Planning Flashcards
What is an outcome objective?
Change behavior, awareness, opinion, support; focus on what the audience DOES
What is a process objective?
To inform or educate; what the organization will DO
What an input objective?
Activities or inputs; number of contacts or news releases; not direct value of measuring effectiveness.
Elements of an objective
Who, does what, by when and how much
Strategy vs. Tactic
Strategy - How you will achieve - IDEA
Tactic - What you will DO - ACTION
Proactive Strategy vs. Reactive Strategy
Proactive - well thought out in advance; Reactive - in the moment
Problem Statement Questions
What is happening now?
What is the source of concern?
Where is it of concern?
When is it of concern?
Who does it involve or affect?
How does it involve or affect them?
Why does it concern the organization and its publics?
What is a Census sample?
A 100 percent sample; useful in small, well-defined populations
What is a Probability Sample?
The probability of being chosen is known or equal. (Random sample)
What is a Non-probability sample?
Informal, not random, not scientific, a quick and easy way to gather info
What is triangulation?
Using several methods that focus on answering the same set of research questions
What is a Gantt Chart?
Purpose is to break a large project into a series of smaller tasks in an organized way.
The chart shows:
when each task should begin
how long it should take
Goal setting vs Strategic Planning
Goal setting takes place in context of organizational mission and goals
Strategic planning involves making decisions about program goals and objectives, identifying key publics and determining strategy and tactics
Statement of organizational goals, obligations, values and social responsibility
- Commit the org to accountability
- Provides a framework in which PR goals can be devised
What is a working theory
Idea of how things might work;
determines the selection of tactics;
drives every program decision and should be based on more than gut feelings or instinct;
backed up by research and experience
What does it mean to reify publics?
Reification means to treat an abstraction as if it exists
What are cross situational publics?
Groups of people identified by something they have in common, regardless of their situation; i.e. age or gender
Grunig situational theory of publics
Latent publics - unaware of their connection to others or org;
Aware publics - recognize they are somehow affected;
Active publics communicate and organize
Three predictive factors
1. Problem recognition - aware something is wrong, need more information
2. Level of involvement
3. Constraint recognition - extent to which people see themselves limited by external factors vs. seeing they can do something about the situation
Situational theory of publics
All-issue publics
Apathetic publics
Single-issue publics
Hot issue publics
How to define publics
Geographics - natural or political boundaries
Demographics
Psychographics - psychological and lifestyle
Covert Power - behind the scenes political or economic power
Position
Reputation - aka opinion leaders
Membership
Role in the decision process
Communication behavior
Management by objective MBO
Systematically applies effective management techniques to run an org; specifies outcomes to be achieved
Four steps in writing program objectives
- Target publics
- Outcome - single, specific
What people are aware of
How people feel
What people do - Measurement
- Target date
What is action strategy?
Typically includes changes in an organization’s policies, procedures, products, services and behavior. Corrective action serves the mutual interest of org and its publics.
Should be implemented before reaching out to external publics
What is the starting point for a PR plan?
The organization’s mission statement
Ways to budget for a PR Plan?
Percentage of budget for an activity vs. a set aside of funding to achieve the result
Budgeting guidelines
Know the costs
Communicate the budget
Use software to manage the program
Pretesting a plan
Pretesting of strategy, tactics and program materials inform how they will work, provide comparisons and detect potential backlash
Message pretesting increases understandability of the info for intended audience
Getting buy-in
Demonstrate how the program will help achieve organizational goals.
Explain the problem
Explain remedial measures
Relate the program to climate of org
Emphasize planned tactics will have positive impact
Be decisive and have conviction in the plan
Preventative PR vs. Remedial PR
Long-term planning vs. short duration, minimal planning
Scenario writing
Two to four - best is 3
High, middle and low future states - middle is the most likely
Crisis types
Immediate crisis - sudden and unexpected
Emerging crisis - more time for research and planning, may erupt after long brew
Sustained crisis - persists for months or years
Guidelines for preparing for a crisis
Identify vulnerabilities
Assign priorities on most urgent or most likely
Draft questions, answers and resolutions for potential scenarios
Focus on What To Do, and What To Say
Contain and counteract; not react and respond
Information Center How To
Place for accurate information
A place where info moves from org to its publics directly - not a media operation
Rumor-response center; answering service or info center
Identify the coordinating agency for information flow
Be an acceptable source of accurate info
4 steps to determine PR budgets
- Overall money available for operations
- Competitive necessity of the PR function
- Specific tasks or goals set for the function
- Excess money after expenses
