A. The Goals of Communication
 To Inform, persuade/motivate/influence, achieve mutual understanding
Definition: the act of transmitting information, ideas, and attitudes from one person to another.
In a PR plan, communication is the implementation of a decision, the process and the means by which objectives are achieved.

B. A Public Relations Perspective
1. Determine Objectives
a. Message exposure
b. Accurate dissemination of message
c. Acceptance of message
d. Attitude change
e.. Change in Overt behavior

C. Communication models
1. Berlo's Model
a. Sender/Source, b. Message, c. Channel, d. Receiver, e. Feedback (added later to model)
2. Lasswell's: Who, says waht, in what channel, to whom, with what effect?
3. Schramm's Model similar, but with "Shared Experience" added

D. Communication = Success?

Successful communication: A message must be received by the target audience, must get the audience's attention, must be understood, must be believed, must be remembered, and ultimately must be acted upon.

E. Behavioral Communication Model
1. Awareness, 2. Latent Readiness, 3. Triggering Event, 4. Behavior

F. Paying Attention To The Message

1. Exposure doesn't equate with attention, memory or understanding
2. Audiences are Active
3. Media Uses and Gratification Theory
                People use media to:
            --find out what is happenning (surveillance)
            --be entertained
            --reinforce their opinion and identity
            --make a decision in buying a product/service
 4. Strategies for active and passive audiences
--Passive: need style and creativity. Photos, illustrations, catchy slogans,
use of celebrities.
--Active: More detailed info OK.  Brochures, speeches, articles, etc.
 
 
 
 
 

5. Other Attention Getting Concepts
a. Appeal to human five senses. (83% of  learning through sight; hearing 11%)
b. Raise need level; "hook" by offering something of their benefits

G. Understanding the Message
2. Writing For Clarity: Produce the messages that match the characterictics of the audience.
Copy test PR materials on a target audience. The simpler and clearer the writing, the easier it will be for the audience to understand.
--Use examples, symbols, acronyms, and slogans
--Avoid jargon, cliches and hype words, euphemisms, discriminatory language

H. Believing the Message. Factors:
1. Source Credibility: knowledgeable, honest/sincere, and objective
2.Context of the message. Action/performance speaker louder than words
3. Audience's predisposition. Cognitive dissonance theory.

I. Remembering the Message
1. Repetition
2. Multiple Communication Channels

J. Acting On the Message
1. The Five-Stage Adoption Process
a. Awareness, b. Interest, c. Evaluation, d. Trial, e. Adoption
2. Factors affecting Adoption
a. Relative advantage, b. Compatibility, c. Complexity,
d. Trialability, e. Observability
3. Types of Adopters: (1) Innovators, (2) Early Adopters, (3) Early Majority,
(4) Late Majority, (5) Laggards
4. How decisions are influenced by different communication channels
a. General mass media for awareness stage
b. In-depth mass media and Controlled media for Interest Stage
c. Group norms and opinions for Evaluation, Trial and Adoption Stages

K. Hallahan's integrated PR media model (P. 155)
What media best meet a program's objectives, what media are most efficient to reach
key audience, how can we combine media to enhance effectiveness?
PR media are divided into five categories: mass/public media, interactive media,
controlled media, special events, and interpersonal communication.