Chap 11: Defining Public Relations Problems Flashcards
In its most advanced form, public relations is a scientifically managed part of an organization’s problem-solving and change process. Practitioners of this type of public relations use theory and the best available evidence in a 4 step problem solving process. What are the 4 steps?
- Defining the problem ( or opportunity).
- Planning and programming.
- Taking action and communicating.
- Evaluating the program.
- What step of the problem solving process involves probing and monitoring knowledge, opinions, attitudes, and behaviors of those internal and external publics concerned with and affected by the acts and policies of an organization.
Defining the problem ( or opportunity).
What step of the problem solving process involves making strategic decisions about program goals, target publics, objectives, action and communication.
Planning and programming.
What step of the problem solving process involves implementing the program of action and communication tactics designed to achieve the specific objectives for each of the publics to accomplish the program goal( s).
taking action and communicating
What step of the problem solving process involves assessing the preparation, implementation, and impact of the program.
evaluating the program
What question is asked when defining the problem ( or opportunity)?
“What’s happen-ing now?”
What question is asked during planning and programing?
“Based on what we have learned about the situation, what should we change or do in order to solve the problem or seize the opportunity?”
What question is asked while taking action and communicating?
“What should we do and say, who should do and say it, when and in what sequence, where, and how?”
What question is asked when evaluating the program?
“How are we doing, or how did we do?”
Why can’t diagnosis,planning, implementation and evaluation be easily compartmentalized in practice?
because the process is continuous, cyclical, and applied in a dynamic setting
Your book compares a lack of research amongst practitioners to what?
the story of six blind men from Indostan.
What do practitioners often say more research is not often used in public relations?
lack of funds or too little time
What is most likely the reason more research is not often used in public relations? (2 reasons)
some employers/clients do not think its necessary,
many practitioners do not know how to conduct and use scientific research
What did one nonprofit organization attribute to the decline of PR and the reason that some CEO’s see PR as “fluff”
lack of monitoring and substantive results
Define research
the systematic gathering of information to describe and understand situations and to check out assumptions about publics and public relations consequences
what is the main purpose of research?
to reduce uncertainty in decision making
Before the program begins, what is research used for?
to define the problem situation and formulate the program strategy
During the program,what is research used for?
to monitor the program in progress in order to reformulate ( adjust) the strategy or fine- tune the tactics
After the program, what is research used for?
to measure and document overall program impact and effectiveness
What do the International Listening Association defines “ listening” as?
“the process of receiving, constructing meaning from, and responding to spoken and/ or nonverbal messages.”
Unless you know the language, orientation, and predisposition of your audience— learned through _______ ______— you are not likely to communicate effectively.
empathetic listening
How does problem definition begin?
with someone making a value judgment that something is either wrong, soon could be wrong, or could be better.
_____ ______ serve as the basis for deciding if and when a real or potential problem exists.
Goal states
research is used to determine the answer to what primary question?
“what is happening now?”
A useful _______ _____ summarizes what is known about the problem situation.
problem statement
What tense is a problem statement written in?
present
T/F words like “will” “could” and “should” should be avoided in problem statements
true
Why is a problem statement written in present tense?
To answer the question “what’s happening now?”
What kind of questions does the problem statement answer?
Who what, where, when, why and how
What doesn’t a problem statement imply or do?
it doesn’t imply solutions or place blame
This step in the process results in what some practitioners call their “ fact book”— the information assembled in three- ring binders or digital files. What is it called?
situation analysis
Describe the differences between a problem statement and situation analysis
A problem statement represents a concise description of the situation, often written in a sentence or short paragraph.
In contrast, a situation analysis is the unabridged collection of all that is known about the situation, its history, forces operating on it, and those involved or affected internally and externally.
What expands upon the meaning of a problem statement?
the situation analysis
Stakeholder analysis
the process of identifying who is involved and who is affected in a situation.
What do the letters in SWOT or TOWS analysis stand for
strength weakness obstacles and threat
Informal and formal research methods differ primarily in their sample selection and sample size, and— as a result— in the…
generalizability of the findings they produce.
what is the major problem with informal research?
The major problem— samples of unknown representativeness— results from how samples are selected.
When do informal methods of research serve valuable purposes?
If viewed as methods for detecting and exploring problem situations and for pretesting research and program strategies
When are informal methods of research misused?
When the results are used as the basis for describing problem situations and stakeholders for program planning and evaluation, then these methods are misused.
