Anatomy of Communications
The late House Speaker Thomas “Tip” O’Neil coined the phrase “All politics is local.” When it comes to media and public relations, we say, “All communications is personal.”
We should expand on that and say that all productive communications is personal. Most people are exposed to an endless stream of communication throughout the day -- written, verbal and visual. The information we pay attention to and process usually fits into two categories: the practical and the personal. An example of the practical is the weather report. Should I grab my umbrella? The personal encompasses a whole range of topics unique to each of us.
With this understanding, we learn how to reach people we want to reach – those who may be receptive to our message. And we can disregard the rest. If your company sends out mass e-mails or press releases (or worse, press kits) carrying sterile messages that have little connection to people’s lives, you’re wasting a lot of money and effort. And, in fact, you’re diluting your message and harming your brand. We can show you how to bring attention to your message.
Speaking of streams of information, see A River Runs Through It (below) to understand the volume of press releases, letters and messages that flow through a typical newsroom in a single day.
A River Runs Through It
With apologies to writer Norman Maclean and director Robert Redford, a river runs through every newsroom of any size every day – a fast-running river of press releases, letters, messages and other information. Any individual item has about as much chance of getting noticed on its own as a deep-running trout.
Good public relations specialists control the perception of a company in the market. They can define the brand, and more importantly, the mission of the company, if they can get heard. Many firms do excellent work and are leaders in the community, but their messages are often drowned in the information river and never seen by the right people in newsrooms. We can help you control this reality and use it to your advantage.