Public Relations - a blend of Art and Science

 

Art is the expression or application of one’s creative skill and imagination. Science is the intellectual and practical activity covering the systematic study of a subject. And Public Relations is a subject that encompasses both art and science for inventive, resourceful, and methodical conclusions. The different verticals that PR has under its wings need both art and science for a smart approach and an effective delivery in any applicable scheme of work. Domain experts handle it as an art with a scientific outlook, and as a science with an artistic representation.

 

It is generally considered that right-brained people carve out a niche for themselves in the field of Public Relations. The fraternity can handle the subject with élan and dexterity, as PR is an art. The subject is all about how ingeniously one communicates a thought, concept, or message, that needs to be conveyed to the audience. Writing flair, brevity, semantics, grammar, ideation, all make a write-up complete and a writer acclaimed. The framing of a message varies according to the nature of it and the targeted stakeholder. A press release should be crisp, rightly pitched and to the point, whereas an internal newsletter should be articulated so to connect with the employees. Also, a website or an intranet can be a fusion of story-telling and technical features.

 

PR related work do not always rest with creativity. There is a science behind it when it comes to strategising a project or activity. For example, PR manuals or dossiers should be drafted with technical finesse, and a structure needs to be followed. Even if the language remains stylish, ornamentation has little scope in it. A marketing communication blueprint should be facts and figures based, assess the trend, and mostly speak the advertising language. A well thought out planning, supported by market survey and impact analysis, creates its strong framework. The PR world has many professionals from the Science and even Commerce background, particularly for BFSI, Pharma etc., industries. And they are left-brained individuals in PR, not only with success stories under their sleeves, but enjoying their role as a dream one.

 

As PR is all about experimenting for a better outcome, some even debate that PR is a section of Social Science. As it impacts public opinion and maintains relation with internal and external stakeholders from different sections of the society, hence it is often substantiated that it is an applied social science involving psychology, sociology, political science, or even economics.

 

Public Relations being diverse in nature, offers a wide window of opportunities and vast scope of learning for all its professionals. By logical extension, PR can be defined as a creative platform with structured strategies, defined goals, engineering of consent, and finally, a precise art form of beautiful scientific procedures, resulting into one common objective- an effective communication process.

 

Anindita Mookerjee Sinha

Chairperson PRCI Hyderabad Chapter

Head Corporate Communication, L&TMRHL