"DON'T BE A DORK AT WORK" By Rod C. Estrera - 25 July 2014

Don’t Be A Dork At Work

By Rod C. Estrera

"DORK" – Pronunciation: (US) /dɔːɹk/ or (UK) /dɔːk/.  Noun: Dork (Plural: Dorks)

Definitions:*

(obsolete, vulgar, slang) A penis. [from the 20th Century]

(pejorative, slang) A quirky, silly and/or stupid, socially inept person, or one who is out of touch with contemporary trends.  Often confused with nerd and geek, but does not imply the same level of intelligence. [from the 20th Century]

Narrowly used to indicate someone inept or out of touch, broadly used to mean simply “silly, foolish”; compare doofus, twit.

Despite its rather vulgar origins and implications, the word “Dork” is now part of our modern vernacular, even at our places of work, especially when used to refer to a colleague, be it a peer, a subordinate or even a superior, who fits the definition above, but may not necessarily be a total moron, imbecile or idiot.

That word, and the whole topic in general, actually arose during a recent informal gathering of friends and associates.  A number of those present were complaining, or even griping, about their officemates whom they described as not being absolutely stupid, but just mostly out-of-touch with reality, generating irrelevant and unproductive output, statements and decisions.

Our animated discussions on these grievances necessitated an appropriate description or adjective.  Hence, the word “Dork” sprang up.  However, some of those present were not entirely sure what the word actually meant, thus resulting in another spirited debate.  The definition stated above was culled from a quick online research following that gathering and ultimately shared with those present, who unanimously agreed on the choice of that word.

Maybe I should have just let it go at that, and be as satisfied as the others in finding the right word and using it unsparingly whenever the need arose to refer to someone befitting that noun and/or adjective.  But now, the obsessive-compulsive streak in me wanted to put even more meaning to the word by putting together a basic list of traits and/or characteristics of a “Dork” in a work environment. 

After a backyard research effort via a quick survey among some of my friends and associates, who will remain anonymous for now (lest they jeopardize their careers), the following are 10 items, any or more of which constitute highly-irritating and annoying “Dorky” behavior that we all, as much as possible, should not emulate at work.  Interestingly, most of these items are more relevant and applicable to leaders, managers and executives:

1. Being in a constant state of denial regarding serious long-term or recurring problems, hoping that these would just eventually disappear someday;
2. Lacking or having no ability to be proactive, along with minimal planning skills, tending to simply be reactive towards one’s circumstances or the turn of events;
3. Obsession with irrelevant minutiae or topics during meetings, especially when there are other crucial items that need to be immediately tackled;
4. Fixation with one’s gadgets or devices during meetings, totally shutting-out those present;
5. Having no sense of urgency, especially during highly-critical conditions or in a crisis;
6. Poor time management skills, especially when being extremely late to meetings that he or she particularly organized or called for;
7. Poor meeting management skills, specifically the ability to hold a meeting within a reasonable time frame, often digressing too much from the agenda, or not even having a properly-prepared agenda in the first place;
8. Often takes perverse pleasure in intrigues, gossip and office politics, even if he or she is not the primary source or an active promoter of such;
9. Is usually unable to rationally justify one’s actions and/or decisions;
10. Childish or bratty behavior as a means to help ensure getting what one wants.

There are certainly many more traits, but the above are the Top 10 that I gathered which I believe can and do severely affect the growth, productivity and sustainable viability of any team, organization or society, especially if any of these characteristics are manifested by those in positions of leadership or authority.

Therefore, if you want to get ahead in your job and in your career, do yourself a real favor and don’t be a Dork at Work.

####

* Selected Relevant Sources:

1.  Wordorigins.org, Dave Wilton, June 11, 2006.

2.  Douglas Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary (2001).

3.  Lawrence Poston, “Some Problems in the Study of Campus Slang,” American Speech 39, No. 2 (May 1964)

4.  Historical Dictionary of American Slang, v. 1, A-G, Edited by Jonathan Lighter (New York: Random House, 1994).

CORPORATE COMMUNICATION AND PR 101 No. 008 - 04 October 2013 - THE C.C.P. FORMULA FOR CAREER SUCCESS IN COMMUNICATION - Part 2

CORPORATE COMMUNICATION & PR 101

(BACK TO BASICS)

By Rod C. Estrera

Issue No. 008 – 04 October 2013

The C.C.P. Formula For Career Success In Communication – Part 2

HOPE ALL CONTINUES TO BE WELL WITH YOU AND YOUR LOVED ONES!

