External Tools of Public Relations

External tools comprise of outdoor publicity media, broadcasting and print media, and other mass media. The goals and objectives of the organisation define the type of media to be adopted. The public relations officers play crucial role in deciding the media and methods of disseminating information.

1.       Press

Print media have a wide reach in the general public. Any literate person can depend on print media for information. It helps the public relation departments to connect with a large group of people. Effective public relation through print media can boom up the image of the organisation in the general public. Newspaper is widely used by public, private and government authorities to disseminate the information to the public. It is a cost effective method with maximum outcome.

2.      Radio

Radio is the most popular medium in the country. It can reach both urban and rural communities. Even an illiterate person can consume information from radio. It is a personal medium and creates great impact on the audience. Public relation practitioners can effectively use radio to influence the public. Radio programs like industrial and business news, discussions, surveys etc. can be utilized by the public relation practitioners. Apart from this sponsoring popular programs also will help in creating goodwill for the company.

3.      Television

Television is a highly persuasive and popular medium. It provides a larger platform for publicity through its audio visual features. Public relation officers can effectively use television for spreading the information about the organisation. Television publicity includes sponsoring popular programs, news and short documentaries about the organisation, analytical surveys, talks, discussions, interviews, etc. Corporate videos are also a part of television publicity.

4.      Films

Films and other videos create great impact on the viewers. Many documentaries were made during the Second World War to propagate the ideologies of Nazi Germany. Night and Fog was one of the most popular documentary films which emphasized on Hitler’s propaganda. Such methods are still being used by nation leaders and business men to create an identity in the public. Business corporations also use films for the popularity of their organisation.

5.      Traditional media

The traditional Media have played a very important role in solving several emotional problems. In the developing countries where illiteracy is wide-spread and communications scanty, the folk media assume greater importance. In India music, dance, drama have always played an important role in combating destructive elements and in harmonizing emotional outbursts relating to caste, creed, religion and language issues.

6.      Magazines

Magazines are an important medium for product news, feature stories and pictorial publicity. Business magazines are widely used by organisations to disseminate information on their new schemes and products. It is also being used to emboss the image of the organisation.

7.      Outdoor media

Bill boards, hoardings, flex boards and posters are the popular outdoor media. The messages and images displayed on an outdoor media are large and noticeable. They are attractive, huge and colourful and they can display the messages round the clock. They are placed along the roads and in every corner of the streets.

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Internal Tools of Public Relations

Internal tools

Internal tools are used for communication within the organisation. It usually comprises of printed materials and meetings conducted to collect the opinion of the employees, on the working conditions and other facilities provided by the organisation.

1.       House Journal

House journals are magazines produced by the organisation to inform its employees and shareholders, about the company and its new policies or innovations. It is a link between the organisation management and employees. It creates a communication platform for the organisation, its employees and shareholders to share thoughts and opinions on various issues concerning the organisation. House journals are more useful for large, multinational companies, as it bridges the gap between the employees at various locations.

The house journals are edited and published by the public relations department of the organisation. In order to establish a fare communication link, it must be attractive and interesting to the reader. The format of a house journal varies from a newsletter to a booklet. The final authority to approve the contents and form of a house journal is the organisation management.

2.      Annual report

Annual report comprises of the details of policies and working strategies adopted by the organisation. It also includes the reports and analysis on the sales, profit and other outcomes. An annual report is usually drafted by the public relations officers of the organisation.

3.      Meetings

Meetings are very essential for an organisation. Meetings can be of different types based on the importance of the topic to be briefed. Whether it is an all staff meeting or meeting of department heads, it creates a better communication link between the employees. Meetings are usually conducted to collect the opinions of the employees on various policies and schemes adopted by the organisation.

4.      Printed literature

The newsletters, leaflets, brochures, posters etc., published and distributed by the public relations departments is an effective tool for internal communication. Various events and other details of the organisation are easily communicated through various printed literature.

5.      Bulletin boards

It is an oldest method of internal communication in an organisation. Bulletin boards are used to inform the employees and other stakeholders.

6.      Direct mail

It is a list of mailing address of important personalities. Brochures, house journals and newsletters can be easily mailed to these important people through direct mail system.

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News Interview techniques

Interviews

An interview aims at providing the audience the experience of being a part of the happenings. Interviews are of various types ranging from the informal one to one chats to roundtable discussions. Giving information is not the sole aim of conducting interviews. Usually, the subjects for the interview are the ones who hit the headlines regularly or people with unusual experiences and hobbies or people who are well versed in the areas of knowledge. The person who conducts an interview is called an interviewer and the subject who is being interviewed is called the interviewee.

Questions are an integral part of an interview. An interviewer should be thorough with all the information on the subject to prepare effective questions. Interview questions are classified under various divisions.

-Open questions and closed questions.

Open questions demand more information and require descriptive answers; while closed questions can be answered with a yes or no.

-Empty questions

These are questions that do not require a specific answer. For example: do you have anything more to say to our audience?

-Contact questions

These are the initial questions that are asked to develop a rapport between the subject and the interviewer. Contact questions are not meant to make any substantial revelations.

-Leading questions

Leading questions are used to start a new session or topic.

-Closing questions

Closing questions attempt to sum up issues that are already discussed during the session.

Interviews are broadly classified under two divisions. Purpose-based interviews and Setting based interviews.

According to BBC, there are three categories under purpose based interviews.

1. Hard exposure interviews: Used for investigating a subject thoroughly. For eg: interviews with politicians or other personalities involved in a controversy.

2. Informational interviews: These are of interactive nature and attract the audience. Film based interviews, entertainment interviews, and personal interviews come under this category.

