What is it that you do?

“What’s public relations?”

It's a question that seems simple enough, but one I get asked a lot. Those closest to me who are not in the field ask, "So, what is it that you do?" With Thanksgiving approaching and family and friends coming together, I'm sure that question will be asked the same number of times as, "So, when is dinner ready?" Other PR pros may understand where I'm coming from, and may appreciate my attempt to answer this question.

In college, we all learned a standard definition: one to be memorized for the purpose of giving our career a definition, but it may not make sense to an outsider. In the words of my professor, Wally Niebauer, public relations is "communicating an accurate message to publics." And he is absolutely right. As PR professionals, we make it our expertise to communicate what is going on in a company or situation swiftly and accurately. We do not put a positive spin on a situation, (and if you say that to someone in the field, be careful of the spit that may hit your eye) but rather, tell those concerned what exactly is going on, because they deserve to know. The ability to obtain information is at our fingertips, and PR pros know better than most that the public is not completely ignorant. Information can be retrieved in a matter of seconds, so it’s very important to communicate accurate information, rather than positive information.

In essence, that is public relations: Communicate an accurate message or image to a targeted group of people. This can be done through a variety of different ways, which make up the variety of tactics a PR practitioner may use to get the message out. For example, these tactics can pitching the media as to why the story is important, writing a press release about an organization’s event, or tweeting about a new product. A PR professional’s day-to-day tasks vary greatly, but the tasks all boil down to generating a buzz and getting the word out to those who care. No matter what area of PR you work in (Consumer, B2B or non-profit) we’re all trying to do the same thing for an organization: Communicate what an organization has to say to those we think should hear it. An organization is like a person. It has a story and a personality. It has beliefs, values, a mission statement, goals and aspirations. An organization has successes and failures, perfections and mistakes, strengths and weaknesses. Public relations practitioners’ jobs are to communicate these traits to a group of people. When the organization does something good, PR spreads the word and helps rally support. Even when an organization does something unfavorable or makes a mistake, a good PR pro will be transparent and tell the public what will be done to right the wrongs.

As a PR professional, how do you explain your field to those around you? Even if you’re not in PR, how do you explain what you do as an accountant, a physician’s assistant, a graphic designer, or an environmental engineer? We should all be able to explain what we do for a living, because for most of us, it’s more than a living. It’s a passion and something that makes us tick. Its part of who we are not only as professionals, but as individuals.

So, as you’re visiting with family, friends, classmates, or someone you started a conversation with at the coffee shop over the holidays, be ready (and excited!) to tell them what you do.