Public Relations
One of the most important tasks facing a leader is that of public relations. Good public relations can enhance the work of an organization, and can bring in more resources and greater recognition. Poor public relations can undermine and even destroy an organization. Public relations involves networking, individual meetings, public meetings and use of the mass media.
General principles include:
• Identify your public, your clientele – what is the present image of you and your organization? Is it a mass or segmented clientele? What would be a good public image for your organization? Again do you want to appeal to a mass or a segmented group?
• How far is the public image based on reality, i.e. on real achievement, and how far is it based on vision and aspirations?
• How far would the public trust what you are saying, and how far would they dismiss it as “spin” (i.e. lies)? How do you build up trust?
• Networking is a key to good public relations
• Individual meetings
• Public meetings
• Symbolism and public relations
• Use of mass media. Do you know how the various types of media work? Do you know who is in charge of what? How would you utilize each of the different forms of media to assist in supporting your organization?
6.1 Identify your public, your clientele, your audience
It is important to identify your public. A political party trying to win votes will have a very different public from a university trying to win a good reputation as an academic teaching and research institution. A political party will have many different “publics” or audiences. The rural electorate may have a different set of priorities from the urban electorate; older people may have different values and concepts from young people; educated people may have different views from illiterate people; men, women and youths may have different concerns from each other; and so on. Similarly a university will have a segmented clientele: it may have older students, say in the forties, who may have quite different interests from younger students of eighteen. Some students may need degrees for career purposes, whilst others may want practical knowledge for their production enterprises. Trying to sell soap or perfume is very different from trying to sell ideas. Thus identifying your public is a key to a successful public relations strategy.
Exercise 6.1
Who is the public, clientele or audience of your organization? What’s the difference between the words “public”, “clientele” and “audience”. The exercise begins with each participant writing down her ideas for 10 minutes, followed by a 20 minute discussion. Discussion could cover areas like “general public” and “segmented clientele”.
6.2 Based on reality or on vision?
The reputation of an organization can be based on its past record or on its future vision, or on both. Reputations are normally based on both past record and future vision. The past record helps to build up credibility and trust: we tend to trust people and organizations that we know, whereas newcomers and new organizations first have to prove their worth before we can believe them.
Because reputation depends so much on trust, it is normal to pick on people who already have a good reputation and who have already built up a record of trust, so that the new institution can benefit from the past records of such persons. For example when a new
organization is established, it is customary to look for trusted and well reputed persons who are prepared to associate themselves with the organization. These people can be appointed as “trustees” for example. Trustees generally guarantee the financial probity of an organization.
It is also common to trust fellow users, so if some people have already bought the product and found it to be of high quality, they can become a very persuasive way of attracting other people to come and join them. This is often the case with fashion for example: when a sports person or a film star wears certain clothes or support certain views, a large number of people may be persuaded to follow them. A good example is how UNICEF uses sports persons and film stars to support their programmes, such as fund raising in rich countries for poor countries, support for openness about HIV/AIDS so that sufferers can get proper treatment and support, etc. The opposite is also true: one or two mistakes may result in the institution getting a bad reputation, and so losing its clientele.
A wonderful vision of the future can also be persuasive. People always want a better future, for themselves or for their families. When a person or organization offers them the possibility of something better in the future, they may be persuaded to support the organization.
However a vision needs to be tempered with successful implementation, otherwise the vision is in danger of becoming empty words. There is a saying that “nothing succeeds like success”, and this is true of public relations. People want to follow if there is already a record of success.
Exercise 6.2
What aspects of your past record can be utilized? What present users/subscribers will be able to support your organization in public? What well-known people are prepared to support your organization? What organizational vision is attractive, and to whom? Is this vision realizable or is it a pipe dream? Each participant to write down her points for 10 minutes, followed by a coordinator led discussion for 20 minutes.
6.3 Building up trust
It is important to ensure that people believe and trust what you are saying. If your claims turn out to be untrue, this can be seriously damaging and can destroy your reputation. For example if you claim you can cure some illness, and you fail to do so, then former patients may spread the word that you are a quack, and this may mean that nobody will come to you for a cure in the future. It is therefore essential that your organization builds up this trust deliberately.
“Spin” refers to highly inflated, cheap and even untrue claims. It is often used by political parties and by advertisers, who claim they are more perfect than is possible. Spin leads to distrust. It is therefore important not to claim more than you can deliver, because this is a sure recipe for a backlash. Whilst undue modesty may not be useful, wild claims will definitely and eventually bring your organization into disrepute. It is important to be able to deliver what you claim you can deliver. Good public relations is not a mere “white-washing” the image of an organization. It should be built on sound ethics, integrity and honesty, otherwise the general public may come to dismiss everything you claim.
