Following 1,447 votes, hundreds of submissions, abundant commentary and nearly a year of research, we are pleased to announce the winning modern definition of public relations. Based on a public vote, held Feb. 13–26, of three candidate definitions, the profession’s choice for the modern definition of PR is:

“Public relations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.”

Listed as Definition No. 2 in the public vote, it received 671 votes, or 46.4 percent, of 1,447 total votes.

Simple and straightforward, this definition focuses on the basic concept of public relations — as a communication process, one that is strategic in nature and emphasizing “mutually beneficial relationships.” “Process” is preferable to “management function,” which can evoke ideas of control and top-down, one-way communications. “Relationships” relates to public relations’ role in helping to bring together organizations and individuals with their key stakeholders. “Publics” is preferable to “stakeholders,” as the former relates to the very “public” nature of public relations, whereas “stakeholders” has connotations of publicly-traded companies.

You can read more about this exciting announcement in Friday’s New York Times advertising column.

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Following a productive period of submissions, comments and deliberation, we are pleased today to announce the final candidates for a modern definition of public relations. The definitions you see below have been developed by PRSA’s Definition of Public Relations Task Force, in consultation with our 12 global initiative partners. The candidates reflect nearly 1,000 submissions received last November and the hundreds of comments many of you provided on the draft definitions we presented last month.

Public voting is open from Feb. 13–26, 2012. We anticipate announcing the final winning definition, based on the public vote, the week of Feb. 27, 2012.

Vote on a Modern Definition of Public Relations Here

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Editor’s note: As noted in the blog post below, the open period for public comments has closed, as of Jan. 23, 2012. Comments on this post have been shut off to reflect the closure of that public comment period; however, commentary on the candidate definitions can still be sent to keith.trivitt@prsa.org for inclusion in the feedback analysis. PRSA’s Definition of Public Relations Task Force, along with the 12 #PRDefined global partners, will use this feedback to make final revisions to the three candidate definitions. A public vote of those candidate definitions will be held Feb. 13–26, 2012. Check this website for more details in the coming days. Thank you to all who participated in this initiative and provided feedback of the draft definitions.

Yesterday, we announced a modified plan and revised timeline for the “Public Relations Defined” initiative; one that allows for greater input from the public, the profession and our global partners.

Today, we are excited to unveil the three candidate definitions, one of which will form the basis of a new, modern definition of public relations.

As they now stand, these draft definitions comprise the collaborative work of many. Hundreds of professionals like you submitted your own definition of public relations during the two-week crowd-sourcing phase. Working from a qualitative and quantitative analysis of this input, PRSA’s Definition of Public Relations Task Force proposed six possible definitions, which were circulated to our global partners. Based on their collective feedback, the three candidate definitions you see below emerged. The definitions are presented in their raw form, with links to annotated versions for each.

We’re now commencing a public comment period, which will last through Jan. 23, so you can express your initial reaction to these draft definitions. We’ll then aggregate and analyze your feedback in preparation for a second “Definition of PR” summit meeting with our international partners, from which three final definitions will arise for voting by the profession. This additional step, we feel, will engender greater input and, ultimately, ensure we achieve the broadest possible consensus on — and satisfaction with — the new, modern definition of public relations.

We hope you’ll continue to participate and provide your honest feedback on the candidate definitions. Regardless of whether you love ‘em, hate ‘em or something in between, be sure to voice your opinion in the comments section below. After all, we want this definition to be the profession’s, and that can’t happen without your valued input.

A special thanks to Philip Sheldrake for his inspiration of the annotated versions of each definition.

#PRDefined Candidate Definitions

Definition No. 1:

Public relations is the management function of researching, engaging, communicating, and collaborating with stakeholders in an ethical manner to build mutually beneficial relationships and achieve results.

(Read the annotated version here.)

Definition No. 2:

Public relations is a strategic communication process that develops and maintains mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their key publics.

(Read the annotated version here.)

Definition No. 3:

Public relations is the engagement between organizations and individuals to achieve mutual understanding and realize strategic goals.

(Read the annotated version here.)

Gerard F. Corbett, APR, Fellow PRSA, is chair and CEO of the Public Relations Society of America.

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It’s an exciting time to be succeeding Rosanna Fiske, APR, as PRSA’s chair and CEO. Economic prospects for the public relations industry appear brighter as we head into an election (and Olympic) year, the profession continues to demonstrate and enhance its value in key service areas and PRSA is leading international collaboration on one of the most discussed projects in the profession’s recent memory: the “Public Relations Defined” initiative.

Carrying on the prescient work that Rosanna initiated in 2011, with the help of 12 allied professional organizations from around the world — and, to wit, every public relations professional who took the time to contribute a definition, make a comment, ask a question or write a blog post — we are moving rapidly toward a more modern definition of public relations.

We have a learned a great deal from the exercise that will serve us well going forward on how to optimally configure initiatives that employ the new channels, bold methodologies and creative conduits that are now prevalent for seeking authentic input from members and the public relations industry at large.

One of the lessons learned is that the anticipation that this initiative has built must be tempered by the responsibility we have to ensure it is handled in a deliberate and considered manner.

As we have said previously in this space, we were pleasantly surprised at the high level of global interest in this initiative and number of definitions submitted. The quantitative and qualitative data arising out of the crowd-sourcing phase were noteworthy. We heard from several of our allied partners that they wouldn’t mind having more time and opportunity to review and provide input on the candidate definitions.

From the beginning, PRSA’s goal has been to create a definition that the entire profession has a role in shaping, which professionals, organizations and academics alike can appreciate and own. With that in mind, I think it’s appropriate for us to take a refreshed perspective and implement a slightly modified direction for #PRDefined; one that will allow for greater input from our partners and the profession, in a manner befitting the project’s stature.

Every good PR program is flexible, and this initiative is no exception.

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