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The practice of public relations has grown enormously in todays society simply because business has become increasingly competitive and good public relations are essential in demonstrating a positive image to the consumer. Communication and PR go hand in hand and the need for good public relations and the public relations profession is expected to thrive, with more and more organizations interested in communicating their story.
As Chapter 1 (The Practice of Public Relations, 2004) of the text states:
“Public relations is a planned process to influence public opinion, through sound character and proper performance, based on mutually satisfactory two-way communication”.
This is only one definition of what the profession of public relations means to todays professionals. PR may also be defined as a function of management that establishes lines of communication and cooperation between an organization and the consumer. An effective public relations professional will help management to be responsive to public opinion while understanding what is in the organizations and the publics best interest. An organizations PR team will assist the company to work with the public while also persuading the public to cooperate with the company. As is quoted by Fraser P. Seitel, “public relations is an organizations efforts to win the cooperation of groups of people” (Defining Public Relations, 2004).
Influencing public opinion through persuasion is not a new profession. The art of public relations can be seen through time dating back many centuries to ancient Greece and other great societies. Great communication and speaking skills have always been highly regarded and the best speakers were generally elected to leadership positions, just as they are today. Politicians always know the value of a good PR firm when hitting the campaign trail and are typically