“_______” best represents the probing nature of informal methods, as the findings may not accurately represent the reality being studied.
Exploratory
“Others have worked in wheelchairs to gain perspective on what it is like to go for coffee breaks, use the bathroom, or complete other tasks in facilities not designed for easy access.” What was this an example of?
An informal research method
Trade shows, community and professional meetings, or other occasions that attract stakeholders provide opportunities for practitioners to listen carefully and gain understanding for what?
informal research
Why is the technique of speaking with key informants limited to a relatively small number of respondents?
Because in- depth interviews with key informants take so long to complete and require such careful content analysis
Explain the process of speaking with key informants
practitioners interview knowledgable leaders and experts in the form of an open-ended discussions allowing them to talk about problems or issues on their own terms
Which is structured speaking with key informants or focus groups?
focus groups
Explain why practitioners use focus groups.
to gather information useful of developing questionnaires to be used in formal research methods
How many people are usually in a focus group?
6 - 12
The ______ is the key to the success of the focus group method.
moderator
Focus groups take months to plan. T/F
False. sometimes they take only a matter of weeks
Findings from focus groups, when carefully selected, can make inferences about the larger population. T/F
False. Because they are never truly random.
Explain online community networks
social networks of selected “representatives” respond to questions, consider various proposals, try out new procedures, or even use products in development.
What is the newest alternative to a focus group?
online community networks
What is bigger a focus group or community network?
community network
Is a community network a form of formal or informal research?
Informal
In community forums: the timing of public participation ( early vs. late) in the decision-making process exerts (great/little/no) measurable impact on the process and outcome satisfaction among publics.
no measurable impact
What are the 4 variations of participation in community forums?
(1) Pseudo-participation (2) Information- only (3) Consultation (4) Full participation
Which type of community forum participation does this statement illustrate? “We are required to hold public meetings before we begin construction, but we do not intend to factor in your input. The project is already designed.”
pseudo-participation
Which type of community forum participation does this statement illustrate?“ We want your input on the project, because you may have some ideas and concerns that affect our final design.”
consultation
Which type of community forum participation does this statement illustrate? “We want to collaborate with the interested parties to share decision- making, so the final project incorporates community ideas and addresses community concerns.”
full participation
Which type of community forum participation does this statement illustrate? “We are here to tell you about the project so that you know what is going to happen. If you give us input, we will attach it to the final proposal or environmental impact report.”
Information only
What are the benefits of an advisory committee/board?
such a group can serve as a continuous feedback mechanism for detecting possible changes in public opinion on issues, even before they would show up in polls and surveys.
______ ______ gives public relations practitioners a way to fulfill their public service obligation as professionals.
Committee service
What does an ombuds officer do?
ombuds officer in an organization is someone who listens to the concerns of internal organizational publics.
This person may review organizational policies and mediate disputes between the organization and its employees.
ombuds officer
An ombudsman is a formal or informal form of information gathering?
informal
What is the benefit of consumer and customer hotlines?
They provide companies feedback on their products, services, facilities, and employees
To be effective, however, a call- in service must be used with _______.
sincerity
What does “SLOP” stand for?
“self-selected listener opinion poll”
those who write letters join those who call 800 numbers as what to organizations/practitioners?
early warning signals of situations that need attention and may indicate a need for formal research.
The term “buzz” describes what?
online word- of- mouth, it represents the spontaneous comments of people interacting.
Formal methods are designed to gather data from who?
an entire population or group ( a “ census”) or from a scientifically representative portion of a population or group ( a “ sample”) using objective measures.
systematic formal research methods help practitioners to make accurate statements about publics based on what?
evidence drawn from scientifically representative samples
All formal research is primary, coming from practitioners and organizations that need them, because the situation is unique to each company. T/F
False. secondary research is also available to practitioners …. think U.S. Census Bureau material
Content analysis
the application of systematic procedures for objectively determining what is being reported in the media.
Press clippings and broadcast monitor reports are the basis of what type of formal research?
content analysis
Surveys
systematic queries of subsets of the population under study
What is the biggest disadvantage of mail surveys
biggest disadvantages of mail surveys are that researchers have no control over who responds and that low response rates are typical.
If the study is designed to learn how people change over time or to track a process, however, a longitudinal study, either as a ______ study or _____ study , is the better approach.
panel study or trend study
In ____ studies the same respondents are surveyed several times during the study, are asked to complete a series of questionnaires.
A ____ study uses different samples drawn from the same population to track change over time.
panel,
trend
