Publicity is NOT Public Relations (Part I)

I recall the episode as if it were yesterday. A woman stood up at a meeting of a local professional organization I attended many years ago and proudly declared that she was the organization's public relations professional. She then went on to talk about her work, referring to it as publicity.

Several years later, I was dining with the owner of a small San Francisco-based public relations firm. He relayed with considerable enthusiasm the achievements of his staff in generating press coverage for a bevvy of well-known local groups, in the process touting his database of media contacts as a significant competitive advantage in the marketplace. When I responded that his work sounded more like publicity than public relations, he chortled, “I don’t care what you call it, as long as the clients pay for it.”

Fast forward to the present day. I can’t help but notice the headlines of stories I scan, with references to the “PR machine,” “PR pitches,” and “PR power girls,” among others, enticing readers to consume yet more variations of the theme that public relations consists solely of the art (and science) of generating press coverage (including social media) on behalf of clients–in other words, seemingly perpetually equating public relations is publicity.

While the industry, led by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), struggles to define public relations, I believe we can say definitely and energetically what it is not. Publicity is NOT public relations. And it's imperative we differentiate the two disciplines, lest the indispensable role public relations can and should fulfill in all organizations, for-profit and non-profit, large and small, continue to be trivialized.

Lest I be accused of being anti-publicity, let me highlight its importance. Media coverage on a product, service, company, or cause is vital for helping the sponsoring organization attain its business objectives. Print and broadcast coverage far surpasses advertising in terms of credibility and delivering value for money spent. Skilled publicists (and I considered myself to be one earlier in my career) are invaluable and deserve whatever lofty fees they can charge.

Public relations has a far different orientation, as noted in PRSA’s aforementioned campaign to redefine the function. Responsibilities include building and managing relationships with an organization's key audiences (both internal and external); overseeing its reputation (or what's often referred to as "managing the corporate brand"); and serving as the organization's conscience. Publicity and media relations are part of this equation, along with a variety of other functions.

The mandate of public relations, therefore, is much broader than that of publicity. And it's much more vital, in my opinion.

All the press coverage or awareness (however that is defined) in the world doesn't make a difference if a product is poorly made, a program ill defined, a strategy poorly executed, or simply if bad decisions are made. I've learned this lesson over and over again during my career as a public relations consultant and educator, and have seen it amplified in my research on organizational behavior and leadership. And I see it reinforced every day. Consider any one of the high profile organizational crises that we’ve witnessed over the last several years. As the leaders of these organizations have suffered public floggings for major missteps, their respective organizations have suffered. One could make a convincing case that had public relations counsel been available, on the mark, and heard by those making key decisions, much pain and suffering could have been avoided.

I confess that my concept of public relations is far less concrete and attractive to professionals and non-professionals alike than the publicists' bounty of coverage. Nonetheless, I remain unshakeable in my belief that a battle must be waged to rescue public relations from the publicity ghetto and all that it signifies if the profession as a whole is to thrive.

Click here to read the second part of this blog post. 

3 Essential Elements for Making Meetings Matter

People frequently lament time spent in meetings. But they don’t have to be wasted time. In fact, with a little effort, most meetings can be productive for everyone–and even educational and entertaining. What’s critical is that every meeting attendee takes to heart three general but key principles of effective meeting management.

1. Effective meetings require planning.

Planning means that:

•The presiding officer knows what items the group needs to discuss and vote on. An agenda identifying these items has been prepared and disseminated before the meeting to the people who need to attend.

• The presiding officer knows how to lead discussion, solicit input, and conduct a vote on specific actions proposed (including holding elections, if that’s relevant to the organization and context)

• Officers, committee chairs, and others are prepared to give reports when called on.

• Individuals who want to discuss a topic not scheduled for the meeting contact the presiding officer ahead of time to place it on the agenda, if it’s considered appropriate.

• Meeting attendees who wish to speak about a topic prepare their remarks beforehand, if possible.

• The meeting starts and ends at the designated times.

2. All attendees at effective meetings assume responsibility for its outcome.

All meeting attendees, not just the presiding officer and committee chairs, take an active role in the proceedings. They strive to remain focused and engaged in deliberation, constructively participating in discussions to further the progress of the sponsoring organization and its individual members.

3. Officers and other attendees follow up to implement decisions made.

If the individuals at a meeting vote, for example, to spend money on a gift to acknowledge a vendor’s support, the president or other designated individual ensures that it is done. If a committee is appointed to plan an event, the committee sets a date to meet immediately after the meeting and commits to report back to the parent organization.

The 3 Roles of an Organizational Spokesperson

The prospect of being interviewed by a reporter creates anxiety in even the most confident professional charged with serving as an organization’s primary voice in communicating with media. Training helps increase the likelihood that this spokesperson relays an organization’s key messages clearly, and in a manner that fits a journalist’s needs. Understanding the three spokesperson roles—expert, educator, and salesperson—is the first and most important component of this training.

