Public Relations for Coltrain Group

+

Building Powerful

Relationships that

Strengthen Your Business

Kyla Cox Deckard

December 10, 2014

+What is public relations?

“Public relations is a strategic communication process that

builds mutually beneficial relationships between

organizations and their publics.”

–Public Relations Society of America

+What (or who) are publics?

Can be latent, aware, or active

Customers, producers, enablers, and limiters

Different from “audience”

+One-way and two-way

communication

One-way communication

Two-way asymmetrical communication

Two-way symmetrical communication

+Information Model

Sender

(Message

Source)

Receiver

(Message

Destination)

Message

Feedback

Noise

+Information Model

Based on work of Claude Shannon, Warren Weaver, and

Norbert Wiener, scientists with Bell Telephone Laboratory

Sender sends message encoded in verbal and nonverbal

symbols

Receiver decodes message and responds with feedback

Noise can interfere with the message, and affect encoding or

decoding

+Persuasion model

Consciously attempts to influence people using ethical means

that enhance a democratic society

Persuasion is NOT deception nor coercion nor propaganda

Deception relies on miscommunication

Coercion relies on force

Propaganda relies on half-truths and hidden agendas

Persuasion is the advocacy or asymmetric approach to

strategic communication

+Dialogue Model

Symmetrical model of communication

Information exchange

Help partners make responsible and acceptable decisions

Revive a relationship

Foster a deep relationship

Consensus building

Conflict resolution

+Audience Reach, Persuasive Impact,

and Reach

Advertising and

Promotional Media

News Media

Organizational Media

Interpersonal

Communitcation

Reach

+How do you know what your publics

want?

Two-way interpersonal communication

Research: Focus groups, surveys, in-depth interviews

Public discussions

Listening!

+Who is sharing your message?

Your employees

Your customers/constituents

The media

+Keys to key messages

Clear

Salient

Ethical

Remember nonverbal cues (logos, imagery, music, people…)

+Crisis preparation

Planning is key

Standby documents are critical

Notification to your producers and customers before media

Identify your vulnerable points, prepare for crisis, but also

improve!

Saying the right thing is no substitute for doing the right thing.

+Communication tactics

Interpersonal communication

Organizational media

News media

Advertising and promotional media

+Interpersonal communication techniques

Personal involvement

audience site involvement: door-to-door canvassing

organizational site involvement: open house

Information exchange

Educational gathering

Product exhibition

Meeting

Demonstration

Speech

+Interpersonal communication

techniques, cont.

Special events

Civic event

Sporting event

Contest

Holiday event

Progress-oriented event

Historic commemoration

Social event

Artistic event

Fundraising event

+Organizational media tactics

General publications

Serial publication (newsletter, bulletin)

Stand alone publication (brochure, flyer)

Progress report (annual report)

User kit

Research report

Direct mail

Letter

Postcard

Invitation

+Organizational media tactics, cont.

Electronic media

Audio media

Video media

Digital media

Social media

Wiki

Blog

Social networking

+More on social media

It is a tactical tool.

It can be used in an interpersonal, organizational media, and

news media tool.

Consider how internal and external publics are affected and

motivated by social media, and how they shape your message.

+News media tactics

Direct news material

News fact sheet

Event listing

Interview notes

News release

Feature release

Audio news release

Video B-roll

Video news release

Photo and caption

Media kit

+News media tactics

Indirect news material

Media advisor

Story idea memo

Query letter

Opinion material

Position statement

Letter to the editor

Guest editorial

Interactive news opportunities

News interview

News conference

Studio interview

+News media tactics, cont.

News includes:

Newspapers (64% age 45 and older, 89% white, 63% married, 69%

with incomes of $40,000 or more, 53% college graduates, according

to the Newspaper Association of America)

Magazines

Radio

Television

Also: community calendars

+More on Opinion material

White paper

Position paragraph

Contingency statement

Guest editorials and letters to the editor

+Advertising and Promotional Media

Print advertising

Electronic media advertising

Television commercials

Radio commercials

Digital media commercials

Sponsorship

Out-of-Home advertising

Billboards

Bus signs

Balloons

Aerial advertising

+Packaging for Strategy

By public

By goal

By objective

By department

+Evaluation

On what criteria will this be evaluated?

Evaluation of awareness: media coverage, calculations of

impressions, post-awareness survey

Evaluation of acceptance: Tabulation of requests for

information, post-campaign attitude/opinion survey, Tabulation

of letters, e-mails, phone calls, support

Evaluation of action objectives: Measures of results,

improvement, and change.

+Connect with me

Kyla Cox Deckard

Twitter: @KylaCoxDeckard

LinkedIn

[email protected]

(812) 855-1182

+Resources

Smith, Ronald D. 2009. Strategic Planning for Public

Relations, Third Edition. Routledge.