students

by Kent Anjo (IABC/ Toronto)

Manipulation. It’s a term that many of my friends outside of the communication field jokingly claim I’m being trained to do. Unfortunately, given how the history of the public relations profession is blemished with ample cases involving deception and dishonesty (arguably the main drivers behind manipulative practices), I don’t blame them. I’d probably be just as skeptical from the outside looking in. But I’m now on the inside looking out, and have thankfully learned how the communication profession has evolved and is now guided by codes of ethics meant to marginalize this and other forms of malpractice (the IABC code is one example). Thus manipulation is something best to avoid as a communicator, a toxin if you will that is poisonous to one’s own reputation. But as a budding practitioner not wanting to step on any landmines too early in the game, I wonder: can manipulation occur in the absence of motivation? Read the rest of this entry »