Vocabulary

1. Find in Text 1 equivalents for the following Russian words and phrases:

создание благоприятных отношений организации с администрацией и другими официальными службами города, района; местное население (община); правительственные органы; финансовый законопроект; юридическое противостояние; отдел PR в правительственных учреждениях.

2. Give Russian equivalents for the following words and phrases:

confusion of definitions; cooperation; liaison; community improvement program; campaign contribution; voluntary organization; name game; amendment; prohibit; legislation pending before the Congress; subvert.

3. Match 1 – 8 with a – h to form expressions from Text 1:

public civic armed corporate name governmental community government

service relations lobbyist affairs citizenship service agency game

Give their Russian equivalents.

4. Match up the words on the left with the definitions on the right:

citizenship authorize civic constituent corporation affairs enact

a big company or a group of companies acting together as a single organization; the legal right of belonging to a particular country; connected with people who live in a town or a city; public and political events and activities; to give official or legal permissions for something; to make a proposal into law; being one of the parts that makes a whole.

Text Discussion

1. Explain how and why the term “public affairs” appeared.

2. Discuss the importance of public affairs for:

1. government

2. corporations

3. the publics

3. Comment on the quotation:

“Politics is too serious a matter to be left to the politicians.”

Complete Text 2 using the words in the box.

oversee entities professional heard aspect external targeted social environment speak synonym

Text 2

PUBLIC AFFAIRS VS PUBLIC RELATIONS…

They are not the same! Or are they?

Public Affairs is the (1)…... of Public Relations that involves working with governments and groups with regard to societal or public policy action and legislation. It is the relationship between an organization and the government or political (2)…... , in general. Public Affairs sometimes is used as a (3)…... for Public Relations, but more often the term refers to activities that are thought to be in the public interest.

The role of public affairs (4)…... is multi-faceted in that they have to be well versed in journalism, the governmental and political landscape of the organization whose public affairs we (5)…... as well as sociological influences. The Public Affairs officer must make sure that all of these things take place in the right political (6)….... Public Affairs directors are more often involved with (7)…... publics and not with employees or shareholders.

A Public Affairs professional’s task is to influence government or organizational changes that, theoretically, are good for the masses while Public Relations speaks to (8)…... groups and individuals to educate or gain acceptance of an idea or product. In a nutshell, Public Affairs speaks to institutions and organizations and seeks to affect (9)…... change.

Public Affairs has various publics as does Public Relations. Public Affairs professionals work to (10)…... to some of the same audiences, but in addition must ensure that their voice is (11)…... by government and in the best possible political climate.

Read Text 3. Carol Nation, a government public affairs specialist at the county level, speaks about her job.

Text 3