Source: Roland Tiangco photograph on CultureHall.com

Vanguard will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2012. We’re proud of our accomplishments, but we’re also excited about what the future holds for social change communications. Through the end of the year we will be sharing our predictions for 2012 and beyond under the title, “InSites for the [...]]]>

Source: Roland Tiangco photograph on CultureHall.com

Vanguard will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2012. We’re proud of our accomplishments, but we’re also excited about what the future holds for social change communications. Through the end of the year we will be sharing our predictions for 2012 and beyond under the title, “InSites for the Future.”

We’re kicking off our predictions with a look at the future of multicultural communication later today. What else will we be discussing? Check out our schedule below:

Monday, Dec. 19 – Multicultural Communication in 2012

Tuesday, Dec. 20 – The Future of Social Media

Wednesday, Dec. 21 – The Use of Visuals in Communication in 2012

Thursday, Dec. 22 – The PR Workplace of Tomorrow

Friday, Dec. 23 – Persistence and Audience Are Key to Messaging in 2012

Tuesday, Dec. 27 – Keeping People Interested and Engaged in 2012

Wednesday, Dec. 28 – Strategic Online Experts of Tomorrow

Thursday, Dec. 29 – Opportunities for Non-Profit/Corporate Partnerships to Grow in 2012

Friday, Dec. 30 – 2012 Will Set A New Standard for Green/Sustainable Events

Only time will tell whether the predictions we make come true, but in the meantime we welcome your own predictions and thoughts in the comment fields!

“Warning,” the morning anchor intoned. “The video you are about to see is graphic, and may be hard to watch.”

Which ensured that we all would watch, of course. And I did watch — in discomfort and then growing  horror –  as a Texas judge whaled away at his then 16-year-old daughter with a leather [...]]]>

“Warning,” the morning anchor intoned. “The video you are about to see is graphic, and may be hard to watch.”

Which ensured that we all would watch, of course. And I did watch — in discomfort and then growing  horror –  as a Texas judge whaled away at his then 16-year-old daughter with a leather strap. Reports are that the judge is unrepentant, saying he has done nothing wrong.

It made me think about the culture of spanking. I grew up with spanking but, but when I was raising my daughter, it was frowned upon. Still, those who spanked were as unrepentant as the judge, saying that they would rather spank than have a spoiled brat. Those aren’t the only two options, of course, but it is true that shaping a child’s behavior takes time and patience. Fear is fast. Behavior change is laborious.

As a communicator, I think about how we change behaviors with social marketing. Behavior change comes about because we take the time to find out what our audience wants, what’s stopping them from doing what we want them to do and what messages are relevant to them that will change their thinking about their old behaviors. We pre-test messages, we evaluate, we tweak. Sure, if we lived in a dictatorship, we could just change behaviors by fiat rather than take all of those steps, but even dictators these days are finding that ruling by fear only works until people’s discomfort with old behaviors outweighs their fear.

Social marketing is a process. It pushes people from unaware to engaged with a series of targeted and continuously refined outreach. It is not fast.

Smoking cessation social marketing campaigns have moved people from considering that smoking was bad for their health, to wanting to learn more, to stopping smoking, to seeking legislation to protect nonsmokers from secondhand smoke. It is a campaign that has taken decades, but it has moved the needle on behavior and attitude. And yet, even decades later, there are still people that start to smoke despite all the messages. Many say it is time to tweak the message to reach young people not old enough to have been reached by the beginning of the message continuum. But the important thing is that behavior is changing. For example, we are unlikely to ever return to the days of smoking in restaurants or on planes.

Fear is fast. But it does not last. The 16-year-old being beaten is now a 24-year-old.  She posted the video on YouTube, and is making the rounds of morning talk shows, hardly the behavior her father wanted to result from his spanking.

Fear is fast, but the behavior change as a result of careful and considered social marketing… lasts.

My brother and I dressed up for Halloween

When I was growing up, Japanese exchange students lived with us for eight consecutive summers. I loved it; they showered my siblings and me with attention, provided an excuse to visit places like Disneyland and museums, and would always bring special and exciting gifts from their [...]]]>

My brother and I dressed up for Halloween

When I was growing up, Japanese exchange students lived with us for eight consecutive summers. I loved it; they showered my siblings and me with attention, provided an excuse to visit places like Disneyland and museums, and would always bring special and exciting gifts from their country. My favorite gift (only second to my Hello Kitty alarm clock that woke me up in Japanese) was a kimono. Even at nine, I knew it was special and important in Japanese culture and respected it by not adding it to the dress up bin. I wore it only on special occasions and, for me, that included Halloween.

