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1 WHAT IS PUBLIC RELATIONS ?

This introductory unit explores what we understand by the term ‘public relations’.
Students listen to an extract from a lecture which describes different definitions of the
term public relations and the functions of public relations such as communication
(analyzing needs, etc.), research, planning and evaluation. They also listen to a series
of mini-lectures which introduce different components of public relations, from
identifying target audiences to fostering media relationships. The content of the
mini-lectures will be explored in more detail in subsequent units.

Skills focus Vocabulary focus

≤Listening • words from general English with a special meaning
• preparing for a lecture in public relations
• predicting lecture content from the introduction • prefixes and suffixes
• understanding lecture organization
• making lecture notes
Speaking
• speaking from notes

Key vocabulary
accessible event press release
advertise exposure programme
advertising influence (v) promotion
agency lobby (v) propaganda
analyze lobbying (n) public
audience lobbyist publicity
biased market (n and v) relations
client mass (adj) research (n and v)
communication media service (n)
consumer merchandizing spin
copywriting misinform sponsor (n)
counsel (v) nonverbal stakeholder
coverage opinion target (n and v)
culture practice (n) trend
editorial (n) press (n) unethical

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1 WHAT IS PUBLIC RELATIONS?

1.1 Vocabulary

General note • In sentence 2, it means the behaviour of two people

Read the Vocabulary bank at the end of the Course towards each other. Again, it is a plural noun.
Book unit. Decide when, if at all, to refer your • In sentence 3, it is a plural noun meaning
students to it. The best time is probably at the very diplomatic recognition between each country.
end of the lesson or the beginning of the next Write the following sentences containing the word
lesson, as a summary/revision. public on the board.
1 The information only became public after his
death.
Lesson aims
2 The public is often banned from access to
• identify words for the discipline in context
construction sites.
• gain fluency in the target vocabulary
3 The government’s handling of the hostage crisis
was a public relations success.
Introduction Ask students the meaning of public in the three
Write the following sentences containing the word sentences. If you like, you can ask them to check in
relations on the board. their dictionaries. Point out that two sentences use
1 We have many family gatherings with my father’s the general English meaning (the first and second
relations. sentences) and one the public relations meaning (the
2 Relations between John and his wife are rather third sentence).
strained. Ask students to think of some phrases with public in
3 Britain enjoys friendly relations with Australia. them. Ask them to distinguish between those with a
general English meaning and those related to public
Ask students the meaning of relations in the three
relations. For example: public speaker, public office,
sentences:
public access, a public company.
• In sentence 1, it is a plural noun meaning relatives
Note: Don’t spend too long on this.
through blood or marriage.
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Exercise A Exercise B
Set for individual work and pairwork checking. Point Set for individual work and pairwork checking. Do the
out that this is a text which introduces some important first sentence as an example.
basic vocabulary related to public relations – although Feed back with the whole class. Ask students for any
it may not seem like that, at first glance. Do the last other words they know which have a special meaning in
one as an example, e.g., In general English, to spin is to public relations. If necessary, prompt them with the
turn around and around, usually very fast. In public word spin. Elicit the general English meaning of the
relations, spin means putting an interpretation or slant words. Accept all reasonable answers.
on a situation to gain public support, and is often used
in politics. Ask students if they think the PR meaning Answers
of spin is negative or positive. Get students to give a Model answer:
reason for their choice. (Spin is generally a negative Edward L. Bernays, the subject of Larry Tye’s book ‘The
term, signifying a heavily biased portrayal of an event Father of Spin’, is generally seen as the first representative
or situation. It often, though not always, implies of the public relations (PR) profession. Bernays pioneered
deceptive and/or highly manipulative tactics.) many of the PR industry’s techniques, including the
Point out that there is often a relationship with the development of media events. He used these techniques
general English meaning, and if you know the general to promote products such as cigarettes; he also used them
English meaning it can help to guess the public to improve the public image of high-profile people,
relations meaning (as in the case of exposure or including US presidents Calvin Coolidge and Herbert
release). Remind students to change the form if Hoover. Together with other early practitioners such as
necessary, e.g., from verb to noun. Check students Ivy Lee (who is credited with issuing the first press
understand grammar or other changes. release), Bernays worked for the US government during
Feed back, putting the PR English meanings in a table the First World War to influence public opinion. Bernays
on the board. Tell students to use these structures concluded that similar techniques could be used in
where possible: peacetime. He believed that with the right exposure,
• a(n) X is (a(n)) … to define a noun including media coverage such as editorials in the press,
public opinion could be manipulated. This led to the
• to X is to Y to define a verb perception of PR as propaganda.
Make sure students can say the words correctly. For An example of another word with a different meaning
example: in PR is lobby (hotel lobby in general English, lobby as
• vowels in release both /i / a verb in PR).
• short /e/ in press
• schwa /ə/ in relations Exercise C
• vowel /əυ/ and syllabic // in exposure Set the first question for pairwork. See which pair can
work out the answer first.
Answers
Set the remainder for pairwork. Feed back, building up
See table below. the table in the Answers section on the board.