Welcome back again! This is now the eighth issue of my ongoing Blog Series on Basic Public Relations and Corporate Communication lessons, tips and insights for Industry Professionals and interested Non-Practitioners. Feel free to visit and re-visit the first to sixth issues (01, 04, 09, 15 & 22 July, 15 August and 12 September) here on my Blog Site. Many thanks once more to the readers and followers who continue to send valuable feedback and suggestions, either on this Blog or through comments on social media. While I have been striving to do this at least every two weeks or, even better, weekly, I again regret the long gap, which is, thankfully, at three weeks this time, instead of the nearly one-month gap last time.  Hope this has been worth the wait.

In our last issue (Issue No. 7), we discussed the another easy-to-remember acronym I personally created – “C.C.P.” – which is what I continuously and strongly espouse and advocate among my college students and seminar participants if they want to secure a worthwhile job or get ahead in their careers, more so for those in the various Core Communication fields. I continue to teach three sets of “C.C.P.” acronyms.  We previously tackled the Primary or First Set, which is composed of:

COMMUNICATION SKILLS, CRITICAL THINKING and PASSION.

This time around we discuss the Second Set of “C.C.P.” – as follows:

C – CREATIVE ABILITY – You might think that you need to be “artistic” like the creative directors of an advertising agency.  On the contrary, this refers to one’s ability to “THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX” – certainly an over-used term, but still an in-demand ability.  If Critical Thinking refers to analytical ability, thinking outside-the-box requires us to go beyond the trite, tried-and-tested conventions that lock us inside our comfort zones. Whether we like it or not, change will continue to be a universal constant. Our audience, especially if they are today’s young and dynamic consumers, are always on the lookout for something new, as proven by the ever-shortening product life-cycle of electronic products, particularly mobile devices and/or personal gadgets. “Creative” thus is not exclusive to being able to come up with nice, sleek designs, but, more importantly, to anticipate and come up with product solutions even before your audience needs and wants it. This is best exemplified by the late Steve Jobs of Apple. More than being a technological genius, his greater asset was his market vision and savvy. In the same way, we Communication Professionals need to constantly defy conventions in the way we communicate to effectively stand out and reach and connect with our audiences. This ability is greatly needed when using Social Media which continues to get more and more crowded and cluttered.

C – COLLABORATIVE ATTITUDE – Sadly, we presently live in a “Me First” world that foments a self-centered attitude among today’s youth. Hence, many of us in the academe, including college professors in Communication, continue to place a heavy premium in Group or Team exercises throughout the semester, and not just in the Finals. In the real corporate world, if you cannot be a Team Player, you’d have major problems getting things done. However, this should still not get in the way of our “getting ahead” and being successful individually in our respective careers. What hiring managers look for are people who can excel both individually and collectively. Tying this to the Creative Ability above, I can personally attest that many of great ideas that I had been part of over the years were results of Team Effort. In today’s highly competitive work environment, liking each other within a team can often be a challenge. Hence, maturity and a healthy positive work attitude are crucial in achieving Team Success.

P – PERSUASIVENESS – As Communicators, it is rather obvious that we are constantly advocating something to our audiences, whether these are PR stakeholders or consumer markets. While there may be some basically similarities to the skills and abilities of Sales Professionals, the persuasive ability in Communicators is closer to those found in Leadership Skills. A critical example of this is in Negotiating. Salespeople negotiate deals to quickly move a product or service by promoting its features and benefits (ONLY) in exchange for payment. Hence, selling is often referred to us a “Push” strategy. When negotiating, Communication Professionals, especially those in PR, strive to achieve mutual understanding through two-way interaction. For those in the Advertising field, effective Persuasion comes in the ability to develop highly-convincing material that ”Pulls” prospects toward a company, product or service, with a minimum or absence of “hard-sell.” Bottom-line for us Communicators is that, before we even attempt to persuade our audience/s, we must sincerely respect them, especially their intelligence.