This Halloween, a small student organization called STARS (Students Teaching About Racism) at Ohio University runs a campaign called “We’re a culture, not a costume” and it is making big news. While I know that this campaign would break my nine-year-old heart, I also know that this story isn’t just about Halloween.

This type of story would never have broken when I was trick-or-treating in my kimono. Thanks to the democratization of technology, a new, active online generation and the shareability of media, small student groups are able to have a big voice. Or, as author and social technology commentator Clay Shirky would put it, “Here Comes Everybody.”  Their simple message and powerful imagery facilitated the campaign’s popularity and wide reach. This also made it all the easier for media outlets to post with limited content.

I also think the explosion of this campaign reflects its timeliness. The campaign asks its viewers to use a critical eye when portraying certain racial and ethnic groups. Unlike in many other moments in our history, today this is a national dialogue we’re ready to have.

Finally, as communications practitioners, we need to remember to hold ourselves to high standards when it comes to representing minorities and marginalized populations. Stereotyping a certain population is not only objectifying, it’s offensive and one dimensional. It doesn’t speak to the complexities of our lives.

So, how do we move forward? It’s not easy, and our approaches are not nearly perfect. What we can and should do is keep talking.  We should also be grateful for individuals like the STARS members who remind us that all people deserve to be treated — and represented — with dignity and respect.

I know I need duct tape, water, non-perishable food goods, batteries,  blankets and flashlights. But learning about emergency preparedness beyond the basics has always put me to sleep…until today.

Now, I have to think about the zombies. Yes, zombies.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) new Preparedness 101: Zombie Pandemic has turned the standard disaster preparation message [...]]]>

I know I need duct tape, water, non-perishable food goods, batteries,  blankets and flashlights. But learning about emergency preparedness beyond the basics has always put me to sleep…until today.

Now, I have to think about the zombies. Yes, zombies.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) new Preparedness 101: Zombie Pandemic has turned the standard disaster preparation message into a trendy, wry graphic novel that will catch the attention of kids, the mildly curious and certainly this writer.

When the CDC first introduced the zombie storyline in May 2011, blog hits rose from from 3,000 to 3 million, with more than 500 comments. With proof that zombies are the gateway to successful health communications, the agency began a video contest (see below), offered Zombie Task Force T-shirts and just introduced this zombie-themed novella in time for Halloween. They’re betting that critically important information on safety will reach many more millions if it’s rising out of the miasma of a Zombie invasion. I know that I have never been so excited about emergency preparedness.

This approach is a great reminder that as communications professionals, it often pays off to be reinventive and funky, as long as we keep our eye on an end goal of informing and persuading audiences – or surviving a zombie invasion.

Last week was National Wellness Week, which encouraged people to incorporate one of the Eight Dimensions of Wellness into their lives to fight heart disease. Each of the Eight Dimensions – whether it be occupational, emotional, financial, social, spiritual, physical, intellectual, or environmental – help people address the physical health behaviors that can put [...]]]>

Last week was National Wellness Week, which encouraged people to incorporate one of the Eight Dimensions of Wellness into their lives to fight heart disease. Each of the Eight Dimensions – whether it be occupational, emotional, financial, social, spiritual, physical, intellectual, or environmental – help people address the physical health behaviors that can put them at a higher risk for heart disease and its complications.

At Vanguard, we celebrated wellness through line dancing. Last Friday, we gathered as a staff in our office building’s gym and danced the Macarena, the Electric Slide, the Cupid Shuffle and Homey Twist.

I remember the first time I saw a line dance. I was at a wedding reception. A crowd had gathered in the front of the reception hall in front of the DJ booth and I inched my way through to see what was going on. Two sisters were doing a dance routine – both in step and sync with the music – with each one adding a personal flare to the dance. As the music continued, spectators joined in as they learned the basic dance moves. Eventually, the dance floor was filled with older folks and young adults, all standing spaced out and side by side, doing the same step in beat to the music. Everyone – regardless of age or physical ability – was line dancing. As we danced, all were beaming with joy in celebration of the occasion, but also because of the bond formed between the new couple and their families, friends and associates through our dance activity.

Line dancing, regardless of the dance you choose, is a fun activity that increases the heart rate and brings people of all ages, races, ethnicities and gender together for a common purpose. In the case of Vanguardians last week, it was an activity to improve our mental and physical wellness.

Ultimately, line dancing is a celebration of wellness, people, connection and life. We put our hearts into the dancing. The best part was that if you messed up one of the dance moves, fellow line dancers would not  judge you or make you feel silly. Instead, we helped guide each other to the right step and encouraged each other as we danced for wellness.