Trust depends on knowing the character and values of a person and of an institution. People do not trust a person whom they do not know. The public also does not trust an institution it does not know. Building up trust is a painstaking exercise, where people get to know the person and the institution. It is therefore important to be clear about the principles on which the institution is built, and to uphold these principles, even when it is costly to do so. If a shop has based its reputation on selling good quality products, it will probably also have a policy of guaranteeing its products for a certain period. If the product breaks down during the period, it is replaced. A newspaper will try and build up its reputation as a trustworthy news provider, and will take the trouble to verify anything it publishes. If it makes a mistake or misquotes a source, it must make a correction as soon as possible.
Trust is based on ethics. Ethics means that you represent certain principles and values, and you stand by them. Ethics provide a guarantee of reliability and predictability. Ethics join together people of like mind. So a church joins together people who believe in the same principles and values, and try to stick to them. Similarly a business or a political party will stand for certain ethical principles and values, and are expected to keep to these. Examples of ethics include honesty, justice, reliability, democracy, fair play, loyalty, etc.
As an individual and as an organization it is important to build up trust, because people will trust their future into your hands. They are unlikely to do this if they don’t trust you.
Exercise 6.3
This exercise is a discussion exercise in small groups. Areas which can be discussed include the following:
(a) Give examples of trust and examples of spin.
(b) Discuss the different types of ethics required in different types of organizations, e.g. hospital, school, church, government, newspaper
(c) How does a leader build up trust?
At the end of the 1 hour discussion, each group provides a 5 minute report to the plenary.
6.4 Networking
Networking is one of the most important ways of building up a good reputation for your organization. Networking involves getting to know the people and organizations which work in the same area, organizations which represent the clientele, organizations which can offer some professional, technical or financial assistance, etc. Each institution will have a different set of people in its networks.
Whilst networking is important, of course it cannot replace actual work. However, sometimes excellent work is done in isolation, and because this work is isolated, it cannot have a big impact. Networking can be a way of spreading the good work to other organizations.
Isolation is also problematic in that you may be unable to be in touch with the latest research and development in your field. Networks enable you to have your ears to the ground, so that you know all the important things that can impact on your organization. Networking expands an organization’s horizon.
Exercise 6.4
What networks do you belong to? What networks should you belong to in order to assist your organization? Can you form your own network? How would you do this?
In this exercise each participant writes down her answers to these questions. Then the module coordinator will lead a discussion with participants giving their views. The points can be organized under the following headings:
• Types of networks
• What can be gained from networks
• How to form a network
6.5 Individual meetings
One to one meetings are important. Such meetings will have different objectives, such as just establishing a friendly atmosphere, building trust, getting to know each other, exchanging information, planning future joint activities, etc. Individual meetings are one of the keys to getting to know people better. As you know, in any organization, it is not only the job structure that matters, but it is essential to get to know each member of your staff well. You need to know the good points as well as the weaknesses of your staff in order to be able to do staff development to build up your organization’s capacity. One to one meetings may help you to plan each individual’s future career prospects more accurately.
Exercise 6.5
Participants break up into pairs. They will conduct one to one meetings on the following:
(a) Meeting between a sales person and a potential client
(b) Meeting between two rival companies in the same business – is there a possibility of collaboration or not?
(c) Meeting between a politician and a newspaper reporter
(d) Meeting between a church leader and a business person
(e) Meeting between a government official and a donor representative
After 30 minutes of working in pairs, each pair will give a 5 minute report on what was achieved and what failed during the one on one meeting. The whole exercise should take about one and a half hours.
6.6 Public speaking meetings
Public speaking involves developing new skills. In schools and universities this is usually done through the debating society. If you are a leader, you will need to develop some skills in this area. Some principles include:
• Who is your audience and why have they come to listen to you? Your appearance, language and companions are very important. If you are addressing peasants, it is essential not to be dressed in a way which is offensive to them. On the other hand, if you are addressing business people, you would need to dress in a way that would make them identify with you, and respect you. The language you use is also important. It may be better to address some meetings in an African language, whereas other meetings have to be addressed in an international language.
• What is the level of formality or informality? In some situations it is good to utilize first names, such as Mary, Betty, etc., as this may help establish an atmosphere of friendship and familiarity. On the other hand, in other situations it is essential to be formal, addressing people by their formal titles, e.g. Dr., Your Excellency, etc.
• How long should you speak? This again depends on the situation. Academic forums usually expect a speech of 30 – 45 minutes, and anything shorter may be thought to be too superficial. On the other hand, it is known that the normal attention span of people is about 7 minutes, and it is not uncommon in large mass meetings to keep speeches to about 7 – 10 minutes, and to punctuate speeches with songs, drama or other interesting activities.
• What is the objective of the meeting? If people are expecting to hear substantive issues, and you fail to address these issue, people may become angry and may dismiss you as an unsuitable leader. On the other hand many meetings may have social or moral objectives. For example people may come to meetings to meet their friends. People may come to church to re-inforce their moral resolve, rather than to hear anything new. A meeting may be held to enable the leader to listen to her followers, rather than to say very much.
Exercise 6.6
Break up into groups of 8 – 10 people. Each participant prepares a 5 minute speech, and delivers it to her group. At the end of the session each person is evaluated by the group utilizing the following indicators:
(a) Emotional warmth or coldness: how do you establish a friendly atmosphere?
