Public Relations may sound unattractive when you don’t know the storytelling behind it. As a student who came to Centennial College three years ago to study in the Bachelors of Public Relations Management program, I often get questions about public relations. For those asking, I usually say it’s a combination of communications and marketing, to which I usually still get questions on what I do. To that I say, my program teaches you the principles of the business world and how to build relationships with the public. We do writing pieces such as news releases, social media posts, editorials, matte articles, product plans and communications plans, we work on research and communications planning and much more.
We are storytellers. There’s a reason that the program is located at the Story Arts Centre Campus. Through my time in the program, Centennial College has taught me that public relations are storytelling. We are the ones that tell your story. We spread people’s messages to the world and offer a storyline to any situation. In order to reach a public, you must start with a great story to captivate interest. This is important because our brains are hardwired to remember stories, not facts or data. Ever told someone at a dinner that you have some interesting facts to tell them? No one does that. You will say ‘Let me tell you a story…’ or ‘This one time…’.
Storytelling has been part of human activity for thousands of years. Stories have more power than you may think. They can inform, persuade, elicit emotional responses and build civil society.
Through the Bachelors of Public Relations Management program (BPRM), you learn about the four P’s of Storytelling as a guide to tell a story effectively. As sourced from Cision.com and wantleverage.com, these are the four P’s:
People
The story needs to be about someone. If you’re launching a new product, tell a story from the perspective of someone that uses the product. Who are the unsung heroes at your company? Who are the people who have interesting jobs but don’t interact with the public? Tell their stories.
Places
If the story is about someone at your company or even about someone outside of your company, go to where they work and live. Paint a visual picture with words and images about where the story took place.
Process
What does it take for your product or service to come to life? How does your brand think? This provides an authentic insight into your brand and is much more compelling than marketing-speak.
Products
Don’t just launch a product, tell a story instead. It's important to remember that a good product does not make a good story. Know the difference between a product and a story.
As you can see storytelling is an integral part of public relations as it allows companies and people to better connect with their audience. BPRM students learn all about the 4P’s and examine every aspect of communications throughout their four years. The program offers you a way to turn creativity into a career and creates practitioners that are the best at telling people’s stories.
Written by: Savanah Salazaar