Doing the Right Thing in Life Not Just PR.

  James Hoggan’s book “Do the Right Thing” offers advice and wisdom for fighting mistrust and unethical practices from public relations professionals.  I believe that people can apply the advice that Hoggan gives in everyday life.
Hoggan defines public relations as “the art and science of earning credibility and building goodwill among all those who are important to your business.  Good public relations is about ensuring that as you develop your reputation, you do so for the right reason. (pp.5,6)”
  Public relations is used everyday by everyone.  For example when you speak assertively and be on your best behavior when you first meet your friends parents, when you act like the perfect gentlemen to impress her on the first date,  when you spend hours in the mirror making sure you look flawless before going to the club.  When you  decide to buy the $100 G shock watch or $90 high heels, instead of giving your professor $15 for your required reading in your Public relations research and strategies class.  We make decisions based on our personal experiences to build credibility and develop our reputation.  Life is our business and the people that we meet are important to our business.
Hoggan’s golden rule can be applied when making decisions in your life. Hoggan begins with doing the right thing.  He says “A good reputation comes from doing the right thing all the time. (p.9)”  If you want to have the reputation of being an excellent student then you should submit excellent work not just the first week of class but all semester.  If you want to have a reputation of being a gentlemen then you should act as one not just on the first date but on every date with every woman you take out.
Secondly, you should be seen doing the right thing.  For example when you consistently act like a lady everyone will confirm that you are one.  When you turn in “A” work all semester your professor will confirm that you are a excellent student.  It the people who are persuaded by your actions that will confirm your credibility and help develop your reputation.
Lastly, Don’t get #1 and #2 mixed up.  Hoggan says “if you do the right thing because it’s the right thing to do, people will respect you for it. But if you forget yourself in a flurry of PR tactics and strategies…things can easily go wrong. (p.12)”  If you are gentlemen only because you want something in return at the end of your date then  its possible that all credibility that you could have had will be lost.
These are all examples of how what we do in our lives can directly relate to public relations.  Being that we do practice public relations everyday , the advice that Hoggan’s offers in his book can be beneficial to not only public relations practitioners but everyone.