Practitioners are from Venus, academics are from Mars?

I have just returned from the Euprera Annual Congress in Barcelona, where PR academics from across Europe and beyond met to discuss current research into issues pertinent to the public relations industry today, or are they? As a former PR practitioner, it struck me that, while undoubtedly valuable, much of the research being discussed at the conference would be impenetrable to many practitioners and this is not good for the academy nor the industry.

There is too much distance, misunderstanding, and indeed sometimes outright hostility, between academics and practitioners in public relations, something which was evident in comments from attendees at the recent, and excellent, PR & Disruption conference at LCC in July. There were very disparaging remarks and tweets from the conference's practitioner attendees towards academic participants; practitioners were reluctant to engage with some of the different ways of seeing and thinking about industry problems envisaged by the academics; they felt that academics were out of touch with their reality. Conversely, academics felt that the practitioners were too focused on technical issues relating to the day job; too obsessed with academics delivering 'oven-ready' graduates rather than the broader industry issues; they felt that practitioners were out of touch with their reality.

So where does this leave us? The truth is somewhere in the middle, there are both academics and practitioners who are out of touch with each other's realities; while there are others who try very hard to bridge the gap. Certainly the current situation is untenable and unique to public relations.  Other disciplines, including marketing, engineering, business, medicine and many others, manage to marry industry interests with academic interests, the one helping to set the agenda for the other, so why can't we? There has to be a way to encourage greater co-operation between the two sides.

Conferences, like LCC's PR & Disruption and the LGA annual conference, go a long way in bringing both sides together to share their concerns and preoccupations, and we, as an industry, need to do more of this kind of thing, but we also need to be discussing what kind of research is necessary to support and advance practice, and what kind of communication is necessary to promote academic ideas and critique.

I think this is where our industry bodies should come in.  PRCA and CIPR have a responsibility to represent and advance the whole PR industry and that includes academia as well as practice.  They are well placed to facilitate discussions about the future direction of research and practice, to set the agenda, to encourage critique on both sides, to bring both sides together, but this isn't happening.  This has not always been the case, the CIPR's education division, under the direction of the wonderful Alan Rawel, was proactive in its support of academic endeavour and sought new ways of marrying education and practice; it supported the development of courses, books, journals and conferences aimed at creating a strong and united academic underpinning for the industry.  Much of this good work has been undone in recent years and many in the industry, both academics and practitioners, will be unaware of the work of this passionate and committed man.  This is a great shame, and bad news for the industry; I regret that his legacy was not more carefully guarded and maintained.

We are not in competition with each other, we are on the same side.  Most of the academics I know were once practitioners and share a desire to research and guide the industry; most of them are keen to share their ideas and to collaborate with practitioners.  Similarly, most practitioners I know are keen to help out with education and research, have ideas that they would like to investigate. I believe that there is the will to work together, we just need the space to do it.

We are in the communication business, and we need to start communicating with each other and fast.  We need a PR 'Relate' to help us to talk things over and repair our relationship before we drift too far apart. Let's work to re-discover the work of Alan Rawel, to build on this legacy to strengthen and unite the industry. I'm ready and willing to take part, are you?

Social Media: Panacea for the Public Sector?

Do you work in public sector communications? Are you using social media in your comms?  If so, I’d like to hear about it!

Are you using social media?  Do you use social media platforms to engage local communities or hard to reach groups?  If so, I want to hear from you!

Following on from my research into general social media trends and skills in PR, my latest quest is to find out how public sector organisations use social media to engage communities and I need volunteers from the sector – you! - to help me with my project.  This research is intended to be exploratory rather than looking for definitive answers, so don’t feel you have to be an expert to take part; anyone using social media as part of their communications strategy is welcome to participate and I am interested in myriad viewpoints, from those who dabble as well as digital natives.

Participation would be anonymous, unless you are really proud of your work and would like it to be acknowledged (!), and would involve taking part in an interview, either face-to-face or via skype, of no more than an hour’s duration.  During this interview I will simply be exploring the issue of community engagement via social media rather than asking any firm questions, so it will be more like a conversation than a grilling!

If you would like to take part or think you could help in any other way, then please contact me on sarah.williams@mmu.ac.uk or make contact on twitter @sasbongo.

European Communication Monitor Seminar with Ketchum Pleon

Ketchum Pleon are holding two free webinars for students on Wednesday October 17th to discuss the latest results of the European Communication Monitor, a Euprera project.  To book your place on the webinar email Alice Clarke.  The invitation is published below and I strongly recommend that you book your place today!

