Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Sean Alphin
Radford University
Intro to Technical Writing of PR 2
There are a considerable amount of varied definitions relating to public relations. The
issue itself is one which is regularly debated on every side by authorities within the field due to
their abundance. Nearly every notable figure in the field of public relations has published their
own definition of public relations; which they believe most accurately exemplifies the primary
focus of the discipline. According to the textbook, which was assigned concerning this course;
communicate with all relevant internal and external publics to develop positive
organization’s constituent parts and publics. (Lattimore, Baskin, Heiman, & Toth, 2012,
p.4)
However, this definition is by no means a clear and concise representation of public relations.
Albeit a thorough definition, and besides that it does in-fact describe many of the various aspects
involved in public relations. The following example demonstrates a much clearer, more concise,
and easily understood definition of public relations. Public relations involves the realization of an
organizations goals and objectives in congruence with proper application of the leadership
management function. Now with that stated, let’s take a closer look at the component parts of
this definition of public relations. The goals of an organization are the general direction in which
the organization is headed. The organizations goal is the mission of the organization as outlined
in its mission statement. The objectives of an organization are closely linked to the goals of the
Intro to Technical Writing of PR 3
organization with the exception that objectives are much more specific and determinable than
goals (Lattimore et al., 2012). The leadership management function component of this definition
involves cooperation with both internal and external publics. Furthermore, the leadership
management function especially emphasizes the foundation of effective relationships and the
al., 2012).
Before we can even start our discussion of the paradigms involved in public relations
though. We first have to begin with defining what a paradigm actually is. According to the
Oxford English Dictionary, a paradigm is defined as, “A pattern or model, an exemplar; (also) a
The rhetorical paradigm as it relates to public relations is not often thought very highly of by
external publics. The typical response to mention of rhetoric that is in propinquity to public
relations is often to worry about spin, misdirection, or misinformation being communicated one-
way by the corporation. In 2000, Heath pointed out this problem with rhetoric in public relations
when he stated; “From its birth, public relations has been seen as a tool used largely by corporate
managements to get their way, even if they have to lie and manipulate truth and motive” (pg. 70).
What can be done by the practitioner of public relations to separate this highly stigmatizing and
negative association regarding the rhetorical paradigm? In what way can we attempt to alter the
external publics’ pre-existing negative perceptions and try to create a positive shift away from
this current view? The rhetorical paradigm of public relations relates to how we are able to go
about ethically persuading someone of something. Being able to do this is one of the
fundamental basis’ of public relations. Heath provides a possible solution to the problem when
Intro to Technical Writing of PR 4
he stated, “What corrects the bad use of rhetoric? The good use of rhetoric. Note, that I said the
good use of rhetoric, not the use of good rhetoric. That distinction is crucial, because rhetoric is a
process of suasory discourse that can be used for good or bad ends” (Heath, 2000, pg. 72). It
rests in the hands of the professional practitioner regarding the proper exercise of the rhetorical
perspective in public relations. Only through the consistently good practice of rhetoric will it be
possible to slowly alter the publics’ perception about public relations and the rhetorical
perspective. Through professionalism and ethical practice this negative perception can be
changed. The rhetorical perspective is a very valuable tool when it is properly used and is not
organizations. This model was first postulated by Grunig following a study of his that took place
in 2002, which aimed at increasing the effectiveness of the organization overall. The study in this
journal was done by Andrea Schwarz and Alexander Fritsch and entitled, Communicating on
previous study to examine the effects that differences in cultural and political landscapes of
various regions and countries had on the organizations effectiveness and accomplishment of
excellence in PR. The basis of the study was to determine how good of public relations
practitioners INGO’s were at both the central and local level. Four-hundred forty communication
managers were surveyed for this study and asked about those nine generic principles of the
excellence/ symmetry perspective. The conclusion of the study showed nearly, “two-thirds of
respondents stated that their organizations cover all elements of strategic planning,
Intro to Technical Writing of PR 5
implementation, and evaluation with respect to their international public relations programs”
(Schwarz and Fritsch, 2014, pg. 20). Additionally, over half of the surveyed communication
managers responded that they, “possessed highly valued and strategically powerful public
relations functions” (Schwarz and Fritsch, 2014, pg. 20). These findings affirm the significant
contributions which public relations makes for the organization and especially demonstrates the
vital role of public relations as a discipline. This conclusion also shows that the organizations
which are the most excellent at performing their designated functions are the ones which
attribute special significance to the role of public relations within their organization as an
independent entity. The relevance of the excellence/ symmetry perspective in public relations is
clearly shown here too. From looking at the results of the conclusion of the study it is apparent
that even twelve years after the original study by Grunig. Most of the previously explained
framework regarding the excellence/ symmetry model still remains true as a valid paradigm of
Tactics are used in the public relations discipline as specific devices which the
practitioner employs in order to work toward the realization of larger organizational strategies
(Burson, 2011). The quintessential tactic employed by the public relations practitioner is the
press release. The press release is a clearly written and concise statement that entails the most
important message which needs to reach the organizations publics. Another tactic would be
sending newsletters out to the organizations publics. A newsletter is a great way to maintain repo
ire with publics. It allows the practitioner to reach a consistent readership of loyal subscribed
members. Also, it provides you an opportunity to explain in detail all recent achievements of the
organization, promote any positive corporate social responsibility, or discuss recent community
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outreach efforts. Lastly, interviews are a great tactic when properly utilized. For instance if the
corporation you work for is holding a customer appreciation BBQ event soon. A well done
interview at just the right time promoting this message could greatly increase the awareness
surrounding the event and make it a huge success for community relations.
When I was doing my research for this paper it didn’t seem like there were very many
good scholarly journals about the paradigms section of the paper to be found. Every time I tried
to search for an article independently of the library database super search function the article
ended up not being available unless I paid to access it for a certain amount of time. But as much
as I don’t enjoy research I actually did end up enjoying writing this assignment. I wish I had
started working on it a bit sooner but that’s irrelevant now, thank monster energy for this one.
Before this assignment I hadn’t ever written about paradigms or actually about the academic
field of public relations. Being able to get an idea of what I’m in for gave me some good
perspective. It can get pretty technical at times, especially a few of those scholarly journals. It
seemed like they were actually trying at times to intentionally make the concepts more difficult
to understand then it needed to be. That actually is what inspired me to make my title as
ridiculous as I did, although, the Calvin and Hobbes comic about academic writing was
inspirational too (It’s hilarious by the way!). The title nearly 5 lines long at one point, and it was
one of my most glorious creations ever, but I decided to spare you that as it didn’t seem very
professional. You did say to have fun with creating an academic title though and not to just call
it, final paper, so I did just that! Lastly, I just wanted to say that I really enjoyed taking your class
this semester and I look forward to future classes. The enthusiasm you have for everything you
teach and the genuine care you display for your students made the class really enjoyable.
Intro to Technical Writing of PR 7
References Page
Baskin, O., Heiman, S. T., Lattimore, D., Toth, E. L., (2012). Public Relations: The profession &
Burson, H., (2011). Questions that confuse students: strategy or tactic. Behind the spin,
strategy-or-tactics
Fritsch, A., Schwarz, A., (2014). Communicating on Behalf of Global Civil Society:
10.1080/1062726X.2013.864242
Heath, R. L., (2000). A Rhetorical Perspective on the Values of Public Relations: Crossroads and
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http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/137329?redirectedFrom=paradigm#eid