Do continue to stay tuned for my next issue. We will conclude this mini-series by taking up the third and remaining “C.C.P.” acronym. Again, I do hope these easy-to-remember topics prove to be useful for both my fellow PR/Communication Professionals and our Clients/Bosses.

Thank you once more for your interest and patronage.  As always, may we all have a fun and restful weekend ahead! 

CORPORATE COMMUNICATION AND PR 101 No. 007 - 12 September 2013 - THE C.C.P. FORMULA FOR CAREER SUCCESS IN COMMUNICATION

CORPORATE COMMUNICATION & PR 101

(BACK TO BASICS)

By Rod C. Estrera

Issue No. 007 – 12 September 2013

The C.C.P. Formula For Career Success In Communication

HOPE ALL CONTINUES TO BE WELL WITH YOU AND YOUR LOVED ONES!

Welcome back again! This is now the seventh issue of my ongoing Blog Series on Basic Public Relations and Corporate Communication lessons, tips and insights for Industry Professionals and interested Non-Practitioners. Feel free to visit and re-visit the first to sixth issues (01, 04, 09, 15 & 22 July and 15 August) here on my Blog Site. Many thanks once more to the readers and followers who continue to send valuable feedback and suggestions, either on this Blog or through comments on social media. I again deeply regret the nearly one-month gap this time since my last issue. Indeed, the interval between issues continues to get longer. I will endeavor to rectify this. However, things continue to be highly-toxic at my regular day job. Like I stated last time, I will do what I can to someday discuss the work challenges we have been facing these last few months, since these fall within the PR/Communication sphere.

In our last issue (Issue No. 6), we discussed the “A.C.E. Principle” (or rather “A.A. – C.C. – E. Principle”) in Communication Planning. To recap, this stands for:

AWARENESS, ACCEPTANCE, CONVICTION, CONVERSION and ENDEARMENT.

This time we take a look at another easy-to-remember acronym I have personally created – “C.C.P.” – which is what I continuously and strongly espouse and advocate among my college students and seminar participants if they want to secure a worthwhile job or get ahead in their careers, more so for those in the various Core Communication fields.  To be quite honest, I teach three sets of “C.C.P.” acronyms, but for now, let us just focus on the Primary or First Set, as follows:

C – COMMUNICATION SKILLS – This is rather obvious, since we are in Communication. However, when we refer to this aspect, we emphasize “Superior and value-added written, verbal and technical skills.” Let’s face it, given today’s highly-competitive job market, the expectations are high when hiring managers look for qualified candidates among the hundreds (sometimes even thousands) of applicants lining up for every single open job position. Companies and bosses today look for Communication Practitioners – even for Entry-Level posts – who are “multi-skilled” and who excel in each skill, including but not limited to: speechwriting, business correspondence writing/editing (memos/letters), media/press relations and materials, audio-visual/multi-media production (including video, photography and presentation and public speaking skills), writing/editorial for publications (i.e., newsletters, annual reports, brochures), corporate social responsibility (CSR) experience, reputation management, employee/internal communication campaigns for HR support, and now online communication (including web site content) and social media.

C – CRITICAL THINKING – Sadly, many students taking Communication courses often neglect to hone and harness this key ability and just focus mainly on the tools of the trade, that is, the communication skills listed above. Certainly, mastery of our core skills is a must, but these should not be the only weapons in our arsenal. Company bosses now look for Communication staff (again, at all job levels) who can quickly “think on their feet” and be able to deeply analyze any given situation or problem in today’s crisis-filled corporate world and provide almost immediate viable recommendations and solutions. Thus, applicants/prospects get shocked during job interviews when they are sometimes presented with difficult and even bizarre or off-the-wall problems for them to analyze and solve on-the-spot, or else! Responding nervously with a lame “But they didn’t teach that in college!” will most likely result in the interviewer looking toward his or her door and yelling “Next!”

