Public Relations for Internal Audiences
When we think about PR we often think of external publics, but messages for internal publics is an equally important public relations responsibility. Any organizational member, including employees and volunteers, are the functional public because they are the people who perform an organization's day-to-day activities.
Internal organizational rhetoric defines the essence of an organization. Effective internal messages should coordinate who we are with what we do.
Mission Statements
Messages designed for internal publics should always start with the organizational mission in mind.
If an organization has a clear and useful mission statement, great. Never forget it and never fail to ensure all of your messages and behaviors are consistent with that mission. If the organization's mission leaves you thinking "huh?" You better start there.
The best organizational missions are clear and simple. They tell every organizational member how to make decisions that are consistent with the essence of who you are, and if your essence is also ethical, you are better equipped to avoid a crisis.
Organizations that end up in a fix are likely to have a mission that is either unethical or too vague to be meaningful. Let's take a look at some organizations who have well defined missions.
If an organization has a clear and useful mission statement, great. Never forget it and never fail to ensure all of your messages and behaviors are consistent with that mission. If the organization's mission leaves you thinking "huh?" You better start there.
The best organizational missions are clear and simple. They tell every organizational member how to make decisions that are consistent with the essence of who you are, and if your essence is also ethical, you are better equipped to avoid a crisis.
Organizations that end up in a fix are likely to have a mission that is either unethical or too vague to be meaningful. Let's take a look at some organizations who have well defined missions.