By Craig Miyamoto, APR, Fellow PRSA
(Zen: Enlightenment by direct intuition through meditation)
Miyamoto Musashi (no relation, I think) was a noted 17th-Century Japanese samurai, who in 1643 established a number of "rules" to be followed in learning the art of military sciences, focusing on war as a purely pragmatic enterprise. He paid particular attention to psychology and physics, all of which centered on victory as the essence of warfare.
(A caveat: this treatise in no way suggests that the practice of public relations is analogous to warfare, although at times, it may seem that way. The study of Asian military tactics by business people is not new. For example, business strategists long have applied the principles and techniques in Sun Tzu�s The Art of War to their business dealings.)
In 1643, Miyamoto put his thoughts together in The Book of Five Rings. It has been translated by Thomas Cleary, Ph.D., a professor of East Asian Languages and Civilizations at Harvard University, and was published by Shambhala in 1993.
In his preface, Miyamoto presented nine rules for learning the art of military science that are remarkable in their foresight, and they have been used by business strategists over the years to attain and maintain tactical and strategic advantage in the business "battleground." To this end, watch what happens when we replace Miyamoto�s military terms with "public relations," and discuss "The Art of PUBLIC RELATIONS."
Although the balance (and bulk) of Miyamoto�s treatise deals with specific tactics on both offensive and defensive uses of weaponry and strategy, these nine principles nicely serve as a cornerstone for the practice of public relations. Specific mind-sets and techniques for moves and counter-moves can easily be related to, and applied to the work public relations professionals encounter daily.
But for the purposes of this treatment, let�s just concentrate on these nine preliminary principles.
Miyamoto�s nine rules of "The Art" are: Think of what is right and true, practice and cultivate the science, become acquainted with the arts, know the principles of the crafts, understand the harm and benefit in everything, learn to see everything accurately, become aware of what is not obvious, be careful even in small matters, and do not do anything useless.
As public relations professionals, do what is best in the public interest. Just as warfare should be utilized to support benevolent ends (e.g., to eliminate tyranny and provide freedom for the oppressed), so should public relations have a loftier goal to serve the public good.
The strategies and actions that are selected must in the end provide results that are best for your company or organization. And at the very end, your decisions should move toward doing what is best for you personally, for you are the one who must sleep at night knowing the consequences of your actions.
In public relations, as in warfare, we have a wealth of past experience to fall back upon. We know things that work, and things that don�t work. We need to study the success and failures of the past so we can increase our own chances.
It is extremely important that we learn from what others have worked hard to prove, and that we don�t waste our time and the resources of our organization. Study what has and has not worked before. In other words, do exhaustive research, then do more research. And when you�re done, research some more.
Part of the academic process is the sharing of information with others. Unfortunately, business professionals hold strategies very close to the vest, to maintain their competitive advantage. Business secrets, after all, are business secrets.
However, remember that two very important phenomena result from sharing: First, everybody benefits with the shared knowledge, the quality of our work improves, and the profession progresses. Second, the standards are raised. The knowledge base increases, and what you once learned in your fifth year as a public relations professional is now required entry-level knowledge.
And this ... is exciting.
Miyamoto advises studying the arts -- he of course was referring not only to the martial arts, but the fine arts and the work of craftsmen and artisans (who are discussed in Rule 4) as well. Essentially, what he was talking about was using talents and creativity to the best of one�s ability.
The mind is a powerful thing. The sheer power of thought can accomplish so much in itself, before a finger is lifted to accomplish any task. Anything a person�s mind can conceive and believe, can most certainly be achieved -- even the most impossible of challenges can be surmounted if one�s thoughts are channeled to the hands of the artisan.
Artists have much to teach us -- patience, excellence, making the right choices, study and research, conservation of motion and energy, making all the parts fit, thinking things out before making the master stroke, examining options, expanding the mind.
