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The public relations practice is filled with technicians - practitioners who are experts at implementing programs. They are adept at writing newsworthy press releases, producing attention-getting collateral materials, and organizing impressive special events. To make the transition into the ranks of management, however, public relations practitioners must be able to do much more than that. They must be skilled strategic planners. To be effective managers, they must be able to write clear and concise goals, objectives, strategies, and tactics. Furthermore, they must understand the role of the organization's mission, analyze the situation, and assess program effectiveness through evaluation techniques. Whether practitioners work in a non-profit organization or for a Fortune 500 company, they must be armed with the knowledge and skills to be capable strategic planners.
Strategic planning is structured and hierarchical. One step leads to another, providing the foundation for direction. Following a strategic-planning matrix, public relations practitioners are able to formulate an effective plan that focuses on the most important elements and solves the identified problem. Not unlike a business plan or marketing plan, public relations practitioners develop their own plan, focusing on public relations problems they can solve, which relate directly to the organization's mission and goals.
The Mission
All strategic planning begins with the organization's mission statement. Public relations practitioners should ensure that all activities relate directly to the mission of the organization, the main purpose of the organization. If they do not, practitioners should either re-write the mission with the consensus of the dominant coalition, which probably includes key opinion leaders in the organization and/or the upper management responsible for the key decision-making in the organization, or focus only on activities that help the organization fulfill its mission.
Situation Analysis
The Industry/Field
After having a clear understanding of the mission, public relations practitioners must analyze the situation. Writing a situation analysis entails gathering and analyzing information relevant to the organization and its industry. The best place to start is the industry itself: growth, trends, changes, challenges. What political movements have affected the industry? What laws have impacted the industry? Is it healthy? What challenges has it faced?
The Organization
Next, practitioners must examine their own organization or the organization of their client: its position in the industry, its strengths and...