ABSTRACT
Public relations often get confused with publicity. Public relations certainly include publicity—but it includes much more. The actual practice of public relations follows a process that the people also find in advertising, business communication and sales and marketing. One challenge for public relations practitioners is to build relationships that honor not only those values but also the values of the other group in a relationship, such as the values of journalists, stockholders or employees. Public relations practitioners strive to develop positive, productive relationships with publics that control essential resources. The actual practice of public relations follows a process that the people also find in advertising, business communication and sales and marketing. A recent survey of senior public relations professionals throughout the world found that good writing remains the most important job skill within public relations, followed by strategic planning abilities, speaking abilities and data analysis expertise.
