My goal after graduation is to use my public relations degree to focus on a career in community relations. I hope to be placed in a role consisting of planning events and outreach for the organization. I want to be the liaison between an organization and the communities it serves. Through this position I hope to be able to give the company a more local appeal by giving it face in the community. The business and financial benefit I see community outreach having for an organization comes from the increase in brand awareness. If community relations and outreach are done effectively, the community will begin associating the organization in a more personified and positive manner.

 

Personified?

What I mean by personified is that the community will begin to associate the organization with the community’s self. If the community is proud of the organization they work for the employees are likely to be more proud that they work for the organization.

 

Communities are more likely to have pride about and loyalty to an organization they feel are proud to be a part of the community. For example, Norfolk Southern Co. has been headquartered in Norfolk, Va. for many years. The company has built a reputation as being extremely proud of its roots. As part of that pride, Norfolk Southern Co. donates a lot of money back to the community which in turn boosts name recognition, acceptance, admiration and pride from the community.

 

An organization that is seen being involved in and having a positive impact in the community then more of the public will begin to associate it with faces and personalities. The association will shift from it being a building to the organization being an active contributor in the community.

 

Is it important for an organization to have a positive image in the community, even if they are not its target market?

Yes. While at the University of South Carolina, and as a student in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications, it can only take one negative media story to damage an organization’s reputation. I believe an organization has four major sectors of the public they must consider.

• Employees and volunteers

• Customers and target markets

• Investors and stakeholders

• The community it is located in or otherwise has a direct impact in

 

Organizations should strive to keep a positive relationship with all of these sectors in order to thrive. If the organization were to treat one of these sectors poorly they will lose public support and, depending on how bad the situation is, can be hurt financially. In a worst-case scenario, the organization may even lose so much money that they are forced to shut-down.

 

Richard Edelman predicted, in 2016, that the future of business is local. Being involved in and giving back allows an organization to play an active role in a society and allows the organization a chance to interact with the community.

 

I hope to help the organization I work for, to understand that being a large company does not mean it cannot have a local presence. I think the ideology that makes localization a current trend in business is that want to feel good about what they are buying. There is also an increased desire to use more natural, organic and locally sourced products and to use less chemicals wherever possible.

 

I agree with Edelman’s statement that this trend will favor locally owned businesses and "mom and pop" shops, however, I also believe large organization can portray themselves as local. By establishing a local presence, giving back and being active in the community, I believe large organizations will be able to find their place in this trend.

 

As a community relations practitioner, I want to also help the organization to improve its image among its internal public. It can be easy to forget how important internal communication is but its impact on an organization can be impressive. A happy employee who feels valued by the organization is more likely to stay as an employee for a longer period, is more willing to work hard and will promote the organization in a more positive manner than an unhappy employee who feels undervalued.

 

Proper internal communications plays an important role in an organization’s relati\onship with its internal public. Whenever there are changes happening or rumors being spread about the organization, it is important to communicate the truth with the internal public.

 

Why?

Informing an organization’s internal public is important because it makes the employees feel valued that are being given this information and can make them feel more secure about what is happening. Keeping the internal public informed also reduces the chance of fake news and inaccuracies being spread. An informed internal public will not have to speculate about a situation. This means that employees will know what is happening, trust their organization not to hide information from them, know how to address any rumors, know what to do if the media approaches them and will be able to give the external public a clear, confident and informed answer to questions. Informing your employees also gives the workplace environment a more “open-door” atmosphere which may make it more enjoyable for employees to work in.

 

Another component I believe is important to the reputation of an organization internally, is connection. While working at the YMCA of Portsmouth one of the things I valued the most was that everyone was willing to help. My managers and the director of the facility were always willing to step in and help return membership cards and answer questions if the front desk got extremely busy. I believe this is an important component of an organization’s internal image and environment because it shows that everyone is willing to step-up to do what needs to be done and eliminates the disconnect between lower-level employees and higher-level positions such as manager or director.

 

Research, which will be discussed later in my portfolio, has shown that too much technology can cause adverse effects on education. Technology creates a disconnect, which I have seen first-hand from being in classes or meetings that feature virtual speakers, between people. Similar to the disconnect technology can cause in education, when higher-level employees are not willing to understand or listen to the feedback of lower-level employees, or they are not willing to contribute to what needs to be done, it can create a social or hierarchal disconnect between management and other employees.

 

I hope to one day be in a position that allows me to apply what I have learned from the experiences laid out in this portfolio to my own career. My goal as a leader will be to create an open dynamic with my team so they feel valued in the workplace. I will use that open dynamic to keep my internal communication strong and keeping my team informed and, in turn, combating fake news and eliminating any hierarchal disconnect. Going forward I will also use what I have learned about localized marketing to help the organization I work for to find local connections that can help them thrive and grow.