Every person seems to have a different answer to what public relations is and how it is used in the business world. Some people have the right idea but it seems they only have the right understanding when they have actually used or seen it used throughout the business world. I asked three people to define public relations and actually name someone in a high profile job.
First, I asked Nancy who works as a business analyst for Greyhound Lines in Dallas Texas. She believes that public relations has two sides. One side is protecting the policies and speaking to the public without misconstruing the company's policies. The other side is promoting the company to the public. She couldn't name an exact person in a public relations position, but she said it was whoever holds the position of the press secretary of the White House. Nancy agreed with my definition and believed we were trying to say the same thing.
Second, I asked Kaytie who is a server and a lover of words. Her definition definitly shows off that love: "the formation/mutation of facts to conform with ones public image". She named Karl Rove as someone in a high public relations position. She understood my definition and did agree that public relations deals a lot with communication but believes there is always some kind of twist/spin on words within the position.
Third, I asked Jonathan who is a bartender hoping to become a minister one day. His definition had to be broken down a bit. Basically, he said it's what he does everyday he's at work, he gets to know his public and tells them what they want to hear. He couldn't name a particular person who holds a public relations position, but he figured it was whoever writes the president's speeches. We talked about my definition for a while and decided that communication was the best way to keep in contact with your public and sometimes you don't even notice when you are being told what to think.
I'm glad that I talked with these people about the definition of public relations it helped me realize that it's more than just my major, it is a constant within our media and world. Even if the people holding the positions cannot be named by many people in society it does not mean that their words go unheard. I would like public relations to not seem like such a conspiracy and I think people would like to not believe that any more.
posted by DHS Entertainment @ 10:03 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home