Managing Relationships Flashcards
Three elements always present in negotiation
Information, Time and Power
What is owned media?
Those that are in the possession of the organization; literally media they already own
Permission marketing
Marketing strategy using email or other mobile tech to send consumers info they have agreed in advance to receive
User-generated content (UGC)
photos, video or other content with editorial value that has been produced by anyone who isn’t working as a professional journalist.
Using UGC content
Hold to same standards as any other information
Verify
Look for the original source
Ask for permission
Ask tough questions about the material
Give due credit
Challenges to vetting social media content
Private circulation of content
Users concealing their identity
Content being posted by accounts other than original source
How to vet SM content
Avoid lifting photos or video without identifying the creator
Establish directo contact
Don’t trust blindly
Beware of false accounts
Copyright applies. get permission
What to consider about websites/SM sites
Whom does page belong to?
Is there contact information?
Is source clearly stated?
Does website accept user contributions?
How accurate does info seem?
Are there obviously signs of bias?
Is page current?
Be wary of email info
Use common sense
The reality of self-publishing
Less control over the public info system by traditional media
Greater diversity in POV
Increased interest in transparency
Precisely targeted communications
Tips for clean online reputation
Post with caution - it’s all public
Think Long Term
Look for perspectives of others to see how you are perceived
Patrol the web
Defend yourself
System theory applications to PR
Adjust and adapt to change pressures
Organization-public interactions
Social systems - no reliant on physical proximity
PR as part of orgs purposive and managed behavior to achieve system goals
Goals can be achieved by maintaining existing relationships
Environment in systems theory
Anything that generates change pressures - info, energy and matter inputs - on a system
Change pressure comes from many environmental sources
If changes are unmanaged, systems degenerate
PR charged with keeping org sensitive to environmental changes
What is entropy
The break-up of a system.
Suprasystem
A higher-order subsystem. The system must interact with and adjust to its environment, the other parts of the suprasystem.
Adaptive system
The place where PR lives in a system; distinct from production, maintenance and managerial systems; varies in its sensitivity to the environment.
Factors that determine extent of environmental monitoring
- Degree of conflict and competition
- Degree of dependence of internal support
- Degree to which internal operation and external environment are “on the same page”
- Size and structure of the org, diversity of goals, centralization of authority
Closed systems
Impermeable boundaries; cannot exchange matter, energy or info with their environments; do not receive info from environrment
Open systems
Exchange inputs, outputs and permeable boundaries; able to adjust and adapt to environmental variations; respond and adjust
Relative open or relative closed
The extent to which systems are closed or open indicates how sensitive they are their environments.
Structure vs. process
What a system is, vs. what a system does
Two factors changing internal communications
- Value of understanding, teamwork and commitment by employees
- Need to build a strong manager communication network
Characteristics of working relationships
- Confidence and trust
- Honest, candid information
- Satisfying status and participation
- Work without strife
- Healthy/safe surroundings
- Success of the enterprise
- Optimism about the future
Downward communications vs. upward communication
Downward - management to employee;
Upward - employee to management
Goal of internal relations
To establish and maintain mutually beneficial relationships between an org and its employees
What is organizational culture?
The sum of shared values, symbols, meanings, beliefs, assumptions and expectations that organize a group of people who work together; define the range of responses in any given situation
Hofstede Dimensions of Culture
Power-distance
Extent to which people see inequitities as natural and unchangeable; suggests how org messages should be disseminated
High PD - Comms to emphasize power and authority of top management
Low PD - Emphasizing similiarities between mngmt and employees in goals, values and concerns
Individualism
Extent to which people put individual needs ahead of group needs
Strong - rewards employees on basis of personal achievement
Weak - strong in collectivism
Uncertainty avoidance
The extent to which people prefer organizational communication and structures that reduce their social anxiety
High - Employees prefer clear requirements and instructions
Low - More tolerant of ambiguity, lower resistance to change; two-way PR activities
Masculinity
Behaviors such as aggressiveness and independence perceived as inherently masculine
High - rewards competitiveness and initiative
Low - Nurturing and cooperation
Asymmetrical worldview
One in which an organization’s goal is to get what it wants without changing the way it does business; decision-making not shared with publics; leans to closed system
Symmetrical worldview
Incorporates the idea of negotiation, conflict resolution and compromise; desires and goals set in a shared fashion; tends to open system
Authoritarian culture
Arises from asymmetrical worldview; comms processes are structured and formalized, centralized with a decision-making heirarchy - Example: Military
Individual accountability, high division of labor
Comms - disseminating ideas and goals decided by upper management
Tends to resist change
Participative Culture
Symmetrical worldview values dialogue and exchange of input between org and publics
Teamwork, innovation, seeks input
Open system
Decentralized decision making
Labor relations
Responsibility of internal relations to communicate about matters of dissension and try to find ways to resolve labor-management relationship problems.
