There’s been some heated discussion lately about licensing of public relations people.
I first heard of it a week ago, in a story about the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) making a push to have PR pros be licensed. (Will we have to be leashed and get rabies shots, too?)
The story also quoted a Prof. Toni Muzi Falconi, former head of the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communications Management, who said that the work we do influences people’s thinking and behavior and, thus, should be controlled by having us PR folks licensed or certified.
The chairman of PRSA in the U.S. says if the profession doesn’t police itself, the government will, which I took as a scare tactic to support PRSA’s push for certification.
I wrote a post on my blog last week, opposing the idea and explaining that the quality and ethics of public relations people won’t be impacted much by certification. Instead, I said, the work of PR people could be improved by focusing on three things:
1) Education. Public relations should be a serious part of marketing courses in college. Many courses and textbooks gloss over PR with a chapter at best. Teaching future marketers a proper understanding of public relations and what it can — and can’t — do would be good for everyone in marketing. Actually, PR should be included in every general business curriculum, since CEOs come up from a variety of discliplines.
2) Training. Writing is a basic skill for public relations. A decent PR person should be able to write a news release, a pitch letter, client reports, etc. Much of what passes for news release copy today — especially in product PR — reads more like ad or brochure copy. It makes the job of the journalists we target more difficult and frustrating, and it causes many of them to ignore us or look at us with disdain. Good writing is essential for employee newsletters, presentations and executive speeches.
Training should also include how to pitch a story — who to target, how and when to approach a reporter (or blogger), how not to exaggerate or lie, how to understand the word “no.” Also, learning how media work and what they are looking for.
At too many agencies, especially many of the mid-size and larger ones, the extent of training seems to be… pressure. Sell that story at any cost. Badger reporters until they use your material (or hang up on you.) And hype, hype. Your new gadget is the best, the biggest, the fanciest… Unfortunately, that is the training too many young people get at agencies today
3 Courtesy and Ethics. You need licensing for that? Don’t people learn those things growing up?
The post sat there quietly for a few days, with little reaction. Then the floodgates opened and comments started coming in from p.r. practicioners and academics from around the globe, but little from the U.S.
Prof. Falconi, whose recommendation I had questioned, was first to weigh in and further explain why he feels regulation is needed. The good Professor, who spent many years doing PR in Italy, currently teaches in the graduate B-school at NYU, about 2 miles down Fifth Avenue from me.
I then heard from a current staffer at the Global Alliance, writing from Portugal. Frankly, I had never heard of the group, nor had several of my colleagues that I asked here in New York. But we can be insular, I’ll admit. Joao Duarte included background on the group and tried to make a case for credentials and why his group could be the one to handle it.
Then I heard from a honcho at the International Association of Business Communicators, a group I recall from having been a member many years back. Ned Lundquist, vice chair of the Accreditation Council at IABC, talked about his organization’s certification process, and also got into the semantics of whether we should call ourselves public relations practitioners or communicators.
We also had several good comments from Heather Yaxley, a PR pro in England who blogs as greenbanana, with some good thoughts on ethics and responsibility. And Benita Steyn, who teaches p.r. in South Africa, and Judy Gombita, a p.r. pro in Canada who contributes to PR Conversations online, have added a lot to the discussion.
But I haven’t heard from many U.S. p.r. and marketing people on the subject, and I’m wondering how you feel about licensing.
I’m not sure I see any benefit from it, and it could be more of a burden than it’s worth. And who’s to say once they start licensing p.r. people, that they won’t go after ad execs, marketing folks and journalists. Might we all have Big Brother watching over our shoulders?
So, if you have the time, click over to the original post and scroll through the discussion. Then come back here and have your say.
