MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT PR IN T&T: PR IS EXPENDABLE

Public relations professionals have to prove their value over and over again. Especially since PR departments can be among the first to receive budget cuts or are dismissed altogether during wider economic challenges.

Roy Mitchell, principal consultant of executive relationships management and one of the leading pioneers of professional PR practice in T&T notes, "Given the lack of uniformity in PR practice, a practitioner’s ability to function at the strategic level within an organization will depend on the value that the individual practitioner brings to the organization" (quoted in "The National Perspectives on the Development of Public Relations: Latin American and Caribbean Perspectives on the Development of Public Relations").
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In addition, PR sometimes tackles problems that aren’t easily measured. Utilising the right measurement tools to show how PR has brought about desired outcomes is important. I’m a true believer in working under high ethical and professional standards, such as those encouraged by local and international PR associations. These practices help make value obvious.
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Of course, the value of PR becomes very apparent during a crisis. For instance, ongoing press conferences were provided almost daily by the Ministry of Health to provide information regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. Kudos to those communications teams working consistently behind the scenes. Their roles certainly aren’t expendable.