When communicators organize and stage a press conference for their organizations, the stakes are pretty high. We hold press conferences to support a variety of objectives — such as to address recent challenges or issues or to launch new programs — however, rarely do we have to think about how our press conference will [...]]]>

When communicators organize and stage a press conference for their organizations, the stakes are pretty high. We hold press conferences to support a variety of objectives — such as to address recent challenges or issues or to launch new programs — however, rarely do we have to think about how our press conference will negatively impact the U.S. economy. Well, that’s what the public affairs staff at the U.S. Federal Reserve is thinking about today as they plan their first public press conference to be held this week to discuss the new policy statement of the Federal Open Market Committee.

Photo courtesy of MedillDC on Flickr

What is said during the press conference by Chairman Ben Bernanke, whether in his opening statement or in responses to reporters’ questions, could sink the stock market in minutes — a hit that would further hurt the already floundering economy. A lot of pressure? You bet. Great advance thinking and planning by the Federal Reserve will help manage this press conference and its impact on the market.

As reported by The Wall Street Journal today, the Federal Reserve communications team has already taken steps to manage the message from Wednesday’s press conference. Many of their precautions demonstrate procedures that we should consider when planning our own press conferences as well.

1. Conduct research on similar events before planning your event. Since this was a first for the Federal Reserve, their team wisely spoke with other banks and global financial institutions with press conference experience to identify lessons learned from these events in the banking industry. Understanding and applying these tips and tricks prior to planning this press conference will help the Federal Reserve limit the pitfalls and challenges they might have faced without such important research. Learning from others’ successes and failures should always be the first step for communicators when planning press conferences, or any type of event.
2. Keep event agenda focused on communications goals. To keep on message and force the attending media to cover those key messages, construct the press conference agenda with the event’s communications goals as a guide. The Federal Reserve is planning for brief remarks by the chairman followed by a time-restrained question-and-answer session to keep reporters focused on their key messages and limit tangents that might have occurred if Bernanke delivered longer remarks.
3. Set rules for who attends and how people participate. While there is much  interest from financial industry people in this press conference, the Federal Reserve decided to limit press conference attendees only to invited media. To attend, the Federal Reserve has stipulated that reporters must work for a media organization recognized by Congress and that each outlet may only send one reporter. By laying the ground rules early about who can attend, event organizers are creating a controlled environment, establishing expectations for how the event is going to be run and establishing their guidelines for how media should be covering the event.
4. Prepare the event spokesperson for everything. In the past when speaking with a room full of reporters, Chairman Bernanke answered questions received on notecards. At this press conference, the Federal Reserve is going a more traditional route calling on reporters with raised hands to ask questions. In either scenario, preparing the spokesperson by discussing potential questions and familiarizing them with good answers is key to help Bernanke feel (and look) comfortable during the press conference. Also, this preparation is the best way for the Federal Reserve to control the message and limit negative fallout impacting the New York Stock Exchange before the closing bell.

While communicators, like those working for the Federal Reserve, may not have control over what reporters ask, there are preventive steps we can take in the research and planning phases for press conferences to create an environment that offers the greatest potential for desired outcomes for an organization’s communications goals and messages.

Last week, ABC announced the cancellation of two iconic soap operas: All My Children and One Life to Live.

As a closeted soap fan, I have to say that I am sorry to see these soaps go. I grew up with Erica Kane on All My Children, and I watched soaps tackle issues like abortion, [...]]]>

Last week, ABC announced the cancellation of two iconic soap operas: All My Children and One Life to Live.

As a closeted soap fan, I have to say that I am sorry to see these soaps go. I grew up with Erica Kane on All My Children, and I watched soaps tackle issues like abortion, lesbian marriage, and interracial relationships long before society as a whole was more accepting. The soap world was a place that was larger than life and even larger than death (the good characters never seemed to stay dead, they’d just come back with amnesia or a different face played by a different actor). Even today, soaps are a guilty pleasure, although my watching is confined to recordings on my DVR.