Word Meaning Comments

event in media event – an activity planned to attract the attention media event is a compound noun
of the media
exposure the extent to which the target audience becomes aware of a also possible to use the verb expose, meaning
person, message, activity, theme or organization through the to bring something to light (e.g., information
efforts of PR that had been kept secret from the press)
press newspapers and magazines, and those parts of TV and radio uncountable
which broadcast news; the reporters and photographers who
work for them
promote raise the image of a product, service or person and make it noun promotion(s) used frequently in public
more popular relations
relations in public relations – the relationship between an organization plural noun
and the public
release making something available; a press release makes press release is a compound noun
information available to the media
spin putting an interpretation on a situation to gain public verb or noun; usually negative/pejorative usage
support, especially in politics

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1 WHAT IS PUBLIC RELATIONS?

Answers Exercise D
Model answers: Repeat the procedure from Exercise C.
1 They all have a base word + extra letters at the
beginning/prefixes. Answers
2 See table below. Model answers:
3 Prefix. 1 They all have a base word + extra letters at the
end/suffixes.
4/5 See table below.
2 See table below.
Prefix Base word Meaning of prefix Another word 3 Suffix.
co ordinate with, together cooperate 4/5 See table below.
dis interested the opposite of disreputable
something Base word Suffix Effect/meaning Another word
em body to make or become empower of suffix
en sure make something enable, access ible can be permissible,
certain encourage legible
in formal not inaudible, cover age noun – a process shortage, leakage,
inadequate /state or result of breakage
something
inter national between interdepartmental,
interpersonal editor ial noun g adjective presidential,
influential
mis inform wrongly, badly miscalculate,
misjudge effect ive g adjective active, creative
non verbal not non-profit interview ee verb g noun – employee, payee
someone involved
out bid exceeding outlast, outgrow in an action
over analyze do more than overreact lobby ist used to form optimist, idealist,
enough adjectives and perfectionist,
re write do again recreate nouns which propagandist
describe beliefs/
under estimate less than should be underpriced, behaviour
underdeveloped
manage ment verb g noun achievement,
un limited not, opposite unacceptable acknowledgement,
accomplishment
percep tion verb g noun circulation,
Language note donation,
English is a lexemic language. In other words, the presentation,
celebration
whole meaning of a word is usually contained
within the word itself, rather than coming from a profession al g adjective – instrumental,
relating to withdrawal
root meaning plus prefixes or suffixes (affixes). In
most texts, written or spoken, there will only be a public ity adjective g noun creativity, ability,
lucidity
tiny number of words with affixes. However, these
often add to a base meaning in a predictable way relation ship used to show membership,
position or ownership,
and it is important that students learn to detach
relationship partnership
affixes from a new word and see if they can find a
scientific ally adjective g economically,
recognizable base word.
adverb financially,
naturally,
Some words beginning with letters from prefixes gradually
are NOT in fact base + prefix, e.g., refuse. In other
use ful noun g adjective powerful,
cases, the base word does not exist anymore in
– having the truthful, painful
English and therefore will not help students, e.g., characteristics/
transfer, transit, although even in these cases, the qualities of
root meaning of the prefix may be a guide to the verifi able can be memorable,
meaning of the whole word. desirable,
replaceable,
acceptable

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Closure
Language note
If you have not done so already, refer students to the
Note that with prefixes we rarely change the form Vocabulary bank at the end of Unit 1. Tell students to
of the base word. However, with suffixes, there are explain how this lesson can help them deal with new
often changes to the base word, so students must: words in context. If you wish, make three groups.
• take off the suffix Group A looks at the first section, Using related words.
• try to reconstruct the base word Group B looks at the second section, Removing
prefixes. Group C looks at the third section, Removing
suffixes. Then make new groups of three with an ABC
Exercise E
in each to explain to each other.
Set for pairwork. Try to elicit more than just the words
from this lesson. Tell students to use adjectives as well
as nouns. They can add other words to complete a
description (e.g., good publicity).
Students may use the following words in their
discussion of each picture:
1 interviewee, interviewer
2 information, product/service, promotion, publicity
3 professionals, donation/presentation, cheque,
publicity, event
4 newspapers, press, publicity, news coverage,
editorial, publication, disseminate
5 the media, press, exposure, publicity, photographers
6 press release, news coverage, publicity

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1 WHAT IS PUBLIC RELATIONS?

