Be Prepared
Chapter 11 and 12 were informative and filled with good things for public relations practitioners to know. Setting a schedule and developing a communication plan are both very important when it comes to communicating risk or during a crisis. It is also a good idea to have as much of this done in advance as possible because when a crisis comes, there will be many other things to worry about. Having a general schedule will allow practitioners to add to it during a crisis and having a communication plan will allow practitioners to know what needs to be done and when.
Chapter 14 was about how to use visuals to represent risks and crisis. While this is good for public relations practitioners to know, the chapter was a little mundane and drawn out. The chapter lists many different types of visuals that can be used and when it would be best to use them, but in reality, no public relations practitioner is going to remember all the visuals that can be used and when they should be used. To me, it would be best for practitioners to decide what information they want to disseminate to the public and then decide for themselves which visual will make the information most understandable. Looking at the book is a good way to start and to get some ideas, but I think that practitioners should not feel limited in the type of visuals they can use and practitioners should also feel free to be creative.
In addition, practitioners need to take into account how fast the information in the visuals need to be understood. If the visuals are on a billboard, people need to be able to understand what the visuals are telling them while they drive by. Because the time that the drivers will have to look at the billboard is quite short, the visuals need to be simple and straight forward. If the visuals are in a handout that people can take with them, they can be more complex and contain more information because people will be able to study them longer and will be able to all of the information contained in the visuals.
Chapter 15 dealt with face-to-face communication. I thought the list of things to consider when organizing speeches, video presentations, etc. were good because it broke down each thing into the essentials. When things are hectic during a crisis, it is easy to overlook important things. A list of considerations is a good way to ensure that important things are not overlooked.
The tips about how to choose a speaker are important because a good speaker grabs the attention of an audience therefore, they will be more likely to remember what was said. Some people are also better at speaking about certain topics or to certain types of audiences, so it is important that a speaker is matched with an audience that will understand them and listen to them. Having people already picked out to speak about certain topics will save time and effort during a crisis because practitioners do not have to spend a lot of time trying to find a speaker.
Chapter 14 was about how to use visuals to represent risks and crisis. While this is good for public relations practitioners to know, the chapter was a little mundane and drawn out. The chapter lists many different types of visuals that can be used and when it would be best to use them, but in reality, no public relations practitioner is going to remember all the visuals that can be used and when they should be used. To me, it would be best for practitioners to decide what information they want to disseminate to the public and then decide for themselves which visual will make the information most understandable. Looking at the book is a good way to start and to get some ideas, but I think that practitioners should not feel limited in the type of visuals they can use and practitioners should also feel free to be creative.
In addition, practitioners need to take into account how fast the information in the visuals need to be understood. If the visuals are on a billboard, people need to be able to understand what the visuals are telling them while they drive by. Because the time that the drivers will have to look at the billboard is quite short, the visuals need to be simple and straight forward. If the visuals are in a handout that people can take with them, they can be more complex and contain more information because people will be able to study them longer and will be able to all of the information contained in the visuals.
Chapter 15 dealt with face-to-face communication. I thought the list of things to consider when organizing speeches, video presentations, etc. were good because it broke down each thing into the essentials. When things are hectic during a crisis, it is easy to overlook important things. A list of considerations is a good way to ensure that important things are not overlooked.
The tips about how to choose a speaker are important because a good speaker grabs the attention of an audience therefore, they will be more likely to remember what was said. Some people are also better at speaking about certain topics or to certain types of audiences, so it is important that a speaker is matched with an audience that will understand them and listen to them. Having people already picked out to speak about certain topics will save time and effort during a crisis because practitioners do not have to spend a lot of time trying to find a speaker.
posted by Jennifer at
2/11/2007 05:28:00 PM
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