Why trust in public relations is more than a barometer
Trust is measured, tracked, endlessly debated and yet often misunderstood. Charlotte Dimond argues that it should be the foundation of everything that we do.
By Charlotte Dimond
Trust, much like public relations, doesn’t have a universally agreed-upon definition. It’s a complex phenomenon that plays a vital role in society, in our everyday relationships, and for communicators, it is something we work hard to earn.
The slippery nature of trust
Do you remember the trust game from school? The one where you fall backwards, trusting that someone will catch you? I never played it. Not because I didn’t trust the person behind me (although, let’s be honest, I probably didn’t), but because I didn’t trust the process.
There are just too many variables: distractions, timing, attention. That hesitation wasn’t just about falling; it was about vulnerability and risk.
And that’s the essence of trust. So, forgive me, but I wasn’t going to play a game that could see me landing on my backside on the floor.
Fast forward many years, and I’m now researching the role public trust plays in our ability to combat false narratives successfully.
Can we trust the trust reports?
Many organisations monitor, track, and report on trust levels. The industry often gets into a frenzy, quoting these findings as fact, and tailoring strategy based on them. Yet the more I read for my PhD research, the more I question what these metrics truly represent.
Academic reading has taught me to interrogate everything:
Who funded the report?
What’s the author’s agenda?
What action are they hoping we’ll take and why?
These questions aren’t just academic exercises; they’re essential for communicators who want to build trust rather than blindly follow potentially misleading data.
So, when you read a trust report, don’t just absorb the headline. Ask the questions. Then decide: do you trust the trust report? Do you trust the source? Are you getting the “well, they would say that, wouldn’t they?” vibes?
Trust as the foundation of relationships
Many definitions of public relations talk about its role in building relationships. The key to any good relationship is trust.
While trust measurement is important, trust is a prerequisite, not a key performance indicator. Trust is built over time through consistency, transparency and genuine engagement. It’s cultivated in every interaction. But break it once, and you’ll quickly learn how hard it is to rebuild.
The role of public relations in building (and breaking) trust
Public relations practitioners are often referred to as trust architects or trust mediators. Our work shapes perceptions, but more importantly, it reflects values. When we advise on communication strategies, we’re also advising on how to build and maintain trust.
Yet we constantly see examples where people in our profession have not operated in ways that build trust.
The Post Office IT Inquiry showed how institutional communication created a culture that devastated lives and reputations. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a time when more than ever we needed to trust those in authority, the public was treated to a sideshow of do what I say, not what I do.
That broke trust irrevocably in people we were relying on for potentially lifesaving guidance. This kind of behaviour makes the communicator’s job infinitely harder.
Trust under pressure: lessons from crisis
In times of crisis, trust becomes even more critical. It can be the difference between panic and reassurance, speculation and clarity. If trust has been nurtured beforehand, people are far more likely to listen and to trust the information over the inevitable deluge of misinformation and disinformation that follows any crisis, faster than a seagull in Scarborough follows a bag of chips.
During the pandemic, misinformation and disinformation flooded social media. People were scared and didn’t know who to trust. Careful consideration of who gave updates and who shared critical information was vital, especially in a climate of uncertainty (something that hugely impacts public trust).
For some, hearing from the government worked. For others, absolutely not. But hearing from scientists, medical professionals, or trusted figures in their community made the difference. Where the information comes from, who we trust to tell us the facts, shapes what we believe. And in a crisis, that can quite literally be the difference between life and death.
Where do we go from here?
Research tells us that trust increases the opportunity for action, while a lack of trust becomes a barrier to compliance.
So let’s stop treating trust as a barometer and start recognising it as the foundation of every decision we make. If you see me out and about, I won’t be cooking a Michelin-star meal or falling backwards hoping you’ll catch me. But I’d love to grab a coffee and a chat about trust.
