Proving the value of communications: why evidence matters now
Our industry is at a crossroads. We already know many of the answers to the questions that hold us back. What’s missing is action. That must change.
Too often, corporate communications and public relations are relegated to the role of messenger, communicating decisions rather than shaping them. Yet our actual value lies in bringing the outside in: providing real-time intelligence, values-led counsel and the ability to navigate complexity.
In an age of algorithms disrupting relationships and trust eroding, our role in shaping decisions has never been more vital.
Building knowledge that counts
My research project at Leeds Business School asks a simple but profound question: how do we elevate public relations to be recognised as a proper management function?
We are not short of knowledge. The Excellence Study of the 1980s and the European Communication Monitor, running since 2007, have made significant contributions. But this knowledge rarely makes it into practice. Instead, we fall back on anecdote, gut instinct and “years of experience” as our markers of competence.
That would never be accepted in engineering, medicine or law. If public relations is to be seen as a management discipline, we must behave like one and invest in research, recognising standards and building evidence.
The answers exist. We just need to put them to use.
What you can do and why it matters
Here’s where you come in.
I’m gathering data from in-house practitioners to test a hypothesis shaped by three years of literature review, fieldwork and reflection. This is the next stage of my research, and your contribution is really important.
So far, more than 250 practitioners have helped test my work by completing a survey, generating over 17,500 data points. That’s a strong start, but I’m aiming for 1,000 completions by the end of September. The more responses I receive, the more robust and credible the research becomes.
If you work in-house in the UK, please complete and share this survey.
If you work in an agency or freelance, please share it with your client contacts.
At the end, you may opt in for follow-up interviews or to receive project updates. The next stage will seek a management perspective on the dataset.
The value of this project
This project aims to build an evidence base for contemporary corporate communications and public relations practice in the UK, demonstrating and proving our value rather than assuming it.
I recently recorded a podcast with Dom Burch about the project. There is also further information on the project website.
Together, we can ensure public relations takes its rightful place in management. Thank you for your support.
