The First Howl

Currently making the rounds on You Tube these days is a video of a puppy husky howling for the first time. His sound is squeaky and soft, but very adorable and fun. To say the least, it is not a noise that any other dogs would find particularly frightening, intimidating or, for that matter, worth paying attention to. That, of course, will change. It almost goes without saying that within a relatively short period of time as the puppy grows into adulthood, its sound will be the opposite of what it is in this early stage of its life. The sound will be one of note. It will be one other dogs will pay attention to and, quite possibly, even take action on depending on.

That puppy's initial howls are not unlike the noises all of us make when we first begin finding our own voice. In this case, however, I am not talking about the actual sound we make but the substance of what it is we are attempting to say. Finding one's voice is rarely a smooth process. It involves gaining the confidence to speak in front of others, a belief in one's self that you actually have something to say, a command of the facts from which one is speaking, and, of course, an understanding of what it is you want to say. The realty, however, is that even with these elements there is no guarantee people will listen to, understand or agree with your "howl."   

Perhaps it will be the same for that puppy when it grows into adulthood: not all of its fellow dogs will listen to its howls. It is not different for us. Any one can be heard but not everyone is actually listened to. In many ways, achieving that end is a primary ingredient in the act of effective communication. Being listened to suggests respect, acceptance and a level of esteem - all needs scholars have identified as being key to our own emotional well being. Ideally, as we mature we develop a greater appreciation of what is needed if we are to be listened to. It is important, however, that we continue to act on that appreciation and be more than simply content to make noise.

PR Model for the Future

In 1984, when communication scholars James Grunig and Todd Hunt unveiled their four models of public relations, they performed a great service to those either in or looking to get into the profession. The four models  provided clear definition to the different styles in which public relations was carried out. The four models were press agentry (designed to promote), public information (designed to inform), two-way asymmetrical (designed to persuade) and two-way symmetrical (designed to establish partnerships). Grunig-Hunt's insights were as timely back in 1984 as they are today.

Two of the models, in particular, remain especially relevant in current times. These are the models geared toward persuading others and establishing partnerships or alliances. It is these that best encapsulate the two primary purposes of any purposeful communication effort. Looking back through history, in fact, the two-way asymmetrical and two-way symmetrical models have dominated the efforts by communicators - professional and everyone else - either in their work on behalf of others as well as for themselves. The press agentry and public information models have proved to be key supporting players in the world of public relations.

Of the two-way asymmetrical and two-way symmetrical models, up till now it is the one with persuasion as its driving purpose that has been the most practiced. In a free-market society such as the United States, our nation's expansion, innovations, spirit and boldness has been defined by its efforts to persuade others to join in, take action, support, rise up, etc. In this regard, the two-way asymmetrical model has been a near-perfect fit. But as we move further into the 21st century, the question is will or should this two-way asymmetrical model be the one that continues to dominate the practice of public relations? Based on the challenges currently facing the US and much of the world, my sense is it time for the two-way symmetrical model to take center stage. Establishing and maintaining partnerships is the key to the future.

Rush Hour

One of the great frustrations that comes with living in the Washington, D.C.- Northern Virginia region is the traffic. It is hard to find any time of day when traffic is not a challenge. When running errands or traveling from one appointment to another, traffic is a factor that must be weighed, particularly if time is a factor.  (For instance, I had a dentist appointment this morning. Normally, it is a 15-minute drive from our house to the dentist office. But with traffic as a factor, that 15 minutes is at least 30 minutes on the road.) Such is life in this part of the country as well as other heavily-congested regions, too.

Driving to that appointment this morning and watching other drivers jockey for position on the road as they navigated other drivers, stop lights, right and left turns, etc., I was struck not by the inconvenience of rush hour traffic but how, in many ways, it brings out the best in many people. (I just re-read that last sentence and, yes, I do know how insane that sounds.) When it comes to driving in rush hour, commuters are very much in the same boat. For them to get to where they need to be in a reasonable amount of time requires a great deal of cooperation. They need to set aside their own specific needs and work with strangers for the greater good of helping ensure traffic runs smoothly and, ultimately, everyone benefits. 

Sure, there are accidents. Plus, without question there are some drivers that take foolish risks, jeopardizing themselves and others. Fortunately, those folks are in the minority. When one weighs their behavior against the drivers that arrive at their destinations safely and on-time, the scale tips quite heavily toward the great amount of cooperation that occurs during what anyone would consider to be a challenging time. This cooperation is the result of mutual respect and good communication between the drivers.  Those are good things no matter what road a person is on.

The Limits of Advocacy

When one enters into public relations, they are in the relationship business. On some level, any public relations effort or campaign pertains to connecting with others. For some, it is a matter of persuading persons to support a particular cause, buy a product or adopt a certain belief. For others, the effort revolves around establishing an alliance with others to confront a problem or challenge of mutual interest or concern. Also, in both cases the public relations challenge is identifying ways to sustain the initial connection you have made with publics external to yourself or client. None of these goals are particularly easy, of course, but nonetheless they are vital to any successful outreach effort.

