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From its early beginnings, public relations has evolved from a role requiring professionals to demonstrate prowess in publicity and press agentry, to its current form where practitioners undertake strategic organisational communication. In a high-information age, much of the organisation’s work revolves around effective communication. It is therefore important that today’s public relations professionals possess knowledge, skills and capabilities to effectively manage the communication programs of organisations. As communication managers, it is also essential that the public relations professionals provide strategic advice and effective counsel to organisational management to ensure communication central to the organisation’s functions, and to the managerial decision-making process, is highly effective.

This course is designed to enable students to make an effective transition from a technical role in public relations to a managerial role. It reviews the current place of public relations in organisational activity and helps students identify the obstacles they will encounter in their efforts to manage an effective organisational communication program. It covers interaction with the senior management team, leadership at both team and organisational levels, negotiation and other interpersonal skills, and the importance of internal communication and stakeholder relations to improved organisational reputation.

On completion of this course students should be able to:

1. understand the state of the profession internationally and where public relations management fits in business organisation;
2. understand and be able to navigate the structural and political environments of organisations from a public relations perspective;
3. implement sound leadership within their public relations team;
4. implement sound leadership within the organisation, particular relating to strategic direction;
5. be able to negotiate, persuade and undertake advocacy within the organisation and with external stakeholders;
6. understand the place of internal communication in organisational public relations and to secure support and resources to plan and implement reputational internal communications;
7. understand the place of external stakeholders in reputation management and to secure support and resources to measure and change stakeholder attitudes and behaviour.