By Guy Randall

I was having a discussion with a colleague the other day about the term ‘public relations’.  She had noticed that a magazine article about protecting reputation made no mention of the important role that employee communications play in supporting an organisation’s reputation.

Combining all aspects of communications is essential to an effective strategy so our discussion got me thinking about the term ‘public relations’ and whether or not it truly conveys what PR practitioners really do in the 21st century.

It’s interesting how simple terms are often so ingrained that we overlook what they really mean. I remember a moment in the comedy movie Hot Fuzz when one of the British cops says they now refer to a ‘traffic collision’ instead of an ‘accident’ because ‘accident’ implies no-one was to blame when that may not be the case at all. ‘Traffic collision’ might sound silly but it makes sense.

For me, ‘public relations’ or ‘PR’ harks back to the days where the sole purpose of the industry was to support an organisation’s or individual’s relations with the public. Today, the term ‘public relations’ is broader and involves aspects of communications – internal and external – and other areas like enhancing stakeholder relationships.

The problem is when some practitioners seem to be stuck in the mindset of a simpler, more precise definition – communicating solely to the public. And that’s when important aspects like employee communications get overlooked or ignored.

Recognising and using all aspects of communications matters. It’s what adds value to your business or organisation. You might communicate to your customers or stakeholders well but not to your employees. Research shows that integrated communications are most successful in reinforcing key messages, increasing brand or profile awareness, targeting core audiences effectively, as well as supporting the reputation of an organisation.