One of the growing aspects of public relations is spokesmanship. While it has been around for a good while now, in recent times we are seeing a lot more spokesmen and women than ever before. This is not a bad thing as having a professional communicator on-board to help articulate a position and answer questions primarily from the press is a good thing. This is especially true when it comes helping organizations and other entities maintain positive ties with various publics. A good spokesmen can be a key player in this regard. However, based on many of the spokesmen I see, hear and read about these days, particularly in the political arena, I am coming to the conclusion these representatives are not doing nearly as good of a job as they could and should.

These professionals - and both political parties have them - seem to view themselves as being in the advocacy rather than relationship business. The difference is that when one's sole purpose is to be an advocate for something or someone, their focus is short-sighted. When one seeks to establish and then maintain relationships, their focus is much more long-term in nature. How they present their position revolves more around building on commonalities they share with others. Advocates, on the other hand, tend to concentrate on out-arguing their opponents. This is unfortunate because they tend to do little more than reinforce those who already share their views and contribute little to building  bridges with others.  

" Let me tell you about today's special!"

All of us from time to time go out to eat. And I just do not mean places where you drive up to the window, place your order and minutes later are back on the highway wolfing down a burger and fries. I am talking about places where you are seated at a table and are called upon to eat your food with actual silverware. As a treat, this is always fun. At those restaurants, a waiter or waitress will inevitably approach your table and at some point give you a run down of the highlights on the day's menu as well as a description of that day's special. In my experience, I have had servers who recite this information from memory and others who have to read it off some type of small index card.  (If it were me, I would definitely be one of the ones who reads the information.)

In those instances, the servers are attempting to persuade the patron to buy one of the big-ticket items which they have highlighted. I often wonder how many folks actually order one of those food items as a result of how well the server's pitch was. (I never have but then I recognize I may be an exception.) I also wonder during the course of an average shift, how often the server is called upon to repeat that pitch. Whatever the number is, their challenge is to make that pitch sound as fresh as whatever food the patron ultimately orders. Without question, for the server to maintain a certain level of enthusiasm in such a scenario is not easy. (I am not all that sure I could do it.)

This challenge faced each day by those servers is not unlike what any of us, including professional communicators, contend with each day of our lives. If you are a parent or in a relationship, for instance, the chances are great that you reiterate to that special someone your feelings for them. Ideally, you do it with enthusiasm and conviction. Hopefully, those on the receiving end of that "I love you" or other endearment find you convincing. This type of up-close public relations requires a great deal of repetition; yet each time you say it or, in the case of the server, the information from the menu, then it must be shared as if it for the first time. The lesson here is that one of the key ingredients in any successful public relations effort is the energy behind it   

A New Role For Spokesmen

It is time for all who speak on behalf of others to rethink what they do. I am talking about press secretaries, spokesmen, talking heads and whatever other professionals who speak to reporters as representatives of others call themselves these days. Are they shills or are they proponents of public relations? Is their role to take on all comers who question, challenge or criticize the position of their clients or is to build bridges with members of the public, including those might be critical of what it is they are saying? How a spokesman answers that fundamental question determines how they carry out their role.

Based on what we see on television and read in the print media these days, it seems as if the overwhelming number of active spokesmen views themselves as little more than shills. I base this on the tone of their answers to inquires from reporters. These men and women seem no more interested in genuinely connecting with others than a cobra is in taking a mongoose out to lunch. Their comments/responses are far more riddled with zingers directed toward critics and so-called opponents than they are in extending olive branches or acknowledgements of common ground. The obvious result is greater division, increasing frustration on the part of the general public, and further degradation of the role of spokesmen.   

Those on the receiving end of reporters' questions and comments have such a great opportunity to elevate the level of public discourse to a much higher plain. Instead, more often than not, they choose the low-road. Other than perhaps getting a pat on the back from their client, little good comes from such a posture. Instead of doing themselves and those they represent any meaningful good, such persons do harm to all they profess to help. Even worse, it further disenfranchises the general public. When speaking with the press before a sizeable audience, spokesmen need to remember the purpose of public relations: establish and maintain ties. Hold-off on the put-downs or zingers, Instead, be respectful. Acknowledge the common denominators of all positions - and they are there - and then frame your answers as building blocks toward a greater good. Doing so does justice to the issue at-hand as well as to the role of spokesmen.

Representing Others

It is not easy representing others. On the one hand, people elect or select you to represent their perspectives, views, etc. to other publics. At the same time, they also agree for you to be their representative because of your own wealth of knowledge, experience  and perspectives. With such criteria comes built-in conflict. For instance, what happens when the perspective of the representative conflicts with the wishes of those they represent? Such a scenario is not unheard of as often times. By the nature of their role, oft-times the representative is privy to information and insight those they represent may or do not have. Elected officials are a perfect example of this. Public relations practitioners have also been known to find themselves in such a precarious situation.

When this occurs, does the rep put aside his or her views and do what the majority of those they serve want? Or does the rep draw from information they have collected in their position and do what they view to be best? Such a choice is made more difficult as the rep, because of their more extensive knowledge on a subject, may literally know what is best. They are then faced with the dilemma that comes with either following or ignoring their conscience. Either way, someone is unhappy. Ether the rep makes themselves unhappy or upsets those they represent. It is a classic no-win situation and one, understandably, most of wish do our best to avoid.

