Theories are helpful in understanding and explaining the actions of organizations, PR practitioners and publics. The Excellence, Critical and Rhetorical theories provide useful information on meaning-making between organizations and their publics.

1. Excellence, Critical and
Rhetorical Theories in PR
STEPHEN TINDI
MA COMMUNICATION AND MEDIA STUDIES (CANDIDATE)
UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION, WINNEBA

2. Outline
 Brief Note on Theories
 Excellence Theory
 Generic Principles of PR excellence
 Ideals of the Excellence Theory
 Relevance and Application of Excellence Theory
 Criticisms of Excellence Theory
 Rhetoric theory
 Rhetoric Ideals
 Relevance and Application
 Critical theory
 Critical Ideals
 Relevance and Application
 Convergence Between critical and Rhetorical Theories
 References

3. Brief Note on Theories
 Theories explain action. They help us to understand
and predict what would happen when a certain
course is taken and another is not.
 Theories are dynamic, so are the rhetorical, critical
and excellence theories

4. Excellence Theory
 Basis and development
 This is a product of research by a six member team (J. Grunig,
L. Grunig, Dozier, Ehling, Repper, and White) funded by the
International Association of Business Communicators (IABC)
 The study basically sought answers to How, why, and to what
extent communication contributes to the achievement of
organizational objectives?
 The result is the Excellence theory which is considered as a
huge addition to PR practice and scholarship.
 The excellence study can be seen as an integration of strategic
management theories of public relations into a greater whole.

5. More on Excellence theory
 It sought to explore how public relations could evolve
from a tactical craft that broadly focused on publicity and
media relations to become a management discipline.
 This study reported that, good relationships were of
value to organizations because they reduced the costs of
litigation, regulation, legislation, and negative publicity
caused by poor relationships; reduced the risk of making
decisions that affect different stakeholders; or increased
revenue by providing products and services needed by
stakeholders.

6. Some Striking Results of excellence theory
 CEOs interviewed consented that;
 Public relations brings about 184 % return on investment.
 Public relations has the greatest value also that it should be
practiced essentially as spelled out by the research team's
theory of excellence.
 P R departments should be characterized by participation in
strategic management, symmetrical communication,
combined judiciously with two-way asymmetrical
communication, and leadership by communication managers
rather than technicians.

7. Achieving Organizational Excellence
3 critical Areas
1. The need for public relations practitioners to equip
themselves with adequate public relations
knowledge.
2. The goals of both the public relations manager and
stakeholders in decision-making.
3. Emphasis on stakeholder involvement founded on
the principles of two-way communication.
Grunig et al., (1992)

8. Generic Principles of PR excellence
 Involvement of public relations in strategic management
 Empowerment of public relations in the dominant coalition or a
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direct reporting relationship to senior management.
Integrated public relations function.
Public relations is a management function separate from other
functions.
Public relations unit headed by a manager rather than a technician.
Two-way symmetrical model of public relations.
symmetrical system of internal communication.
Knowledge potential for managerial role and symmetrical public
relations.
Diversity embodied in all roles.
Organizational context for excellence.

9. Ideals of the Excellence Theory
 For an organization to be effective it must behave in
ways that solve the problems and satisfy the goals of
stakeholders as well as of management.
 To behave in socially acceptable ways, organizations
must scan their environment to identify publics
who are affected by potential organizational
decisions or who want organizations to make
decisions to solve problems that are important to
them. And then the organization must communicate
symmetrically with its publics.

10. Relevance and Application of Excellence
Theory
 The “Excellence Theory” is in a position from which
public relations can be practiced ethically ; it also offers a
launching point for collaboration within larger social
democratic structures
 It stresses the economic importance of building and
maintaining healthy relationship between an
organization and its publics
 Provides useful touchstone for measuring and ensuring
excellence in organizational communication and PR
practice.
 Emphasis the need for PR practitioners to be involved or
have access to decision makers at the top of the
organizational ladder.

11. Criticisms of Excellence Theory
 Public Relations scholars and practitioners argue that
excellence theory simply provides a theoretical and
unrealistic ideal for practitioners to strive to achieve.
 Grunig’s et al.’s belief that only two-way symmetrical
public relations is excellent communication is limiting in
its theoretical analysis and does not allow for differences
in publics, messages, scenario or indeed type of
organization.
 It could equally be argued that to be excellent public
relations, the practitioner adjusts their communication
methods for each situation and for each public.

