There are three funยญdaยญmentยญal PR approaches:
In this blog post, Iโll explain each of the three approachesโโโand disยญcuss why I prefer the Rhetorical Approach over the Excellence Approach and the Critical Approach to PR.
Here we go:
Fundamental PR Approaches
Approaches To Public Relations
There are three scholยญarly approaches to pubยญlic relaยญtions (PR):
The Excellence Approach. This pubยญlic relaยญtions approach focuses on objectยญives and corยญporยญate value creยญation. The underยญlyยญing motivยญaยญtion behind the theยญory was that pubยญlic relaยญtions were mainly a variยญety of tacยญticยญal tools that desยญperยญately needed a manยญageยญment theยญory to work well in a sophยญistยญicยญated organยญisaยญtion.
Notable menยญtions: James E. Grunig, Larissa A. Grunig
The Rhetorical Approach. This pubยญlic relaยญtions approach stems from ideas datยญing back to ancient Greece. Itโs a psyยญchoยญloยญgicยญal theยญory of how comยญmuยญnicยญaยญtion strucยญtures human culยญture by shapยญing human minds. The rhetยญorยญicยญal approach is pracยญticยญal and lacks morยญal judgยญment.
Notable menยญtions: Edward Bernays, The Toronto School of Communication Theory, Robert Heath
The Critical Approach. This pubยญlic relaยญtions approach is deeply rooted in theยญorยญies of sociยญetยญal power dynamยญics. Power is seen as a means of exertยญing domยญinยญance, manipยญuยญlaยญtion, and oppresยญsion. The critยญicยญal approach borยญrows many ideas from the rhetยญorยญicยญal approach by plaยญcing them in morยญal frameยญworks.
Notable menยญtions: Walter Lippmann, Noam Chomsky
Read also: 3 PR Approaches: Excellence, Rhetorical, and Critical
The Excellence Approach to PR
In manยญageยญment theยญory, thereโs a promยญinยญent focus on operยญaยญtionยญal excelยญlence. The Excellence Study mapped value creยญation onto straยญtegic comยญmuยญnicยญaยญtion and found that best pracยญtices creยญate value for an organยญisaยญtion. It reduces costs and risks while increasยญing revenue.
โThe proยญgramme of research known as the excelยญlence theยญory began in the 1960s with J. Grunigโs research on pubยญlics found among Colombian farmยญers. Research then folยญlowed on the role of pubยญlic relaยญtions in organยญisaยญtionยญal decision-makยญing, the symยญmetยญricยญal modยญel of pubยญlic relaยญtions, pubยญlic relaยญtions measยญureยญment, and how the strucยญture and envirยญonยญment of organยญisaยญtions shape pubยญlic relaยญtions behaยญviour. [โฆ] The excelยญlence theยญory has evolved into a genยญerยญal theยญory of pubยญlic relaยญtions as a straยญtegic manยญageยญment funcยญtion, and ongoยญing research now is adding conยญcepts and tools that pubยญlic relaยญtions proยญfesยญsionยญals who serve in a straยญtegic role can use.โ
Source: Excellence Theory in Public Relations: Past, Present, and Future 1Grunig, J.E., & Grunig, L.A. (2008). Excellence Theory in Public Relations: Past, Present, and Future. https://โwwwโ.semanticโscholโarโ.org/โpโaโpโeโrโ/โcโcโfโaโdโdโ8โ7โ8โdโ4โ1โ4โ5โ4โ3โ7โ5โ3โ5โ7โcโeโ9โ9โeโcโ7โfโcโbโ1โ4โ8โeโ6โbโ48f
How can PR have such best pracยญtices? The answers are, non-surยญprisยญingly, manยญageยญment-focused: Leadership roles, goal alignยญments, high levels of straยญtegic comยญpetยญency, high ethยญicยญal standยญards, and two-way symยญmetยญric comยญmuยญnicยญaยญtion with corยญporยญate stakeholders.
The fourth modยญel of pubยญlic relaยญtions charยญacยญterยญises the Excellence Approach:
The Four Models of Public Relations
In the Excellence study, James Grunig and Todd Hunt (1984) developed the most widely cited PR modยญel in acaยญdemยญic circles.
Itโs not one modยญel but four in sequence.
