How public relations personnel can use symmetric communication to help their organizations

How public relations personnel can use symmetric communication to help their organizations

The public relations profession has been a reputable one since the time of Ivy Lee and the other fathers of public relations. Even though this is a professional term, many people know this to be P.R.O. in short. Some think public relations officers only protect the image of their organizations before the public, others too think public relations officers only send out information targeted at a specific audience to the people. 

How public relations personnel can use symmetric communication to help their organizations by quikcounsel.com

Well, all these may be true but it largely depends on the organization’s approach to public relations and what they intend to achieve with that role in their firm. There are many approaches that organizations use in the office of public relations to achieve specific goals. For the purpose of this article, we will discuss how public relations professionals can use symmetric communication to help their organizations in the face of the public.

Symmetric communication in layman’s language simply means two-way communication. It is antonymous to asymmetric communication. (This will be discussed in a subsequent article). Some organizations believe that public relations officers must only be responsible for releasing press statements, engaging with stakeholders, and representing the organization outside its walls. But organizations that go with the symmetric approach of public relations, do more than this.

If you are a public relations officer and your organization is fortunate to give your office a managerial role, you are equally eligible to propose approaches that would help the organization to have a good name in the eyes of the public. With symmetrical communication, public relations professionals of organizations not only disseminate information but also actively listen to feedback and engage in a conversation with the public. This is the ideal way every organization that uses the symmetrical communication approach should function. Now, let us consider some practical instances where symmetrical communication becomes very useful and effective for public relations officers.

As a PR professional, I believe you are aware that the public has a huge say when it comes to the reputation of your organization right? It becomes worse when your organization is a manufacturing company. Whenever a product goes out there and the public spots a mistake with it, there is a probability that people can base on that tiny mistake to bring the company down, and in such instances, public relations officers are deployed to make sure the public is calm. What do you do then now that you know about symmetrical communication? Do you only release press statements to refute the claims from the public or do you engage in a dialogue with the public? For symmetrical communication, the ideal choice is to engage the public. The problem began with them and you should solve it through them. This is where you don’t have to only disseminate information (press statements and other formal communiqué) but you listen attentively to the grievances of the public as well.

But you just imagine, if you do not listen to the people, how would you get to the bottom of the problem and address it? This is what symmetrical communication would ask. The public may be furious but these are the people who keep your organization growing, must you also be furious with them even if their claims are false? Of course, no! If you are a public relations officer, there are a lot of responsibilities on you when it comes to matters like these because the continuity of the organization will depend on you and if the organization falls, it also depends on the result you achieve with the public.

Let us use another scenario here. Let’s assume you are the public relations officer of a mining company and unfortunately for the company, an accident occurs and a nearby town has to suffer the consequences of the accident (explosion for example but no one dies). The news goes all over and the media frames the stories that the mining company has made life difficult for the people in that town as a result of the explosion. This will get people talking and if you don’t take care, the government can even close down the mining company even if it is legally registered. Symmetrical communication in this case will urge you the public relations officer to hold on with just disseminating information and listen to the public too. 

You need to listen to the grievances of the victims, address them to the management, and then the necessary steps should be taken. After that, the press statements and releases can follow that the problem has been solved and victims have been attended to. But if you use the other way around (asymmetrical communication), the public might think you don’t care about their miseries. This doesn’t mean that asymmetrical communication is not useful, but in cases like these, it is not and can damage the reputation of your organization.

Public relations is not just about representing the organization thus only sending out information and not listening to the public, but you must listen attentively to the public, and through that, your organization can implement strategies that would favor both the organization and the public. This is why symmetric communication is very useful for public relations officers. However, it can change in different situations but with the situational examples given above and other similar ones, this is how symmetrical communication can help public relations professionals to assist their organizations effectively.

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