Communicating through org change -
Address concerns, distractions and resistance with attention to content
Acknowledge passing of the old and celebrate new
Look at cognitive restructuring
Commitment to rewards, training and validation
Acculturating Employees
No distinction is made between info about org culture that is provided to internal and external publics; ensures employees get the same info about the org as everyone else
Vision statement
Represents a future goal
Mission statement
How are we different from our competitors? Helps employees set priorities and goals so all are committed to achieving the mission.
Mediated forms of Internal Comms
- Policy documents - effective if well-written, concise and organized
- Ethics statements - concrete guidance and priorities
- Training materials - Socialization, orientation, training
- Employee publications - newsletter, intranet, printed newsletter, email (controlled comms)
Unmediated forms of Internal Comms
- The Grapevine - Stay tuned in; will fill information gaps
- Meetings and teleconferences
Controlled or owned media
Media in which practitioners have say over what is said, how said and when said and to whom is said.
Uncontrolled media -
AKA earned media; those which practitioners have no direct role in decisions about content
Three changes in media landscape
- Audiences fragmentation
- Audiences choosing two-way media
- Citizen journalism
Newspaper key facts
Circulation increasing in Africa, Asia and South America
Times of India - world’s biggest English speaking newspaper
Attract disproportionally white readers
Local news majority of content
Wire service key facts
Use to send major corp developments, earnings reports, obituaries, and invitations to news conferences. Useful during emergencies
Magazines facts
Opinion leaders read magazines
Younger demo read magazines
Work with freelancers
Radio facts
Mobile medium suited to mobile people
Flexibility
Radio news releases and audio feeds
Qualities of direct, personal touch
Person-to-person agenda
Public service announcements
Video News Release (VNR)
Providing message for placement on television with video and audio
Satellite Media Tour (SMT)
Works best when local stations can’t produce the same story themselves, which story fits morning programming or when story calls for top management
New Media Challenges
- Stay on top of changing tech
- responding to demand for transparency
- dealing with new media communicating directly with stakeholders
- Repping orgs in the new environment
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Trying to get an org name to appear at the top or near the top of search engines
Transparency imperatives
Bad news cannot be hidden
Mistakes and misdeeds will get reported and SHARED
Failure to disclose damages the relationship with the public and erodes credibility
Dealing with new media outlets
Explosive increase in information sources
Able to go directly to target audiences through new media
Need to have ONE VOICE is very important in times of crisis
Must work with nontraditional gatekeepers and influencers as well as citizen journalists
Representing the org on social media
Build community, empower stakeholders and facilitate 2-way comms
Transform employee communication
Facilitation of interactive communications
Guidelines for good media relations
- Shoot straight
- Give service - pitch newsworthy stories, know deadlines
- Don’t beg or whine
- Don’t ask for kills
- Don’t flood with pitches
International media types
- Authoritarian (ex. Middle East)
- Communist (Cuba and China)
- Revolutionary (Iran, China Singapore)
- Western
- Developmental (India)
Exchange vs. communal relationships
Exchange relationships are strategic and utilitarian; communal relationships, based on emotional ties, proximity and geography - more enduring
Stakeholder networks
Each with a different strategic priority; connected in multiple ways; formal vs. informal; face to face vs. mediated, synchronous and asynchronous
Consensus-building
Helping disputing parties come to a mutually acceptable solution
1. Identify and recruit appropriate reps
2. Guide participants to establish the agenda and process
3. Identify and analyze the problem
4. Evaluate possible solutions
5. Direct group through decision-making process
6. Obtain finalization and unanimous approval
Reputation management
Practitioners should be experts in issues management, crisis comms and environmental scanning
Reputation is conferred by publics, not projected by the org
Social responsiveness
- issue tracking
- organizational positioning
- risk communication
- credibility enhancement
Image vs. brand
Image - characteristics you or your organization present vs. brand - name, term, design, symbol or other feature that distinguishes you from others.
News conference guidelines
Don’t call one unless
1. you have real news to deliver
2. you have an expert present
3. you need to demonstrate the subject of a news story
Important relationships for media relations
Newspeople, production staff, other practitioners, freelance writers