1.2 Listening

Introduction
1 Show students flashcards of some or all of the
words from Lesson 1.1. Tell students to say the
words correctly and quickly as you flash them. Give
out one word to each of the students. Say the words
again. The student with the word must hold it up.
Repeat the process saying the words in context.
2 Refer students to the visuals. Briefly elicit ideas of
what they depict (sportsman with sponsorship
logos; political campaigner/lobbyist in congress;
publicity management; World War propaganda
poster).

Exercise A
1 Set for pair or group work. Feed back but do not
confirm or correct at this time.
2 Set for pairwork. Elicit some ideas but do not
confirm or correct.

Methodology note
You may want to refer students to the Skills bank –
Making the most of lectures at this point. Set the
following for individual work and pairwork
checking. Tell students to cover the points and try
to remember what was under each of the Ps – Plan,
Prepare, Predict, Produce. Then tell students to
General note work through the points to make sure they are
prepared for the lecture they are about to hear.
The recording should only be played once, since
this reflects what happens in a real lecture. Students
should be encouraged to listen for the important ≤Exercise B
points, since this is what a native speaker would
Students read the choices. Point out they are only going
take from the text. However, students can be
to hear the introduction once, as in an authentic lecture
referred to the transcript at the end of the lesson to
situation. Play Part 1. Feed back. If students’ answers
check their detailed understanding and word
differ, discuss which is the best answer and why.
recognition, or to try to discover reasons for failing
to comprehend. Answers
Read the Skills bank at the end of the Course Book Model answer:
unit. Decide when, if at all, to refer students to it. d Public relations is more than just free advertising.
The best time is probably at the very end of the
lesson or the beginning of the next lesson, as a Transcript ≤ 1.1
summary/revision.
Part 1
Good morning everyone, and welcome to the
Lesson aims Public Relations Faculty. I’d like to begin this
• prepare for a lecture morning’s lecture with a question. What is public
relations, or PR?
• predict lecture content
• make notes Right. Let’s start by looking at one of the earliest
definitions. In the early 20th century, Edward
Bernays defined public relations as ‘a management
function which tabulates public attitudes, defines

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the policies and interest of an organization

followed by executing a program of action to earn
Transcript ≤ 1.2
public understanding and acceptance’. Put simply, Part 2
for Bernays, PR is something which management So what is PR about then? There are as many
does. It’s about recording the public’s attitude to definitions of PR as there are authors and
the key concerns for an organization, and then practitioners. However, a brief survey of definitions
doing things that will earn public acceptance of the from three well-known PR sources will take our
policies and interests of the organization. In his understanding forward.
book entitled Propaganda, published in 1928,
Bernays argued for the scientific manipulation of In 1978, the first World Assembly of National
public opinion. He calls this scientific technique of Public Relations in Mexico City stated that ‘Public
influencing opinions ‘the engineering of consent’; relations practice is the art of social science in
in other words, persuading people to agree with analyzing trends, predicting their consequences,
you. Today, the term ‘propaganda’ generally refers counselling organizational leaders, and implementing
to biased information that is released, for example, planned programmes of action which will serve both
under the conditions of biased censorship. Public the organization and public interest’. Looking
relations practitioners argue that propaganda uses carefully at this definition, it could be argued that the
unethical methods that generate suspicion, description ‘art of social science’ is not specific enough.
whereas to be successful, PR must be credible as But I believe asserting that PR is an art, in its widest
well as ethical. sense, is useful, since PR requires artistic skills, along
Too often, you hear disparaging terms used to with language, writing and public speaking. PR also
describe public relations. You’ll have noticed, I’m uses the scientific instruments and research methods
sure, negative words such as ‘hype’ and ‘spin’ that of social science, including monitoring, surveys and
imply that PR is about misleading the public. What research, to understand and predict human behaviour.
about the perception that PR agencies have the best This definition also identifies four key elements of
press contacts so as to get great editorials for their public relations, namely, analyzing communication
clients? Without doubt, good PR agencies build needs, advising management, planning, and
strong relationships with the press. But does this implementing communication programmes.
mean that, in effect, PR is simply free advertising? The Institute of Public Relations in Britain
The answer is no – public relations is about a lot describes PR as: ‘… the deliberate, planned and
more than that. sustained effort to establish and maintain mutual
understanding between an organization and its
≤Exercise C publics.’ Did you notice the plural there? The word
public is, of course, normally singular. But the use
1/2 Set for pairwork discussion before listening. Tell of the plural tells us that organizations have more
students to make notes. than one public, or sector of the population, which
3/4 Play Part 2 for students to check their ideas and they have to convince. The emphasis in this
listen for question 4. Feed back. Finally, check the definition is on planning, although it also identifies
answer to question 4. the aim of PR to create ‘mutual understanding.’
Answers The Encyclopedia of Public Relations states that
Model answers: ‘For most of the 20th century, the idea of ‘public’
1/2 Answers depend on the students. served as the central concept in public relations
theory and practice …’. Let’s take the word
3 Accept all reasonable answers, including any of the
‘public’. We need to distinguish between ‘public’ as
following: PR is a management function; PR uses
in the general public or all ordinary people, and
social science research methods; planning is an
‘public’ as referring to a special or particular group
important area of PR; PR involves two-way
of people. PR then, involves two-way
communication.
communication between different parties, for
4 The lecturer will talk about PR and its relation to example an organization and either a particular
advertising and publicity. group or the community at large. It advises the
organization so that its policies are consistent with
the expectations of its publics. I’ll come back to the
topic of publics in a later lecture, but for now, I’d
like to move on and talk about the importance of
PR and its relation to advertising and publicity.