Grunig and Huntโs four modยญels of pubยญlic relaยญtions provide valuยญable insights into the evolยญuยญtion of comยญmuยญnicยญaยญtion strategies and their implicยญaยญtions for modยญern businesses.
The four modยญels of pubยญlic relaยญtions as a frameยญwork can be conยญsidered a cornerยญstone of the Excellence Approach. 2Silfwer, J. (2022, November 6). 3 PR Approaches: Excellence, Rhetorical, and Critical. Doctor Spin | The PR Blog. https://โdocโtorโspinโ.net/โpโrโ-โaโpโpโrโoโaโcโhโes/
The Excellence Approach. This pubยญlic relaยญtions approach focuses on objectยญives and corยญporยญate value creยญation. The underยญlyยญing motivยญaยญtion behind the theยญory was that pubยญlic relaยญtions were mainly a variยญety of tacยญticยญal tools that desยญperยญately needed a manยญageยญment theยญory to work well in a sophยญistยญicยญated organยญisaยญtion.
Notable menยญtions: James E. Grunig, Larissa A. Grunig
The resยญult? The researchยญers conยญcluded that the two-way symยญmetยญricยญal modยญel is the most effectยญive way to pracยญtice pubยญlic relations.
โThe study of relaยญtionยญships withยญin pubยญlic relaยญtions has become increasยญingly importยญant, with the Grunigs identiยญfyยญing testยญable variยญables to measยญure the qualยญity of organยญizยญaยญtionยญal relaยญtionยญships.โ
Source: Journal of Professional Communication 3Grunig, J. (2011). Public relaยญtions excelยญlence 2010. Journal of Professional Communication, 1. https://โdoiโ.org/โ1โ0โ.โ1โ5โ1โ7โ3โ/โJโPโCโ.โVโ1โIโ1โ.85
Learn more: The Four Models of Public Relations
Who typยญicยญally prefers the excelยญlence approach?
The Rhetorical Approach to PR
In ancient Greek sociยญety, pubยญlic debate and perยญsuaยญsion were conยญsidered the best approach to ensure peaceยญful and stable govยญernance. This was the cradle of ideas like demoยญcracy and free speech. Thereโs no best pracยญtice, only outยญcomes from mulยญtiple voices.
โRhetorical theยญory feaยญtures how the pubยญlic relaยญtions proยญcess becomes enriched through the role co-creยญated, shared meanยญing plays in sociยญety as a blend of mind and self. The rhetยญorยญicยญal herยญitยญage feaยญtures the potent role of fact (as interยญpreted informยญaยญtion), judgยญment, and idenยญtiยญficยญaยญtion as disยญcourse themes enacted in pubยญlic arenยญas. Public relaยญtions can add value to sociยญety by assurยญing that choices become enlightened, risks are ethยญicยญally manยญaged, and relaยญtionยญships are mutuยญally developed. Through ethยญicยญal rhetยญorยญicยญal pracยญtice that resยญults from the reflectยญive charยญacยญter of organยญisaยญtions, pubยญlic relaยญtions helps sociยญety to be more fully funcยญtionยญing.โ
Source: Rhetorical Perspective and Public Relations: Meaning Matters
If you hear a PR proยญfesยญsionยญal talk pasยญsionยญately and posยญitยญively about the importยญance of perยญsuaยญsion and perยญcepยญtion manยญageยญment, they are most likely supยญportยญers of the rhetยญorยญicยญal approach. Theyโre focused on lanยญguage and relaยญtionยญships and think of sociยญety descriptively.
Walter Lippmann: Public Opinion and Perception Management
No one bases their attiยญtudes and behaยญviours on realยญity; we base them on our perยญcepยญtions of realยญity.
Walter Lippmann (1889โโโ1974) proยญposed that our perยญcepยญtions of realยญity difยญfer from the actuยญal realยญity. The realยญity is too vast and too comยญplex for anyยญone to proยญcess. 4Lippmann, Walter. 1960. Public Opinion (1922). New York: Macmillan.