But for my 21-year-old daughter, the antics of soap characters can’t hold a candle to the antics of the “stars” of reality television. Want cheating and fighting? Watch “Jersey Shore.” Want to peek at the wealthy? Watch the Kardashians.

The “soapier” real life got, the more quaint the soaps seemed. And for many, it will seem that reality TV killed soaps.

But some of the new dramas getting good ratings on evening network television prove that there is an audience for solid drama that isn’t necessarily edgy. The truth is that the writers of these soaps forgot a critical communication lesson: listen to your audience. There was a lot that went wrong with All My Children and One Life to Live, including writers who rewrote history for a quick story (Erica Kane’s abortion way back when never really happened and the baby-who-was-never-aborted came to town later as a full-grown man — don’t ask!) or ignored legacy characters in favor of newer, cheaper actors. Fans responded at first with letters to the soap magazines, and the soap writers begged the script writers to listen.

But the soaps continued to slash costs and beloved characters’ onscreen time.

In response, the fans tuned out.

Will the remaining soaps take direction from their key audience, or will they ignore the very people they are trying to reach? Stay tuned.

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.

Much like Kenneth Cole’s mishap earlier this month, the social buying site Groupon found itself in hot water after its Super Bowl commercial that seemed to mock the struggles of the Tibetan people. The organization has since pulled its ad, with Groupon founder Andrew Mason taking personal responsibility for airing the commercials. While Groupon [...]]]>

Much like Kenneth Cole’s mishap earlier this month, the social buying site Groupon found itself in hot water after its Super Bowl commercial that seemed to mock the struggles of the Tibetan people. The organization has since pulled its ad, with Groupon founder Andrew Mason taking personal responsibility for airing the commercials. While Groupon continues to rank in the top 10 free application list in Apple’s App Store, it will be interesting to watch its long-term trajectory, especially as it prepares to enter the Chinese market, in addition to facing competition from many other social buying sites.

Many are incredulous as to how Groupon wasn’t aware of the commercial’s obvious problems, even if the company was trying to mock itself and not Tibet. Incidences like this underscore the importance of cultural competence when planning any kind of public campaign. Cultural competency requires, at a minimum, research on the potentially controversial issue, an understanding of the current environment, and focus groups to test the concepts. If Groupon had tested its commercials with the representatives from the groups mentioned in the ad, the company would have known immediately that the approach would not go over well.

In the social marketing world that strives to make a positive impact, cultural competency is even more crucial, because we’re not selling products. We’re selling education, awareness and behaviors that enrich lives – many of which are culturally different from our own. Expanding our true understanding of and respect for other cultures may mean the difference between a population’s success or failure.

A worthy example of culturally competent social marketing is the Ad Council’s Superhéroes campaign from March 2008. The campaign sought to lessen the stigma for Latinos regarding going to the doctor and encouraged them to go for regular health check-ups. The volunteer agency researched Latinos’ knowledge of the health care system, preventative health, and their attitudes and behaviors concerning their own well-being. Most importantly, the agency researched what culturally relevant factors would motivate Latinos to see a doctor, and formulated those factors into the campaign. It is notoriously difficult to evaluate health campaigns’ positive outcomes, but the agency did right by not assuming it knew the specific cultural factors beforehand, nor did it assume it knew better than its target audience.

This guest blog post comes from Stephanie Dukes, Senior Account Executive and Media Strategist at Vanguard Communications.

The complexities involved in collaborating with people with diverse professional backgrounds have a way of sneaking up on you. As professional communicators, it is our responsibility to sell our strategies effectively. But the issues that often get in the way [...]]]>

This guest blog post comes from Stephanie Dukes, Senior Account Executive and Media Strategist at Vanguard Communications.

The complexities involved in collaborating with people with diverse professional backgrounds have a way of sneaking up on you. As professional communicators, it is our responsibility to sell our strategies effectively. But the issues that often get in the way of effective collaboration between a public relations pro and an executive or employee without a communications mindset may be nuanced and deeply rooted.  Personal experiences really shape the way an individual hears what others have to say, so we as communicators should frame our advice in ways that respect the agendas and personal sensitivities of someone coming from a different point of view.

