Ida B. Wells-Barnett

When I prepared for my Accredited Public Relations (APR) exams (oral & written) via the Public Relations Society of America , we read and talked about the history of the profession and the notables who shaped our industry.

I learned that Sam Adams moved and manipulated public opinion during the Revolutionary War. Alexander Hamilton published 85 Federalist letters urging ratification of the Constitution.

Amos Kendall served President Andrew Jackson’s “Kitchen Cabinet” as pollster, counselor, publicist and ghostwriter.

P.T. Barnum was a canny “press agent” showman who leveraged publicity for his Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.  

Bayard Rustin

Parker & Lee opened the first public relations firm in New York City in 1904.

And Edward Bernays (who I had the pleasure of spending a day with in his Cambridge home) wrote many books about public relations, coined the term “public relations counsel,” and advised Presidents and CEOs.

But I never learned about notable African Americans who were influential in the formation of the PR industry.  

But now, thanks to Marcia Taylor from Norfolk State University, I know there were many

Inez Kaiser

African American PR pioneers. Her post in celebration of Black History Month made me smarter:

I now know that Ida B. Wells-Barnett promoted women’s suffrage and the abolition of lynching.

I learned that Bayard Rustin was the social cause strategist who organized the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom where Dr. Martin Luther King delivered his “I have a dream” speech.

And I know Inez Kaiser founded the first African-American, female-owned PR firm in America.

Thanks Marcia and PRSA, and congratulations to all the pioneers who should be recognized for their contributions to the PR industry. 

 

• Engineers typically dominate technology company cultures. They often assume everyone is on their intellectual wavelength and can follow along. Help them see the light when communicating with less technical people. Less is more, simple is better.
  
  
• For some folks, it’s a trip knowing subject matter no one else can fathom. Keeping it complicated = self preservation or ego gratification. As the owner of communications within your company, patiently teach them the benefits of taking one for the team and forsaking complexity.
  
  
• Most people want the straight scoop: fast & clean. They don’t have all day. Build bridges of comprehension; analogies and metaphors are helpful.
  
  
• While your executives spend most of their time thinking about their business, others don’t. Enlighten them. Explain why they need to frame discussions, acknowledge the larger ecosystem surrounding their company and take the time to simply explain.
  
  
• Some spokespersons believe speaking simply is a mistake because it will trigger misinterpretation, inaccuracy and sells short a complex, multi-faceted story. Educate them that the objective of communicating isn’t to cross every “t” and dot every “i” in a pattern of boring thoroughness. It's to make certain the person is enlightened, informed and engaged in a way that makes him/her want to share their viewpoints with others … ideally in-person and online.
  
  
• Some people are arrogant and/or impatient. They want to say what they want to say, the way they want to say it. They haven’t read Dale Carnegie’s classic “How to Win Friends & Influence People.” Help them understand why a self-focused approach yields significant missed opportunity.
  
  
• Making complicated topics readily understandable is an art ... an art that thankfully be learned. Here are a few techy examples:

• Instead of saying, “This new LED is available in a multitude of sizes ranging from a diminutive 280 µm to 350 µm,” say “These new LEDs are smaller than a grain of sand.”
• Instead of saying, “Implement IEEE 802.15.4 2.4 GHz radio frequency wireless ZigBee sensor networks to enable devices to interface with each other,” say “Easily cast wireless sensory networks around structures like an invisible tactile spider web.”
• Instead of saying, “A hardware device with an RS 232 command line interface that enables HD video over coaxial cable,” say “A box that lets you broadcast any online content on your high def TV.”

1. Relate to your audience – We’re all attracted to ideas and messages that support our own core values and beliefs. Understand what will hit home with the people you’re trying to persuade; what will turn them on and off. Don’t try to persuade them about something they’ll instinctively reject. Find common ground first. Gain goodwill by highlighting values the audience and communicator hold in common.
2. One-to-one still rules – Whenever you have the chance to establish rapport face-to-face … do it. In-person communication is still the best. Be very conscious of non-verbal codes of communication, i.e., the body language you convey. It’s not just what you say, but how you say it.
3. Be logical – Effective persuasion is thoughtfully supported… so use facts and compelling evidence. But don’t over-do it. Facts alone do not persuade.
4. Offer up social proof – Third parties viewed as independent and objective are inherently perceived as more credible. This approach supports our natural tendency to determine if something is true by instinctively finding out what other people think (especially people we respect).
5. Repeat yourself – Saying it once doesn’t cut it. All the research shows persuasion works best when you sustain a concise message over time. The other key is to communicate in different ways, not just one way. Figure out what will resonate best with your target audience.
6. Package it up – We all have short attention spans. We glance, barely notice, skip and skim. Take complicated thoughts and ideas and wrap them with bright paper and a shiny bow. Use simple messages, colorful analogies, bold statements, catchy phrases. Package up your thoughts…make top 10 lists, write captions, create slogans.
7. Visualize it – Find ways to visually convey messages with symbols and images. American patriots used this technique way back during the Revolutionary War – drawing a cut-up rattlesnake, for example – to convey the need to mobilize and unify the founding states. This concept holds true today. People “get it” more quickly when they see a picture. There’s never been a better time for a visual approach, thanks to the Internet.
8. Use emotion – People are persuaded when they experience something. Envelop persuasive messages – and the people delivering them – in such a away that people feel, as well as hear, your message. 
9. Keep it light – Life (and business) is serious stuff; many people are tired, concerned, skeptical, nervous and scared. Make your case by lightening up. People will relax and listen better.
10. Tell stories – Facts are important, but they’re not enough. Get your point across by telling stories. Develop characters, build narrative, create drama, make it real. If you’re talking about a new product, paint colorful pictures of how your product will make lives more interesting and overcome challenges. Help them envision the better place it will take them to.
11. Don’t be myopic – Studies repeatedly prove that people opposed to an idea are more likely to be persuaded to an opposing position when presented with both sides of an issue.
    
    
12. Convey competence – Make sure people understand your experience and insight. Don’t brag about it; just share it at appropriate moments in a low-key way.
     
13. Be confident – Persuasive communications aren’t hesitant, they’re confident. Convey enthusiasm and conviction.