PR Chapter 9

What is meant by "audience participation" in persuasion? Give some examples of how audience participation can be used.

-A change in attitude or reinforcement of belief is enhanced by audience involvement and participation -Health campaigns for teenagers that encourage user-generated content (UGC, social media) by the teens about health issues and their solutions can strengthen and reinforce positive attitudes toward healthy lifestyles -Activist groups use participation as a way of helping people actualize their beliefs -Political Tea Party Movement formed in response to Wall Street and automaker bailouts and built its initial momentum through major events that cemented the resolve of members

Factors in Persuasive communication

-Audience analysis -Source credibility -Appeal to self interest -Message clarity -Timing and context -Audience participation -Suggestions for action -Content and structure of messages -Persuasive speaking

What are some of the ethical responsibilities of a person who uses persuasion techniques to influence others?

-Do not use false, fabricated, misrepresented, distorted evidence -Do not intentionally use specious, unsupported reasoning -Do not represent yourself as informed or as an "expert" on a subject when you are not -Do not deceive audience by concealing your real purpose -Do not hide or distort information -Do not advocate something you do not support yourself

What groups represent formal opinion leaders? Informal?

-Formal: elected officials, presidents of companies, etc. -Informal: have clout with peers because of some special characteristic, role models who are admired or who can exert peer pressure on others to go along with something

The limits of persuasion

-Lack of message penetration -Competing messages -Self-selection -Self perception

What can limit the effectiveness of persuasion?

-Lack of message penetration: diffusion of messages is not pervasive; there is also the problem of messages being distorted as they pass through traditional media gatekeepers or get interpreted by tweets, blogs, other social networks. Key message points are often left out. -Competing messages: nationality, race, religion, gender, cultural patterns, family, and friends are among the variables that filter and dilute persuasive messages -Self selection: people are selective in the messages they want to hear. They give more attention to things that support their predispositions. The media are more effective in reinforcing existing attitudes than in changing them. -Self-perception: People perceive same information differently

The role of Mass Media

-Mass media play a major role in setting the agenda for pubic discussion and debate -People who know little or nothing about a subject depend on mass media for their information and opinions. This is called the media-dependency theory -Framing theory describes how both journalists and public relations personnel promote a particular aspect of an issue or controversy -Journalists often look for conflict in a story; public relations people strive for accommodation and conflict resolution

What is public opinion?

-Public opinion can be difficult to measure; there are few if any issues on which the public can be said to have a unanimous opinion -Only a small number of people will have opinions on any given issue -Engaging the interest of a public will involve affecting its self interest. Publics also react strongly to events

Public opinion is highly influenced by self-interest and events. What are these concepts?

-Public opinion is the sum of individual opinions on an issue affecting those individuals -Public opinion is a collection of views held by persons interested in the subject -A person unaffected by or uninterested in an issue does not contribute to public opinion on the subject -Opinion is highly sensitive to events that have an impact on the public at large or a particular segment of the public -By and large, public opinion does not anticipate events It only reacts to them -Events trigger formation of public opinion. Unless people are aware of an issue, they are not likely to be concerned or have an opinion about it. -Events of unusual magnitude are likely to swing public opinion temporarily from one extreme to another.

The ethics of persuasion

-Publics will automatically have a level of suspicion because they know the communicator is promoting a client organization -The interests of that client or organization will not be well served by false or misleading communications

The dominant view of public relations

-The dominant view of public relations is of persuasive communications on behalf of clients -Persuasion can be used to change or neutralize hostile opinions, crystallize latent opinions and positive attitudes, and conserve favorable opinions -Research studies have established many basic concepts of persuasive communication

Opinion Leaders Catalyst

-The primary catalyst in the formation of public opinion is public discussion -People who are knowledgeable and articulate on specific issues can be either formal opinion leaders (power leaders) or informal opinion leaders (role models) -Opinion "flows" from these leaders to the public, often through the mass media

Psychologists have identified several ways to formulate persuasive messages. What are they?

-Yes-yes: start with points which the audience agrees to develop a pattern of yes answers. -Offer structured choice: Give choices that force the audience to choose between A and B -Seek partial commitment: Get a commitment for some action on the part of the receiver. This leaves the door open for commitment to other parts of the proposal at a later date -Ask for more, but settle for less: Submit a complete public relations program to management, but be prepared to compromise by dropping certain parts of the program

Name three objectives of persuasion in public relations work. What objective is the most difficult to accomplish?

1. Change or neutralize hostile opinions (most difficult) 2. Crystallize latent opinions and positive attitudes 3. Conserve favorable opinions

LIst and give examples of the 7 persuasive devices

1. Drama: Relief organizations attempt to galvanize public concern and donations through stark images of an individual accompanied by emotionally charged descriptions of the person's suffering 2. Statistics: In the news release for the largest truck in the world, Caterpillar announced that the bed of the truck is so large that it could haul 4 blue whales, 217 taxicabs, 1200 grand pianos, and 23000 Barbie dolls 3. Surveys and Polls: Airlines and auto manufacturers use the results of surveys and polls to show that they are first in "customers satisfaction," "service," and even "leg room" or "cargo space." 4. Examples: A school board can often get support for a bond issue by citing examples of how the present facilities are inadequate for student needs 5. Testimonials: Testimonials honoring an individual or organization are often given at banquets and other public events 6. Endorsements: Organizations such as the American Dental Association and the National Safety council endorse products and services. Endorsements are unpaid and take the form of editorials, reviews, surveys, and news stories 7. Emotional Appeals: Appeals to protect animals often use the emotional appeal of personifying the animal

What are the three factors involved in source credibility?

1. Expertise-does audience perceive the person as an expert on the subject? 2. Sincerity-does the person come across as believing what he or she is saying? 3. Charisma-is the individual attractive, self-assured, and articulate, projecting an image of competence and leadership?