Tag Archives: Academia

WPRF Guest Post: Transparent public relations – do your publics see into you or through you?

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Metaphors are always trouble. Take transparency, a bedrock metaphor of ethical communication. Transparent communication opens the window to your organization and suggests honest engagement with publics. For this reason, many annual reports trumpet transparency. But, what if your publics can see right through you? Then you’re in trouble.

Transparent public relations is often thought of in terms of its opposite – namely an opaqueness that obscures unpleasant truths. Certainly, the ability to see into the workings of an organization is one dimension of transparent communication. But there are others which, I believe, are far more important.

The other dimensions of transparent communication all rest on engagement. Your willingness to actively engage with publics and meet their information needs, will determine whether your publics see into your organization or just through it.

Rawlins (2009) provocative piece, “Give the Emperor a mirror,” suggests the key questions for public relations professionals are:

  • Do I ask my key publics what they want to know about my organization?
  • Do I provide the information my publics ask for in ways that they are able to understand?
  • Does the information I provide enable my publics to understand my organization?

Only by answering yes to all three questions can you lay claim to the practice of transparent public relations. However, research suggests that very few organizations are in a position to make this claim.

The main reason is an unwillingness to move into an engagement paradigm for fear of losing control. Control has always been an illusion and, in the age of web 2.0, is fast becoming a dangerous delusion. Communication is a stream, not a destination.

Your organization and your clients are relying on you to navigate through it, not build a dam.

About Professor Shirley Leitch
Professor Shirley Leitch is a member of the Institute of Social Research at Swinburne University. She is a strong advocate of digital communication technologies and in 2011 was named as one of the top ten social media influencers in Australian higher education by the UK Guardian (#ShirleyLeitch). Professor Leitch and her co-researchers have received more than $4M in national competitive grants in Australia and New Zealand and produced over 100 refereed publications. For the past decade she has also held senior leadership roles in the university sector, including Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Pro Vice-Chancellor of Public Affairs and Dean of Commerce. She also has significant experience working in public-private partnerships, most recently in her role as the founding chair of Online Education Services Ltd, a joint venture with SEEK Ltd.

Written by Professor Shirley Leitch, Swinburne University of Technology

 

Professor Anne Gregory to speak at World Public Relations Forum

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Internationally recognised Public Relations and Communications researcher Dr Anne Gregory will be appearing at Novembers World Public Relations Forum.

Dr Gregory is a Professor of Public Relations and the Director of the Centre for Public Relations Studies at Leeds Metropolitan University in the United Kingdom. She also heads the Centres specialist consultancy working for diverse public and private sector clients.

Dr Gregory has visited Australia on several occasions, most recently for the PRIA National Conference in Darwin in 2010 where she was rated as one of the most popular speakers.

After working in broadcast journalism, Dr Gregory spent 10 years as a senior practitioner before moving to academia. She was appointed President of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations in 2004 and led the organisation to Chartered status, for which she was awarded the Sir Stephen Tallents Medal for her outstanding contribution to the profession.

In June 2010 Anne joined the Board of the Global Alliance for PR and Communication Management and was appointed Chair Elect in 2011.

Dr Gregory will speak at the Research Colloquium being held on Sunday November 18 and will be a key contributor to the dialogue to define a new ‘mandate’ for communicators during the Monday and Tuesday of the Forum.

The ‘Melbourne Mandate for Global Communication,’ will be a consensus-based statement on the organisational and societal value of communication that will be considered by the delegates to the World Public Relations Forum.

The World Public Relations Forum will be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on 18-20 November and around 800 attendees are expected at the event.

Delegates to the World Public Relations Forum 2012 will:

  • Be part of a key global gathering of public relations and communication professionals from around the world, held for the first time in the Asia Pacific region
  • Learn from some of the best minds in public relations and communication from diverse backgrounds in business, government, and not-for-profit sectors
  • Be challenged, inspired, and empowered to review and refine your own practice
  • Build your public relations and communication toolkit at tactical, strategic, and leadership level
  • Connect and network with other professionals from around the world
  • Help shape the future of public relations and communication
  • Experience and explore Melbourne, a creative, exciting and ever-changing city, and ranked the world’s most livable city

Registration for the World Public Relations Forum opens in late May and more information can be found at www.worldprforum.com. The Forum can also be followed on Twitter and Facebook.