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  • Faculty of Design and Creative Technologies (Te Ara Auaha)
  • School of Communication Studies - Te Kura Whakapāho
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Dialogue and two-way symmetrical communication in Public Relations theory and practice

Theunissen, P; Rahman, KA
Permanent link
http://hdl.handle.net/10292/3360
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Abstract
Dialogue is often equated to two-way symmetrical communication, and over the years the concept has been subsumed into the systems theory. Textbook authors make cursory references to “dialogue” and “conversation” while focusing mainly on achieving “symmetry” in the organisation-public relationship, suggesting that symmetry is the ideal state of public relations and that dialogue contributes to achieving this state. As a result they inadvertently perpetuate the myth that dialogue is not only the preferred mode of public relations practice but that it also leads to “agreement”. Ironically, none—if any—provide practical guidelines as to how dialogue can be achieved. Scholars of dialogue often point out that dialogue requires not only a willingness to participate but also the suspension of control and focus on predetermined outcomes. In real terms this appears an unrealistic goal to strive towards in the practice of public relations. As part of an ongoing study into dialogue in public relations theory and practice, this paper explores concepts and expectations in the dialogic process, lamenting the lack of clear definitions and principles communicated in popular Public Relations textbooks. It also reports on an exploratory survey among public relations practitioners in the Asia-Pacific region to identify prevailing views of the use of dialogue and two-way communication and guide further qualitative investigation.
Keywords
Dialogue; Public relations; Two-way communication; Symmetry
Date
2010
Source
Australian and New Zealand Communication Association Annual Conference, Hamilton, New Zealand, 2011-07-06 - 2011-07-08
Item Type
Conference Contribution
Publisher
AUT University
Publisher's Version
http://www.anzca.net/component/content/article/92-anzca-2011.html
Rights Statement
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Australian License. To view a copy of this license, visit Creative Commons or send them a letter: Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.

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