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1 WHAT IS PUBLIC RELATIONS?

≤Exercise D Publicity, in a PR sense, is mainly about

Write the word publicity on the board. Remind independent editorial coverage. The recipient of
students about the work on prefixes and suffixes in this publicity often has no, or very little, control
Lesson 1.1. Show them that publicity is made up of over the content and where or when it is received.
public (people) + ity (noun suffix = activity).
Elicit the general definition of publicity: the activity of
attracting public attention. Methodology note
Set the questions for pairwork. Play Part 3. Feed back. Up to this point, you have not mentioned how
students should record information. Have a look
Answers around to see what students are doing. If some are
Model answers: using good methods, make a note and mention that
later in the unit.
1 In PR, publicity generally refers to independent
editorial coverage. Advertising refers to a paid-for
communication in the media to persuade people to
buy products or services.
≤Exercise E
Point out that we often give examples of things to help
2/3 The sponsor controls the words used, where and clarify definitions. Give students plenty of time to look
how often the advertisement is placed and the cost. at the words in the box, then play Part 4. Feed back.

Transcript ≤ 1.3 Answers

Part 3 advertising C
So far, we’ve established that fundamentally, PR benefit E
aims to create understanding between different climate of acceptance E
parties. Today, modern mass media is everywhere.
education subsidy E
Interest and pressure groups in politics and
business are all around us. This means that the favourable opinion E
ability to influence public opinion and behaviour lobbying C
is critical to the survival of organizations. This is lucky number prize E
particularly true for organizations seeking public marketing C
attention, government support, funding, or merchandizing C
credibility in the community. Public relations plays
promotion C
a key role in developing, understanding and
defining relationships between the different public legislation E
parties. It narrows the gap between an
organization’s perception of itself and how others
perceive it. Transcript ≤ 1.4
Communication plays a vital role in PR. PR Part 4
practitioners use a variety of communication In the final part of this lecture, we’ll be looking at
techniques to communicate with their publics. the communication techniques of marketing,
One of these is advertising, which is sometimes merchandizing, promotion and lobbying, and
confused with PR. With advertising, the sponsor where they fit in public relations.
controls the words used, where and how
often the advertisement is placed and the cost. PR may also be confused with marketing and
Advertising is limited specifically to products and sales promotion. However, marketing and sales
services and brands, with the goal of generating promotions are concerned with product, price and
sales. PR is much broader than advertising. place, and are narrower in focus. In PR, marketing
is focused on creating a climate of acceptance for
Of course, publicity is a central aspect of PR. launching promotional messages. In contrast,
Publicity, in its broadest sense, refers to exposure in marketing, as part of production, includes all
any public media of individuals, organizations, aspects of production, promotion, and the
services or products. It can be positive or negative. distribution or sales of goods and services.
Publicity is often used in PR, but in a more limited
and defined sense. It refers to information Advertising is often a critical part of sales, as are
communicated in the media, as news or items of merchandizing and sales promotion.
public interest. In most cases these are not paid for. Merchandizing refers to the creation of an
acceptable appearance for a product or person, so

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as to win acceptance and patronage from the public Exercise F

for a group, product, service, cause or idea. Set for individual work and pairwork checking. Feed
back, building up a model definition on the board.
Promotion involves mobilizing favourable
opinion for a product or a cause, often by offering Answers
the consumer or public a benefit at no extra cost; Possible answer:
for example, offering a car as a lucky number prize Public relations means the function of creating and
for people donating to a child cancer fund. maintaining a favourable opinion, public image or
identity for a person, product or event.
Lobbying is another concept related to PR. It
often has an undeserved negative connotation. Put
simply, lobbying can be described as a professional Exercise G
attempt at building and maintaining relationships Refer students back to their notes from Exercise A.
with government or any authority. The purpose of
lobbying is to influence public legislation or policy
Closure
in favour of an organization, group, cause or event.
For example, a lobbyist may attempt to persuade 1 Ask students to give you examples of ways in
bureaucrats that a particular education subsidy will which public relations practitioners have changed
be good for local constituents. things for the better in recent times – particularly in
students’ own countries (e.g., healthcare PR,
So in conclusion, marketing, merchandizing, including fundraising for child cancer victims, and
promotion and lobbying should be viewed not as community awareness campaigns on how to deal
public relations in totality, but as important with/avoid epidemics such as SARS).
elements of it. Public relations is more extensive 2 Refer students to the Skills bank if you have not
and comprehensive than these individual concepts. done so already and work through the section
Making the most of lectures.

