JOURN 4256 1st Edition Lecture 7 Outline of Last Lecture I PR news II Formative research in the real world a Research process b Surveys i Likert scale c Focus groups d Interviews Outline of Current Lecture III Setting the Agenda public opinion and persuasion IV Opinion leaders V Life cycle of public opinion VI Flow of public opinion models VII Role of mass media VIII How PR fits in a Persuasion techniques IX 6 principles of persuasion X Factors in persuasion These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor s lecture GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes not as a substitute Current Lecture Setting the Agenda Public opinion and persuasion Opinions on controversial issues that one can express in public without isolating themselves Public opinion is elusive and difficult to measure Its collective expression of opinion of many individuals bound into a group Formed by people who have a vested or self interest in an issue Opinion is determined by self interest Often surrounds issues of contention Doesn t have to be the majority Press can perpetuate it by looking for sources from both sides Opinion leaders Opinion leaders serve as catalysts for the formation of public opinion through their knowledge and ability to articulate ideas about specific issues Sociologists describe them as Highly interested in a subject or issue Better informed Avid consumers of mass media Early adopters of new ideas Good organizers who can get other people to take action Life cycle of public opinion Define the issue Involve opinion leaders Public awareness Government regulatory involvement Resolutions The flow of opinion Two step flow model Created in 1940s Mass media have minimal effect It s actually votes relying on person to person contact with formal and informal opinion leaders Multi step flow model Revision of Two step Starts with opinion makers who take massive amounts of info and share with public Attentive public interested in the issues but want opinion leaders to tell them how to think about them Unattentive public eventually will become interested N step theory Variation of Two step Individuals seldom are influenced by just on opinion leader but interact with various opinion leaders voices around an issue The role of mass media Via mass media public relations practitioners become major players in forming public opinion Often provide the mass media with the information Theories Agenda Setting Theory Media tells people what is important and what is not Media dependency Media becomes dependent on spokespeople for the tone and content of a story Often occurs in a crisis Framing Two types media framing and audience framing Is a continuous process where behavior attitudes cognition and affected states of individuals are involved in how they interpret issues How PR fits in Use of persuasion Change or neutralize hostile opinions Crystallize latent opinions and positive attitudes Conserve favorable opinions Persuasions in negotiation Persuasion techniques Yes yes Start with points where the audience agrees to develop a pattern of yes answers Structured choice Make audience choose between A and B Partial commitment Get audience to commit to something to open the door to other ideas Research says Positive better than negative Radio and TV better than print Emotion and fear are good for low interest Logic better than emotion for highly educated Altruistism needs good motivator Celebrities effective when there is low involvement a simple theme or a video is used 6 principles of persuasion People like those who like them Liking People repay in kind Reciprocity People follow the lead of others Social proof People fulfill written public and voluntary commitments Consistency People defer to experts who provide shortcuts requiring specialized information Authority People value what is scarce Scarcity Factors in persuasion Audience analysis Psychographics Source credibility Character Expertise sincerity charisma Three Factors Problems with celebs Appeal to self interest Altruism and the idea of something in return Other factors Clarity of message Timing and context Audience participation Calls to action Persuasion in messages Drama Statistics Surveys and polls Examples Testimonials Endorsements Emotional appeals Limits of persuasion Lack of message penetration Competing messages Self selection Self perception