P – PASSION – It sometimes pains me, both professionally and personally, when I experience firsthand Communication students and PR and Advertising folks making pitches and presentations in the most lackluster and boring way possible. It’s like they’re saying, “How I wish I weren’t here!” Accept it and face it! We are in the business of reaching out, persuading and convincing. If we don’t look and sound like we love what we are doing, how do we expect others, especially our audience to buy into whatever it is we are advocating? On the other hand, Passion does not mean exaggeration or over-acting. It is equally irritating to see and hear the same industry folks act like they ought to be performing in a farce on a Broadway stage (unless you are pitching a new stage play) with their over-enunciated delivery. Please, let’s keep things balanced by learning how to properly manage our over-all “package” by using the appropriate energy level, voice intonation/inflection, body language, posture and, yes, even our attire and wardrobe. What we want to project is that: WE LOVE AND RESPECT OUR CRAFT and we want our audience and public to appreciate it too.

Do continue to stay tuned for my next issue, hopefully much sooner than the overly long wait this time around. We will look take up the other two sets of “C.C.P.” acronyms. Again, I do hope these easy-to-remember topics prove to be useful for both my fellow PR/Communication Professionals and our Clients/Bosses.

Thank you once more for your interest and patronage.  As always, may we all have a great and productive week and a fun and restful weekend ahead! 

CORPORATE COMMUNICATION AND PR 101 No. 006 - 15 August 2013 - THE R.A.C.E. AND A.C.E. PRINCIPLES IN COMMUNICATION STRATEGY AND PLANNING

CORPORATE COMMUNICATION & PR 101

(BACK TO BASICS)

By Rod C. Estrera

Issue No. 006 – 15 August 2013

The R.A.C.E. And A.C.E. Principles In Communication Strategy And Planning

HOPE ALL CONTINUES TO BE WELL WITH YOU AND YOUR LOVED ONES!

Welcome back again! This is now the sixth issue of my new Blog Series on Basic Public Relations and Corporate Communication lessons, tips and insights for Industry Professionals and interested Non-Practitioners. Feel free to visit and re-visit the first to fifth issues (01, 04, 09, 15 and 22 July) here on my Blog Site. Many thanks once more to the readers who have sent feedback, either directly on this Blog or as comments on my social media posts providing links to my Blog. I will do what I can to utilize these.  I do regret that this issue took almost three weeks since the last one. Things have been rather toxic at my regular day job. Someday, I may talk about it, but I have an internal policy to avoid citing case studies from past and present employers, unless such particulars are already public knowledge. If I do discuss these, I will only deal with objective facts.

In our last issue (Issue No. 5), we concluded “The Four Key Questions” that need to be asked and addressed in the preparation of every Communication Plan, be it for PR, Advertising, Marketing, Corporate Communication, Special Events or even for Crisis Communication. We then segued to the development of our Communication Plan and began to touch on the Basic “R.A.C.E.” Formula, as originally introduced by John Marston and reinforced by Dennis Wilcox, and recapped as follows:

·        Research (or the Listening Stage) – What is the problem or situation?

·        Action (or Program Planning) – What is going to be done about it?

·        Communication (or Execution) – How will the audience/public be told?

·        Evaluation – Was the audience reached and what was/were the effect/s? 

Like I said last time, different organizations, authors and executives utilize variations of the above, but R.A.C.E. will continue to be a universal general outline. We will revert to and discuss the various aspects of this formula every now and then, moving forward.

What about the “A.C.E. Principle” (or rather “A.A. – C.C. – E. Principle”) in Communication Planning I mentioned last time. As I have been teaching my college students throughout the years, this acronym represents the escalating stages of what we want to achieve with our audience (or target market, for marketing efforts). A great number of my industry colleagues who use this principle, which stands for:

A – AWARENESS. Obviously, this first phase is the information stage to make our audience know or know more about your product, company, politician or advocacy.  This is followed by…

A – ACCEPTANCE. Our goal here is to ensure, through effective persuasion, that not only does our audience know, but also accept that we are promoting is valid (i.e., “I know and accept that ‘Brand X’ Shampoo is a worthwhile product or that Mr. John Smith is a potentially good Senate candidate, etc.).

C – CONVICTION. Once our audience accepts what we are advocating, we next need to “convince” them to purchase such a product or vote for our candidate, as the case may be. This is the “call-to-action” that is key in all communication efforts and campaigns. Our audience is now determined to act in our favor.

C – CONVERSION. By this time, our original or initial audience is now in the “word-of-mouth” or “viral” phase. Instead of our relying on an expensive celebrity endorser, our audience is now doing this for us by “spreading the good word” about us and convincing their family, friends and colleagues to also patronize what we are promoting.

