Public Relations' Future

The field of publc relations as it has been called now for over a century has seen a good many bumps and turns and even ups and downs in its evolution. Yet even with its imperfections, the good news is not only does it remain very much part of the landscape of society, never before has it been more accepted, utilized or popular. Each year, for instance, thousands of ambitious communciation student enter into the communication pipeline with the hope of eventually securing careers as public relations practitioners. They represent the stability and ongoing longevity of the profession in a world that continues to be in need of effective communication and communicators.

However, the steady and anticipated increase in public relations practioners represents only one part of public relations' future. What about the practice itself? What about the actual act of publicizing, reaching out and/or support gathering? How will they change or evolve in the coming years? For instance, will we see the continuing decline of press release yet coinciding rise of social media as a primary tool of professional communicators? Will staged media events continue to be part of a practitioner's arsenal or will they be replaced by other attention-getting strategies that have yet to be introduced? 

One key element in the future of public relations pertains to interactions or connections with the public or audiences. What will be practitioners be doing differently in the future toward maintaining linkages with the public? Throughout much of its evolution, public relations has been focused on reaching out to audiences. Not enough, in my view, has been about active engagement with the public. While this aspect of public relations is happening, currently more thought, focus and effort on it needs to be done. This, perhaps, is where the future of public relations is. Devising and understanding ways to talk at audiences has been the primary thrust thus far. Perhaps greater emphasis on talking with those same publics will be the next priority.