WHEN one considers the functions of and expectations from public relations (PR) from respective organisations, one wonders whether PR practitioners need specialisation in their respective sectors of operations or not.
If they do, should the specialisation be in PR or should it be in the respective sector one is operating?
Consider different sectors such as environment, roads, mining, agriculture, health, energy, finance, banking, law, police, etc. And that one is a PR practitioner in one of these fields. Should one be trained in PR or in the respective field for one to be a PR practitioner in each of these fields?
Can one who just did journalism or PR jet into these fields as a PR practitioner and take off successfully without any training in the sector one is operation in? Or can one be trained in the respective sector and be a PR practitioner in that sector without being trained in either journalism or in PR?
Such questions are important considering the functions and challenges of PR and the expectations from respective organisations and stakeholders.
Some PR practitioners have been successful in PR duties in a sector where they have little or no training at all. But some PR practitioners also face challenges with certain PR duties and expectations from their employers because of their limited knowledge about that sector. What can be the solution to such challenges? Can a combination of PR and respective sector training help in effective professional PR practice?
One might argue that for one to be effective in PR practice, it is not a question of being trained in PR or in respective field but adoption and adaptation to the respective environment and PR practice.
While such arguments can be genuine, could it be more helpful for one who is trained in that sector also to train in PR or the one who was trained in PR to get some training in the sector one is operating?
Which approach would help PR functions and serve both the organisation and PR publics effectively?
Such a question surfaces considering how technical some sectors or operations of a certain organisation can be in relation to the needs and expectations of respective stakeholders.
While it is clear now that such questions do not necessarily add any value to the practice of PR because anyone trained in any field has successfully been a PR practitioner, it is important to consider the technicality of both PR practice and some sectors in which PR operates.
It is also important to look ahead and consider the dynamism of stakeholders’ needs and expectations.
Such reflections spring from some calls for journalists to specialise in specific fields for them to report effectively in those areas.
Since Zambia’s political independence in 1964, a call for journalists to specialise in specific fields for them to report effectively has never been there. But it has now emerged. Will such demands also come in PR practice?
This proves that yesterday’s needs might not necessarily be today’s nor tomorrow’s needs.
Such considerations remind PR practitioners of not being content with their initial training and experience in PR or in any one who was trained in any other field, but is doing PR work.
Build more capacity for more competitive advantage both in PR profession and in the respective field one is operation.
Similarly, those who were trained in PR and are doing PR work avoid being too specialized, but take advantage of double exposure. Those who were trained in other fields but are doing PR work take advantage of the double exposure.
If those who are trained in other fields but are doing PR functions are trained in PR, such a situation would build more capacity in such PR practitioners to face any competition such a professional might encounter in future.
Such a suggestion germinates from what Copperstone University lecturer, Dr Richard Mbewe said – that nowadays, it is not very helpful to be a specialist in one field.
Dr Mbewe said labour market dynamism increasingly demanded multi-disciplinary professionals who could handle different professional duties effectively and efficiently.
This means that whether you were trained in PR and you are doing PR duties in a sector you weren’t trained in or you were trained in a certain sector but you are doing PR work in that sector, there is need for you to take advantage of being in PR or in that sector for you to add another profession to your curriculum vitae (CV).
Being trained in one field but working in a certain field is a blessing because it gives you double exposure.
Therefore, how can an organisation attract and maintain mutual understanding and benefit with stakeholders through effective PR training and practice?
And effective PR depends on which training a PR practitioner, chief executive officer (CEO) and some of the senior management officials in an organisation did. Does the future of effective PR also invite CEOs and senior management officials to have basic understanding of what professional PR is all about?
PR practitioners, CEOs and top management officials should take advantage of practical professional exposure they find themselves in.
Multiple professional exposure should be exploited both by training and experience in those fields.
By so doing, you insure yourself against unemployment on the labour market. Such self-capacity building equips you, as my former Chadiza Secondary School mate, Duncan Chinjoka Tembo used to say that come what may, cause what might, you will sustain your employability on the labour market and in the process maintain your job security.
Be prepared for any eventuality in your PR work and for any turbulences on the labour market.
This doesn’t necessarily imply that all PR practitioners should start sweating to train in other fields related to the sector in which they operate or that those trained in other fields, but doing PR work, should strain themselves to train in PR work.
It simply means that it is an added advantage both for that person and the respective employer for one who was trained in PR and is working in a certain technical sector as a PR practitioner to train in that field at a certain level for effective representation of that sector.
Similarly, for one who was trained in a certain technical sector but is doing PR functions, it would be an added advantage both to the person and a respective employer for that person to train in PR at a certain level.
But such a suggestion doesn’t persuade you to start bothering your employer to sponsor you either in PR training or in the respective sector just because you are doing PR work or because you were trained in PR, but operating in a certain technical field. Just negotiate with your employers to sponsor you for a respective field so that you can have mutual benefit.
There is nothing wrong if some employers can assess how beneficial it would be if someone who is doing PR functions is also trained in the respective sector or someone who is trained in that sector but doing PR work is also trained in PR for effective representation of that organisation.
Therefore, employers can sponsor their respective PR practitioners in basic PR or relevant fields as the case may be to benefit more from such a PR practitioner.
In case some employers might develop cold feet to sponsor those who are doing PR functions either in PR training or in the respective sector, one can take personal initiative to sponsor oneself to enhance one’s employability not only in that organisation but on the labour market in general.
Whatever the case may be, PR practitioners face challenges nowadays. And one management motivation writer said if people didn’t face challenges in life, no improvement would have occurred in many areas on earth. We would still be wearing animal skins, while using stone chisels and axes and wooden ploughs. We would still be drawing water using shadufs.
However, because of various challenges different generations have been facing, innovations have led to improvements in methodologies and approaches which have also led to increased and improved capacities in individuals and organisations.
It is God’s design to bless you further that you were initially trained in that field, but now you have double professional exposure in what you are practicing.
(The author is a PR Trainer and Consultant. For comments and ideas, contact: Cell: 0967/0977 450151; E-mail:sycoraxtndhlovu@yahoo.co.uk).