I’m reminded of a real-life situation in which a school district tried to roll out sweeping changes to its curriculum in order to close an achievement gap between diverse student populations. District administrators hosted several Q&A session for parents, but the implied tone was “this is what we’re going to do because we know best. You can ask questions and we’ll answer them, but you’re not really an important part of the process.” The approach resulted in a huge backlash from parents who felt the new curriculum undermined their children’s education. So, they organized a highly publicized protest that sent the curriculum and its creator packing.

I’ve always thought the curriculum wasn’t the real problem. The real problem was that administrators didn’t take the time to truly assess their audience and shape their message accordingly.

It’s well worth the time it takes to listen and assess each situation carefully before jumping in with sweeping recommendations on what should happen in terms of effective communications. Our job is to help individuals get their message across to their audience, but those same individuals are part of our audience.  We should  remember to take our own advice.

Year of the Rooster by eugevon, on Flickr

While I know 2010 was the Year of the Tiger according to the Chinese calendar, it felt more like the Year of the Rooster. Those born in the Chinese zodiac’s Year of the Rooster tend to be quick thinkers who are practical and resourceful. During this [...]]]>

Year of the Rooster by eugevon, on Flickr

While I know 2010 was the Year of the Tiger according to the Chinese calendar, it felt more like the Year of the Rooster. Those born in the Chinese zodiac’s Year of the Rooster tend to be quick thinkers who are practical and resourceful. During this very busy news year, resourcefulness was a key element to successful campaigns. Being able to identify and utilize appropriate sources for information, news, statistics, policy updates, and other resources helped campaigns achieve their communications goals for the year.

Breaking news stories this year, such as the BP oil spill and midterm election results,  impacted ongoing campaigns as well as created new outreach opportunities for new or existing campaigns. What’s more, many of these stories took on new dynamics in real-time, and had additional nuances or complexities depending on the medium in which information was delivered.  Relying on just one or two sources for news is limiting.

2010 reinforced that diversifying information resources is key. We should monitor traditional and online news sources, social media channels and pop culture trends to find the next big news angle or outreach opportunity. While tracking many resources may seem to reap more work than rewards, it’s the only way we can keep our outreach efforts whether to the media, policymakers and/or the general public, current, relevant, and effective. To aid your resourcefulness in 2011, use these free online tools to help you keep up with the news and political cycles.  They will help you become more proactive and strategically reactive in future campaigns.

Although we are entering the Year of the Rabbit, let’s keep the resourcefulness of the rooster ever present in all the communication work that we do. Forgive me for referencing another saying, but how can we make lemonade in 2011 if we aren’t able to find the lemons?

This guest blog post comes from Joe Kelly, Executive Vice President of Vanguard Communications.

Learning sometimes comes from unexpected places. Several months ago, I was reminded to never forget who your audience is – whether it is those who are intended to receive your message or those who are delivering it.

We recently managed a Hollywood [...]]]>

This guest blog post comes from Joe Kelly, Executive Vice President of Vanguard Communications.

Learning sometimes comes from unexpected places. Several months ago, I was reminded to never forget who your audience is – whether it is those who are intended to receive your message or those who are delivering it.

We recently managed a Hollywood event where “Sesame Street,” among other films and TV shows, was receiving an award. We thought it would be entertaining if we could get one of the “Sesame Street” characters to present the award since it was intended for the writers and producers of a particular episode. Much to the delight of our staff – and every extended family member under the age of 10 – the producers of “Sesame Street” volunteered Elmo as their spokesperson.

Elmo - TMX eXtra Special Edition. by MJTR (´･ω･), on Flickr

Because of his heavy travel schedule, however, Elmo was unable to be physically present, though he was happy to record a video message. We were asked if we would be able to provide talking points for Elmo. Why, of course! What could be better!?

