Writing for Public Relations 97202

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Writing for Public Relations97202

• Unit Leader / Lecturer - Elizabeth Dougall
• July 21, 2000
• Persuasion and Research

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Your Audiences Are Volunteers Learning
Objectives - after completing the workload for
this week you will be able to

• identify the difference between writing
  strategies and tactics
• define and differentiate controlled and
  uncontrolled media, publicity and advertising

• describe some of the guidelines for and pitfalls
  of persuasive communication
• outline steps for research and preparation.

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Strategies and Tactics

• There are two fundamental elements of any writing
  project in public relations
• Strategy - determines what and when to
  communicate and to whom
• Tactics - encompasses the choice of channels etc
  to facilitate the strategy

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Differentiating Media / Tools

• Controlled Media
• Uncontrolled Media
• Publicity and Advertising

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Advertising

• is time or space which is purchased directly
  and carries the buyers message. The content and
  delivery of the message is controlled by the
  buyer.
• Are community service announcements advertising
  or publicity?

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Publicity

• is information supplied to the public without
  charge
• The organisation does not control the final
  content or delivery of the message UNLESS they
  own the medium.
• Information supplied as publicity can appear in
  any form or not at all - at the discretion of the
  medium.

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Persuasion

• To persuade effectively is a great challenge -
  level of difficulty depends on the beliefs,
  attitudes and opinions of your target publics.
• Persuasive messages may be pitched as rational
  and / or emotional appeals.

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Persuasion

• Revisit Maslows hierarchy of needs (see text
  Chapter 3)

• The communication-design aspects of persuasion
  include
• 1. Stimulus-Response
• 2. Cognitive
• 3. Motivational
• 4. Social
• 5. Personality

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Persuasion

• Six steps of persuasion (McGuire)
• 1. Presenting
• 2. Attending
• 3. Comprehending
• 4. Yielding
• 5. Retaining
• 6. Acting
• Relate this to a decision-making / persuasion
  experience of your own

• .

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PersuasionSome gems and old chestnuts in the
persuasion conundrum

• In controversial situations
• If your audience is sophisticated, present both
  sides of the issue

• Inoculate if you anticipate your opposition
  will raise an issue
• Present your opponents views first, and then
  your own

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Persuasion

• In General -
• Tell the good new first
• Spell out your conclusions clearly - dont leave
  the audience guessing
• Mild fear appeals work better than strong ones

• Offer solutions (not just problems)
• If you want to achieve major attitudinal change -
  aim for a little at a time - incremental
  erosion.
• See your text for more

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Research in Public RelationsMajor research
categories in PR

• Policy
• Background Material
• Audience

• Message
• Media
• Program Evaluation

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Research in Public Relations

• Research in PR must...
• 1. Answer questions essential to planning
  projects, programs and campaigns e.g.. how to
  your target publics get and use information.

• 2. Test, if possible, deflate assumptions -
  conventional wisdom, common sense etc
• 3. Provide baseline data for evaluation -
  benchmarks are essential
• See Chapter 4 for more.

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Research in Public Relations

• For some specific research guidelines, including
  storage, retrieval, sources, interviewing etc,
  refer to PP 72 to 84 of the text.

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Next Week

• Adjustment to study schedule - next week we will
  consider the principles of effective writing
  before moving on to writing for the media.

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Readings for this week

• Text - Chapter 2
• Selected Readings 3.1 - 3.3

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Preparation for tutorials

• Contact an organisation you know, collect the
  facts associated with something new and
  interesting going on. You will be required to
  describe and discuss those facts.
• DO NOT COME TO CLASS WITHOUT THIS INFORMATION!

• Ensure that you bring keep your work from the
  first tutorial as you will be required to build
  on the exercise started in week one.

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Contact Details

• Lecturer Elizabeth Dougall
• Tutors Elizabeth Dougall Alison Feldman
• Location Q211
• Phone [phone]
• Consutation Times
• Monday 12 - 2 pm Friday 12 - 1 pm.
• Ancillary materials are located at
• http//www.usq.edu.au/ancil/foa/97202/
• or via P drive accessed on-campus (Computer Lab)