The research on perยญcepยญtion manยญageยญment is focused on how organยญisaยญtions can creยญate a desired reputation:
โThe OPM [Organizational Perception Management] field focuses on the range of activยญitยญies that help organยญisaยญtions estabยญlish and/โor mainยญtain a desired repuยญtaยญtion (Staw et al., 1983). More speยญcificยญally, OPM research has primarยญily focused on two interยญreยญlated factors: (1) the timยญing and goals of perยญcepยญtion manยญageยญment activยญitยญies and (2) speยญcifยญic perยญcepยญtion manยญageยญment tacยญtics (Elsbach, 2006).โ
Source: Organization Development Journal 5Hargis, M. & Watt, John. (2010). Organizational perยญcepยญtion manยญageยญment: A frameยญwork to overยญcome crisis events. Organization Development Journal. 28. 73โโโ87. โฆ Continue readยญing
Today, our perยญcepยญtions are heavยญily influยญenced by news media, influยญenยญcers, algorithms, and social graphs. Therefore, perยญcepยญtion manยญageยญment is more critยญicยญal than ever.
โWe are all capยญtives of the picยญture in our headโโโour belief that the world we have experยญiยญenced is the world that really exists.โ
โ Walter Lippmann (1889โโโ1974)
Learn more: Walter Lippmann: Public Opinion and Perception Management
Many modยญern rhetยญorยญicยญal conยญcepts have stemmed from the Toronto School of Communication Theory and were later refined and furยญther developed by Robert L. Heath.
Who typยญicยญally prefers the rhetยญorยญicยญal approach?
The Critical Approach to PR
โCritical theยญoryโ is a broad term encapยญsuยญlatยญing tools for anaยญlysยญis from variยญous fields. Examples of such devices for anaยญlysยญis are femยญinยญism, culยญturยญal studยญies, strucยญturยญalยญism, semiยญotยญics, and postยญmodยญernยญism. As a broad approach, it offers a wide range of scholยญarly criticism.
โThe domยญinยญance of Excellence Theory in pubยญlic relaยญtions theยญory and research may be erodยญing as conยญtemยญporยญary issues in corยญporยญaยญtions, includยญing the conยญcern with actยญivยญist chalยญlenges to repuยญtaยญtion manยญageยญment and corยญporยญate social responsยญibยญilยญity, increase in visยญibยญilยญity and demand explanยญaยญtion. [โฆ] Excellence Theoryโs acknowยญledgeยญment of once-vilยญiยญfied conยญcepts like perยญsuaยญsion and power sets the stage for critยญicยญal pubยญlic relaยญtions theยญory and research to emerge as sigยญniยญficยญantly more capยญable of addressยญing actยญivยญist advocacy and conยญcomยญitยญant issues. The paper argues that critยญicยญal theยญory, buoyed by acceptยญance of its key conยญcepts, its increasยญing access to presentยญaยญtion venยญues and journยญals symยญpathยญetยญic to once-marยญginยญalยญised, alternยญatยญive perยญspectยญives, is poised to infiltยญrate the pubยญlic relaยญtions orthoยญdoxy.โ
Source: Public Relations Review
Since critยญicยญal PR theยญory borยญrows from variยญous scholยญarly traยญdiยญtions, itโs chalยญlenยญging to sumยญmarยญise the critยญicยญal approach. But thereโs often a focus on sociยญetยญal power dynamยญics and detailed vicยญtimoยญlogy. The critยญicยญal approach has many touch points with the rhetยญorยญicยญal approach, but they tend to end up on opposยญite sides of the excelยญlence approach:
While the rhetยญorยญicยญal approach finds the excelยญlence approach too normยญatยญive, the critยญicยญal approach is that the excelยญlence approach isnโt normยญatยญive enough.
Who typยญicยญally prefers the rhetยญorยญicยญal approach?
Ethics and PR Approaches
Whatโs the role of ethยญics in PRโโโdependยญing on what PR approach you subยญscribe to?
Disclaimer: For long-time readยญers, it should be no surยญprise that I proยญmote the rhetยญorยญicยญal approach to PR. (I reckยญon my PR blogโs name, โDoctor Spin,โ should be the first clue!) With that said, I firmly believe that all three approaches have conยญtribยญuted sigยญniยญficยญantly to our proยญfesยญsionโโโand they conยญtinยญue to do so.
Thank you. Please supยญport my blog by sharยญing artยญicles with othยญer comยญmuยญnicยญaยญtions- and marยญketยญing proยญfesยญsionยญals. Please also conยญsider my PR serยญvices or speakยญing engageยญments.
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