In-awareness approach to international public relations

The skill of cultural "in-awareness" developed within the field of intercultural communication is applied to international public relations to understand culture's influence on the communication function of public relations. The goal of the in-awareness approach is to expose hidden cultural assumptions and expectations that plague international public relations and allow one to explore national and cultural differences between clients and practitioners in a systematic and nonthreatening manner. A three-tiered framework is presented based on a country profile, cultural profile, and communication profile. The country profile provides a broad outline of what may be feasible within a particular country, while the cultural profile speaks to what may be effective in that country. The communication profile further refines cultural generalities by delineating culturally-based communication behaviors that underlie common public relations practices. By examining the communication profiles of both the practitioner and client, one can see how cultural communication differences translate into cultural ly-defined expectations and assumptions about specific public relations activities. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.