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1 WHAT IS PUBLIC RELATIONS?

1.3 Extending skills

Exercise B
Point out that you can understand a lecture better if
you can predict the order of information. Point out also
that there are many pairs and patterns in presenting
information, e.g., question and answer, or a sequence
of events in chronological order.
Set for pairwork. Feed back orally. Check
pronunciation. Point out that lecturers may not
actually use these words, but if you recognize that
what a lecturer is saying is the first of a pair, or the
beginning of a sequence, you are ready for the second
or next stage later in the lecture.
Answers
1 question and i answer
2 problem and h solution
3 classification and b definition
4 advantages and c disadvantages
5 comparison and a contrast
6 cause and d effect
7 sequence of e events
8 stages of a g process
9 theories or opinions then f supporting information

Exercise C
Identify the first form of notes – a flowchart. Set the
Lesson aims rest for individual work and pairwork checking. Feed
• identify different types of lecture organization back, using an OHT or other visual medium if possible.
• use the introduction to a lecture to decide the best
Answers
form of notes to use
1 flowchart
Introduction 2 tree diagram
Tell students to build up the four Ps of preparing for a 3 two columns
lecture: Plan, Prepare, Predict, Produce. Put students 4 table
into four groups, each group working on one of the 5 headings and notes
stages, then feeding back to the rest of the class. 6 timeline
7 spidergram
Exercise A
There words will occur in the listening texts. Set for Methodology note
pairwork. Feed back orally. The more students can say,
the better. Accept all reasonable answers. You might like to make larger versions of the
illustrations of different note types and pin them
Answers up in the classroom for future reference.
Possible answers:
1 promote product, cause
2 advertise products, services
3 merchandize product, person
4 lobby government, politicians, bureaucrats
5 influence public legislation/policy
6 target group
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Exercise D some definitions of PR that suggested an

Work through the first one as an example. Set for organization is dependent on its publics for its
pairwork. Feed back orally and encourage discussion. success. This means that every public relations
Demonstrate how each method of note-taking in effort needs to be aimed at a specific group of
Exercise C can be matched with a lecture organization people. We cannot discuss public relations without
structure. Point out that: an understanding of what constitutes a ‘public’.
• a tree diagram is useful for hierarchically arranged Introduction 2
information, such as when the information moves
Today I’d like to follow on from last week’s lecture
from general to specific/examples
by looking in more detail at the categories of
• a spidergram is more fluid and flexible, and can be ‘publics’ in public relations. Guth and Marsh have
used to show connections between things identified various types of publics. In this lecture,
I’ll focus on some of the comparisons they make,
Answers
including internal and external publics, traditional
Possible answers: and non-traditional publics, primary and secondary
1 question and answer = heading and notes publics, and domestic and international publics. I’ll
2 problem and solution = headings and notes or begin with internal and external publics.
two-column table
Introduction 3
3 classification and definition = tree diagram or
Good morning, everyone. In today’s lecture, I’m
spidergram
going to look briefly at the development of public
4 advantages and disadvantages = two-column table relations over the last few decades. Although some
5 comparison and contrast = table historians and textbook authors trace the roots of
6 cause and effect = spidergram the profession back to ancient Rome, public
7 sequence of events = timeline or flowchart relations as a field can be traced back to the early
20th century in the United States, when the
8 stages of a process = flowchart (or circle if it is development of the mass media changed the way in
a cycle) which organizations communicated with groups.
9 theories or opinions then supporting information
= headings and notes or two-column table Introduction 4
Good public relations needs good planning. A plan
≤Exercise E helps the client identify their goals and objectives. It
also assists in identifying the means of achieving
Explain that students are going to hear the these goals. Plans should be measurable and have
introductions to several different lectures. They do not clear deadlines, while at the same time being
have to take notes, only think about what kind of realistic. To achieve success, thorough planning is
information organization they are going to hear. Work necessary. So this morning, I’ll be looking at the
through the example. different phases in implementing a PR programme.
Play each introduction. Pause after each one and allow
students to discuss then feed back. Establish that Introduction 5
sometimes lecturers move from one information In this week’s lecture, I’m going to discuss some of
organization to another, e.g., cause and effect then the functions performed by a public relations
sequence of events. practitioner. Public relations practitioners carry out
a variety of functions, the first of which is research.
Answers
Possible answers: PR practitioners carry out formal research. They
1 tree diagram (classification and definition) need to gather information from the public that
will keep them informed about changes in public
2 table (comparison and contrast)
opinion, trends and emerging issues. They also need
3 timeline (sequence of events) to assess the political climate, environmental
4 flowchart (stages/sequence of a process) concerns and the concerns of consumers. Detailed
5 spidergram (classification and definition) research is vital in planning programmes that are
responsive to publics and problem situations.
Transcript ≤ 1.5
Introduction 1 Closure
Today, I want to discuss the ‘publics’ of public 1 Test students on the pairs from Exercise B. Correct
relations. In the previous lectures, we looked at pronunciation again if necessary.

