The Public Relations Practitioner's Playbook

Book excerpt: "The Public Relations Practitioner's Playbook" is how-to and hands-on. Theory is woven into thousands of proven techniques, tips, tactics, tools and strategies spread over nearly 600 pages. Explanations, examples and anecdotes are in a language that should appeal to experienced practitioners, college students and organization volunteers who assist with public relations and publicity. "The PR Practitioner's Playbook" - an anatomy of the public relations profession - relies on my experience as a reporter, editor, public relations counselor, and strategic advisor and evaluator. It demonstrates that successful writers practice their craft with poise and eloquence. It is an extension of the author's classroom, which many students call, "Litwin's laboratory for practical knowledge." As former KYW Newsradio colleague Kim Glovas observed," Larry's voice is the voice of this book." Among those considered mentors - and contributors to this book - are Nick George, former managing editor at ABC Radio News, ABC sportscaster Howard Cosell, KYW Newsradio anchor Bill Bransome, print journalist extraordinaire Everett S. Landers and legendary broadcast journalist Edward R. Murrow. They spent countless hours helping the author hone his skills and encouraging me to be an open, honest, thorough and valid (relevant) communicator. They stressed tangible tools, and such attributes as knowledge, loyalty, judgment, trust, credibility, ethics and integrity. "The Public Relations Practitioner's Playbook" serves as a basic or supplemental text in introduction to public relations and graduate overview courses. It offers a refreshing, down-to-earth approach to which many students are just not accustomed. Strategic advisors refer to it as a "potpourri of proven public relations techniques." The companion CD-Rom contains, among its many tactics, three PowerPoints(r) that summarize the 17 chapter