Reality Check

Isn't if fun how television and motion pictures can make some things seem more glamorous or exciting than they really are? For instance, take any of the multitude of cop shows that have been on television over the years. Is there a more exciting profession than being a detective who goes from one bad-guy-fighting/crimes solving adventure to another? These men and women seem to have little, if any, time for doing such mundane things as changing clothes, going to the grocery store, mowing the lawn, or paying bills. They just bounce from one shoot-out after another, yelling matches with their bosses, and close encounters of the best kind with their lovers and/or spouses.

Of course, as many television shows of this kind that have been produced over the years, there have been almost as many articles and accounts by real police officers that discuss how unreal and misleading those fun and entertaining productions actually are. In the real world, being a cop involves tons of paper work, research, talking with people, and routinely staying in touch with key sources. Many officers, in the real world, can go an entire career without firing their pistol once other than in target practice.

This vast difference also applies to people in the public relations profession. While there have not been nearly as many entertainment depictions of PR types as there have been of cops, there have been enough to report that the real day-to-day world of those in the communication industry is as unglamorous as is the real world of those in law enforcement. Being an effective and respectable public relations officer involves research, planning, collaboration, and paper work. Let's face it, how action packed can preparing the text for a three-fold brochure really be? Public relations professionals are relationship builders and managers. They are not news makers or party animals. Establishing connections with others requires solid research and planning. People who are looking into entering this profession should do so because they recognize the importance to our society of meaningful bridge building.