Friday, May 31, 2013

"I work in Public Relations"

Have you faced a tough time explaining to somebody what do you do when you are working in public relations? Imagine explaining this to your relative, or your spouse or a child or a student that you are working in public relations. These could be people who have nothing to do with this practice and may not be even joining them in the future but are curious to know more about the job as you are working in it.

So how do you explain in simple ways? For. e.g. I would explain in the following 3 ways:-


  • The back-stage worker
  • The counselor
  • The Big brother

When I tell them that my work is something like that of the person who helped the actor in looking good in a play. The guy who did your make up to make you look a role you were to play? Or helped you rehearse, Or to make you look good? So essentially you performed on the stage but the backstage worker dressed you up. This guy was never seen. So you had a talent which was presented to the outside world in a classic way.

The counselor who advised you to reach a decision in times of crisis or crucial times. So maybe you appeared in the front seemingly as the decision maker but there was somebody out there who helped you reach it.

The big brother (Company spokesperson) like the one in a family who supports you in a crisis and will not share a misgiving or fight blatantly in your family, with your neighbors (here publics in PR)  if asked, but will put it in a manner which looks decent of you.

Then above all I explain PR is something you and me do all the time. In front of friends, parents, relatives, colleagues and others. Are you not projecting your self in a certain way when you meet them? The way you speak, dress, act etc. Isnt it self PR happening all the time? Whether offline or online?

Last I then explain one of the important function, that of media relations. Media Coverage and how do the readers read what they find as 'news' in print or broadcasting.

But this I arrive a little later, first I explain the above three. As I have noticed that media coverage and media relations still looks a bit abstract to somebody who doesn't even understand the P of Public Relations.

What do you do?

3 comments:

  1. And to add to this, the near and dear ones also get to know what I do when I start reading their marriage or party invites, and end up proof-reading them.-

    sanjay gora
    http://publicrelationsskg.blogspot.in/

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  2. Very well articulated and enjoyed reading it.

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  3. Sanjay that was a good one! Sandeep thanks for the encouragement.

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