Sveriges Informationsförening

The Swedish Public Relations Association has defined the professional communicators job description and expertise.

Definitions

Public relations work
Public relations work is based on planned communication and fulfils an important role in every company, factory, institution, organisation and association. Public relations work manages and develops the level of confidence within an organisation and therefore creates freedom of action in on-going and planned operations.
Public relations work serves various interests in an organisation. For the management, public relations work is a strategic and operative tool, developing the knowledge, attitude and commitment of stakeholders. For employees, it is a means of participating. Communication is also a prerequisite for a democratic decision-making process.

Public relations officer
Public relations officer is the title of a person who works professionally with public relations. This profession covers various jobs and different kinds of specialist knowledge.

In this paper, organisation is used as a collective term for businesses, the public sector and organisations.

Stakeholders refers to parties who have a direct interest in, or are dependent on, the company:

The strategic agenda of an organisation is the source of the message which the organisation is conveying. The strategic agenda comprises:

In addition to the above, message is also based on facts about the expertise, assets, products and results of the organisation. This message must be presented to the stakeholders of the organisation, so that the goals can be achieved.

It is the job of the head of communications to be the management's 'signal amplifier' both internally and externally, i.e. to interpret, clarify and convey signals received, based on a comprehensive view of the company.

Job description

Internal communications
Internal communications is a collective term for the handling and flow of information within the organisation. Internal communications affects everyone in the organisation, i.e. management, employees and their families, as well as trade-union organisations. Internal communications will comprise news and work information, but shall also clarify overall goals, and support and develop the culture of the organisation. Internal communications will play a key role in the event of any changes. Good internal communications helps to create motivation and commitment on the part of the employees, which in turn leads to improved results for the organisation.

Public affairs
Public affairs refers to the organisation's contacts with authorities, politicians, mass media and other people who represent the general opinion. Modern information systems help us to identify movements in society at an early stage, movements which may restrict or increase the organisation's freedom of action. Here are a few examples: government inquiries and bills, changes in values and political trends. These affect the organisation's freedom of action in both the long - and short - term. Communication with various training authorities is also an important part of public affairs.

Public services
Public services refers to the information given to citizens explaining their rights and responsibilities, as well as information about various services offered by society. This information is handled by public relations officers who work within the public sector and is based on the democratic rules of society.

A public relations officer in public services works on assignments given to him/her by authorities/administrative bodies management. An important part of his/her job is to provide citizens with the best possible services and make it easier for them to gain a clear insight into the operations of the organisation.

Massmediarelations
Mass media relations could be considered as a part of public affairs. However, we consider the mass media to be a special sphere of authority, because of their role in passing on information and because the media has such considerable influence on opinion. The mass media's monitoring of companies and organisations becomes more intensive as the number of media, and therefore competition, increases. The speed of the media also affects the organisation. The role of the public relations officer is to support and prepare the organisation in its contacts with the mass media, and often to initiate these contacts.

It is important for the public relations officer to have knowledge of the mass media's news evaluation, working methods and social function and also to recognise which tools are best suited for contact with various media. Mutual integrity is a prerequisite for good relations with the mass media.

Investor relations
The public relations officer takes part in formulating and spreading the organisation's financial communication, and therefore in building good relations with owners, banks, financial analysts, investors, fund managers, and other financial players. As for quoted companies at the stock exchange, special communication regulations must be followed. Special demands are placed on the public relations officer when he/she is making financial information understandable to employees who are not trained in economics, and also to public relations officers, who must ensure that financial information reaches the general public.

Market communications
Dialogue with the organisation's customers requires collaboration between a member of the marketing staff and a public relations officer. Good cooperation will provide the outside world with a clearer picture of the organisation and its position. The work would usually be shared in the following way: the public relations officer would be responsible for the overall outlook and reputation, based on the collective profile of the company; the member of the marketing staff would be responsible for communication about products, services and sales.

To be a public relations professional demands good, wide-ranging knowledge and a particularly good understanding of the areas of expertise mentioned below. To carry out different jobs, he/she must follow the whole or part of this programme of expertise. Public relations officers who work with special communication issues often require an in-depth understanding of one or several areas.

A public relations officer organizes his/her work following a model which is typical of many professions:

An important quality of a public relations officer is the ability to create good relations and therefore incite others (in the organisation) to take part in the communication process.

Communications theory
Communications theory is a collective term for theories within the fields of language, psychology, sociology, social psychology and education. The communications theory is interdisciplinary.

