Week 4

I think the key points to remember from this week’s readings were:

• Media Release- one page briefing sent by PR people to journalists to alert them to potential stories.
• Clutter- the many advertisements and messages that your ad will potentially sit among.
• Cut through- to make your message rise above others so that people are able to recall what you want conveyed.
• The type of lifestyles, hours of work, different positions and activities people in this industry undertake- Career FAQS Public Relations book.
• Free ink- editorial coverage in the media generated by PR activities.
• News-savvy- being across current affairs and how the external environment can impact on your PR work.
• Backgrounder- a written article or fact sheet that provides journalists with the background to a current story.
• Internal and community relations should be the first and second priority respectively in PR practice to maintain productivity. Ethical practise is also high on the agenda. Total relationship management model identifies employee relations and community relations as the first two vital steps in achieving positive relations with key stakeholders.
• Organisation-‘a system of coordinated activities of a group of people working cooperatively toward a common goal under authority and leadership.’ (Goldhaber 1990:38).
• Internal Publics- two main groups: an organisation’s employees (Chairman of the board, mailroom), and an association’s members (PRIA, pay joining fee). In this industry it is important to work as a team.
• Channels of communication for employee goodwill- newsletters, noticeboards, memos, awards, events, intranets and face-to-face.
• Community Relations- maintain standards of ethics, personalise the corporate image to extend their relationships beyond the boundaries of their offices and companies need to listen to the community and take their ideas on board.
• Approaches to community relations- consultation, issue management (research on stakeholders), filling in the gaps, audience participation (meetings), negotiation, acknowledging the concerns of the other side.
  
  The readings made me think more about public relations theory/practice in that it is so important to have good relations between an organisation and all of their employees. It is very easy for an organisation to lose a good reputation due to the unhappiness of one person working in the PR industry. I have also thought about how important it is to choose a career path in PR in something that you believe in so you can fully commit yourself. If you are going to be representing a company you should be passionate about it and genuine.