Some people communicate for social change with garden shears, slowly trimming the landscape to a more pleasing picture. Others communicate with a machete, lopping off deadwood and anything else that gets in the way of change.

Photo courtesy of NIH

Bernadine Healy, who died Aug. 6 at 67 of a recurrence of brain cancer, was [...]]]>

Some people communicate for social change with garden shears, slowly trimming the landscape to a more pleasing picture. Others communicate with a machete, lopping off deadwood and anything else that gets in the way of change.

Photo courtesy of NIH

Bernadine Healy, who died Aug. 6 at 67 of a recurrence of brain cancer, was one of the latter.

Healy’s career goal of medicine was established by age 12. A graduate of Harvard Medical School, she became a cardiologist and held positions at Johns Hopkins University and the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, among many other prominent organizations. Calling medicine the most noble of endeavors, Healy took the established medical culture and whacked away at the old, established ways of looking at patients, particularly women in mid-life and older. She later became the first woman to head the National Institutes of Health (NIH). If you see a public service announcement outlining all the symptoms that can mask a woman’s heart attack — such as fatigue or indigestion — you can thank Healy, who communicated loud and long that women were not just miniature men, and in fact needed their own course of study, which became the $500 million Women’s Health Initiative at NIH.

Like many outspoken communicators, Healy was not universally beloved and her knack for ruffling feathers in “old establishments” led to the end of her relationship with several organizations, including the American Red Cross right after the September 11 terrorist attacks. But her communications style cleared the path to a better understanding of women’s health, and her innovative policymaking has certainly saved countless lives through prevention.

Healy once said of her professional accomplishments: “I am proud that I never compromised my core beliefs, never wobbled on what I believed to be the right path and had the strength to endure both.”

What a terrific message for medicine and communications.

Last night, I decided to go shoe-shopping from the comfort of my sofa, so I whipped out my iPad and went to a popular shoe site. A screen popped up saying that the site had an app for shoe-shopping. Heaven! Three pairs of shoes later, my idle desire to go shoe-shopping had turned into [...]]]>

Last night, I decided to go shoe-shopping from the comfort of my sofa, so I whipped out my iPad and went to a popular shoe site. A screen popped up saying that the site had an app for shoe-shopping. Heaven! Three pairs of shoes later, my idle desire to go shoe-shopping had turned into a “need” for shoes. Why? Because the site grabbed me by making it so darn easy!

Photo courtesy of Steve Rhodes on Flickr

I thought of this as I read that mobile devices, such as my iPad, have outpaced PCs in using wi-fi bandwidth. Just as the shoe site reached out and grabbed me on my sofa, smart communicators are taking advantage of this format evolution to make sure their audiences receive their messages.

Studies show that our brains change when we spend more time browsing the Internet than reading books — our brains become “trained” to be flexible and grasp ideas quickly. So, it stands to reason that people who are using mobile devices to get their information need quick bursts of information and not the “War and Peace” of press releases.

Mobile isn’t just for youngsters anymore. Communicators wanting to reach adults can forgo in-depth prose, because the latest stats show that adults are using wireless more. The trend is even more striking among African-Americans and English-speaking Latinos, who not only outpace whites in cell phone ownership, but also in the use of the phones’ features.

So, the question for communicators:

Hw fst cn u commnic8?

As the school year wraps up, many, including myself, are caught up with graduation excitement. My niece graduated from high school this month, and I am very proud to share her accomplishment and celebrate her academic achievements as if they were my own.

Photo courtesy of Pushout Philly blog

But, what if she had dropped [...]]]>

As the school year wraps up, many, including myself, are caught up with graduation excitement. My niece graduated from high school this month, and I am very proud to share her accomplishment and celebrate her academic achievements as if they were my own.

Photo courtesy of Pushout Philly blog

But, what if she had dropped out?  What would I think of her then?

Many assume that a high school dropout is someone who has failed or isn’t intelligent enough to meet the academic requirements to finish school.  Education is promoted as the key to success, so it is socially ingrained in many of us to make these judgments.

Because of this perception, a group of students and educators have joined forces for a youth-led multimedia project, PuSHOUTs, to impact behaviors around the word and change the concept of a “dropout.”  Instead, they are working diligently to rebrand and promote someone who didn’t finish high school as a “pushout.”

Why pushout? The founders believe that it is not failure, but circumstances like violence, limited resources and lack of support, that force youth to leave school before they can graduate.