The communications theory concept, aimed at planned communications, involves both dialogue between people and mass communications. It focuses on the strategic use of public relations and on the results achieved. Methods for analysis and problem definition, target group analysis, channel selection and design of communications form the core of a public relations officer's basic skills.

Legal
Several laws and regulations form the boundaries of professional public relations work. Here are some examples:

To understand the business principles behind the company, and to be able to participate in the discussions and decisions of the management group, the public relations officer must have an understanding of business administration and managerial economics. Basic knowledge of financial accounting is needed in order to be able to provide information about the organisation's financial development. The ability to make realistic cost calculations and to follow-up the budget of a project is an essential part of the work of the public relations officer.

Strategy and Tactics
The strategy of an organisation refers to the use the organisation makes of its resources in the achievement of its goals.

If the public relations officer is to take part in the management's choice of strategy, he/she must have an insight into the motivation, background and work models for the planning and decisions of the organisation. Strategic decisions are guided by commercial evaluations, taking into account social debate, opinions, assessment and the amount of confidence in the organisation, as well as political development during the period in question.

Language
A public relations officer must be able to express himself/herself clearly in writing and in speech. However, it is just as important to be able to adapt your language to suit the purpose, reader group and medium, i.e. depending on which choice of strategy has been adopted. It is also true that language seldom operates by itself, and a public relations officer therefore needs to be able to make correct decisions about the degree of illustration and graphic form for printed text and AV aid for verbal presentations. The internationalisation of industry makes it vital for a public relations officer to master English and most preferably one or more other languages in addition to Swedish.

Intercultural communications
International contacts also require an understanding of our own cultural identity in relation to other cultures. This covers body language, behaviour, cultural codes and the way we express ourselves.

Intercultural communications builds on research within the fields of social anthropology, sociology, psychology and linguistics. This area is important for a public relations officer, not least because of increasing internationalization and cultural interplay.

Business intelligence
Business intelligence analysis requires an understanding of the course of events, the overall view and the context in various sections of industry and society. In business management, situation analysis, market and competition analysis as well as financial and technical analysis tend to dominate. The function of public relations is to support the management's need for structure in forming opinions and in public debate.

The public relations officer's skills shall also include scenario methodology as a supplementary method to forecasts of trends and statistics-based prognoses.

Political science
Knowledge of society and public debates forms the basis for efficient work in the administration and development of the organisation's freedom of action. A public relations officer should be aware of the various organisations within society and have an insight into subjects such as political science, economics and ethno-geography.

Leadership/management
Understanding of the leadership role, control models and motives behind these is of great value to a public relations officer who often works as a project leader. The head of communications must be able to contribute to leadership in an organisation, especially in relation to questions which concern the motivation of employees and the management's ability to engage employees in the goals of the organisation.

The work of the head of communications also often involves educating his/her business management colleagues in issues relating to communication.

In addition, the head of communications is often a supervisor with personnel responsibility for employees in his own department.

Crisis management
Practically every company experiences a range of crisis situations. Public relations always play an important role in these situations. Preventive measures in the form of risk analyses, plans and manuals, as well as the ability to identify a crisis situation early and deal with communications are all part of the area of responsibility and expertise of a public relations officer.

Channels, new media and IT
Mastering 'the tool box' is a prerequisite for becoming a good public relations officer. He/she must be aware of traditional channels, such as internal newspapers and newsletters, as well as the new media offered by developments in technology. Effective public relations is dependent on the ability to choose the right channel for the right target group at the right time.

Production
Many public relations officers produce different types of information material. Naturally, the amount of material produced by the organisation itself and the amount tendered to consultants and suppliers will vary. However, expertise within areas such as education, script production, layout and printing techniques should exist within the organisation, if for no other reason than the ability to make professional purchases. Expertise in video techniques, computer presentations (multimedia) and exhibitions can often be an asset, as well.

People working with practical production must also pay attention to the company profile, to make sure that the design and content enhances the picture of the organisation which the management wishes to convey to the outside world.

Evaluation
To carry out professional work in internal and external communications, a public relations officer needs access to the correct facts, in order to be able to set realistic goals, to make sure that practical work is well targeted, and to be able to follow-up and evaluate the input.

Even though investigations and evaluations are often carried out by specialists, a public relations officer must have knowledge of statistics, investigative methods and information retrieval in databases and other public sources.