Guess the meaning of the following words

To adapt [ ]

To be sponsored [ d]

to commission [ ]

equivalent [ ]

external public [ , ]

internal public [ ]

interpersonal communication [ ]

one-way communication [ ]

restore [ ]

Study the following words and expressions:

advertising n [ˈædvətaɪzɪŋ] - реклама, рекламирование, распространение

compile v [ ] – составлять, компилировать

conduit n [ , ] – канал, средство передачи, коммуникации

confuse with v [ ] – смущать, приводить в замешательство, смешивать, спутывать

counsel v [ ] – советовать, рекомендовать

implement v [ ] – выполнять, осуществлять

inherent adj [ ] - присущий, свойственный, неотъемлемый

persuasion n [ ] – убеждение, убедительный аргумент, обоснованность, убедительность

publicity n [ ] – публичность, гласность, огласка, рекламирование

survey n [ ] – исследование, обзор, осмотр

stockholder n [ ] – акционер, владелец акций

supplier n [ ] – поставщик

Read and translate the text using a dictionary if necessary:

Before trying to explain what public relations is, it may first be helpful to differentiate it from other concepts. There are, for example, several similarities between advertising and public relations. Both are attempts at persuasion and both involve using the mass media. Public relations, however, is a management function; advertising is a marketing function. Second, advertising uses the mass media and machine-assisted communication settings; it does not involve interpersonal communications. A third difference is seen in the fact that advertising is normally sponsored. Public relations messages appear as features, news stories, or editorials, and the space or time involved is not paid for. In many instances, advertising, particularly corporate advertising, is used to help further the public relations program.

Another concept that is sometimes confused with public relations is publicity, the placing of stories in the mass media. Publicity is a tool in the public relations process but it is not equivalent to PR. For example, it is perfectly possible for a firm to have extensive publicity and bad public relations. Further, publicity is primarily one-way communication; public relations is two way.

Having examined what public relations is not, we now turn to look at what it is. The term public relations has many interpretations and meanings. One PR veteran has compiled 500 different ones ranging from the concise, "PR is doing good and getting credit for it," to the one-hundred-word definition in the Encyclopedia Britannica. Most of the leading textbooks on PR usually lead off with a chapter that attempts to define exactly what public relations is or isn't. Rather than catalog these many definitions, it seems more useful to define PR by examining what PR people do.

First, almost everyone in the PR industry would agree that public relations involves working with public opinion. On the one hand, PR professionals attempt to influence public opinion in a way that is positive to the organization. For example, in the Perrier episode, the company wanted to persuade consumers that it was doing everything it could to protect their safety. In short, the public relations effort was designed to restore a favorable public opinion. On the other hand, it is also the function of the PR department to gather information from the public and interpret that information for top management as it relates to management decisions. Again, referring back to the Perrier case, the company commissioned several surveys during the crisis to find out how the public viewed the product in the wake of the problems. Strategic management decisions were made with the results of these surveys in mind.

Second, public relations is concerned with communication. Most people are interested in what an organization is doing to meet their concerns and interests. It is the function of the public relations professional to explain the organization's actions to various publics involved with the organization. Public relations communications is two-way communication. The PR professional also pays close attention to the thoughts and feelings of the organization's publics. Some experts refer to public relations as a two-way conduit between an organization and its publics.

Note that the word "publics" in the preceding section is plural. This is because the organization typically deals with many different publics in its day-to-day operations. Several PR scholars divide these groups into internal and external publics. Internal publics include employees, managers, labor unions, and stockholders. External publics consist of consumers, government, dealers, suppliers, members of the community, and the mass media. Public relations serves as the link for all these various publics.

Third, public relations is a management function. It is designed to help a company set its goals and adapt to a changing environment. Public relations practitioners regularly counsel top management. Inherent in the specification of public relations is a planned activity. It is organized and directed toward specific goals and objectives.

Of course, public relations involves much more than just the three functions mentioned above. Perhaps it would be easier, for our purposes, to summarize them in the following definition approved by the World Assembly of Public Relations:

Public relations is the art and social science of analyzing trends, predicting their consequences, counseling organization leaders and implementing planned programs of action which serve both the organization's and the public's interest.

Ex. 1. Answer the following questions:

1. In what way is PR similar to advertising?

2. What are the main differences between them?

3. What is publicity? Why is it often confused with PR?

4. Why do you think it is difficult to define PR?

5. What do PR people do? What are the functions of PR departments?

6. What does the author mean by the word “publics”?

7. Name the main groups of publics.

8. What does the management function of PR include?

Ex. 2. Give English equivalents to these expressions:

Собирать информацию, путать с чем-либо, спонсировать, двусторонняя коммуникация, влиять на общественное мнение, в свете проблемы, собирать информацию, уделять пристальное внимание, профсоюзы, предсказывать последствия, приспосабливаться к изменяющимся условиям, выполнять запланированные программы, восстанавливать благоприятное общественное мнение.

Ex. 3. Give synonyms to the following words and use them in your own sentences:

To respond -

to gain -

to counsel -

to appear -

community -

employee -

goal -

achievement

Ex. 4. Complete the table with the forms of the words given. Use a dictionary if necessary:

Ex. 5. Finish the sentences and ask your partner to translate them into Russian:

1) There are several similarities between advertising and public relations: …

2) Another concept sometimes confused with public relations is publicity, that is …

3) Almost everyone in the PR industry would agree that public relations involves …

4) Several PR scholars divide these groups into internal and external publics which include …

5) Public relations is …

Ex. 6. Work in pairs. Write 3 sentences about PR industry: they must be true or false. Can your partner decide which ones are false?

Text B