Right now, PuSHOUTs is investigating why so many young people of color are failing to graduate from Philadelphia public schools and what is being done to address the problem at the community level.  It is a collaborative effort between Voice of Philadelphia, PhillyCam and Youth Empowerment Services of Philadelphia, better known as YesPhilly. Of their own accord, this group is embarking on a powerful social marketing campaign to dispel faulty assumptions about high school dropouts, change staggering statistics and contribute to the future prosperity of our country.

I’ve been following members of Congress and the Administration very closely as they work to overhaul the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). While all of us who care about education continue to wait to see if a reauthorization of the bill occurs by the start of the next school year, it is refreshing to know that students and community members are taking their own initiative at the local level to reduce high school dropout rates and improve academic achievement for all students.

Romanization of character language systems, such as Chinese, can pose cultural and linguistic challenges for communicators. Photo credit: Our Signature by 2493™ on Flickr

Have you noticed in the coverage about the protests in Libya that the name of the country’s leader is spelled differently depending on the news organization? I’ve seen his name reported as Muammar el-Qaddafi, [...]]]>

Romanization of character language systems, such as Chinese, can pose cultural and linguistic challenges for communicators. Photo credit: Our Signature by 2493™ on Flickr

Have you noticed in the coverage about the protests in Libya that the name of the country’s leader is spelled differently depending on the news organization? I’ve seen his name reported as Muammar el-Qaddafi, Moammar Gadhafi, Muammar Qaddafi or Muammar Gaddafi. Are some reporters spelling his name incorrectly? If so, which is the correct spelling?

Slate recently posted an article exploring this issue. The answer? All of them are correct. According to Slate, each version is an acknowledged transliteration — changing letters or words from one alphabet into the corresponding letters or words from another alphabet — or Romanization — converting a language from another alphabet or a pictographic system into the Latin alphabet — of his Arabic name. However, the article did not answer an important question — which version is the most culturally and linguistically appropriate?

When communicating with audiences who speak a language other than English, it is critically important that translation extend beyond the alphabet. Culturally and linguistically competent communications takes into account both native language and culture, and is a key component to ensuring that a message is understood.

Languages based on alphabets or pictographic language systems, such as Arabic, Asian, Mediterranean and Eastern European, can present unique challenges when we attempt translation. Because these languages are written using characters that are vastly different from the Latin-based alphabet, adaptation may require the use of transliteration or Romanization for translating names and cultural terms. However, its important to test your adaptation and your messages with your audience to be sure that the transliteration does not affect the meaning. For example, how a name or word is spelled impacts how it is pronounced; pronunciations alone can confuse terms, such as Slate’s example regarding the spelling of Muslim.

Finally, Kathy Park wants to know why “Moslem” is considered an offensive spelling. The problem with spelling the Arabic word meaning “one who surrenders to God” as “Moslem” and not “Muslim” is that people end up pronouncing it mawslem, which is a different word that means “oppressor.”

When in doubt of how best to spell a name or word from a non-Latin alphabet language, create an informal focus group of your target multicultural audience for guidance. While you may receive differing opinions, you should be able to gather at least an informed recommendation to guide your spelling and provide the backup you need, if your language selection is questioned.

King George VI May 1939 via Wikimedia Commons

One of the movies receiving accolades, if not awards, at the Oscars on Sunday is “The King’s Speech.” No spoiler alert is needed to tell you that the movie is about how King George VI, who stammers, prepares for a pivotal speech. The king can’t just [...]]]>

King George VI May 1939 via Wikimedia Commons

One of the movies receiving accolades, if not awards, at the Oscars on Sunday is “The King’s Speech.” No spoiler alert is needed to tell you that the movie is about how King George VI, who stammers, prepares for a pivotal speech. The king can’t just bow out of this challenging speech because his nation, on the brink of war, needs to hear from its leader. This is crisis communication at its highest level.

Whatever the reason a leader might want to shirk difficult outreach, the right-on lesson from this movie for communicators is twofold: first, there is no substitute for hearing from the person at the top when a crisis looms; and second, there is no substitute for careful preparation and a well-considered message before communicating.

And one final lesson? Leaders have to communicate through channels that will reach those they lead. The movie king had to communicate through radio, because that is how his subjects were receiving their news. These days, even the Pope is into social media, urging priests to blog and hosting a YouTube channel.

And today’s royal family is fully involved in social media with a Facebook page and a Flickr and Twitter presence. So if the movie were made about a king today, it might be called, “The King’s Blog.” The stammer wouldn’t be an issue in this format, but the preparation and carefully crafted message remain pivotal.