WASHINGTON — While PR’s role has been expanded and elevated amid global turbulence, the widespread changes fueling today’s “permacrisis” also are posing challenges in cementing the industry’s stature, said panelists speaking Monday at PRovokeGlobal in Washington.

“Almost five years ago, when I took over this position, my dream was for us to be a member of the Council of Europe, so that the industry was eligible to sit at the table where the biggest issues are being discussed,” said Burson Poland CEO Grzegorz Szczepański, who serves as president of International Communications Consultancy Organisation.

“And it took us less than a year to get there, an official partner,” said Szczepański, explaining the partnership was precipitated by the organization wanting to increase its climate communications. “The climate is one of the geopolitical issues that are making us more meaningful.”

Szczepański was one of three PR leaders who participated in the far-ranging discussion on PR in the age of permacrisis, which was sponsored by PROI and moderated by PRovoke Media founder Paul Holmes.

His fellow panelists, Iskren Lilov, head of marketing and communications for Ruepoint, and JPA Health founder and CEO Carrie Jones, largely agreed about the elevated state of the industry, citing the increase is service offerings, measurement tools and role in managing crises and the like.

“In looking back over the past decade, there's been a consistent change in our industry. I think the biggest difference is that it is rapidly changing at a pace we've never seen before,” Jones said. “So, in terms of how the profession is doing and whether or not we have an important role to play, the answer is absolutely, people need to have their stories told. They need to be able to engage with their audiences, and there's no one in a better position to do that than the public relations industry.”

At the same time, however, PR also continues to wrestle with issues impacting perception of the industry, some long-standing some new with the rise of technology and changes in contracting processes.

“I think the communications profession has more opportunity than ever,” Jones said.“It also has more problems than ever but we know how to be creative and we know how to change them to our benefit.”

Among the problems, speakers said: PR remains undervalued, even though new measurement tools are now showing its worth and a lack of understanding of what PR is or does, particularly among procurement officers who are charged with contracting firms.

“Some of the challenges we have with procurement is they’re coming in with a unique perspective on what they want,” Jones said. “We need to do a better job educating the different procurement experts we’re working with.”

Also still plaguing the industry is a lack of talent, a multifaceted problem rooted in issues from the range of people PR firms now hire (behavioral science or, say, data experts) knowing little to nothing about industry opportunities to young talent being disappointed when jobs are more mundane than expected.

“A common misconception about the PR profession in the media is that PR is glamourous.” Iskren said.

Iskren said portrayals of publicist-types on TV, for instance, are tremendously far off from the reality of who PR practioners are today, not only creating a disconnect for talent but also furthering the larger lack of knowledge about PR.

Said Jones,” We have done one of the lousiest jobs in defending what we are and what we do. What we really are about is engaging with our audiences and having relationships with them to change behavior.

“Our job is broad, its undefined, its creative. It’s an opportunity to really drive behaviors in a way that is different,” she said.