E – ENDEARMENT. Now, all of the above are simply not enough. Our efforts should not stop there. We should not be merely content with one-time actions or transactions. What’s next then? In Marketing, this is referred to as the “Repeat Purchase.” Our target market loves our product so much that they are willing to come back for more (or more variants of our product). In politics, they are willing to re-elect our candidate or see him/her in another or higher government post. Our communication here involves both reminder and reinforcement. Our audience should not just return because they have no choice, but more importantly because they ardently and passionately wish to.

Do continue to stay tuned for my next issue in a few days’ time, hopefully much sooner than the long wait for this issue. We will look at another easy-to-remember acronym I have personally created – “C.C.P.” – which is what I continuously and strongly espouse and advocate among my college students and seminar participants if they want to secure a job or get ahead in their careers, more so for those in the various Communication fields. Again, I do hope these easy-to-remember topics prove to be useful for both my fellow PR/Communication Professionals and our Clients/Bosses.

Thank you once more for your interest and patronage.  As always, may we all have a great and productive week and a fun and restful weekend ahead!

CORPORATE COMMUNICATION AND PR 101 No. 005 - 22 July 2013 - THE FOUR KEY QUESTIONS (Part 4)

CORPORATE COMMUNICATION & PR 101

(BACK TO BASICS)

By Rod C. Estrera

Issue No. 005 – 22 July 2013 

The Four Key Questions In Communication Planning (Part 4)

I DO HOPE YOU ALL HAD A BLESSED AND ENJOYABLE WEEKEND!

Welcome back again! This is now the fifth issue of my new Blog Series on Basic Public Relations and Corporate Communication lessons, tips and insights for Industry Professionals and interested Non-Practitioners. Feel free to visit and re-visit the first to fourth issues (01, 04, 09 and 15 July) here on my Blog Site. Many thanks to the readers who have sent feedback, either directly on this Blog or as comments on my social media posts providing links to my Blog. I will endeavor to integrate or adopt your various suggestions. 

As started in our Issue No. 2, and to conclude in this issue (Issue No. 5), we will discuss “The Four Key Questions” that need to be asked and addressed in the preparation of every Communication Plan, be it for PR, Advertising, Marketing, Corporate Communication, Special Events or even for Crisis Communication.  Again, these questions, which should serve as the cornerstones of our Communication Research efforts even before an actual Communication Plan is developed, are as follows:

1.  Who is my audience?

2.  What do I want my audience to do?

3.  What perceptions guide their actions?

4.  How can I change their actions?

For this issue, we will now briefly discuss the fourth and final question: “How can I change their actions?” In other words, “How can I change behavior?” This stage requires a certain degree of psychological analysis and reflection that entails:

·        Identifying interventions.

·        Identifying actions and decisions.

·        Canceling certain determinants.

How do we change determinants to achieve the goal of behavior change? These are the interventions that will be identified and used to affect or nullify certain determinants and reinforce the message/s we want to present to our audience. Thus, we finally come to the nitty-gritty of our campaign.  This is where we identify specific actions and decisions that will ultimately affect behavior. This is where we start developing our Communication Plan.

The Basic COMMUNICATION PLAN: The “R.A.C.E.” Formula –

Different books and different companies/organizers use varying formats in their Communication Plans (be these for PR, Marketing Communication, Corporate Communication, Advertising or other efforts). Some of these formats are more complicated or have much more steps than others. Regardless of these differences, there is a universal structure that is consistently present in almost all of the formats being used today. Originally introduced by John Marston in his book “The Nature Of Public Relations” – and echoed in “Public Relations: Strategies & Tactics” by Dennis Wilcox – is the easy-to-remember “R.A.C.E.” Acronym or Formula.

As emphasized in previous posts, Communication, including Public Relations, is a strategic process. As such, it is a series of deliberate actions, changes or functions that bring about a desired result. Essentially, “R.A.C.E.” means that a Communication activity consists of the following four key elements:

·        Research (or the Listening Stage) – What is the problem or situation?

·        Action (or Program Planning) – What is going to be done about it?

·        Communication (or Execution) – How will the audience/public be told?

·        Evaluation – Was the audience reached and what was/were the effect/s? 

