Soulati-'TUDE!

It was inevitable this journey in frustration and innovation (or innovative frustration) had to culminate somehow. After 15 (?) blog posts in this series where I, supported by you = we, try to earn consensus on defining public relations, it’s time to close phase one of this discussion with the grand finale about What Is PR, or What PR Is (whichever way you’d like to read that).

Now, mind you, we’ve reached a semblance of consensus and that is “no one can agree on a single definition of PR.” And, the sweat equity invested in this exercise by moi and many others has been fierce. I think I lost weight.

In one of the most recent posts in this series,  I tried to take it to a different level…down to fifth-grade understanding. In that article, I included a collection of simplified definitions by Beth Harte (please hire her for her next position); Erica Allison, Heidi Siefkas, Shakirah Dawud, Gini Dietrich, and me.

That blog garnered a high number of comments from the likes of PR credibles including Patty Swisher, John Falchetto, Danielle Kelly, Davina Brewer, JGoldsborough, and nearly all of those folks quoted in the original article.

While no one settled on a singular definition (and the very long one I tried to cull from about 50 different definitions went down in flames as jargon), I tossed out two very simple definitions without much thought:

1. Public relations (uses technology to) creates relationships with everyone, everywhere.

(This one was preferred by Gini Dietrich yet some took an opposing view to “technology” because we can do PR with a simple handshake or posted letter.)

2. Public Relations helps people say the right things to the right audiences at the right time.

This second attempt was made to truly simplify the definition of PR for any audience imaginable; it was acknowledged by Danielle Kelly who is a Canadian practitioner also known as a reputation fiend!

Why I’m bringing up this last simple definition again is this:

Today, many in the PR community gathered over at Waxing Unlyrical, Shonali Burke’s blog, to share disbelief about a young’un in the PR profession who took measurement to task by comparison to ad value equivalency. Shonali wrote a rebuttal to that poor, un-knowing PR newbie that appeared in PR Daily today.

(Please stay with me, I’m getting to the punch line…)

At the bottom of Shonali’s rebuttal in PR Daily she writes: “All of these are examples of impact that can be measured; impact that can be quantified; impact that tells you you’re telling the right story, to the right people, at the right time, and in the right way.”

Let me show you the punch line if you missed it:

I defined public relations on March 28, 2011 as:

Public Relations helps people say the right things to the right audiences at the right time.

Shonali Burke defined PR impact as:

…telling the right story, to the right people, at the right time, and in the right way.

I think we need only to adopt one more “right” from Shonali and make it all alright — please excuse my shouting from the rooftops:

PUBLIC RELATIONS HELPS PEOPLE SAY THE RIGHT THINGS TO THE RIGHT AUDIENCES AT THE RIGHT TIME AND IN THE RIGHT WAY.

By jove, I think we’ve got it…!…?

In a recent post last week, (that summarizes the additional sequence of events leading to that post and this), I provided a list of action words to begin to help modernize the definition of public relations. I want to garner peer consensus to define PR for the grassroots level and encourage people to use it in respective channels and with clients and up-and-comers. This topic is not as exciting as SXSW, or s new book ,” but I made a commitment, and I’m going to see this through.

If you’re reading this post for the first time, public relations as a discipline and professionals as an audience are taking a beating from folks who have the dais on national newspapers’ blogs and other key places buoyed by social media. We who uphold public relations image struck back in a show of unity to try and combat the negative publicity. My own commitment is to re-write a definition that’s been done and re-done for years. But, when you look at the definition of PR by the , it’s highly antiquated and confusing, even for a 27-year veteran like me.

So, on the blog link above, there was a list of about two dozen action-oriented descriptions. A handful of people helped pare down the list, and while there wasn’t necessarily consensus, there was agreement in key areas; enough to push us to phase two.

Draft One (Adding all the favorites from the list into one big mashed definition):

Public relations is:

A strategic discipline aligned to business goals that builds, nurtures, and masters human connections and perception; influences and manages reputation, brand and culture while communicating messages across mediums.

Nearly everyone agreed the “for whom” part of what we do is targeted to “diverse audiences, stakeholders and organizations’ publics.”

So, we can add to the end of this initial draft:

A strategic discipline aligned to business goals that builds, nurtures, and masters human connections and perception; influences and manages reputation, brand and culture while communicating messages across mediums to diverse audiences and organization stakeholders.

I’d like to get your thoughts on this lengthy draft to describe public relations. How can this be sliced and diced without losing its emphasis?

Once we dissect it further, I’m going to present the definitions from various other accrediting bodies and references sources side by side. Then we can see if our attempt at modernizing the definition of public relations is worth a hill of beans.

