An Imprecise Science

One of the assets that a professional public relations practitioner provides their client is keen insight into how best to connect with people. One who communicates for a living is supposedly able to know what messages best resonate with audiences in a way that helps motivate them to take certain actions and/or lend their support to a particular cause. These professionals have the ability to turn-a-phrase or compose a message the triggers others to think more highly to a client, a cause, a product or all the above. Being able to do that, all can agree, is quite a talent. Given that, it is no wonder public relations remains a growth profession, according to the department of labor.


Of course, the reality is no one, including public relations professionals, is as good or successful in their efforts as one would like or they might have you believe. Strategies devised by these professionals often fall short of their goals or expectations. This is one reason why the Public Relations Society of America urges its members not to make promises to clients they cannot keep. Certainly, communicators can pledge to come up with a plan and implement it at a pre-determined time, but guaranteeing specific results is a very different story. The fact is, as explained by author and behavioral scientist Nicholas Epley, people do not know the minds of others or even themselves nearly as well as they might think.


In his book, "Mindwise," Epley discusses numerous experiments that have been conducted over the years demonstrating that all of us fall-short when it comes to knowing exactly how people are going to react when facing a particular circumstance or message. This reinforces the notion that public relations is not a precise science. Not by a long shot. Professional communicators, generally, are very creative people who do good outreach work. As a result, they contribute much to the success of any organization or client. But they are far from perfect or the puppet masters one might believe.