Defining the PR Practitioner

We have seen in the first chapter of this work that Public Relations is a complex field and in consequence we may assert that only a person who has multiple talents can actually fulfill the multitude of activities that PR imply. According to the ex-president PRSA, Pat Jackson, editor-in-chief at the publication PR Reporter, today's PR practitioner has to be a researcher, a counselor, a strategic planner, an educator, a communicator and a team leader.

The PR activity is undertaken by practitioners who serve various types of public and organizations from different fields: business, administration, education, science, commerce, and special groups of interest, minorities, clients, stakeholders, employees, providers, cultural groups and opinion leaders.

In his article “Building a Public Relations Definition”(1976), Rex F. Harlow, in order to complete his definitions about PR, offers what he calls a description-definition of PR also defining PR practitioners and their work.

According to Rex F. Harlow, the PR practitioner , who aims at serving public interest, is a person who is aware of the public opinion influence in the decision-making process; his counseling and communication activity is undertaken as follows:

1. He ensures a two-way communication between the organization and its public.

1. He tries to show not only the present situation of an organization, but also its past and future, transposing everything in terms that may be understood by the public; on the other hand, he transposes the public opinion in terms understood by the organization's members.

1. He studies the organization's contact needs and public's attitude towards it, he recommends a policy and a suitable action plan and finally, he evaluates their efficiency.

1. He seeks to build and maintain a positive image of the organization, informational exchanges between the organization and its publics from the social, political, economic areas and other aiming at the public's feedback.

1. He suggests changing the organizational behavior according to the responsibilities and social, political and economic needs, created by standards' evolution and human attitudes, according to researches.

1. He anticipates analyses and interprets public opinion, attitudes, and issues which might impact, for good or ill, the operations and plans of the organization.

1. He maintains important relationships with governmental structures and communicates the leadership/board the norms and legislation that affect the organization; he also makes suggestions in what concerns the practice of these norms.

1. He carries out studies regarding the public's attitude and he informs the organization about the results.

1. He helps the organization's members in creating direct discourses for public meetings where details about the organization are presented.

1. The practitioner uses as main instruments in communication the public opinion and other research forms- principles, methods and studies results; visual, written and mass-media presentations.

1. The PR practitioner is a part of the leaderships- as an internal member of the organization, as a counselor or professional consultant.

In conclusion, the public relations practitioner is the person who acts as a counselor to management, and as a mediator , helping to translate private aims into reasonable, publicly acceptable policy and action. In helping to define and implement policy, the public relations practitioner utilizes a variety of professional communication skills and plays an integrative role both within the organization and the external environment.

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