TITLE : SECRETS OF SUCCESSFUL RELATIONS AND IMAGE MAKING, THE.

Many people imagine that they know what PR is - and some of them,are right. Many people imagine that they can 'do PR' just as well as a PR professional, or that they could if only they had the time. In this respect, only some of them are right. But most of them could have a good shot at understanding more about what PR involves - and that would benefit both them and the PR people who work with them.

As with many professional practices, PR has, consciously or otherwise, surrounded itself with jargon and mystique, has taken itself too seriously and has attempted to mature as a profession in record quick time. All these actions are perfectly understandable; everybody desires a modicum of security and a measure of respect in their working lives.

But, for the small businessperson at whom this book is aimed, these barriers are unhelpful. There is often a desire to know more about this high profile PR world. There is a desire to understand the workings of a PR consultant so that sensible commercial decisions can be taken based on an informed awareness of the issues involved. There is a need to understand how the media works before attempting to influence it. There is a need to understand how internal communications and external PR can complement - or hinder - each other. And there is a need to know how the general publicity and marketing effort of the businessperson's company interacts with PR to form a more complete service.

Once more is known about these issues, more informed judgements can be taken. And it is this kind of straightforward information which this book sets out to provide.

It does not pretend to be a bible, or an exhaustive reference work or even a DIY manual. It simply sets out to give a brief look at the kind of PR practices which are relevant to the small businessperson. Inevitably, it will date because the profession is dating all the time. Inevitably, not all of it will be relevant to every reader.

Equally, some of it will help some readers to understand more about PR as it does, or can, relate to them. Some of it may provoke thoughts about how readers can use the information or act as a checklist for embarking upon PR exercises.

But if it proves readable and moderately useful, it will have done its job.

Tony Greener