I’ve been exploring how to define public relations in the last several weeks. The discourse leading to this is all on the blog, and I’m not the only one grappling with the crisis of identity in our profession. Others have been down this path already (Canada, Australia and some in Europe); however, that doesn’t mean we can’t continue the discussion and find some peace knowing this grassroots effort will create the ‘raderie we need to fight the bashing our profession continues to receive. While it may be an exercise in futility, it’s so top of mind to me; I cannot leave this alone until I give it the college try. Join me?

Here are the columns leading to this one: Proposing a Plan to Define PR and Who Is PR (in which I try to credit everyone on the radar for helping further thought). To get this post off to a solid start, I spoke last night with Heidi Cohen, author of “31 Public Relations Definitions” as well as “Where Does PR Fit In Your Company?” She gave me permission to use her highly popular blog post (31 flavors of PR) and grab the key words from each definition and position them into a chart.

No credit beyond the link to her blog is being given to anyone for these words (I did that already in Who is PR, link above), and many of the wordings were repetitive from one definition to the next (in Heidi’s  post). In addition, What Is PR? on this blog provided a host of definitions from my colleagues that I’ve also incorporated into this exercise.

As promised, this is a mash up.

In attempting to strategize the best approach, I think we should tackle in phases. I took all the action words to describe what we do and added to a column. This amounted to four pages down a column. Next I tried to consolidate; however, that didn’t make the list too much shorter! How we define PR is exactly what Heidi presented…there are hundreds of definitions!

Here’s the list with my first cut to shorten repetition. Perhaps you can identify the verbiage you think best explains the action orientation of public relations…do you think a number ranking is the best approach to whittle down? Perhaps your top five listed in comments?

• Communicating messages
• Building good relationships, image
• Measuring value
• Measure impact of services and tie to strategic business results
• Align communications strategy with business goals
• Develop strategies that engage audiences
• Effecting desired behavior; effect positive change
• Planned process to influence public opinion
• Builds visibility and creates favorable impressions
• Mastering human connections; making a heartfelt connection
• Manage, facilitate relationships
• Championing “joined up” approach with marketing, digital, traditional PR and social media
• Obtaining favorable publicity
• Influences and shapes company image, reputation, brand perception and culture
• Art and science of talking to the right audience in the right voice.
• Crafts an organization’s message(s)
• Build communities, engage and discuss
• Give voice to worthy projects
• Promoting and fostering positive awareness
• Create, distribute, disseminate messages/communications
• Increase positive exposure
• Understand, develop and nurture strategic relationships
• Influencing public opinion through communications
• Managing communication. Creating content, networking and engagement
• Achieve common objectives: credibility, thought leadership and influence.
• Managing and shaping public perception
• Building mutual understanding and maintaining reputation
• Strategic discipline integrated with marketing to achieve business goals
• Complements integrated marketing with measurable results
• Helps companies create and build their brands
• Defining and communicating a company’s narrative
• Build communities, engage and discuss, and give voice to worthy projects
• Leveraging communications strategies to establish a market position
• Intersection of content, social technologies and marketing focused multichannel messages that make a difference, as well as generate a profit in ways that matter to customers.
• Provide clarity and insight

I’ll provide my top five after y’all and add them to comments once someone gets a moment to review. We’ll noodle on this through Friday (tomorrow) and then try to hone it to a shorter list. If you have suggestions for a different way to tackle this, I’m all ears! Thank you in advance!

(image: postmusic.org)

Day two of my plan to help public relations requires a PR roster where I give credit once to everyone at the same time.  (I apologize now for missing anyone); what I’ve attempted here is to identify those with whom I’ve had recent engagement whether it be blogs, comments, RTs, emails, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc., and the like, specifically about defining public relations.

Doing it this way frees me up to take words from everywhere/everyone and mash up. No one can take ownership; everyone contributes.  No one is completely satisfied, yet everyone contributes. Anyone can participate, anyone can vote, anyone can ignore this entire exercise, and anyone can get on board in support of improving the image of public relations. The common thread is EVERYONE IS INVITED.

Since I’ve embarked on this journey with no real end but a destination in mind, I’ve been introduced to PR practitioners from all corners of the world. My friends to the North in Canada are highly interested and committed to improving the image and “brand” (if you will) of public relations. I just got a link to a PR e-report by in Australia written by Judy Gombita on her blog PR Conversations.

Lea Werthman, APR, accredited by the Canadian Public Relations Society, just stopped by yesterday to share her group’s definition of public relations, and also a new colleague from Canada is highly supportive of this exercise, my posts and the broader conversation. Danny Brown, a Scotsman living in Canada and a man I hold in the highest esteem, is more than just a PR person yet keeps his affinity for the profession at the forefront of the work he does. Elissa Freeman, who tweets , hails from Toronto and adds value to the conversation.

