It seems to have died down a bit of late, but from time to time those of us in the realm of public relations are referred to as spin doctors. It implies of course that what we do for a living is to take a fact and twist it into something to serve a particular agenda. It happens, to be sure, but just like other lines of work, the wrongdoers are in the minority.
Kami over at Communication Overtones has a nice post that serves as a good reminder to us in the biz of what we should focus on each and every day. And it will give those not in our world a clear picture of what good public relations is all about.
Kami is right about one thing. Good public relations is about courage. We have all had those moments when we are faced with a tough decision. Do we simply go along with what our client or our boss wants to do - OR - if we believe their actions or words are wrong and will do harm to their reputation or that of the organization - do we stand up and say so?
It's a good challenge for all of us in public relations. For that matter, it's a good challenge regardless of what you do for a living. After all, we all need to take responsibility for our own reputations and that of our organizations.
What will you do?
Thanks for the mention, and to add on a bit, we as PR professionals must earn the title of counselor. It isn't simple.
Posted by: Kami Huyse | Friday, February 16, 2007 at 11:31 AM