While “R.A.C.E.” is a handy acronym that has proven to be an effective mnemonic device, spelling it out though makes for a rather weak battle cry for many PR/Communication Professionals. I recall that some organizations/institutions preferred to verbalize this as: “LISTEN, PLAN. COMMUNICATE and EVALUATE… because the Public must know!” (Can you imagine shouting “RESEARCH!” at a “rah-rah” or motivational gathering of communicators? Doesn’t sound quite right, does it?)

                                          

Do continue to stay tuned for my next issue in a few days’ time. We will delve a little more into the “R.A.C.E. Formula” and then take a look at what I call the “A.C.E. Principle” (or rather “A.A. – C.C. – E. Principle”) in Communication Planning. Again, I hope these easy-to-remember topics prove to be useful for both my fellow PR/Communication Professionals and our Clients/Bosses.

Some of our readers have requested for more details, particularly actual case studies from my personal experience. Moving forward, I will see what I can do vis-à-vis keeping these articles brief and concise, even if it means breaking down topics over several posts. Please bear in mind that an average of two of my weekly Blogs or posts represents items in the outline or overview of topics that I would normally discuss during a typical three-hour Saturday college class. In addition, I wish to be cautious with examples, specially those involving former employers or principals. With everyone’s indulgence, I will do what I can to weave my “safer” and more relevant personal experiences and involvement, as appropriate and as needed.

Thank you once more for your interest and patronage.  As always, may we all have a great and productive week ahead! 

CORPORATE COMMUNICATION AND PR 101 No. 004 - 15 July 2013 - THE FOUR KEY QUESTIONS (Part 3)

CORPORATE COMMUNICATION & PR 101

(BACK TO BASICS)

By Rod C. Estrera

Issue No. 004 – 15 July 2013

The Four Key Questions In Communication Planning (Part 3)

I DO HOPE YOU ALL HAD A FUN AND RESTFUL WEEKEND!

Welcome back once more! This is now the fourth issue of my new Blog Series on Basic Public Relations and Corporate Communication lessons, tips and insights for Industry Professionals and interested Non-Practitioners. Feel free to visit and re-visit the first to third issues (01, 04 and 09 July) here on my Blog Site.

As started in our Issue No. 2, and to continue until Issue No. 5, we will discuss “The Four Key Questions” that need to be asked and addressed in the preparation of every Communication Plan, be it for PR, Advertising, Marketing, Corporate Communication, Special Events or even for Crisis Communication.  Again, these questions, which should serve as the cornerstones of our Communication Research efforts even before an actual Communication Plan is developed, are as follows:

1.  Who is my audience?

2.  What do I want my audience to do?

3.  What perceptions guide their actions?

4.  How can I change their actions?

For this issue, we will now tackle the third question: “What perceptions guide their actions?” We need to take note of three basic factors as follows:

·        First, we identify “incentives” to make them ultimately change their behavior. This is the “What’s in it for me?” Factor.

·        Second, we need to constantly remember that effective communication affects the determinants to ultimately influence behavior in our favor. It’s not primarily the quantity, but the quality of our communication efforts that really matter.

·        Third, it is crucial for us to identify which determinants have the biggest influence on audience behavior, and for us to devise a specific effective strategy. We communicators often take pride in our “shotgun” approach in doing things, hoping that one of our shots would make its mark. Like true marksmen, we should not waste our shots, but make all of our shots actually count. 

Here are some factors in the creation of audience perception:

·        Perceived Benefits. Again, this is the “What’s in it for me?” factor. This refers to what people WANT, and not necessarily what they NEED. Behavioral changes are much easier if positive effects are felt on a personal level. 

·        Trust. Trust is all about support. We develop trust by giving out accurate facts, sometimes by using a credible spokesperson, or even through the use of appropriate and tasteful humor. Trust should never be ignored, most especially by government agencies or big corporations. We thus need to verify if we have already been “branded” by a negative stereotype in our audience’s mind (i.e., are we perceived as trustworthy, reputable, honorable, etc., or not?).

Perceived Benefits and Trust –

·        These are thus shaped by people’s experiences of our company or organization, and the kind of information they have received about it. These are mostly on the subconscious level and unclear to them why they like (or dislike) us.

·        To change behavior, we have to dissect what forces have influenced them over time. According to psychology experts, there are three major factors in the creation of perception – Learning, Feeling and Doing.