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1 WHAT IS PUBLIC RELATIONS?

1.4 Extending skills

Lesson aims 3 a poster with a slogan

• make outline notes from lecture introductions
• make notes from a variety of lecture types ≤ Exercise B
• speak from notes Make sure students understand that they are going to
hear the introductions from Lesson 1.3 again. Ask
Further practice in: them briefly if they can remember any of the content
• predicting lecture content from the introductions. Spend a few moments on this if
students are able to contribute. Elicit the suggestions
Introduction for types of notes (Lesson 1.3, Exercise E).
Elicit as much information from the lecture notes in Explain that this time they must create outlines using
Lesson 1.2 as possible. If necessary, prompt students by the appropriate type of notes. (You can refer them
reading parts of the transcript and pausing for students again to the Skills bank – Making perfect lecture notes.)
to complete in their own words. Make sure students understand that they don’t need to
write a lot at this stage – outlines may consist of just a
few words, e.g., the start of a spidergram, the first part
Exercise A of a table or diagram. Play each introduction in turn
Set for individual work and pairwork checking. Feed and give students time to choose a note-type, make the
back orally but still do not confirm or correct. Point outline and check it with other students.
out that students are going to hear about all these
Feed back, getting all the outlines on the board – you
things in today’s lesson. You will return to these
may wish to copy them from the first part of the model
illustrations at the end.
notes on the right-hand page, or you may prefer to
For reference, the illustrations show: follow you student’s suggestions. Clarify the meaning
1 a group of protestors; shareholders at an AGM and of new words and check pronunciation.
a presenter; a group of elderly people
2 students; academic staff; non-academic staff

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Transcript ≤ 1.5 Methodology note

Introduction 1 Spiral bound or stitched/stapled notebooks are not
the best way to keep lecture notes. It is impossible
Today, I want to discuss the ‘publics’ of public to reorganize or add extra information at a later
relations. In the previous lectures, we looked at date, or make a clean copy of notes after a lecture.
some definitions of PR that suggested an Encourage students, therefore, to use a loose-leaf
organization is dependent on its publics for its file, but make sure that they organize it in a
success. This means that every public relations sensible way, with file dividers, and keep it tidy.
effort needs to be aimed at a specific group of Tell students to use a separate piece of paper for
people. We cannot discuss public relations without each outline in this lecture.
an understanding of what constitutes a ‘public’.

Introduction 2
Exercise C
Today I’d like to follow on from last week’s lecture
Set for pair or group work. Feed back, but do not
by looking in more detail at the categories of
confirm or correct. Students should be able to predict
‘publics’ in public relations. Guth and Marsh have
reasonably well the kind of information which will fit
identified various types of publics. In this lecture,
into their outline.
I’ll focus on some of the comparisons they make,
including internal and external publics, traditional
and non-traditional publics, primary and secondary ≤ Exercise D
publics, and domestic and international publics. I’ll Before you play the next part of each lecture, refer
begin with internal and external publics. students to their outline notes again. Tell them to orally
reconstruct the introduction from their notes. They
Introduction 3 don’t have to be able to say the exact words, but they
Good morning, everyone. In today’s lecture, I’m should be able to give the gist.
going to look briefly at the development of public Remind students that they are only going to hear the
relations over the last few decades. Although some next part of the lecture once. Play each extract in turn,
historians and textbook authors trace the roots of pausing if necessary to allow students to make notes
the profession back to ancient Rome, public but not replaying any section. Tell students to choose
relations as a field can be traced back to the early an appropriate type of notes for this part of the lecture
20th century in the United States, when the – it could be a continuation of the type they chose for
development of the mass media changed the way in the introduction, or it could be a different type.
which organizations communicated with groups.

