Transcript Communication, part 1

PR 3310
Principles of Public
Relations
Tuesday, 6/9/09
updated
Class Objectives
 Lecture
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Communication
 Homework assignment
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Presentations tomorrow, B. Lovera and A.
Underwood
Read chapter 7 pages 183-191
Paper 1 due on Thursday, 6/11/09 at 12:05
pm
Midterm on Friday
What’s in the news today?
 Continuing coverage on the 2 U.S. journalists who are under
trial in N. Korea for being in the country illegally and conducting
“hostile acts”
 Punishment has been set at 12 years hard time
 American officials said that the harsh sentences were likely
to be used as a negotiating ploy by the North as it tries to
avoid new sanctions in response to the 2 nuclear tests it
conducted last week.
 “There is a serious doubt that these journalists had a fair
trial because the legal proceedings have not been
transparent,” said Kay Seok, a Seoul-based researcher for
an activist group called Human Rights Watch
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Unclear if journalists got to choose their own lawyers, and had
translators
 Notice the developments- links to this story
Seoul imposed financial sanctions on N. Korea today
 Obama has said he’s going to re-list N. Korea as a terrorist
country
 What ? are not being answered in the story?
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What’s in the news today?
 http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/06/09/us/politi
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cs/AP-US-Cash-for-Clunkers.html
Consumers could receive rebates of up to $4,500 for
turning in their gas-guzzling cars and trucks for more
fuel-efficient vehicles under a House proposal.
President is backing this as part of the government's
efforts to reorganize GM and Chrysler through the
bankruptcy courts
What information is missing?
If you worked the mrk department of these
companies, and this proposal passed, what PR and
advertising would you create?
What’s in the news today?
 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/09/business/media/09image.ht
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U.S. banks trying to change their images by using new adv.
slogans and PR messages..
 New = straightforward/trustworthy, sensitive, funny
… or maintain a low profile and not do any spending on adv. and
PR
Banks hoping that people are moving out of the anger-and-fear
stages and are focusing their messages on the future
Problem is that you don’t know exactly when the public’s mood is
shifting
 Don’t want to push the public by shouting your message too
early (Jan., BoA adv.,
http://inspiringads.com/2009/03/18/bank-of-america-doorskeep-moving-forward/)
Bank execs. feel the government is partially to blame for the
public’s opinion of banks (“stop vilifying us”)
Communication and the content
 When preparing communication materials,
you want the proposed message to be..
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Appropriate
Meaningful
Memorable
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Cut through other clutter
Understandable
Believable
Grunig's objectives for the PR
communicator (you)
 PR personnel provide message exposure
 Want to maintain an accurate dissemination of
the message (try to avoid filtering by media
gatekeepers)
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These first 2 often the only ones addressed
 Try to get the target audience to accept the
message..
 … so that they have an attitudinal change…
 … and ultimately change their behavior
/actions.
The Communications Model (pg.
174 has similar)
 Sender/source (encoder)
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Person or group or
organization sending
out the
message/information
 Message
Communicated through some sort of medium /tactic
 Can be spoken, electronic, telephone, paper-based,
sound, silent (body language, color, images)
 Channel/ media / medium
 Receiver (decoder): group receiving message
 Feedback: can be in terms of data (research) or an action or
changed behavior.
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The Communications Model
 Sender/source (encoder)
 Message
 Channel
 Receiver (decoder)
 Feedback
Noise and
Clutter
Messages are said to experience
'noise' along the way - the more
noise there is, the less likelihood
there is of the message being
received properly
 Barriers to communication include
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Information overload/ too many types of medium
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Distractions; too many messages
Misunderstandings; many ways to interpret message (based
on educational level, cultural background, where you live, etc.)
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Poor listening skills
Based on stored experiences
Language of the message
Lack of understanding of what the receiver wants or needs
Emotional interference - can you really send/receive a clear
message when you are upset, for example?
The use of an inappropriate medium
Lack of trust or honesty in the source
2-way communication
 Establishes a dialogue between the sender
and the receiver
 Able to receive feedback from the
customer/receiver of the message
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Not only do you want the customer to change
their actions, you could use feedback to
change your message/campaign
 Some would say balanced/symmetrical 2-way
communication is best
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In reality it’s more 1-way/asymmetrical with
corporation giving the audience their point of view
2-way communication
 Strongest form of 2-way communication is
face-to-face (due to not only verbal, but nonverbal)
 But what about on-line?
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Posts to a blog or news story, Forums, texting,
e-mail exchanges or list servs
1-way communication
 Don’t assume that 2-way is always the best
 1-way communication occurs in newspapers,
magazines, radios, TV
 Advantage: very easy to receive; audience
has low involvement (don’t have to interpret)
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TV viewing is at the highest during dinner time
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Turn my brain off!
Integrated PR Media Model (pg.
172)
 Shows the variety and scope of tactics/tools
available.. From mass media to one-on-one
 Focus on the characteristics… these are
changing
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One-on-one is personal, could interactive
media also be personal?
Interactive media is only media where the
messages are chosen by the receiver
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And, comparatively speaking, is the cheapest
 Remember that you need to do research on
where your target audience is as well!
Uses and Gratification theory
 People play an active role in choosing the messages
and using the media to fulfill their needs.
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Assumption 1: Book says: “people make highly
intelligent choices”
Assumption 2: that the user has alternate choices
 Do people want to be informed (as Marvin Gaye
asked, “What’s going on?”), have a reinforcement to
what they know, learn something new which is used
in their decision making, and/or be entertained?
Types of Audiences
 Are humans viewed as active or passive in
their environment?
 What is the interaction people play with the
medium?
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Passive audience pays attention to message
only because it is entertaining
Active audience is already interested in the
message and wants to know more about it
What’s Best Media to Use?
 Use a variety and repeat the message
 People learn through Sight - 83%, Hearing -
11%, Smell - 3%, Touch - 2%, Taste - 1%
 Strategy - include vehicles that combine
sound and sight
 Different audiences require different
approaches
Goal of clarity and simplicity
 Content and Structure
 Symbols, Slogans, Acronym
 Avoid the following:
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Jargon or too technical wording
Clichés and overused words
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Euphemisms: inoffensive wording
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“Grow” the economy
Lay offs versus down-sizing/reorganization
Discriminatory language
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Hire someone local!