Method of Learning –

·        This is determined by the kind of information received. The Three Sources of Learning are: Personal Sources, Non-Personal and Direct.

·        Of the three, Personal Sources are the most effective. Communication campaigns should not just center on news and press releases. We need to simulate the “personal encounter” by getting opinion leaders – that is, people our publics trust – to offer testimonials.

·        We need to shape our materials to get the public to talk about the topic among themselves (i.e., creating a buzz, whether traditional or viral). It is not enough that they read about the issue, they must also discuss it over dinner or by the water cooler at the office.

Timing of Learning –

·        Given today’s information overload, people now tend to block out many messages to focus on what they believe is important to them.

·        It is thus critical to time our communication messages to people when they are most receptive.

·        This is where good research can help identify out “window period” to ensure our message hits the mark.

Feeling –

·        This is one of the most important factors in the creation of a perception.

·        We all know that human beings are very subjective. Emotions color what we see, or want to see.

·        We need to reach our audience/s and connect with them on both logical and emotional levels, by translating key ideas into a language that will hit them where it matters the most – their needs, their belief systems, and the things that they value the most.

·        Our messages should talk about how these will make our audience/s feel good.

Doing –

·        When people weigh different ideas or actions, they compute the various risks involved. They say to themselves, “What will happen if I do this or that? What will I have to give up?”

·        Risks include social risks (what other people will think), psychological risks (comfort zones, self-image), physical risks (“Is it dangerous? How will it affect my basic needs?), functional risks (“Is it convenient?”) and financial risks (“How much it will it cost or set me back?”)

·        That is why it is important for us to communicate to our audience/s that the benefits outweigh the risks.

Do continue to stay tuned for my next issue in a few days’ time for the Fourth of “The Four Key Questions” – “How can I change their actions?” Again, I hope these easy-to-remember topics prove to be useful for both my fellow PR/Communication Professionals and our Clients/Bosses. 

Thank you once more for your interest.  May we all have a great and productive week ahead!

CORPORATE COMMUNICATION AND PR 101 No. 003 - 09 July 2013 - THE FOUR KEY QUESTIONS (Part 2)

CORPORATE COMMUNICATION & PR 101

(BACK TO BASICS)

By Rod C. Estrera

Issue No. 003 – 09 July 2013

The Four Key Questions In Communication Planning (Part 2)

TO ALL MY AMERICAN & U.S.-BASED FAMILY & FRIENDS, I DO HOPE YOU ALL HAD A FANTASTIC FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATION LAST WEEK!

Welcome back! This is now the third issue of my new Blog Series on Basic Public Relations and Corporate Communication lessons, tips and insights for Industry Professionals and interested Non-Practitioners. Feel free to visit and re-visit the first and second issues (01 / 04 July) here on my Blog Site.

As started in our last issue, and to continue until Issue No. 5, we will discuss “The Four Key Questions” that need to be asked and addressed in the preparation of every Communication Plan, be it for PR, Advertising, Marketing, Corporate Communication, Special Events or even for Crisis Communication.  Again, these questions, which should serve as the cornerstones of our Communication Research efforts even before an actual Communication Plan is developed, are as follows:

1.  Who is my audience?

2.  What do I want my audience to do?

3.  What perceptions guide their actions?

4.  How can I change their actions?

For this issue, we will now tackle the second question: “What do I want my audience to do?” We need to undertake a rather complex process as follows:

·        First, we define the desired perception and behavior. This is the “Behavior Modification” aspect of Communication; that is, identifying how we want our audience to change their behavior. Every cause has an objective to achieve, involving achieving changes in people. In this stage, we identify the things that we want to sell to our audience (whether these are tangible products, services, institutions, personalities or even ideas).

·       Second, we look at the determinants of behavior. Here, we study competing/competitive behavior – the competitive scenario, the competitors’ edge over us and competitors’ resources to drive their equity. After this, we find out what our audience likes and dislikes about us, vis-à-vis our own efforts to improve their perception of us. We then find out what makes it easy or hard. Intervening factors may include confusion, miscommunication and even our own “corporate will.” Added to this is who approves or disapproves it – is it our internal stakeholders (e.g., management), our market/s, our government stakeholders/regulators, or a combination of the three?

