CORPORATE COMMUNICATION
& PR 101
(BACK TO
BASICS)
By Rod C.
Estrera
No. 001
– 01 July 2013
Communication vs. Communications
I’M BACK IN THE BLOGOSPHERE!
It has been over seven years since I last posted on
my eight year old Blog Site. I was not
even sure if the site was still fully operational. But, lo and behold, upon checking this past
weekend, I was pleasantly surprised to find all of my past entries still intact
and my account totally accessible.
So, why am I back? As many of my colleagues in the local PR/Communication Industry and the
Academe know, I have decided to take a sabbatical from teaching after seven
straight years of doing so at Miriam
College
I must admit that I sometimes miss the weekly
ritual of wearing a different hat from my regular PR executive role on
weekdays. However, current increased
demands and workload at my day job require me to now have two full weekend days
for rest, recreation, physical fitness and spiritual renewal.
Thus, in lieu of live teaching before actual
students this school year, and to keep my academic muscles active, I have
decided to publish simple, back-to-basics lessons, tips and even personal
insights on Public Relations and Corporate Communication, which have
consistently been my core areas of expertise and experience over the past
30-or-so years.
Moving forward, I will endeavor to post at least
one brief article every week, focusing on one or two easy-to-remember topics
that hopefully would be useful for both my fellow PR/Communication
Professionals and our Clients/Bosses.
For this first issue, we will compare “COMMUNICATION” and “COMMUNICATIONS” – two terms that are
often interchanged, not only by the general public but also by fellow industry
practitioners.
So is there really a difference? There sure is – a really big one.
Let’s start with “COMMUNICATIONS” (With the
“S”). This refers to the MEANS or HARDWARE, that is,
the tools, media, technology and resources of implementation – such as TV,
Radio, Telephone, Mobile Phone, and now Tablets and Android Devices, etc. That’s why we say “Telecommunications”
(instead of Telecommunication) and “Broadcast Communications” since these are
tools (or tactics)
However, “COMMUNICATION”
(Without the “S”) refers to the PROCESS of strategizing,
informing, persuading and motivating to achieve objectives. Hence, we say “Communication Plan” (and not
Communications Plan). As a mnemonic
device to help us remember this distinction, let’s ask ourselves, “Where did
the ‘S’ go in the word ‘Communication’?” Our reply then is that “the Letter ‘S’ went to the word ‘STRATEGY’.” Thus, a Corporate Communication Department or
Function in a company is more concerned with Communication Strategies than
simply being artisans and craftspeople.
I do hope you’ve found the above useful. Do stay tuned as I publish my next issue a
few days from now. We will begin a
series on “The Four Key Questions”
that need to be asked and addressed in the preparation of every Communication
Plan. Thank you for your interest and
have a great and productive week ahead!
