THE OUTLOOK FOR PUBLIC RELATIONS

The world is going through a period of profound change–and that change is creating enormous opportunities for public relations practitioners and PR consulting firms. The skills and abilities of public relations professionals have never been more relevant, or in greater demand. In parallel, as the industry moves further into the spotlight, we have a professional responsibility to create and maintain standards in ethics, professional development, and the quality of our work. Key to the industry’s success in the coming years is creating active, vocal, educated professionals who effectively lead public relations and corporate communications efforts in business, government, or nonprofits.

Without question, the timing is right. Cultural and technological changes have created a new communications environment, where transparency, interactivity, and flexibility are the keys to success. Public relations professionals possess a unique set of skills which are ideally suited to this environment, including: 

• Comfort with lack of control—telling your story through others, and being willing to give up control in order to gain power.
• Knowledge of how to interact with thought-leaders—not talk at them, but listen and respond to their views, whether they’re doctors, regulators, elected officials, or analysts.
• A sensitivity to the interests of multiple audiences—if Pampers is positioning itself as caring about moms, Procter & Gamble better be a good place for working moms.
• The ability to orchestrate multiple disciplines—the term “public relations” has defied definition precisely because it embodies a number of different communications activities.
• Consultancy skills—and experience helping clients focus on behavior, not just words, and a deep knowledge of business subjects.

Like any changes, those we are facing today bring both challenges and opportunities. For public relations, the greatest challenge is the dearth of talent—the demand is growing faster than the talent pool. That’s why programs like NYU’s Master of Science in Public Relations and Corporate Communications are so critical. High-caliber students with solid academic credentials are creating a pipeline of talent that is sorely needed. We should ensure that all students at the undergraduate and graduate levels enter our profession with a depth of business knowledge. To progress, it will never be enough to master the skills related just to your own industry. 

Those of us who seize the moment and develop the skills required today will thrive. As Maurice Levy, the chairman of the Publicis Groupe, has said, “the only guarantee for survival is to adapt our structures, our organization, and our services to clients’ needs.”