Bhargava, DeeptiTheunissen, Petra2025-10-092025-10-0910/10/2025Public Relations Review, ISSN: 0363-8111 (Print); 1873-4537 (Online), Elsevier, Accepted.0363-81111873-4537http://hdl.handle.net/10292/19927Public relations consultants rely primarily on relationships to sustain their work. However, existing scholarship has largely overlooked the use of interpersonal strategies for public relations, and even more significantly, there has been insufficient exploration of public relations consultants’ professional practices. This study, which is part of wider research exploring consultancies in New Zealand, aims to fill this gap. Utilizing video ethnography, ethnographic communication analysis (ECA) and participant observation, this paper presents findings from a routine interaction between a consultant and her client. The analysis shows that consultants strategically use empathy, politeness, humor, and purposeful linguistic choices to manage relational harmony while asserting their professional expertise. The study highlights the importance of sophisticated interpersonal skills for public relations consultants. It also highlights the need for further research into public relations practices using a wider range of methodological approaches to better understand relational labor and power dynamics within consulting work.© 2025 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/15 Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services19 Studies in Creative Arts and Writing20 Language, Communication and CultureCommunication & Media Studies35 Commerce, management, tourism and services36 Creative arts and writing47 Language, communication and cultureClient-consultant relationshipsEthnographic communication analysisRelational laborDifficult conversationsCommunication consultingJournal ArticleOpenAccess10.1016/j.pubrev.2025.102642