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