Reading For Week 5

Chapter 7 in Public Relations Theory Practice (Johnston, Zawawi) sets out - as the title would suggest - different approaches and methodologies for organising aspects of Public Relations. People who know me know that my organisational skills are not the best, so a chapter exploring strategy, planning and scheduling was something I immediately perked my ears up for!

It quickly addresses the different stages of the strategic process, which the following strategies are somehow applied to. Johnston and Zawawi list them as:

• creation of organisational vision and mission statements;
• creation of public relations vision and mission statements;
• establishment of performance indicators;
• budgeting;
• writing of a strategic public relations plan;
• scheduling of public relations plan activities

I found it interesting that budgeting was so late in the process, though after mulling it over I suppose it makes sense.

They also included a communications plan and strategic public relations plan, explaining how to define your mission, intended publics, and message. They way they set the chapter out was simple, clear, and the linear nature of it really helped me get a grasp on the processes involved. I'll probably read over this one again, I think it's pretty fundamental to a PR practitioner.