Every organisation is, in some sense, in a permanent conversation with public opinion — whether it chooses to manage that conversation or leave it to chance. This Public Opinion and Persuasive Communication in PR course from the Arab British Fellowship Training Academy is built for leaders of corporate media offices who want to run that conversation deliberately and effectively.

Strategic communication brings together organisational communication, awareness campaigns, and stakeholder relationship management under one framework. Because public relations increasingly carries responsibility for corporate reputation and crisis response, this programme develops the analytical and professional skills needed to interpret public opinion, apply theories of persuasion, and turn survey data into decisions that hold up under pressure.

After completing this programme, participants will be able to:

• Study public opinion across a wide range of topics and correctly identify where attitudes originate.
• Design and run comprehensive surveys on subjects relevant to their organisation.
• Interpret survey results and turn raw data into clear, decision-ready information.
• Apply theories of persuasion within public relations practice.
• Conduct environmental scans to identify and evaluate issues from a risk-management perspective.
• Manage PR issues and crises using a structured "case management" approach.
• Design strategies for engaging both supportive and hostile audiences.

Who Should Attend?

• Directors and owners of public and private companies.
• PR directors and communications managers.
• Senior management officers and key administrative staff.
• Board members and executive directors.
• Media, PR, and business professionals, and officials in governmental institutions.

Module 1: Public Relations and Media — Foundations

• The history and evolution of public relations as a discipline.
• Core theories and principles from communication and social sciences applied to PR practice.
• Distinguishing PR from advertising and integrated marketing communications.

Module 2: Understanding Public Opinion

• The concept of public opinion, its types, and the factors that shape it.
• Theories explaining how public opinion is influenced.
• How media and PR jointly shape public perception of an organisation.

Module 3: Persuasive Communication in Practice

• The nature and concept of persuasive communication.
• Theories and strategies of persuasion applied in PR campaigns.
• Personal communication skills that support the persuasion process.

Module 4: Measuring Impact and Managing Image

• Methods for measuring the effectiveness of opinion-influence plans.
• News values and how media shapes public image and perception.
• Handling hidden or unclear information sources, and the role of transparency.

Module 5: PR's Role in Marketing, Ethics and Campaign Evaluation

• The growing role of public relations within the marketing process, including brand and social media engagement.
• Ethics, risk management, and handling problems and crises professionally.
• Research, analysis, and evaluation of public relations campaigns to set measurable, sustainable goals.