Public relations is causative. To be effective it must cause something.
PR is essentially a communications subject and follows the communication formula:
AXIOM 28. COMMUNICATION IS THE CONSIDERATION AND ACTION OF IMPELLING AN IMPULSE OR PARTICLE FROM SOURCE-POINT ACROSS A DISTANCE TO RECEIPT-POINT, WITH THE INTENTION OF BRINGING INTO BEING AT THE RECEIPT-POINT A DUPLICATION AND UNDERSTANDING OF THAT WHICH EMANATED FROM THE SOURCE-POINT.
The formula of Communication is Cause, Distance, Effect, with Intention, Attention and Duplication WITH UNDERSTANDING.
The component parts of Communication are Consideration, Intention, Attention, Cause, Source-point, Distance, Effect, Receipt-point, Duplication, Understanding, the Velocity of the impulse or particle, Nothingness or Somethingness. A noncommunication consists of Barriers. Barriers consist of Space, Interpositions (such as walls and screens of fast-moving particles), and Time. A communication, by definition, does not need to be two-way. When a communication is returned, the formula is repeated, with the receipt-point now becoming a source-point and the former source-point now becoming a receipt-point.*
Public relations deals mainly in significances.
It uses those channels of communication which convey thought. Some of these channels are the spoken word, word of mouth, TV, radio, cinema, tapes, pictures, symbols, designs, colors, the written word as represented in books, signs, advertisements, pamphlets, handouts, newspapers and various combinations. Any channel which conveys thought overtly or covertly is a legitimate channel for public relations use.
The object of PR is persuasion to think, either newly or differently or to keep on thinking the same way.
Therefore, coercion to think in the way required is done by varying ideas persuasively.
When coercion takes the form of blackmail or threat, PR is no longer PR but has entered the field of intelligence.
When PR is used for the improvement of things, ideals, conditions or any promotion of pro-survival factors, it could be called “white PR.”
When PR is used for the destruction of ideals or institutions or repute of persons, it is called, traditionally, black PR.
Thus it can be seen that the person undertaking PR must be causative. He is causing an effect in the field of thought by utilizing the communication channels that are open to him or that he can develop.
He can assign as his source authoritative persons. He can use authoritative channels. Or he can make his apparent sources bear more weight. Use of opinion leaders is a routine mechanism.
He can in many ways, not the least of which is logic, persuade the acceptance and continuance of thoughts he causes to emanate.
In dealing with products or persons in white PR, the PR person achieves as his first action knownness. This is done by simply repeating continuously on as many channels as possible the identity of what he is representing.
To this basic significance he must attach associated significances that cause the acceptance and understanding of the basic significance which is being PRed.
For this he continues to use suitable channels and develops further channels for his use.
The thought or significance which the PR person is attempting to convey is called “the message.”
The PR person must clearly understand this message himself in order to cause its communication in the many varied ways required.
The receipt points of the message are called “publics.”
There are many different publics. These are types or groups who accept differently from other types or groups.
It is the task of the PR person to study and separate out the different publics and know what they want or will accept.
It is then his task to couch variations of his message in terms and forms which will be accepted by a particular public.
Unless he knows what to offer each different public, his message will not be received.
The common tool of the PR in getting to know various publics is SURVEYS. He has to know the reality, tone and acceptance level of each public he is trying to reach. And use it for that exact public and no other.
As a PR person IS operating at the CAUSE point, he must be able to IMAGINE.
In other words he has to be able to think creatively and create images.
Without this ability he cannot conceive of various forms of his message or conceive of his publics.
If he is a type who simply records or writes down only what he sees, he will not be able to master PR. If he can imagine, he will master PR.
White PR is engaged in IDEALIZATION at all times to a greater or lesser degree.
The better side of life or persons or dreams or hopes is the subject of white PR.
This is true even when the truth of the message is a very high level of betterment or stature. Here the imagination is used to bring the public chosen into a greater awareness of the ideal.
Black PR also uses imagination in order to degrade or vilify or discredit an existing or fancied image.