3. Emotional interviews: These types of interviews aimed at revealing the interviewee’s state of mind. For eg: ‘How do you feel being the first ex-PM to face many charges soon after leaving the office?’

Setting-based interviews consist of seven variations.

A. Eyewitness interview: They are also called spot interviews. At the place of happening, the reporter must identify subjects who are willing to talk in front of the camera. They are conducted under the tremendous pressure of time and focus on gathering facts.

B. Door stepper: The short time interview with a political personality or other dignitaries at an event and which involves a very few questions is called a doorstepper. These interviews focus on such hit or miss affairs. Even capturing a ‘no comment’ reply is adequate for the authenticity of the report.

C. Set piece: These type of interviews are widely used during the occurrence of major events such as annual budget presentation, cabinet formation etc. Such interviews are conducted at the interviewee’s office. It requires much planning for the preparation of questions.

D. Studio interview: These are live interviews where the interviewees are invited to the television studio.

E. Down the line: In this type of interview, the interviewer is connected through telephone or other digital communication devices, to the subject who could be in another place.

F. Car interview: A car interview is commonly used for personal interviews, where the interviewer asks the questions sitting in a vehicle, while the interviewee answers it while driving.

G. Walking interview: These interviews are common when making a documentary or a news report on an individual. It requires great technical skill to shoot and record such interviews. 

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Types of News Sources

There are uncountable news sources that a journalist can rely upon. In the digital age, news sources are limitless and easily accessible.

1. Press conference

The press conference is also called a news conference. It is a formal meeting conducted by any person who wants to reveal specific information through the media. The person who invites media is liable to answer the questions of the journalists on whatever information he disclosed. This also provides a platform for interaction and discussion. The status of the person decides the value of the news. Background materials like brochures, leaflets etc., will be distributed by the individual.

2. Meet the press

In this case, the press association or the press club invites a dignitary to meet the media persons. There won’t be any fixed topics for discussion to meet the press. Brochures or any kind of background material won’t be distributed here. Every arrangement regarding the meeting will be made by the press organization. The individual who is invited by the press authorities can be a celebrity or a person related to a newsworthy event.

3. News releases and hand-outs

News releases are also called press releases. These are authorized statements given by government authorities, political or business organizations and other institutions or individuals for the purpose of publishing through media. A press release is prepared by the public relation officers of the concerned institutions. These are also called press hand-outs and press notes.

4. News agencies

UNESCO describes news agencies as “An undertaking of which the principal objective, whatever its legal form, is to gather news and news material of which the sole purpose is to express or present facts, and to distribute this to a group of news enterprises, and in exceptional circumstances to private individuals with a view to providing them with a complete and impartial a news service as possible against payment, and under conditions compatible with business laws and usage.”

The main news source for news media is a news agency or wire service. News agencies have large networks connecting thousands of places from where their reporters gather news and deliver it to various news media on a commercial basis. News agencies have their network worldwide. Major news agencies of the world are Agence France-Presse (AFP), Associated Press (AP) and Reuters.AFP is the oldest news agency in the world. The Free Press of India (FPI) was the first news agency in India. The leading news agency in India is the Press Trust of India (PTI).

5. Interviews

An interview aims at providing the audience the experience of being a part of the happenings. Interviews are of various types ranging from the informal one to one chats to roundtable discussions. Giving information is not the sole aim of conducting interviews. Usually, the subjects for the interview are the ones who hit the headlines regularly or people with unusual experiences and hobbies or people who are well versed in the areas of knowledge. The person who conducts an interview is called an interviewer and the subject who is being interviewed is called the interviewee.

6. Press brief

A briefing is similar to the press conference. The only difference is that the briefing is done by a spokesperson who is authorized to make statements on behalf of an organization or individual. This spokesperson will address the questions of the media representatives.

7. Public relation departments

Every organization and institution will have a public relations department. It is not always possible to meet the chairman or head of an institution in person. So the information or statement regarding the organization/ institution can be provided by the public relation department.

8. House journals

House journals comprise of the information regarding policies and functioning of an organization/ institution. It is produced for the employees and shareholders of the firm. It is also called house magazines.

9. Non-Governmental organization

NGO’s are non-profit organizations working for social development. They can provide information on various topics on the basis of their area of work. For example environment, water resources, tribal protection, ecology, etc.

There are also many other sources of news such as:

10. Parliament

11. State legislative assemblies

12. Police stations

13. Courts

14. Hospitals

15. Banks

16. Seminars and symposiums

17. Theatres

18. Speech, etc.

In most cases, each type of media will depend on other media as a source of information. For example, regional language newspaper depends on news channel or radio for recent news; or online news portal gathering information on an on-going event from a news channel. 

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What are the tools for News Gathering?

News Gathering Tools

There are certain elements that help a journalist to collect relevant news from various sources. They are the newsgathering tools.

1. Research

Background research on the news story always helps the reporter in finding the exact news sources. Researching can be done online or by referring to articles and news stories published and broadcasted in various media.

2. Observation

Observing various public events will help to gather news. It is a common practice for the journalists to attend public addresses, speeches and lectures.

3. Contacts

Widespread contacts will always help to reach the sources and to make fact-finding easier. Most often the reporters will make contacts with people who could provide them with crucial information.

4. Interviewing

It is the most effective way of finding the information and facts on the topic. Interviewing completely depends on the ability of the interviewer to communicate. An interviewer is to be careful in selecting the theme and subject for the interview. He/she must be thorough with the subject and well informed about the current affairs. Maintaining an easy flow of the words will makes it easy to communicate with the subjects. 

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