm of effective PR in the workplace.

Public relations is effective communication

Probably the element most people will consider relevant to public relations is that of effective communication. Whether face-to-face/interpersonal or of a broader/mass reach emphasis, the following principle of effective public relations can be applied to almost any situation where communication is required:

• Customise the information to the target audience
• Utilise communication mediums which the target audience finds the most useful and utilises most frequently
• Identify who (e.g. people) or what (e.g. issue or topic) influences target audiences and integrate them into the communication program.

Customising the information has a number of dimensions:

• Be effective (and honest, for that matter) in emphasising the salient information, not the peripheral (i.e. ditch the spin)
• Understand and be assertive in addressing those aspects of the information which will be of greatest concern or interest to target audiences
• To really understand (as noted above), market research amongst the target audience needs to have taken place. This really is public relations best practice 101 as, for one thing, if you haven?t done this how do you know what point there is to communication at all??
• How is leadership being shown through the communication? If there is change or innovation involved, for instance, what rationales are being put forward to support this occurring and what will be the impact on target audiences? If there is ?pain? involved, explain how this might potentially manifest itself to target audiences?

Making communication truly meaningful to target audiences

One of the most important dimensions of communication (or public relations in this specific context) is seeking out the views of others and then changing the nature of what the business decision entails. A further dimension of this is changing the nature of the communication itself.

Not only will this give the decision more rigour and give it the power to identify, and/or leverage, threats or opportunities those making the initial decision may have been able to generate it also ? and this is extremely powerful ? gives those who have been consulted on the decision, and/or had their feedback addressed, a sense of empowerment and motivation that will doubtlessly enhance productivity.

This collaboration is a fundamental tenet of public relations and a means for the organisation and its culture to become enriched through becoming a happy meeting ground of organisational and target audience needs and wants: or ?enlightened self-interest?, as it has been articulated by Grunig, Grunig & Dozier.

Public relations doesn?t do dishonesty

This is a sub-head which will prompt chortles in some self-satisfied corners. Well, yes, it is idealistic I?ll admit. All elements of business have their less-than-ideal practitioners. Yet not so idealistic if two-way symmetrical communication and/or straightforward ethics are applied.

The survey said, ?Over 70 percent of individuals either agree or strongly agree that a lack of candor impacts the company?s ability to perform optimally.?

Apart from the fact that this is a sad reflection of business and society in the US (where the survey was undertaken, not that I am assuming it is different in any other country, including Australia), it is also a reflection of best practice PR not being practiced.

If you can?t be honest in the decisions that you make, if you can?t be honest in the way you explain them to people, why make them? Is making money a sufficient reason, as I am hazarding to guess this is the implied or accepted rationale?

Even if this is the case, assuming the lack of candour is because there exists of a fear of being found out, because the decision is either knowingly unethical or it is felt target audiences won?t understand the decision, then public relations has two roles to play:

• Counsel the organisation to evolve its decision so it more closely matches the needs and wants of its target audiences, as well as other societal stakeholders that, collectively, provide its permission to operate (i.e. PR should always challenge the status quo as a default characteristic)
• Customise the information so that it reduces the lack of misunderstanding in relation to the decision.

The honesty and integrity, as well as the wise strategic counsel, of best practice public relations is a necessity for any organisation to operate at its optimum level of productivity, as well as to achieve its potential as an important participant in the societies in which it functions.

How do you think public relations can enhance productivity? Are there ever occasions when honesty is NOT the best policy in public relations? Are there shades of grey is this debate? If so, please explain how you think this should manifest itself.

NB. The contents of this survey first came to my attention through an article by Australian business analyst and writer, Peter Switzer.

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