As the individual to be interviewed, the designated spokesperson is the one who the reporter wants to speak to about a topic at a certain time. There’s no one else. The spokesperson has the knowledge and perspective needed by the reporter to write a story. In other words, the reporter considers the spokesperson an expert.

As an educator, it’s the spokesperson’s responsibility to offer insight to a reporter so that he or she emerges with a clearer understanding of the topic. Reporters vary in journalistic experience and subject matter knowledge. Even the most experienced reporter doesn’t know everything. An effective spokesperson has access to information and perspective the reporter doesn’t have, particularly regarding company activities and industry trends. As an educator, the spokesperson acknowledges the reporter’s expertise and crafts the content and delivery of his or her remarks accordingly. The main challenge here is for the spokesperson to share information without seeming patronizing or arrogant.

Finally, the spokesperson is a salesperson for the organization, cause, product, or service. Public relations and other professionals approach reporters with stories because they see the media as a powerful means of communicating what their organizations have to offer to individuals who belong to key audiences. This “spokesperson as salesperson” role demands an enthusiastic, energetic communication style.

However, it’s imperative to recognize that reporters do not want to be sold, as a salesperson would attempt to persuade a prospective client about a product’s merits. Their goal is to write stories of interest to readers, viewers, or listeners, depending on the media. A reporter's purpose is to serve this audience, NOT to do a commercial for a company. That’s why the salesperson role comes third, after the expert and educator. More importantly, the most effective organizational spokespersons mute their marketing and sales orientation when they talk to reporters, highlighting what the subject of the interview means to the reporter’s audience while avoiding a treatise on why their company’s offerings are the best.

In all three roles, the spokesperson’s goal is to provide useful information that meets a reporter’s needs and communicates an organization’s key messages. It’s admittedly challenging to balance these tasks against filling the three roles identified – but invaluable over the long term for building productive media relationships that in turn serve marketing and broader organizational objectives.

12 Principles for Leaders in Professional and Other Volunteer Organizations

I’ve been an active participant in professional and volunteer organizations such as the National Association of Real Estate Editors (NAREE), the National Speakers Association (NSA), Phi Delta Kappa (PDK), the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), the San Francisco Public Relations Roundtable, and Toastmasters International. This activity has spanned the entirety of my working life, and has been invaluable source of learning, inspiration, and fun.

I have supplemented this experience with research. My doctoral dissertation explored leadership development in a Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) chapter. Since completing that work, I’ve begun to investigate leadership in other civic, professional, and self-help organizations.

What I’ve enjoyed the most during my experience (and research) has been the opportunity to observe individuals exemplifying the highest standards of commitment and professionalism in supporting their chosen field. They embody core principles of leadership I consider indispensable for involvement in professional and other volunteer organizations–regardless of whether you’re president, a member of the board of directors, or volunteering for a committee.

Here’s an overview of these leadership principles.

1. Successful leaders in professional organizations consistently demonstrate their enthusiasm, energy, and talent.

2. The leader’s primary purpose in volunteering time and talent is to further the cause of the profession. They’re not involved simply for fame or glory, personal political gain, business leads, or for other unknown reasons.

3. Leaders pursue their activities on behalf of the organization with complete openness, honesty, and candor. There’s nothing underhanded about their words or actions that might cause someone to question their motives.

4. Leaders provide pointed feedback to volunteers/followers, when appropriate. Such feedback, especially when it is critical, is offered privately and delivered with sensitivity and caring. Praise is delivered generously and publicly, as deemed appropriate.

5. Professional organization volunteers make commitments to the organization and individual members–and meet them. Giving such a person a task means that it will get done.

6. Professional organization leaders strive to produce quality work, as good if not better than what they produce for their employer or paying clients. The excuse “we can tolerate less than the best because we’re not getting paid” never crosses their lips, as I noted in a previous blog post.

7. Leaders attend board and general membership meetings regularly. They make an effort to greet guests and make them feel welcome.

8. Leaders prepare for all meetings ahead of time. They actively participate, and encourage others to do so.

9. No task is too trivial for a leader. Whether it’s handing out flyers at an event, showing people to their seats in a crowded room, or arranging audiovisual equipment for a speaker, the leader completes all such tasks with alacrity.

10. The leader encourages the expression of differing points of view on matters of importance to the organization. He or she relishes diverse perspectives, considering them a sign of caring and commitment to the welfare of the organization.

11. Leaders arrive early and stay late at organizational functions, to do what they instinctively know needs to be done.

12. Leaders are first and foremost members of the organization. They pay the same fees and ascribe to the same standards as all members.