In PR, Some Things Never Change

With all the talk of social media revolutionizing the public relations profession and the very definition of public relations professionals changing, it's comforting to know that some things will never change in public relations -- especially the things we teach our students.

Dr. Michael Posey

Dr. Michael Posey, professor and public relations chair at Franklin University in Columbus, OH, published a recent Op-Ed on PRWeek's website. Read his Op-Ed at http://bit.ly/dSdaAA.

In the Op-Ed, Dr. Posey observed, amidst all of the changes, "Some foundations of the profession will never change and should always be taught."

This means, according to Dr. Posey, we must continue to equip our students with the skills and knowledge in the following areas of competency:

Communication. The ability to communicate well orally and in writing will always be a core function in our field. Only the the ways we communicate (e.g., new media) will change. The basics of communication (e.g., knowing your audience, selecting appropriate tactics and channels, composing messages) will remain the same.

Business and Organizational Management. Just like Ivy Lee in the mid-1900s, public relations professionals still need to learn the value of earning and maintaining a "seat at the table," where we can offer counsel to senior leaders and affect decisions. This requires business acumen, strategic management skill, a sense of the world around us, and executive communication abilities.

Psychology. Finally, just as Edward Bernays taught us, we have to know how people and publics think and behave. Therefore, we still need to teach and learn the social-psychological side of public relations -- especially in the complicated age of social networks. 

Thanks, Dr. Posey, for reminding us of our origins and how our public relations field continues to be nourished from these professional roots.