Invitation ECM Webinar

Shape the Future of PR

As students and practioners of PR and communications we are sure that you are interested in the future of our industry, particularly how social media and ethical matters take ever more prominence.

Join us for this unique, free Webinar that explores the findings of the recent European Communication Monitor (ECM) 2012 (the latest global survey of communications trends) and grow your understanding of your industry of choice.

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Please choose the most convenient time:

Morning session: 10.00 to 10.45 am (UK time)

Evening session: 5.00 to 5.45 pm (UK time)

The ECM is the largest transnational survey on Public Relations and strategic communications worldwide with almost 2200 participants from 42 countries. Providing yearly data since 2007, the ECM aids better understanding of the professional practice of communications in Europe thus improving the quality of both in-house and consultancy work within a changing framework of our profession.

Ketchum Pleon is Europe’s leading communications consultancy with more than 900 employees in over 30 offices around Europe, integrated into Ketchum’s global operations.

Enjoy a presentation and join a vivid discussion between leading academics and industry leaders:

-      Prof. Ralph Tench (Professor of Communication Education, PR and Communication, University of Leeds, UK)

-       Prof. Dr. Ansgar Zerfass (Professor of Communication Management, University of Leipzig, Germany)

-       Mr. Joachim Klewes (Senior Partner at Ketchum Pleon Germany)

-       Mr. Rod Cartwright

(Director of Ketchum's Global Corporate Practice, based in London, UK)

If you would like to enroll onto this session please email

alice.clarke@ketchumpleon.com

Useful books for PR Students

The European Public Relations Education and Research Association, Euprera, has compiled a list of PR books written by its members.  The list contains useful texts for students of PR and communications, and is a useful starting point for undergraduates and postgraduates alike.  Take a look here.

(Post-graduate students will note that this is the book that I was talking about in class last week!)

Digital Marketing Insights at MMU

MMUPR students have the opportunity to attend a day of cutting-edge digital marketing seminars on Friday 26th October. The event, held at MMUBS, is organised by 'Digiterati' (the Econsultancy student society).


They have agreed to offer you this at the specially discounted rate of £20. Over the day you'll hear from four practitioners talking digital, digital PR, analytics and social business.

Simply click here and select the "Digiterati Member" option.

I cannot recommend these highly enough for anyone interested in digital marketing. It's also a great networking opportunity.
Sign up via eventbrite here to enjoy a day of fantastic digital marketing insight.

Academia versus Practice: what is the point of research?

I was lucky enough to attend the Euprera 2012 Annual Congress in Istanbul the other week, where there were many excellent papers delivered by respected academics and new researchers alike, but what was missing from this, as with many other PR conferences, was practitioner input.  There is a great deal of very good research being done by academics, in this country and across the world, into many different aspects of PR theory and practice but very little seems to make its mark on practice.

This is a lost opportunity for both academia and practice.  Practitioners could benefit from the findings of robust research projects, use the findings to guide their practice, even partner with academics to produce research that is pertinent to their specific operations.  Whereas academics can benefit from the first-hand experiences of practitioners and use practitioner networks to produce research that really reflects modern PR practice and captures and investigates the dilemmas and triumphs of the industry. 

So why isn't this happening?  The CIPR once ran an annual conference aimed at bringing academics and practitioners together but this has not run for a couple of years. It needn't be as grand as a conference but I think that together industry and academia should investigate fora for sharing research and ideas to develop and strengthen the industry. 

At a time when Lionel Zetter is calling for a strong, unified professional body to represent the industry, perhaps it is also time for PR academia and the PR industry to find ways to unite?

Job Opportunity with Tobacco Free Futures

Tobacco Free Futures is a highly effective partnership programme, which is funded by NHS Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) in the North West. Its mission is to prevent tobacco related health inequalities and poverty, by breaking the cycle of addiction and exposure to tobacco in every community.

They are looking for a recent graduate, ideally with placement experience, to join them as a communications and project support officer on a full-time freelance basis starting as soon as possible until the end of March 2013. The placement will be subject to an initial eight-week trial period. The day rate for this role will broadly equate to around £100 per day.

If you would like to apply please send an up to date CV along with a short covering letter explaining why you would be suitable to Ian White on ian.white@tobaccofreefutures.org, or contact Sarah for more information.