In Sweden, Jon Buscall is a dear friend and colleague. His thriving public relations (and more) business, Jontus Media, takes him to all corners of the European Union. Jody Koehler represents public relations in The Netherlands and publishes a daily Paper.Li on PR; his coverage of the profession is widespread and not exclusive to the EU. In England, Sharon Cain, of , invited my guest blog, “PR Is Taking a Beating, Why Is That?” and it was a passionate, heat of the moment piece written in the height of the ‘ debacle.  Petya Georgieva, of Bulgaria, is the first to tweet and respond before I awake each day. In France, is an expat life coach helping entrepreneurs and hopefully educating them about the value of public relations.

In India, Gautam Mahtani and Melissa Arulappan are two newly introduced colleagues grappling with their own public relations image crisis in their country.

And, in the U.S. in my Twitter backyard, there’s a healthy stream of PR peeps I’m meeting each day who contribute so much to my own professionalism with healthy debate, chuckles, intelligent banter, and more. Foremost, I need to identify and thank Gini Dietrich, CEO of and the highly engaging Spin Sucks blog, for her support, RTs and sharing of her followers with me.

, who launched this journey for me with her guest post (the link is above on the word “Hamptons”) in re the restaurateur who called our entire industry crazy, provides a great sounding board for me as she insists she’s NOT in public relations (because she does employee communications), and I insist she is. Alongside and always supportive is Davina Brewer of 3 Hats Communications who lends great insight and ‘raderie. My dearest colleagues from Chicago and days include Christine Esposito of Terracom Chicago (please like her Facebook page) and Michelle Hellyar of Hellyar Marketing Communications.

I’ve been recently introduced, and gratefully so, to an entirely passionate and connected group of PR people each committed to addressing this issue. I’m going to mention many and try not to leave anyone out (I apologize):

• , associate director of PRSA national and part of the PR Breakfast Club gang
• , an accredited business woman and PR practitioner with a highly credible following
• Erica M. Allison who blogs at Allison Development Group
• of Bristol Harbor Software who brings an amazing perspective on life, technology, public relations, and the pursuit of happiness.
• who lends wonderful comments on all blog topics
• Beatriz Alemar who tweets and I appreciate our conversation
• Rebecca Neufeld of Edelman Financial PR, one of the early adopters on this journey
• is a publicist and musician
• Patty Swisher, who writes amazing guest blog posts and commentary from her vantage point in an architectural firm; follow her @pmswish
• Kailas Simha who tweets @VoyageofThought is a new favorite supporter in the stream
• Mary Deming Baber
• Frank Strong who is exploring these issues on his blog of late,
• Rachael Seda
• Lara McCulloch who tweets here
• Kathie Manchester, with , has great insight on this topic, and I appreciate
• Heidi Cohen who wrote on March 8, 2011 “” and provides an entire new list of practitioners who contribute to our profession

If I have your  links wrong, or you’d like a different hyperlink associated to you, please advise, and I’ll update. Add a comment here or please tweet me @Soulati. Again, my apologies for missing anyone, getting names spelled incorrectly, or having broken links. Will gladly update!

Next Post: The PR Definition Mash Up (scheduled for Thursday)

I had no idea this conversation would explode as it has. Without each of you commenting, RT’ing and Facebooking the like out of it, no way could we engage on a global scale about how to define public relations.

Thanks for the invite by Sharon Cain (@sharoncain) of Quest Public Relations in the UK where I’m a guest blogger today, “PR Is Taking A Beating; Why is That?” This post was written in the heat of the moment last Friday, March 4, when this blog blew up and my IT guy checked in to ensure the server was not on fire.

As a result of last week’s festivities (for those of you just checking in, the previous posts are still alive and kicking), the industry has united all in the name of positioning public relations to loftier status. As promised, I’ll be continuing this exploration here, and I’ll recognize my peers’ comments and definitions of PR so we can hone a digitally updated definition for the profession.

Meanwhile, I need to call out the amazing blog post written by Heidi Cohen “31 Definitions of PR”  on March 8; amazing compilation, and she’s received mass amounts of attention for it, too. Congrats, on that, Heidi!

The comments on these posts are inspiring; the healthiest conversation I’ve ever seen and highly in-depth with intense debate at times, too. I encourage you to take a look at some during which PRSA stopped in and others offered suggestions about why/why not issues.

So, this has been a wild ride for me and a very stimulating and exciting one, too. I had not met 80 percent of you until the last week (that’s what’s so cool), and we’ll get some global perspective coming soon, too. I’ve exchanged a few invitations with some PR peeps in India who are interested in sharing some thoughts here.

So, thank you, ALL, for the …raderie. I bow to you.