There are certain qualities to be learned from craftsmen. The precise nature of their work demands constant and focused attention to technique and detail. Craftsmen work with their hands, just as many public relations practitioners work with THEIR hands. In either case, those plying their trade become artists in their own right, creating objects of functional beauty in the case of craftsmen, and works of advocacy that can influence a generation in the case of public relations.
It is important therefore to know one�s limitations, and when the need arises, to call upon the talents of others. For we are not super-people. Rather, we have a unique ability to think and reason, and when this power is shared with others, something very special occurs -- synergy. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts. You�ve heard this before.
Craftsmen and artisans are experts in what they do. Public relations practitioners also become experts in what they do, but it behooves them to become more. The sharing of ideas and techniques, successes and failures, will serve to expand the body of knowledge that will become the basis and frame of reference for those who would be our legacies.
Expand your repertoire, constantly build your frame of reference.
"Win-win" is an over-used phrase. Still, it�s something we should all strive for. Keep in mind, however, that in any campaign that requires people to choose sides, there are those who are going to be hurt. The goal therefore, is to win, while inflicting the least amount of damage to those whom you must later convert.
Everything that�s done in war or in public relations has consequences. The very nature of our work is advocacy -- we are part of that army of "special pleaders," who serve as spokespeople for our companies, our organizations, our causes. Without conflict, there would be no need for the public relations profession.
In the end, the needs of the many will outweigh the needs of the few (or the one) -- this, from of all things, a movie -- a quote by Leonard Nimoy�s character "Spock" in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn. Essentially, what must remembered is that in our society, we favor the majority, with sensitivity toward the rights of the minorities.
Thus, know that there is harm -- as well as benefit -- in everything that we do.
It is important to visualize your success. It�s that "Vision Thing" that President George Bush kept referring to. It�s what Maxwell Maltz called "psychocybernetics" in the �70s. It�s what the Rev. Norman Vincent Peale was talking about when he coined the phrase, "The Power of Positive Thinking."
This vision is important. If you can see your success, you will succeed. If you see failure, then you will fail. The warrior must go into battle knowing that victory is his for the taking. Public relations professions must go into campaigns convinced that their counsel is sound, that the tactics we have selected will attain the objectives and goals that we have set.
Set the vision, then match the vision.
Still, temper your enthusiasm and optimism with a healthy dose of reality. In warfare and public relations, there is no place for rose-colored glasses. There is simply too much at stake. In war, it�s casualties and causes. In public relations, it�s jobs, it�s causes, it�s the very existence of our companies and organizations.
There is no room for shooting from the hip. Don�t trust your eyes. Ask for help. Hire the best people, the best visionaries.
Look for hidden problems.
Remember that nothing is as it seems on the surface. Trees that resembled a forest moving in the wind proved to be the downfall of Macbeth. A wooden horse mistaken as a gift of capitulation proved to be the downfall of the Spartans. A few dissidents who opposed an oppressive rule hid behind a seemingly tranquil populace to overthrow a king and found a new nation. A misreading of public sentiment sent Coca Cola reeling and retreating when it introduced New Coke.
Nothing is ever as it seems. You have to ask lots of questions. You have to ask these questions of the right people. Remember Rule 6? Don�t trust your eyes. Ask for help. Hire the best.
The success of a battle, of a war, of a cause, is in the details. The success of a public relations project, of a campaign, of a cause, is also in the details.
Everything counts. The smallest faux pas -- the most seemingly insignificant miscalculation -- will be your downfall.
So be careful ... be very, very careful. "For want of a nail ..."
First question to ask before entering a war: "Why are we fighting?" First question to ask before starting a public relations campaign: "Is there a problem?"
Focus on the problem and eliminate everything that (although attractive and flashy and attention-getting) is unnecessary. Do this right at the start, BEFORE you get deep into your planning.
As public relations professionals, we must know what needs to be done, what we want to accomplish with our efforts. This is behavioral public relations, pure and simple. What exactly do you want your target audience to do when you�ve communicated with them?
As with any military campaign, a public relations campaign must set well-thought-out, well-defined, easily measured, very specific objectives � many small accomplishments that when taken as a whole, result in success.
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