Introduction 4 Transcript ≤ 1.6

Good public relations needs good planning. A plan Lecture 1
helps the client identify their goals and objectives. It As I’ve mentioned, the main focus of public
also assists in identifying the means of achieving relations is influencing a specific public at a
these goals. Plans should be measurable and have specific time. I’d like to make a distinction between
clear deadlines, while at the same time being what can be termed ‘the public at large’ or the
realistic. To achieve success, thorough planning is population as a whole, and segmented groups
necessary. So this morning, I’ll be looking at the within it. In contemporary public relations, these
different phases in implementing a PR programme. segmented groups or ‘publics’ are the focus of
interest. They are audiences that are important to
Introduction 5
the organization and that have, or may potentially
In this week’s lecture, I’m going to discuss some of have, an impact on an organization. They include
the functions performed by a public relations customers, both current and potential; employees
practitioner. Public relations practitioners carry out and management; investors; media; government;
a variety of functions, the first of which is research. suppliers; and opinion-formers. Publics include
PR practitioners carry out formal research. They groups of people who share a common perception
need to gather information from the public that will of a situation or problem at a specific time, for
keep them informed about changes in public opinion, example men aged 30 to 40 years. They also
trends and emerging issues. They also need to assess include people who are connected by a common
the political climate, environmental concerns and the interest, for example, the reading public.
concerns of consumers. Detailed research is vital in But publics are not the only segmented group of
planning programmes that are responsive to publics the population. A population also includes
and problem situations. markets, target groups and stakeholders. An

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1 WHAT IS PUBLIC RELATIONS?

organization identifies a group of potential buyers, society, or the publics themselves. It’s worth noting
or market, for a product or service they are that non-traditional publics, after a period of
offering. For example, all coffee drinkers form a interaction with an organization, could become
market for coffee sellers. So how do a market and traditional publics.
a public differ? One important difference is that Publics can also be categorized as primary or
markets are identified by the organization. Publics, secondary publics, depending on the extent to
however, are characterized by a common interest which they affect an organization’s goals. Publics
or shared concerns. Publics differ from one that have a significant influence on an organization
organization to another, are inherently active and are primary publics. They may include employees,
may choose an organization based on the way that the immediate community, the media, the
organization works. So just to go over that again. government and financial institutions. Secondary
Organizations choose markets, but publics choose publics, on the other hand, are important to the
organizations. organization but their effect on the organization’s
A target group constitutes another segment of goals is minimal.
the population as a whole. It is a very specific Finally, I want to look briefly at domestic publics,
group of people an organization is trying to reach those within your country, and international
with its message. Also referred to as a target publics, those outside your borders. International
market, it is defined by measurable characteristics public relations are about more than having a
or attributes. For example, a particular socio- relationship with a specific group in another
economic group. Target groups are recipients of country. It also means having a broad knowledge of
something and are basically passive, as opposed to that country, including everything from its weather
people who are actively in the market for a and public holidays to its culture, business practices
product or service. and ethics. Conversely, it is dangerous for an
What about ‘stakeholders’? The term refers to organization to assume that it knows everything
individuals or a group with an interest in an about its domestic publics, just because they are
organization. Stakeholders can be categorized as within its national borders.
those linked to an organization contractually or
financially, for example, employees, management, Lecture 3 ≤ 1.8
investors, etc. Publics, on the other hand, are those
Key figures associated with the development of
existing outside the organization, with no direct
public relations in America were Edward Bernays
financial involvement.
and Ivy Lee. Some of their PR techniques are still
widely used today. With the opening of his
Lecture 2 ≤ 1.7 publicity office in New York City in 1904, Ivy Lee
OK. Let’s start with internal and external publics. established one of the first PR firms in the US. In
Internal publics exist within an organization, while fact, Lee was the first PR professional to use a news
external publics are those outside. Let me give you or press release for communication. Bernays and
a practical example. In an educational institution, Lee became members of the Committee on Public
the internal publics would be non-academic staff, Information, or the Creel Committee, which
academic staff and students. The external publics organized publicity for the US during the First
could include the education department and other World War. The Creel Committee was able to gain
relevant institutions, the community where the support for the draft, a compulsory recruitment of
institution is located, service providers and so on. men for the army.
Next, traditional and non-traditional publics. Slogans also played an important role in the
The term ‘traditional public’ refers to groups that Second World War. Winston Churchill’s plea to
an organization has ongoing long-term keep up the fighting until victory won the support
relationships with. Depending on the organization, of British and Americans alike. During the Second
they can include, for example, employees, the new World War, Britain’s Ministry of Information also
media, governments, investors, customers and provided factual information to the public in order
community groups. Traditional publics can have a to maintain morale.
positive or negative relationship with an The 1940s through to the 1960s saw growth in
organization. the corporate sector of public relations. By the
Non-traditional publics, on the other hand, are 1960s, clients for public relations came from
not familiar to the organization, although they have national, state and local government, as well as
always been present in the public at large. They industrial, labour, professional and religious groups.
often emerge due to changes in the organization, By the 1990s, as a result of the newly created