(b) Intellectual coherence: does it make sense? Is it relevant to the audience?
(c) To the point or not? Too many points? No points at all?
6.7 Symbolism and public relations
Leaders are very much symbols of their organization and of their grouping. This is an important aspect of public relations. That means how you dress and talk, and whom you talk to, are just as important as what you say. If you are dressed like a New York model, it is unlikely that you will be seen as the leader of illiterate peasant farmers. Similarly if you are dressed in shorts and tennis shoes, you may not be trusted as a banker. Somehow we expect our bankers to be dressed very conservatively.
Exercise 6.7
Each participant to write down 2 – 3 examples of leadership symbols. These are then discussed in the plenary, with the coordinator organizing the symbols in groups. Possible groupings for points could be:
(a) Symbols of political leadership
(b) Symbols of identification with the poor
(c) Symbols of identification of achievement, i.e. proof that “I’ve made it!”
6.8 Use of mass media
Do you know how the various types of media work? Do you know who is in charge of what? How would you utilize each of the different forms of media to assist in supporting your organization?
Radio
Radio remains the most accessible form of mass communication, as FM radios are low cost, and broadcasting on FM is also very low cost. The quality of FM reception is good. Even shortwave radios are not that expensive, and today satellite radio programmes are available. Radio broadcasts include educational programmes, political programmes, advertisements, friendly programmes, discussion programmes, drama and other cultural programmes, and music. All of these aspects of radio can be utilized by a leader. Radio is used to spread information, such as advertisements, health warnings, agricultural information, etc. In Ghana and Uganda, there are now many private local and community radio stations which include telephone inputs from listeners, and these radio programmes have had a very important impact on the growth of democracy in these countries. Listeners are able to make their complaints and views known, and the radio station can seek responses from government offices and officials. Educational broadcasts are a well known and traditional form of education. Discussion programmes on critical issues are important, e.g. on women’s health or property rights. Drama, cultural and music programmes form the staple of most radio broadcasts, as people depend on the radio for entertainment and edu-tainment. Radio is so important politically that many countries have funded radio programmes into foreign countries, e.g. the USA funded radio stations broadcasting into the former Soviet Union. Liberation movements against colonialism in Africa have traditionally utilized radio. In developing countries radio reaches more people than any other medium.
Newspapers and print media
After radio, newspapers are one of the most important forms of communication. Most people in cities and towns in Africa have access to newspapers, although they may not be so common in remote rural areas where the radio may be the only form of mass media available. As a result newspapers are an essential vehicle for providing information and forming public opinions. You and your organization will need to work out a strategy for ensuring the best utilization of the print media. Generally, you need to plan at least a monthly coverage of your institution, and this presentation should be both focused and interesting. You can look at different aspects of your organization, e.g. the programmes you are running, your clients and their perspective on your organization, new developments, networks, etc.
Television and video
Television is an important medium, particularly in the urban areas. Rural centres can also have access to television. However the video may be a more powerful form of communication as it is now low cost and widely available. Video cassettes are low cost. It is possible to disseminate your views, ideas and programmes through television and video.
Newsletters
Newletters are a common and low cost way of communicating with your colleagues, donors and clients. Many organizations have a quarterly newsletter for this purpose. Depending on how ambitious you are, a newsletter can vary from a simple one page document to a very complex publication.
Internet
Internet is now becoming common in most urban areas and in educational institutions all over Africa. It offers a wealth of opportunities for communications, and most organizations find it useful to establish their own websites. A website offers an opportunity to communicate with a world wide audience. You can also utilize your website to provide programmes and services to your clientele. In other words the internet offers a simple and effective mechanism for widening your networks.
Email
Email is not only a good way of keeping in touch with friends, but it is also a fast and effective way of doing business, whatever your business may be.
Exercise 6.7
This is either an individual or small group exercise. Topics to be covered:
• work out a public relations plan for your organization including your target audience, the image you would like to create and how you intend to create it
• work out how you would utilize radio, newspapers, television to enhance your public relations
• work out how you would utilize the internet and email to boost your organization’s work
• how would you organize a network of journalists to support your organization?
Module 6
Leadership Project
Select one of the following exercises either individually or in a small team of participants who work in the same area. The exercise will consist of the plan for a small pilot project, which the individual or the team will then implement. This will be critiqued by the tutors and will be discussed by the group as a whole. Each person or group must do a strategic leadership plan which is then critiqued, and must be implemented.
Exercise 6.1
Do a strategic plan for your organization. Work out the processes of consultation that you will follow, and how you will go about implementing it.
Exercise 6.2
Do an analysis of the leadership strengths and weaknesses in your organization. How would you go about strengthening your organization from the leadership point of view?
Exercise 6.3
Do a plan for a public relations programme for your organization, and put this plan into action.
Exercise 6.4
Do a programme for strengthening your personal leadership qualities and skills. How would you go about implementing such a personal improvement programme?
Exercise 6.5
How would you strengthen your knowledge and skills in your specialist area? How much is necessary?