We spent many hours on the talking points, making sure that they reflected every possible nuance of our behavioral health issue. We then proudly fired off an e-mail to Elmo.

Minutes later, we received a response from Elmo’s manager, asking whether we realized that Elmo was only two-and-a-half years old and had not yet gotten his graduate degree in public health. Politely thanking us for our input, they suggested that Elmo speak the messages in his own words. Of course, his words were heard far more clearly than those we tried to craft for him.

I learned one other thing, too. Elmo’s appeal is by no means limited to the under-10 set. Our audience of over 500 ranged from teenagers to senior citizens – and every one of those 500-plus faces smiled and laughed during Elmo’s presentation.

In a technology-driven world where face-to-face interaction is often limited and more communication is taking place digitally, it’s easy to lose sight of the person on the receiving end of our messages. As good communicators, it’s our job to take a careful look at each audience we are trying to reach and develop messages [...]]]>

In a technology-driven world where face-to-face interaction is often limited and more communication is taking place digitally, it’s easy to lose sight of the person on the receiving end of our messages. As good communicators, it’s our job to take a careful look at each audience we are trying to reach and develop messages that are tailored to that audience’s beliefs, behaviors, and traditions. This is very important, as we have all been taught that no two audiences are the same. Generally, that is true and should be used as a rule of thumb. However, there is one case where that line of thinking isn’t necessarily accurate.

At the fundamental level, before we are all separated into “audiences,” we are people first. And as people first, we define who were are. With that in mind, the language we use as communicators should be person-first as well. This is especially true when talking about people with disabilities and/or health-related challenges, but can and should be applied across the board.

Using person-first language, you would say:

• a “person with a disability” rather than a “disabled person”;
• a “person who is hearing impaired” rather than a “deaf person”;
• a “person with schizophrenia” rather than a “schizophrenic”;
• a “person who is homeless” rather than a “homeless person”; and
• a “person with an alcohol addiction” rather than an “alcoholic.”

Person-first language places the focus on the person and not their disability or challenge. It shifts the focus away from the disability/challenge. It makes us think about the person as coping with a disability/challenge rather than being thought of only in terms of the disability/challenge. Ultimately, it enables each person to define who they are without being labeled and stigmatized.

With the 2010 midterm election behind us, we’re also past the peak of political polling.  But with 2012 presidential contenders lurking around the corner, we can be assured that a new round of polls are about to bombard us in the news media.

Around election time, news coverage is littered with poll results indicating how [...]]]>

With the 2010 midterm election behind us, we’re also past the peak of political polling.  But with 2012 presidential contenders lurking around the corner, we can be assured that a new round of polls are about to bombard us in the news media.

Around election time, news coverage is littered with poll results indicating how voters feel about candidates, specific propositions or ballot measures and key social issues discussed in campaigns. These findings help political analysts make predictions on how national and/or state politics will be impacted by these polling trends. In the months before elections, we frequently answer calls asking us to participate in one poll or another.

But how accurate are these poll results anymore?

New phone by AMagill, on Flickr

With more people using their cellular phones as their primary phone contact, how accurate can demographic information gleaned from these polling calls be, especially in state contests? Will it be harder to get people to participate in polls via their cell phones?

As a recent article in The Economist argued, “cellphone-only” users are less-likely to answer pollsters’ calls or participate in polls, even if they answer. Also, it’s difficult to pinpoint participants in a specific area or state since where they vote and their cell phone area codes may not match up. For example, once a long-time resident of Los Angeles, my primary phone is a cell phone with a Los Angeles-based area code, even though I’ve been living in the DC area since 2005. I’m not alone.

Including more “cellphone-onlys” in polling may also statistically throw off poll findings as well.

Perhaps the future of polling lies in social media. Along with the new profile design, Facebook also recently launched a new feature — Facebook Questions — where members can ask questions and provide answers. As pollsters explore this new feature, they may identify ways of using it and similar social media tools and networks for political polling.

While traditional phone polling may be dying out, it’s clear that new digital innovations may be giving this vital audience research tool new life.