This chapter outlines an alternative way forward for thinking about public relations (PR) approaches to engagement. Overtime, the field of PR has moved from treating relationships with publics as a functional task tied to organizational objectives to a more cocreational approach where publics and organizations jointly create meaning. This chapter argues that we need to situate the concept of engagement in the cocreational perspective to ensure better outcomes for publics, organizations, and ultimately, society. The chapter conceptualizes engagement as PR whereby individuals are empowered as civic actors and organizations commit to engage with all types of publics. It also outlines the public's responsibility to engage organization and provides a “how to” for both publics and organizations on how to engage other to ensure empowering and ethical outcomes for individuals, organizations, networks, communities, and society.
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