·       Third, we make use of the appropriate validating planning tools. This is where we create a “research mix” (the best combination of research techniques) – whether we use straight factual research, surveys and/or focus group discussions (FGD). 

Before we proceed to the next steps, here are some important tips to remember whenever we develop communication plans:

·        Audience action is what counts. At the end of the day, that is the bottom line (whether we are persuading them to buy a bottle of shampoo, select a particular hair salon, vote for a politician or subscribe to a new ideology).

·        What looks simple to us may be complicated to our audience. All of our strategies and messages need to be simple for them to understand and appreciate.

·        Make it irresistible for our audience to act. Let’s face it; with all of the competitive “noise” out there, our messages and calls-to-action must stand out, while being convincing and compelling.

·        Make the actions seem for their own best interests. From the point of view of any audience, it will always be, “What’s in it for me?” If whatever we offer does not seem beneficial in any way, then we will need to re-evaluate not only our strategies, but perhaps even our product/service/idea itself.

·        The harder the campaign, the more comprehensive it must be. This goes without saying. If we are managing the communication efforts of a major, national political campaign, then our strategies and tactics must run the entire gamut of the communication spectrum – from the traditional to today’s complex social media platforms.

Do continue to stay tuned for my next issue in a few days’ time for the Third of “The Four Key Questions” – “What perceptions guide their actions?” Again, I hope these easy-to-remember topics prove to be useful for both my fellow PR/Communication Professionals and our Clients/Bosses. 

Thank you once more for your interest.  May we all continue to have a great and productive week ahead! 

CORPORATE COMMUNICATION AND PR 101 No. 002 - 04 July 2013 - THE FOUR KEY QUESTIONS

      CORPORATE COMMUNICATION & PR 101

(BACK TO BASICS)

By Rod C. Estrera

Issue No. 002 – 04 July 2013

The Four Key Questions In Communication Planning

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY TO ALL MY AMERICAN & US-BASED FAMILY & FRIENDS!

Welcome back! I do hope you all were able to catch on July 1 the first issue of my new Blog Series on Basic Public Relations and Corporate Communication lessons, tips and insights for Industry Professionals and interested Non-Practitioners. Feel free to visit and re-visit the first issue – which differentiated “Communication” from “Communications” – at:

http://rodestrera.blogspot.com/2013/07/corporate-communication-pr-101-by-rod-c.html.

Meanwhile, as previously promised and appropriate for the Fourth of July Celebration, beginning this second issue and up to the fifth, we will discuss “The Four Key Questions” that need to be asked and addressed in the preparation of every Communication Plan, be it for PR, Advertising, Marketing, Corporate Communication, Special Events or even for Crisis Communication.  These questions, which should serve as the cornerstones of our Communication Research efforts even before an actual Communication Plan is developed, are as follows:

1.  Who is my audience?

2.  What do I want my audience to do?

3.  What perceptions guide their actions?

4.  How can I change their actions?

For this issue, let’s focus on the first question: “Who is my audience?” In fact, in today’s multi-faceted, multi-media and multi-stakeholder world, it would be more appropriate to rephrase this to “Who are my audiences?” To help understand and address this first key question, we would need to review and apply the following three aspects:

·    First, we obviously need to know who they are. We must correctly identify the target or targets of our communication plan to tailor fit our strategies. Incorrect audience identification – or wrong assumptions on their lifestyle, belief system, or needs – will make our efforts ineffective;

·  Second, we should identify likes, dislikes and problems. Here, we must endeavor to understand audience needs and wants, and know them inside and out – to better persuade them to act or prevent them from acting (as dictated by our communication objectives); and

·  Third, we need to segment our audience. This is where we strategically break down our publics into different groups based on common characteristics, to respond similarly to our campaign. We must keep in mind, however, that segmentation is deliberate and not a random classification of people.

Do continue to stay tuned for my next issue in a few days’ time for the Second of “The Four Key Questions” – “What do I want my audience to do?” Again, I hope these easy-to-remember topics prove to be useful for both my fellow PR/Communication Professionals and our Clients/Bosses. 

Thank you once more for your interest.  

May you all have a great and productive week, a very Happy and Blessed 237^th U.S. Independence Day Celebration and a fun and restful weekend ahead!