Tags: licensing, Marketing, PR, PRSA, public_relations
Has the good professor Falconi ever operated in the real world of conducting communications program or has he always lived in the Ivory Tower. I believe in one of his earlier messages he said he was not familiar with the American system of government, and his latest posting proves that to be true. Professor, stop preaching and get real. Public relations has the worst public relations image among all the communication arts, inclusing lower than advertising. (Note that almost all of the major PR agencies have been bought by ad agencies for a very specific reason. Anyone who thinks that the public interest is defined by the law just hasn’t looked at the real world in about seven years.
What in the world is The Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management? Someone above says we would not have heard of it as an individual, which means it has as much influence in day-to-day operations as PRSA does, which is nill. C’mon, professor, think for a change — I repeat, who develops the test (you and other acedamics?), bureaucrats, when is it administered — when I graduate, when I take a job at a company in the PR department, but what if I’m employed in the Corporate Communications Department, Advertising, Sales Probmotion or Marketing Department or just the Publicity Department? Do I have to passs the PR Bar exam before I can get a job? Do I have
to be “certified” to start a blog, any kind of a blog?Think professor, think, think, think.
Finally Public Relations outside of the United States is a totally different game, more sales promotion than anything else, where it is commonly accepted to purchase space in trade publications that looks like news reports.
Professsor, think, think, think.
I believe Toni has a *little* experience outside of the Ivory Tower, Rocco:
http://www.prconversations.com/?page_id=168
In fact, you may want to read his most recent post on PR Conversations about his past work with the multinational company, Philip Morris:
http://www.prconversations.com/?p=318#comment-24173
Finally, I’d be interested to know your sources/data (at least two, to make it credible) when you make this sweeping statement:
“Finally Public Relations outside of the United States is a totally different game, more sales promotion than anything else, where it is commonly accepted to purchase space in trade publications that looks like news reports.”
Thanks.
Thank you Rocco and David. Although I have 45 years of on hand international public relations experience for many large and complex private, public and social sector organizations which I continue to serve operatively today and hopefully tomorrow ( only in the last ten years do I also teach the subject in various universities..) I will certainly think, think and think again. I have often changed my mind even on this issue in the past, so there is no telling I won’t change it again. However it would be useful to receive arguments which are truly solid. In any case I really wish we could physically sit around the table and discuss face to face without each of us always (me included of course) returning to points made before. I am grateful however for your attention and I admire and respect the intensity with which you argue your points.
I’m not sure if Rocco will see your responses, Judy and Prof. Falconi. I understand he’s traveling. Lucky guy is retired and has time for such things.
I know who Rocco is and I know he has many years with agencies large and small, and he was also the Communications Director at a large international logistics/freight company. He worked with media in virtually every continent and also directed the work of local p.r. agencies in at least 20 nations around the world. He also was p.r. director for an international relief organization that did a lot of work in Africa and Asia.
He was an adjunct professor of public relations for several years at a university in New York — I think it was St. Johns. And early in his career he was on staff at the PRSA.
Just wanted you to know his credentials.
I agree, Prof. Falconi, it would be nice to sit down and talk this issue through. I’m also in Manhattan, so I’m available to meet if you;’d like.
Just fyi for those who have been following this discussion — I’m having breakfast with prof. Toni Falconi next Wednesday. Don’t expect any breakthroughs from either of us, but I’m sure we can agree to disagree and perhaps find some way toward a solution. I’m looking forward to it and I’ll keep you posted.
Just came from a delightful breakfast meeting with Prof. Toni Falconi, whose post at PR Conversations brought me into the whole licdensing debate.
We really aren’t that far apart on the issue, it turns out. I’ll be writing more about our meeting at my 2 cents soon, and I’ll post a note here to let you know.
I am looking for Rocco A. Sacci. I have a client who knows him and is interested in discussing working with him again.
Hal, email me at david@reichcommunications.com and I’ll gladly give you Rocco’s contact info by reply email.
FYI, I posted at my 2 cents about my breakfast with Toni Muzi Falconi.
It’s at http://reichcomm.typepad.com/my_weblog/2007/09/pr-licensing—.html