Introduction

Public Relations or PR, as we know, refers to a long-term relationship between an organization and its strategic publics. As such, PR attempts to sell the organization. Central to this notion is the element of public interest, thus implying that people’s sentiments, views and attitudes towards the emerging issues is indeed important.

According to an academic study by Jerry Swerling, Professor and Director of PR at the University of Southern California (USC), public relations was ranked as the top contributor to success among respondents at government agencies – suggesting the extent to which PR is seen as an important player.

In a democratic society, such as Malaysia, –whether public or private – must have good relations. In this context, the role of public relations have become so pervasive that, in my analysis, it cannot be denied that the survival of any government, among others, is dependent on good public relations.

Undoubtedly, good PR requires a firm base of theoretical knowledge, effective communication skills, and most importantly, an attitude of professionalism.

Issues and Challenges

The practice of PR today in the government sector is faced with unprecedented pressure.

The political and socio-economic scenario has changed today. Government public relations practitioner, in particular, need to know how to do their business because today business is no longer as usual. Thus, public relations practitioners need to expand their horizons. The government’s efficiency reflects the country’s positive  image. Likewise, the government’s inefficiency reflects the country’s negative image. The government’s delivery system requires consistent improving and upgrading. 

Today the public out there is a changed public. Thus, to fulfill the public’s expectation, public relations practitioners face the challenge of enhancing professional skills. One of the important skills is the media relations skills. As we know, a vital PR function in the government is to manage media relations. Such skill implies establishing good working relations with editors, reporters, columnists, cameraman/camerawoman, broadcasters, etc. Media relations occupies a central position in public relations. In short, we must work towards a mutually-beneficial relationship. Undeniably, such smart partnership can contribute towards the promotion of a Ministry’s policy and strategic plans. Here, information is crucial. There is no output without input. The PR practitioner must continuously  provide updated data, information, facts and figures to the media. It is in this context, writing skills are indeed essential for a good PR practitioner. Then again, effective public relations writing is based on research–whether it is writing for brochures, press releases or writing speeches for the CEOs. The  PR practitioner need to update his or her media contacts.

Related to this is the expectation of enhancing communication skills because as  the PR practitioner, one assumes the role of official spokesperson. This also relates well to the communication liaison role of the public relations practitioner. As liaisons, PR practitioners convey the management’s expectations and their future plans to the employees and also feedback from the employees, voters, suppliers and dealers to the management.

In this regard, knowledge of the topic or subject-matter is very important. Language plays an important role in disseminating what one knows. Thus, the key challenge here is upgrading of effective communication skills. Effective communication starts with understanding and listening.  Good PR, as they often say, is a balance between listening and talking. Understandably, this fundamental premise is the foundation of powerful public relations.

Yet another major challenge is that of managing issues and issues tracking. PR is essential to manage public issues. PR practitioners must  respond  quickly and promptly to citizen and voter concerns. To be able to manage issues, PR practitioners have the responsibility of monitoring the media. Issues are constantly being brought to the forefront with advanced technology- and those issues have to be dealt with real time. Open and frank discussions of issues is essential. For any government to stay in power, public opinion is essential. The PR practitioner has a role in analyzing public opinion with regards to group’s preferences.

Another vital challenge faced by the PR industry is related to the advancement of technology. The new media was reported as the wining factor in Malaysia’s March 2008 general elections. The role of technology, vis-à-vis the new media and information highway such as digital media, online services, blogs have expanded the horizon of global communication. As technology continues to advance, new forms of information dissemination evolve. As such, PR practitioners will have to be equally creative to keep up with the new media – and also to cope with the speed and impact of rapid communications. We can no longer lend a deaf ear to this new media. On the contrary, the PR practitioner must master the new technology to continue to remain relevant.

Creativity is another ingredient that is also important for PR practitioners. Management today expects public relations practitioners to provide creative approaches to organizational problems. Novel ideas should be put forward in getting media attention. In short, the PR practitioner and hence the PR Department must be the storehouse of creativity in the organization in increasing public understanding and acceptance of PR programs.

Another challenge lies in the urgent need for tailored approaches in disseminating information. Increased specialization implies that PR practitioners are expected to be specialists-experts in their daily job in dealing with the media, investors, NGO’s, and the like. PR practitioners nowadays  need to focus on personalized tailored approaches, and less of the mass approach, as the practitioners will have to target messages to specific groups within the population. After all, in PR there is no such thing as a general public. Public-segmentation is crucial for effective information dissemination. In this regards, the publics for government public relations programs, include, among others the voters, media, employees, the private sector and the NGO’s.

We know that PR is a management function. In line with the notion that PR is a fundamental  management function, the PR official is part and parcel of the Post-Cabinet meetings held in all Ministries and thus must contribute to strategic decision-making in areas such as strategy development and realization. The challenge lies in fulfilling the demands and expectations of top management. Furthermore, in accomplishing the task of counseling the top management, some important characteristics include:

-          PR practitioners must have a sound knowledge of the organization. They should fit well in the organization and not be a misfit

-          PR practitioners must have access to and respect from top management. Remember, the PR person who acquires the respect of top management is a powerful force in an organization

-          PR practitioners must have good networking – both locally and abroad. Good networking facilitates intelligence gathering and contributes towards the improvement of PR programs in the organization

-          PR practitioners must have good knowledge of the law. As we observe, PR work today confronts legal issues, privacy concerns, copyright tussles  - so having a basic knowledge in such areas definitely will be an advantage to the PR practitioner and the organization

Conclusion

In today’s scenario, we need to go beyond traditional skills of promotion and publicity. The practice of PR needs to shed its old misconceptions, acquired new responsibilities. In order to remain relevant and be more successful in today’s environment, PR practitioners in the government sector need to enhance their negotiation skills, conflict-management skills  and improve on dispute resolution skills. We certainly have to continuously  improve our language skills – English language in particular – as this is a great asset especially when we serve as press or media liaison officers during international conferences hosted by Malaysia.. We need to keep abreast of issues, embrace new technologies and be sensitive to the continuously changing environments in which we live and work.

Government sector PR is beginning to form smart partnership with the Institute of Public Relations Malaysia (IPRM) in a serious effort to enhance the PR professionalism in the public sector. Licensing of PR practitioners in the government sectors should be seen as a positive move. This is because only accredited professionals will take their profession seriously. In other words, accredited public relations practitioners shall promote professionalism and standards in the practice of PR.

Good PR, like respect, cannot be demanded. Good PR must be earned. The credibility derived from sound PR work can certainly assist in enhancing the image of an organization and harmonizing long-term relationships with strategic publics. There is no shadow of doubt that PR is and can be powerful, especially so in the government, if and when properly used. In the final analysis, the PR industry is indeed essential in a democratic nation like ours.

DR. AMERJIT SINGH