PR Is More About Building Relationships Than Getting Publicity

SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- The success of a small organization's public relations often rests in the communication skills and perseverance of the top decision makers, according to Thinking Big, Staying Small, a new report released by the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Research Foundation. The report finds that the chief executive plays a central role in communication in a small organization, whether it is a for-profit, not-for-profit, trade association or government agency.

The report, based on 4-year study, also found that the key component of public relations for small organizations is the role of building relationships with publics rather than getting publicity. Based on the data, there are three distinct perspectives among small organizations about the value of relationship-building in the organization: as an objective in and of itself, as a strategic function or as a purely tactical undertaking. The new report builds on the landmark Excellence study conducted for IABC by Grunig et al, in 1992. By focusing on a largely ignored sector -- the small organization -- Thinking Big, Staying Small fills an important knowledge gap in communication research. The research questions examine the point in an organization's growth at which communication operations start to take on formality, what communication functions are likely to be outsourced at various stages in an organization's development, and whether communication skill requirements in smaller organizations differ for different types of organizations.

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In addition to providing insights into the communication perceptions and practices in small organizations, the researchers, Dixie Evatt, Crispin Ruiz and Jan Triplett, also offer an Excellence diagnostic tool that converts complex normative theory into an easily understood and administered test that can be used by small and large organizations to benchmark performance. Some of the other key findings of the study are:

Small organizations approach public relations holistically from a variety of perspectives and view the function as both proactive and reactive.
Small organizations practice public relations based more on instinct and personal feeling than on formal training, and tend to focus heavily on the use of personal and direct forms of communications, as opposed to mass media or large gatherings, to communicate messages.
Based on the diagnostic tool, the relationship of the communication staff size to the overall size of the organization was a new predictor of Excellence (as that term is defined in public relations literature). Excellence was linked not to the size of the organization as much as to the ratio of communication employees to the size of the workforce.
Small organizations begin to change and formalize their communication processes and procedures when they reach about 20 employees in size. Mid-range size organizations in the study (11 to 20 employees) are most likely to outsource communication functions. Once an organization exceeds 20 employees, it is willing to keep more functions in-house.

About the Researchers

Dixie Shipp Evatt, Ph.D. -- Evatt recently retired as an assistant professor of public relations at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University in New York. She has more than 25 years of professional experience in news reporting and public relations, including experience in political and government affairs. She spent 13 years in public affairs and public information management at the Texas Department of Insurance and two years in Washington, D.C., where she served on the State of Texas public policy team. At Syracuse, she taught public relations writing, research methods and campaigns.

Crispin Ruiz -- Ruiz is senior consultant for Group Solutions, RJW, an Austin, Texas-based public involvement firm specializing in strategic communication services for clients in the public and private sector. Before joining Group Solutions, RJW, Ruiz was vice president of communications services for the region's largest business organization, the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce. She helped launch a number of public relations initiatives including Austin Partners in Education and Austin in Action, the community's first formalized business volunteer network. She is completing a communication management master's degree at Syracuse University.
Jan F. Triplett, Ph.D. -- Triplett is the chief operating officer of Business Success Center, the largest private small business development center in Texas. She is the co-developer of several national and international award-winning entrepreneurial and intrapreneurial programs and has been a public relations researcher, analyst, consultant and implementer since 1973. She is the author of A Networker's Guide to Success and articles and book chapters on entrepreneurship, marketing, venture capitalism and business. Triplett was the 1991 Small Business Advocate for the State of Texas. She was also a delegate to the White House Conference on Small Business in 1995 and to the Congressional Summit on Small Business in 1998 and 2000.

Thinking Big, Staying Small is available now as a softcover book. Retail price: US$49.60 (IABC members: US$40). Order online at http://www.iabc.com/knowledge or call +1-415-544-4700 or 1-800-776-4222.

About the IABC Research Foundation

The IABC Research Foundation translates communication theory into practice, providing real-world knowledge and applications for the communication profession. Established in 1982, the Foundation is a tax-exempt organization with benefits to the donor under U.S. tax law.

About the International Association of Business Communicators The International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), established in 1970, is a network of professionals committed to improving organizational effectiveness through strategic communication. With more than 100 chapters, IABC serves 13,500 members in more than 65 countries and 10,000 organizations.