Chapter Two

In chapter 2, the emphasis is mainly on what public relations is, the types of reactions people can take such as proactive or reactive mode, the process of public relations, different models and behavior.

Public relations is something everyone has that fosters the improvement of public relationships through specific activities and policies. It is the cornerstone of a democratic society.

There are two main approaches: Proactive and Reactive

• In a reactive mode, which many companies operate through will wait for events such as public criticism, emergencies, or bad publicity to occur before they act.
• In a proactive mode, a company tries to prevent such events as above by their readiness to take advantage of opportunities in order to keep problems from arising.

The best preparation that will make a difference in responsiveness involves:

1. Understanding the business, operations, culture, and goals of the client/organization.
2. Learning the publics of that client/org in order to succeed.
3. Gathering the information together in a strategic plan with the ability to understand.

The 4-step PR process (called RACE):

Step 1: Research

It is the responsibility of the practitioner to gather all the information needed to create and build a plan that is reasonable and effective. They need to be able to determine how the stakeholders view the company's current situation and what their understanding/perceptions are in their position or behavior.

Step 2: Analysis and Planning