TABOR COLLEGE PUBLIC RELATIONS CLASS

PUBLIC RELATIONS (A WORKING DEFINITION)
Public relations is a leadership and management function that helps achieve organizational objectives, define philosophy, and facilitate organizational change. Public relations practitioners communicate with all relevant internal and external publics to develop positive relationships and to create consistency between organizational goals and societal expectations. Public relations practitioners develop, execute, and evaluate organizational programs that promote the exchange of influence and understanding among an organization's constituent parts and publics.

Public Relations (Suggested Reading Calendar)

The Profession and the Practice

Week of August 25
Part I: THE PROFESSION
Chapter 1. Introduction

Week of September 1
Chapter 2. History of Public Relations

Week of September 8
Chapter 3. A Theoretical Basis for Public Relations

Week of September 15
Chapter 4. Law and Ethics

Week of September 22
Part II: THE PROCESS
Chapter 5. Research: Understanding Public Opinion

Chapter 6. Planning for Public Relations Effectiveness

Week of September 29
Chapter 7. Action and Communication
Chapter 8. Evaluating Public Relations Effectiveness

Week of October 6
Part III: PUBLIC RELATIONS: THE PUBLICS
Chapter 9. Media Relations

Week of October 13
Chapter 10. Employee Communications
Chapter 11. Community Relations

Week of October 20
Chapter 12. Marketing and Consumer Relations

Week of October 27
Chapter 14. Public Affairs: Relations with Government

Week of November 3
Chapter 15. Nonprofit Public Relations

Week of November 10
Chapter 16. Corporate Public Relations

Week of November 17
Chapter 17. Emerging Trends

Chapter Summary

Recently, a popular women's magazine offered advice to readers wanting to change careers. Several potentially exciting new careers were offered. One was babysitting children, one was baking cakes for weddings, and another was arranging flowers. All of these three, the article proclaimed, required little training, as did the fourth choice—conducting public relations. A career in public relations was held up as a great choice for many women—after all, the article proclaimed, women like eating out and planning events. Sadly, this explanation of what represents public relations is more common than one would think. Perhaps no other profession, and no other media field to be sure, suffers from such poor public awareness and understanding.

Not making attempts to define public relations any easier is the myriad of definitions espoused by those actually working, teaching, and researching in the field. While most of the definitions do provide some clarity as to what composes public relations, memorizing any one definition seems unnecessarily to limit a fully comprehensive understanding of a complex field. To that end, it may be more valuable to realize that most all of the commonly accepted definitions of public relations share the following key descriptors: PR is a management function that should lead organizational activity; PR involves deliberate communication with various constituent audiences that influence the organization's business environment; Successful PR entails careful research that not only guides activities but also evaluates programs once completed to help develop future plans; PR practitioners must have the ability to plan and produce effective strategies, and their various components, that will ultimately lead to the achievement of organizational goals.

These definition components paint a picture of contemporary public relations that is much more complex than, as stated in the magazine article mentioned earlier, eating at restaurants and planning events. By committing these facets of the field to memory and study, current and future practitioners can, and in the least, will be prepared for a more in-depth investigation of how public relations looks in the 21st century and what is required of those who will shape the field in the years to come.

ROPE Model

Research
Client/Organization - Understand the organization and its goals and culture.

Opportunity - Why should the organization conduct a communication campaign?

Audiences - Who are the target audiences or publics? Which segments are the most appropriate publics? Why are they important to us?

Objectives
Should be stated in the form of infinitive phrases that are also verifiable.

Also, there are both "output" and "impact" objectives.

Informational - to inform. Entails message exposure and comprehension.

Attitudinal - to convince. Build new attitude or reinforce or change existing attitude.

Behavioral - to modify actions. Create new behaviors or enhance existing actions or reverse
negative behavior.

Programming
Theme/Messages - Frame the issue in a short phrase.

Action/Special Events - Create an action-oriented program that engages the public.

Controlled Media - Provide messages in venues that you can design and control.

Uncontrolled Media - Generate buzz in the news media.

Communication Principles - Define the source, message, channel, receivers and feedback system that will be useful in the campaign. These principles should be based upon proven theories behind effective communication.

Evaluation
Assess each objective and the overall process for the campaign.

Informational objectives can be measured in terms of message exposure, message
comprehension and message retention.

Attitudinal objectives can be measured in terms of values changed.

Behavioral objectives can be evaluated in terms of public self-reports or observations.

Output objectives can be measured by elements such as the number of news releases distributed and number of speeches given.

God’s Creation Mandate

We believe the universe and everything in it belong to God the Creator. God has entrusted the care of the earth to all people, who are responsible for managing its resources. Good stewardship uses the earth’s abundance to meet human need, but resists the unjust exploitation of the earth and its peoples. All God’s gifts are to be received with thanksgiving and used responsibly. (USMB Confession of Faith)

Green Colleges and the School Visit
(From Princeton Review)

Be sure to inquire about environmental policies when you embark on a college visit.  Many colleges are improving their green practices, even those that are not featured in our Green Ratings.  Here are some questions you can ask potential schools to learn if they’re on an environmentally friendly track.

Return to Green Colleges

Quality of Life

    * How much of your food is fresh, local and organic?
    * Have your dorms and classrooms been retrofitted to be more energy efficient?
    * What does the school do to make it easy for students to get around without a car?
    * Do you use pesticides and herbicides on campus grounds?
    * Are the cleaning products used by the janitorial crews GreenSeal certified?

Academics and Career

    * Have professors been trained on how to integrate green concepts into their coursework?
    * What opportunities do you have for me to get involved in university decisions affecting my quality of life?
    * What research opportunities do you offer for undergraduates in areas associated with the green economy?
    * How are you preparing students for the green economy?

Institutional Commitment

    * Has this university signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment to commit to carbon neutrality?
    * Does the university require that new buildings meet green building standards?
    * How do I find out what the university is doing to make itself greener?