Public Relations: trade or profession
Every now and again, public relations people get hit with a little angst over whether we’re professionals or craftsmen and this often focuses on whether PR degrees are in any way worthwhile. So that this latest round of soul searching is prompted by a letter to PR Week headed ‘Forget English grads and hire PR students’ is no surprise.
As the proud holder of a post-graduate diploma in public relations (I was amongst the first intake to Manchester Metropolitan University’s MA in public relations by part-time study, but never got around to writing a dissertation) I guess I can be expected to be on the side of academia, but I think we should curb our enthusiasm.
Stuart Bruce comes to the point: ‘If we are to hold our own with professionals such as lawyers and accountants, then we need the training and qualifications to back it up.
It’s all about the fight for a place at the boardroom table and the rewards that brings. And what separates a public relations professional from a journalist is the need to ensure a story contains messages that support business objectives. Helping to shape the external environment so that a business can thrive is clearly a concern for the top table, alongside the accountants and lawyers.
Yet many of us pioneering degree level qualifications were concerned at the neglect of craft skills. In those early days we feared those who went straight from first degree to full time post-graduate study or who studied public relations as a first degree, would arrive at their first job well equipped to write a strategic communications plan, but unable to write a press release. Unable to do the latter they would never be taken seriously and while I believe things have improved, PR tutor Richard Bailey acknowledges this problem still exists.
Perhaps I have a bias, but I reckon the way I did it is best. Get out there and learn the craft skills: particularly writing. Make the day you wake up wondering if all the press coverage you’re generating is making a difference, the day you sign up for a public relations degree, diploma or whatever.
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