Psychology is in Every Move You Make and Every Word You Type

Part 1: The Psychology of Public Relations

In my previous blog, I talked about mental health in the communication industry and also shared tips on how the public relations industry can help highlight the mental health dialogue.

Throughout my blog journey at C&B, people have been asking me questions about how public relations is related to psychology and what the two subjects have in common.

These two fields are more intertwined than you may realise. Psychology is a very important tool that allows you to better grasp today’s competitive work field. If on one side, you have the psychology of decision making, workplace behavior, and forensics and on the other, there is the psychology of public relations and its role in the communications industry. Psychology can definitely be the deciding factor for success or failure for a PR practitioner.

Communication skills are a must-have for public relations practitioners. In this field, the professionals need to know what is the right message for their clients and which is the wrong one. They should also know how to formulate these messages. Psychology can help identify what the niche target audience likes and dislikes. It can also shed light on why a certain audience responds stronger to specific messages than another does.

Behavioral science is one of the larger branches of psychology, but also plays a key part in public relations. Understanding behavioral science is possibly the best way that allows one to understand how they can influence audiences’ behavior.

In addition to behavior change and communication strategies, memory is yet another key psychological aspect of the PR industry. On average, a person sees 4,000 – 10,000 ads a day across multiple channels, whether billboards, outdoor, mobile, social, or even news ads. Therefore, to ensure the message gets across to the audience and in order to stand out among the crowd, one needs to make sure that the brand message is remembered.

So, can psychology affect and influence how you practice PR? Find out more in the next part of this blog.

Antoine Boghos is Senior Account Manager at Cicero & Bernay Communication Consultancy, an independent PR agency headquartered in Dubai offering new-age public relations consultancy to the UAE and across the MENA region. | www.cbpr.me