12. Rhetorical Theories; Historical
Development
 Rhetoric has roots in ancient Greek society which
governed itself through public debate and
persuasion, rather like our present court and
parliamentary processes, reducing the need for
oppression and violence. (Slaves, women and many
others in ancient Greece of course did not share in
this democracy).
 Rhetoric addresses the ways evaluations are
confirmed or challenged. Rhetoric is inherently
dialogic a contest among multiple voices.

13. Ideals of Rhetorical theories
 Rhetorical theory has to do with relationships--how
they are shaped--typically between organizations and
individuals. Sometimes these relationships are
constructive, based on fact, trust, and cooperation.
Sometimes they are destructive, resulting in a clash
of base interests and narrow perspectives.
 This theory reflects the role information, fact plays in
shaping knowledge and opinions as well as being
convincing and motivating others.

14. More on Rhetorical theories
 The rhetorical perspective offers an epistemic advisory
and an invitational rational for public relations.
 They use a humanistic approach and consider the
organization as a rhetor who seeks influence
 Rhetorical scholars believe that symbolic behaviour
creates and influences relationships between
organizations and publics through what Burke and Heath
call the wrangle in the market place (the use of
words, actions and visuals to share and evaluate
information.
 The unit of analysis for rhetoric scholars is 'public
record‘ (newspapers, magazines, websites and mobile.

15. Criticisms of Rhetorical Theory
 A situation of a typical dialogic and symmetric
relationship in which the best ideas win the contest
is utopian, idealistic and has little praxis.
Mackey, S. (2003)

16. Critical Theory
 Critical theory explores the deficits of systems theory
and rhetoric by invoking ethical standards,
ideological underpinnings, through discourse
analysis steeped in the ethics of social democracy.
 Critical theory addresses the mistaken view of
rhetoric as a mere play of words 'mere rhetoric' as is
often said in debates'. This suggests that if we make
heartfelt and sincere statements with sharp words
and pointed facts then we somehow distort the way
dialogue, debate and advocacy should occur.

17. Critical Ideals
 The purpose of critical perspective is to be
confrontational and proactive.
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Rather than looking at the way communication works, the
critical scholar is intent on answering such questions as whose
interests are served by organizational goals? What role do they
play in creating and maintaining structures of power and
domination?
 These scholars argue against the idea of a unit of
analysis. They however consider retrievable texts
from annual reports, speeches and blogs.

18. Relevance and Application of Critical
Theory
 Recognition of 'participatory planning in Public relations
'this refers to bringing into the process the voices of
previously ignored or suppressed publics as respects the
place and locale (context and culture) in which PR is
carried out.
 The driving focus of critical theory and those that
practice it is to understand and change the same
social institutions (business and commerce, government,
entertainment, or education, etc.) that oppress one group
of people or class in favour of another.
 The correlation between the ethical goals of public
relations and critical theory are evident

19. Criticism of Critical theory
 Critical theory constructs an idea as an agenda, and
is normative.

20. Convergence Between critical and
Rhetorical Theories
 Some lines of critical interrogation grow from
rhetorical heritage.
 Rhetorical and critical scholars focus on explaining
the meaning-making between organizations and
publics as they develop, co-create, negotiate and
maintain their relationship with one another.

21. References
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Ahmad M. & Bidin (2013). Public Relations Practice: A Study on Excellence,
Public Relations Practice and Cultural Values among Public Listed Companies
in Malaysia. Proceedings of Annual Paris Business and Social Science
Research Conference Crowne Plaza Hotel, Republique, Paris,
Gruni, J. E. (n.d.) Excellence Theory in Public Relations
Mackey, S. (2003) Changing Vistas in Public Relations Theory
Rhee, Y. (2004). The employee-public-organization chain in relationship
management: a case study of a government organization. Unpublished doctoral
dissertation, University of Maryland, College Park.
IABC, (1992) Excellence in Public Relations and Communication Management:
Executive summary/Initial Data Report, September 1991
Tyma A. W. (2008) Public Relations Through a New Lens —Critical Praxis via
the “Excellence Theory” International Journal of Communication 1932-8036
Waddington, S (n.d.) A critical review of the Four Models of Public Relations
and the Excellence Theory in an era of digital communication. CIPR Chartered
Practitioner Paper .