comment to blog by Monica Robertson

Therese Gerhard  22 September 2012 18:18 

My first introduction to the idea of PR was through movies and TV shows. PR seemed to be about promoting sports and Hollywood personalities or companies that wanted to persuade us to buy more stuff. Stuff we didn’t necessarily need. It didn’t seem like a career that would provide benefit to humankind. Of course my opinion has changed! After all, I am choosing to work in this field:) I do feel that there are PR careers out there that educate, that promote goodwill, and truly benefit humanity. Monica –your example is exactly the reason I have come to appreciate the work of conscientious PR professionals. I think it is so important to get out a positive message for the agricultural industry. As a public we need to be reminded that we are dependent on the agricultural industry. Farmers certainly need to make a living. If it’s not financially viable for them, they will move on to other types of careers and we will all lose out. You have a very important message to keep sharing with Canadians and the rest of the world. Monica, help us to appreciate the agricultural industry and remind us that we owe them a huge thank you!

Grab your baton and start conducting your public relations orchestra!

image by Frits Ahlefeldt via publicdomainpictures.net   

A Public Relations professional has much the same role as a conductor does during the playing of a musical score. They both require training, knowledge, expertise, artistry and an emotional involvement and connection with the audience, the orchestra members, or in the case of PR, the organization represented and its public.

A conductor must know where she is going with the musical selection. She has studied the musical score and is not only familiar with every part of it,   but as an artist, she feels the message of the piece and knows what message she wants the audience to receive. She knows which instruments or voices to bring in at exactly the right moment, at what volume, with what speed and intensity, and in a way that seems seamless and effortless. She is the master of the musical universe at that moment; she is the emotion of the musical piece, bringing a connection between the audience and the music.

Public relations professionals must be prepared, aware of all the different pieces and situations within the specific organization they represent and anticipate every possible outcome. As with a musical score, the plan needs to be well organized, laid out, studied and committed to. All of the pieces, all of the team members and even the actual public become part of this public relations orchestra.

It’s important for the PR representative to research and carefully select the message and the method of communication the organization wants to share with its public. Using the analogy of a musical performance, a conductor would focus on choosing a genre of music that the audience will appreciate.  After all, if the audience prefers classical music, then country music might provoke a walk-out rather than an enthusiastic “Bravo!” Know your audience and your public. If you still choose to introduce a bold new style, be prepared to educate, encourage, persuade, pacify and of course, eventually evaluate whether the new message or product was met with open minds and resounding success.

The journey of a successful Public Relations Representative can be creative, exciting, stressful, yet rewarding. The goal is to bring a positive, mutually beneficial relationship between the organization and the public. At the end of the task, the PR team is hoping for positive feedback and a job well-done. In musical terms that would mean hearing appreciative applause and being able to bow, with a flourish of the baton!