Common, ordinary, dull statement of the is-ness of things is hardly classifiable as PR. It is communication of a sort but it is not PR because it is only attempting to inform; it is not attempting to persuade.
Too glowing an idealization can be punctured when it is a lie.
Too vicious degradation can be exploded when it is a lie.
The only safe ground is to idealize what is already true and when engaged in black PR to degrade what is already bad.
The personality of the PR man tends to determine what kind of PR he will do (or not do).
But whether handling white PR or black, the successful PR man or woman must be causative, imaginative, energetic and capable of a lot of fast, hard work.
The middle-grounders, who, neither bright nor sour, live a dull monotone and see only what they see, do not make PR people.
Taking or choosing photographs or programs, the true PR personality moves things, directs things, combines things until he gets the effect he wants regardless of work. Then he lets it roll. For black PR he will twist things around and put out lights and tear cloth and move garbage until he gets a suitable awfulness. And then lets it roll.
The middle-grounder just records or takes what’s there and lets it go on — which is not PR.
His, however, is not a hopeless case. All he has to do is decide to be causative and capable of PR actions. And then do them with a will!
The PR deals in three scenes.
The EXISTING SCENE is what is really there.
In white PR the idealized scene is the way he wants the scene to be praised by a public.
In black PR the degraded scene is the way he wants the scene to be condemned by a public.
He can actually raise a scene by idealizing it or degrade a scene by condemning it. At times he condemns the bad to idealize the good.
He must know all three scenes whatever he is doing with PR. He must have the scene he wants clearly in view and project it so that it is accepted.
He is lucky when he has a near-ideal scene to idealize or a near-degraded scene to degrade as then he closely approaches the existing scene and is dealing in truth with only changes in emphasis.
Real PR has to move fast. The moment and timeliness of an action is so swiftly gone in PR that great speed is required in spotting, developing and executing an action.
Whether pushing for new ideals or social reform, a PR has to MOVE FAST.
Because it is all a world of thought anyway, the structures put up by PR, the campaigns developed, the situations seen and handled all approximate thought velocity rather than the physical universe.
The time it takes to get something done must not continue beyond the need of the message. If it does, PR has failed.
PR is always seizing the moment and getting in the message. And the moment has a habit of passing.
Thus, speed in PR is essential.
PR could be called the busiest profession.
The speed of a PR determines how many times he can get his subject known and thought about and wanted or approved or disapproved.
This is what really measures success in PR: number of times.
Thus those wanting a quiet life should take up something else.
But for excitement, PR has all the pluspoints whether white or black.
The world is a PR world today.
And PR is a great and useful subject.
*[Note: Scientology Axiom 28 has since been amended in HCOB 5 Apr. 1973R (revised 24 Sept. 1980), AXIOM 28 AMENDED. Following is the text of that HCOB with revisions shown in a different type style.
“COMMUNICATION IS THE CONSIDERATION AND ACTION OF IMPELLING AN IMPULSE OR PARTICLE FROM SOURCE-POINT ACROSS A DISTANCE TO RECEIPT-POINT, WITH THE INTENTION OF BRINGING INTO BEING AT THE RECEIPT-POINT A DUPLICATION AND UNDERSTANDING OF THAT WHICH EMANATED FROM THE SOURCE-POINT.
“The formula of Communication is Cause, Distance, Effect, with Intention, Attention and Duplication WITH UNDERSTANDING.
“The component parts of the full Communication cycle are
"Observation, Confront, Consideration, Intention, Attention, Cause, Source-point, Particle or Impulse or Message, Distance, Estimation of Distance, Control (Start-Change-Continue-Stop), Direction, Time and Timing, the Velocity of the impulse or particle or message, Volume, Clarity, Interest, Impingement, Effect, Receipt-point, Duplication, Answer, Acknowledgement, Understanding, Nothingness or Somethingness.
“A noncommunication consists of Barriers. Barriers consist of Space, Interpositions (such as walls and screens of fast-moving particles), and Time. A communication, by definition, does not need to be two-way.
“When a communication is returned, the formula is repeated, with the receipt-point now becoming a source-point and the former source-point now becoming a receipt-point. — L. Ron Hubbard”]