Today at the PRSA International Conference in San Francisco, the Commission on Public Relations Education unveils its new report, “Standards for a Master’s Degree in Public Relations: Educating for Complexity.” Development and dissemination of these research-based standards were funded by the PRSA Foundation and the Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations. The standards seek … Continue reading Educating for Complexity
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All posts by Frank Ovaitt
At an Institute for Public Relations Board meeting earlier this month, Trustee Maril MacDonald suggested that IPR might provide guidance to practitioners on how to identify bad research. That could be a mission in itself for IPR. But I decided to start by asking our Research Fellows what they would advise. Here is the wisdom … Continue reading Spotting Bad Research →
Harold Burson, a great friend of the Institute for Public Relations who has served on the Board, received our highest honor and delivered some of the most memorable speeches in our history, writes a blog. I had fun last weekend going through some of his musings, among them, thoughts on public relations defined. There is … Continue reading Harold Burson and the Social Science of Public Relations →
Dan Ariely, a behavioral economics professor at Duke University, has spent his career amassing research data to show that the decisions we make are often shaped (or misshaped) in ways that are “Predictably Irrational,” the title of one of his books. We live in two different worlds, says Ariely, one where social norms prevail and … Continue reading Predictably Irrational Customers and Employees →
Is the survey mechanism broken? Few would argue that it hasn’t been damaged by a number of factors in recent years. With that in mind, I read a May speech by Scott Keeter, director of survey research for the Pew Research Center, delivered in his capacity as president of the American Association for Public Opinion … Continue reading Are Surveys Broken? →
IPR Trustee Keith Burton brought to my attention research reported in The New York Times and characterized by New York University Professor Dalton Conley as showing that “giving workers time to chill helps ultimate long-term productivity.” Harvard Professor Leslie A. Perlow, author of “Sleeping With Your Smartphone” (Harvard Business Review Press, 2012), surveyed 1,600 managers … Continue reading Letting Employees Let Go →
When the purpose of a public relations campaign is to encourage honest behavior, what really works? In The Wall Street Journal last week, Dan Ariely, the James B. Duke professor of behavioral economics at Duke University, shared lessons from his forthcoming book, “The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty: How We Lie to Everyone—Especially Ourselves.” Few people … Continue reading Bringing out the Best in People →
Former IPR Trustee Björn Edlund mounts a spirited defense of focusing on reputation. He responds to a column in The Economist that “says it is wrong for companies to aim at leveraging its reputation – or even to regard reputation as a corporate asset.” Read Björn’s piece on the Arthur W. Page Society blog. Frank … Continue reading Reputation = Performance + Behavior + Communications →
Why do we get such a kick out of focusing on ourselves? Thirty to 40 percent of human speech informs others about ourselves. Eighty percent or more of social media posts announce our own experiences or views. Nine-month-old babies already try to draw the attention of others to things they find important in their environments. … Continue reading Brain Science and Public Relations Listening →
The organizers of Bledcom, the legendary international public relations research conference at Lake Bled, Slovenia, have released the program for 2012. The July 6-7 conference breaks into two tracks focused on academic and corporate research. Current and former IPR Trustees, Research Fellows and commission members appearing the program include Don Wright, Rob Wakefield, Ansgar Zerfass, … Continue reading Legendary Research Conference, Stunning Venue →
I’m very pleased to welcome the latest addition to the IPR Trustee Class of 2014. Adele Ambrose, Senior Vice President and Chief Communications Officer, Merck, becomes our 44th Trustee. At Merck, Adele leads the Global Communications organization, responsible for the company’s internal and external communications with key audiences including the news media, employees, the financial … Continue reading Merck Chief Communications Officer Joins IPR Board →
IPR Trustee Rob Flaherty turned my attention to Jonah Lehrer about a year ago. Lehrer, the author of “How We Decide” and “Imagine: How Creativity Works” (due out next week), writes about neuroscience. Last weekend, his essay in The Wall Street Journal hinted at what’s to come in the new book. Creativity is a skill, … Continue reading Brain Research, Creativity and Public Relations →