Power of PR

One of the greatest challenge for PR practitioners is to prove the worth of PR to their managements, and the common refrain one encounters is that "this was never done", "do the way we want it to be done", and "what are the financial gains of PR activity".

The PR practice being a management function, its practitioners must learn to communicate with these internal stakeholders in the language they understand, presenting them with the facts and figures that they cannot deny.  The methodology is simple - just adapt the statistical analysis, time lines, and PERT charges and all other tools that the managements are familiar with.  Using these tools also helps the PR practitioner in streamlining the work flow and communication strategies. And in so far as the measurements or the financial benefit a company can gain through PR activities, the exercise helps in quantifying the deliverables, making them, hence, measurable. 

A long term and short term goals that the communication plan intends to achieve also helps in formulating budgetary requirements for a particular activity. The best part of PR efforts is the power of visualisation that the PR practitioner or the department can bring to the corporate actions, and breaking them down into the tactical aspects eases the operational aspects too.  

Over twenty years back when I joined a German manufacturing company, the first bottleneck was tiding over these perennial queries and 'objections' that challenged me to break these internal barriers first and show the benefits that the Power of PR can bring to an organisation.  It is also a misconception that the managements do not understand the role of PR.  The fact is that we, at times, fail to educate and inform them the need and impact which an effective communication plan can bring about.