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privatized companies, public relations was a organization and its publics maintain mutual lines
booming industry. of communication. PR practitioners manage
people, budgets, events and businesses. They also
Lecture 4 ≤ 1.9 advise organizations on matters that affect their
Let’s begin by thinking about a PR programme to relationships with their various publics.
develop an identity for an organization. How do Another important function is writing and
you go about planning that kind of activity? The editing. The public relations practitioner needs to
initial phase involves some research into the be skilled at writing in different formats for
background and activities of the organization, different purposes, from business writing to
identifying its goals, missions, aspirations and, most copywriting to writing for websites. Business
importantly, the image it wants to project. This first writing uses a formal style and traditional
step, then, is focused on information gathering and language. Copywriting, on the other hand, is more
evaluation of the organization, including an informal and more like spoken language. Website
evaluation of the organization’s current image. At writing again needs a different style, with bullet
this stage, it’s also important to define the target points, short uncomplicated sentences and
publics and identify the messages and the media manageable chunks of text. Editing can mean
that will be used. anything from checking the writing style and
The second phase of any identity development grammar, to writing headlines and captions,
programme is to present the concepts and checking facts for accuracy and marking copy with
programme to the client organization and establish instructions for layout.
goals and objectives. It is critical to get agreement on The sixth function is speaking. In representing
the goals of the programme and commitment to it. organizations, PR practitioners often carry out
It’s also important to get consensus on its overall speaking assignments of different kinds and for
direction before planning goes ahead. Once the different publics.
programme is approved, planning in detail can start. The final function is coaching. This involves
The third phase involves working with the chief working with executives and top management of
executive of the organization and specifying the organizations on public speaking and press
exact use of the visual items, developing a strategy, interview techniques. It may also involve assisting
and producing measurable goals and objectives, then with in-house staff development.
finally implementing the programme. Following the
implementation of the programme, there should be
an evaluation to examine the degree to which the Exercise E
objectives were met. The evaluation should include
Allow students to uncover the opposite page or open
assessing the extent to which the messages were
their books. Give them plenty of time to compare their
successful. For example, how successful were they in
answers with the model notes. Feed back on the final
reaching the organization’s publics? The budget
question.
should also be evaluated to see whether it was used
effectively, and whether it was sufficient.
Exercise F
Lecture 5 ≤ 1.10 1 Ask students to work in pairs. Assign a set of notes
to each pair. They must try to reconstruct the
The second function performed by a public lecture orally – including the introduction – from
relations practitioner is media relations. In fact, this the notes.
is one of the key functions of the role. The mass
2 Put the pairs together in groups of four, with
media, both print and electronic, are the channels
different topics. Each pair should give their lecture
through which public relations practitioners
to the other pair.
communicate with the public. This function may
also involve responding to media requests for
information. Closure
My third point is strategic planning. For the PR 1 Work on any problems you noticed during the
practitioner, essentially this means collaborating pairwork (Exercise F).
with management or clients in identifying needs 2 Refer back to the pictures at the top of the Course
and objectives, and in the planning of Book page. Students should now be able to name
organizational missions, policies and goals. them with confidence.
The fourth point is management. Public relations
is a distinct management function which helps an

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1 WHAT IS PUBLIC RELATIONS?

Extra activities

1 Work through the Vocabulary bank and Skills bank 3 Each of the mini-lectures from Lesson 1.4 can lead
if you have not already done so, or as a revision of on to a great deal more work. Tell students to
previous study. research one of the following, according to which
group they ended in. Explain that they must come
back and report to the rest of the class in the next
2 Use the Activity bank (Teacher’s Book additional
lesson/next week.
resources section, Resource 1A).
A Set the crossword for individual work Lecture Research
(including homework) or pairwork. 1 What constitutes a ‘public’?
2 Categories of ‘publics’ in public relations
Answers
3 The development of public relations
P O P U L A T I O N 4 Phases in a public relations programme
P R R 5 Functions of a public relations practitioner
U O O S
B P M T R E N D 4 Brainstorm note-taking techniques. For example:
L A O A • use spacing between points
I G T K B • use abbreviations
C A I E I
• use symbols
U S P O N S O R S H I P A
• underline headings
N U D N O S
• use capital letters
E B A R E L E A S E
• use indenting
T L D D
• make ordered points
H I A U D I E N C E
I C R • use different colours
C S P I N E X P O S U R E • use key words only
A T
L O B B Y I S T

B Play noughts and crosses in pairs. There are

two boards. The first contains words with
affixes, the second contains names and ideas.
Teach students how to play noughts and crosses
if they don’t know – they take it in turns to
choose a word/phrase/name and try to use it in
context or explain what it means. If they
succeed, they can put their symbol – a nought 0
or a cross X – in that box. If a person gets three
of their own symbols in a line, they win.
First board: Tell students to remove the affixes
to find the basic word in each case. Make sure
they can tell you the meaning of the basic word
(e.g., lobby for lobbyist) but don’t elicit the
meaning of the affixed word at this stage. Put
students in pairs to play the game. Monitor and
adjudicate.
Second board: Put students in different pairs to
play the second game. Clearly, this time they
have to actually remember the facts from the
lectures. Don’t let them look back at notes.

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