The question becomes:  what can one do to minimize those times when they are in such a dicey situation? The answer begins with recognizing the obvious: such a dilemma is inevitable; perhaps not something that will occur with much frequency, but to pretend it won't occur at all is foolish. Secondly, representatives need to conduct themselves in as open and transparent manner as possible. When facing a tough call such as this, be open about it. Let everyone know. Generally, openness begets understanding, trust and support. People, generally, empathize with that kind of struggle even when they may disagree with the choice that is ultimately made. 

Game of Chance

Many years ago there was a comedy skit in which a rube approaches a card shark and innocently asks, "Is this a game  of chance?" As he plays with the cards, the man responds, "Not the way I play it." Moments later, the poor rube finds himself out of a lot of money. In a sad, dark way this funny scene points out the risks of chance, never mind dealing with folks who cheat. All of us, of course, take chances from time to time. Some, for instance, play the lottery in the hope they will become instant millionaires. Good luck to that. Sure, every so often some fortunate soul does find themselves with a winning ticket. The reality is most don't.

Particularly in its beginning years, public relations was very much a game of chance. Designed initially to generate publicity and attention, practitioners would do all they could to reach as many potential customers as they could without making any effort to target or focus their outreach efforts. They launched a shotgun approach in which, for example, they distributed as many fliers to as many people as possible. Their hope was that at least some of the folks receiving the fliers would respond. Not surprisingly, the great majority did not. It was primarily out of economic necessity that practitioners and marketers began devising strategies to target their potential customers. The result was public relations started to become less of a game of chance.

Today those who practice public outreach, including marketers, are much more precise in their efforts. Unnecessary chance is not for them. Thus, we have such things as focus groups, test or sample audiences, and private screenings. While outreach efforts may no longer be as broad or random as they once were, they are much more precise and cost effective. Given the billions of dollars of revenue the advertising industry generates each year, they are much more profitable, too. Money aside, the question now is while we are seeing more successful outreach campaigns, are we noticing any significant drop in rubes?

Writers: Working Harder Than Ever

Under any circumstances, good writing is a challenge. This is true for folks who are judged to already be good at it as well as those striving to gain such a coveted label as "good writer." And then there are those such as journalists, public relations practitioners and even scholars who write professionally. None have it easy. This reality is even more true today because of our advances in technology and the evolving demands of those for who the professional writers write. Taken together, the profession and market are place are unrelenting in what they require of writers who seek to both inform and entertain. (Entertain, by the way, should not be considered a dirty word in the world of writing.)

Thanks to technology, professional writers are called upon to be a lot more proficient in a greater number of writing styles and formats than ever before. No longer, for example, is it enough for a public relations professional to be able to compose a solid press release. This same person now needs to be able to write engaging tweets, speeches and Facebook postings. Reporters, too, need to do more than simply pen proficient news copy. Now they need to be able to put together readable blogs and other social media announcements. Yes, at least theoretically, their work is getting greater exposure, but they are working harder than ever to get it, too.

As if the technological advances were not enough, the general public is more demanding than ever. Because men and women of all ages have more information at their disposal than ever, it is now more challenging to gain and keep their attention. Consequently, they can be a lot more choosey in what they wish to read. They want their articles to be informative, engaging, relevant and current. This requires writers to do a lot more than simply write well-structured, grammatically correct sentences. To hit all those buttons, a professional writer is required to be "on the clock" more than ever. Make no mistake. The life of a professional writer is more challenging than ever. Thank goodness for those who do it and who do it well.

Two-Sided is Best

The other day I read an article offering tips on how one can be the better worker at their job. One suggestion in-particular jumped out at me as it had to do with the boss. It pertained to dealing with a boss who is not pleasant. Specifically, how can one be a good and productive employee if their boss is not someone easy to get along with? The suggested answer for workers revolved around looking for ways to like their boss. Workers, so said the article, should identify one aspect of their boss that is likeable or admirable and focus on that. By developing a "like" for their organizational superior, workers will be more apt to feel better about their job and, as a result, be more productive.

No question about it. There is a logic to this thinking. After all, ideally, who doesn't want to be more productive just to feel better about themselves? Of course, such a suggestion especially works especially well for the boss. This is the man or woman with all the power. This is the person with the biggest salary, most perks and ability to make the lives of their subordinates pleasant or not depending upon their own whims, vision or priorities. And now workers, in addition to trying to meet their responsibilities in the hope their job will remain secure, should add finding ways to actively like their boss to their to-do list?  

The problem with this tip, however, is that it is too one-sided. What about the actions of the boss? Should not they too be identifying some aspect of their workers they like or admire in order to have warmer and fuzzier feelings about those who report to them? Would not this help make those organizational superiors be more productive, too? For relationships, even professional ones, to be most healthy and beneficial to all parties, all participants must actively seek ways to bring out the best in the other. A relationship without a mutual commitment on the part of all parties is, at best, weak and on a path to be short-lived. Two-sided is best.