Can you define public relations?

For more than 20 years, I've been involved in two or three professional organizations for public relations pracitioners. Yet, I continually find myself trying to explain exactly what the field includes, who exactly a pr practitioner is and what exactly a pr practitioner does. The field has changed since I had my first college public relations class; the publics have changed; people have changed; lives have changed.

The textbook definition implies a two-way communication, yet many of the tools of the trade are outward focused. In fact, if you take a careful look at the persausive techniques praticed by some considered pioneers in the field, you may find yourself shocked.

At this point, I believe a a term such as "business communication" may come closer to describing what is really happening in workplaces--whether corporate, government, or not-for-profit--around the globe.

In my mind, what we call our practice matters a lot less than how we go about it. It seems if we base communications on honesty, that will take care of a lot of problems. What do you think?