When faced with a public relations situation, an organization must ask itself, is this an obstacle or an opportunity? Frequently two or more people may assess the situation differently.
"The communication team and the organization's or client's leadership must come to a common understanding of the issue before it can be adequately addressed" (Smith, 2021, p.36).
They must agree on whether the situation is a potential advantage or a disadvantage to their organization. Everyone in the organization must be on the same page before implementing a solution to the problem. To identify an obstacle from an opportunity, we must fully understand what can define an obstacle and an opportunity.
A singular obstacle and endless opportunities. Photo by Unsplash.com
Obstacle
An obstacle is "a public relations situation that limits the organization in realizing its mission" (Smith, 2021, p.33). A PR professional must not see an obstacle as something to move around. They must look at an obstacle as something to overcome. For example, suppose an organization faces a technological issue involving their app crashing. In that case, they will only search for a quick solution where they get the app back to working instantly, just for it to crash again in a few hours. They look for a permanent solution to the problem, so the situation does not happen again.
Opportunity
An opportunity is "a public relations situation offering a potential advantage to the organization or its public" (Smith, 2021, p.33). Frequently opportunities go unnoticed. PR professionals must assess the situation from all viewpoints to see all options. For example, suppose an organization goes viral on social media for a short time. In that case, it must seize the opportunity of that time by strengthening relationships with its new followers through social media and creating brand loyalty. According to an online public relations blog, organizations "don't need to wait for someone else to give you an opportunity- you can create your own" (EightPR, 2022). Opportunities can be created through monitoring trends, environmental scanning, knowing your media outlets, and simply having something interesting to say (EightPR, 2022).
After the organization comes to a consensus about whether the PR situation is an obstacle or an opportunity, it must assess if it can transform into an opportunity (Smith, 2021, p.37). According to an article by Agility PR Solutions (2022), a few opportunities can arise from obstacles:
A chance to show your companies values
A chance to build trust with stakeholders
A chance to improve your organizational culture
A chance to showcase your company's resilience
So, next time you are assessing a public relations situation, consider how that situation could be turned into an opportunity. Ask yourself if your organization could benefit from the situation in any of the abovementioned areas. Obstacles can be blessings in disguise.
References:
Eight PR. (2022). How To Generate Your Own PR Opportunities. https://www.eightpr.com/blog/pr-opportunities#:~:text=A%20PR%20opportunity%20is%20an,what%27s%20happening%20in%20the%20world.
Smith, R.D. (2021). Strategic planning for public relations (6th Ed.). Routledge.
Vestile, M. (2022, November 29). How to turn a PR crisis into an opportunity for your brand. Agility PR Solutions. https://www.agilitypr.com/pr-news/public-relations/how-to-turn-a-pr-crisis-into-an-opportunity-for-your-brand/
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