How to Maintain Successful Media Relations - Case Study Example

Reflective journal questions Q8.1 1. Glenn beck comments on homosexuality. According to Glenn prohibiting same sex marriages by some countries is a violation of human rights. 2. The reporter’s presentation does not present a point of view but purely informs the audience. The news report is about same sex marriages. What the reporter does is to outline the challenges facing same sex marriage couples and some of the steps that have been taken to protect same sex marriages. Q8.3 1. The speaker has made the informative in a number of ways. The attention statement motivates the listeners since it is quite captivating and arresting at the same time. On hearing the statement one is convinced to listen to the speech. Throughout the presentation the presenter seizes opportunities to capture and sustain the attention of the audience by pausing rhetorical questions. The presentation topic has been careful chosen so as not to inform the audience of the obvious and this contributes greatly to 00 sustaining the listener’s attention. Q8.5 1. An example of mass media exploitation is the exploitation of women. Women portrayals are often used in the media and this has been frowned upon by feminists as well as human rights activists. Women media exploitation mostly involved use of naked pictures or pictures of scantily dressed women in adverts. Q8.6 1. The title of the informative speech is “Global Warming retrieved from www.presentationmagazine.com/example. The introduction of this speech is quite effective since it perfectly captures the audience’s attention. Additionally the introduction outlines the key information discussed in the body of the speech. Once one reads the introduction he quickly grasps the general idea expressed in speech and leads the body at the same time. Q9.3 1. Deterrence is used to persuade an audience not to start doing something which they haven’t already started whereas discontinuance is trying to make an audience desist from a habit they are already used to. Therefore, discontinuance is a more difficult challenge having that the audience will have to try and stop what they are already doing. For example it is more challenging to have smokers quit smoking compared to educating nonsmokers on the effects of smoking. Q9.4 1. Over the past 3 years I have been able to cater for my psychological needs adequately. Safety has been an on and off thing having that society always has it is own set of social and economic challenges but having that basic need motivate individuals I have been able to overcome some challenges along the way. Every individual needs a sense of belonging and love from family, over the three years I have been away from my family and at times along for moral support but we mostly communicate and that helps reduce the distance and loneliness. My self-esteem on the other hand has been on an all-time high as I seek to finish my education and graduate, after graduation I will have had the potential I need to help the world but currently I will have to master the needed skills and finish school. I attribute my current state as my habit of having developed a need to know attitude which has helped me explore the technology world and learn to play piano. On my need to explore beauty, I plan to visit historical sites within the next few years as I have developed a liking for the pyramids of Egypt and seeing the Monalisa. 2. The social penetration theory help describe how individuals move from superficial talk to intimate and revealing talk. While on the streets of Sydney I met a friend of mine and we decided to go and have cup of coffee in a restraint having known him for a while I knew exactly how he would behave having that I have known him for a while I understood very well he will decline the offer, reason being he is an introvert scared about people and more so engaging them. Just like the social penetration model I was able to observe and conclude that he wouldn’t agree to join me for a cup of coffee. Having stayed with him I was able to peel him from the superficial level through to the core level and understand him more adequately in order to judge him. Q9.5 People mostly use delusions that use emotions in attempt to win an argument. Most people will use this to manipulate others in place of valid logic Most people will lie to people that power lines cause cancer and in a rather astonishing case, a young boy spent hours looking at an electric power line while talking to it. Most people who passed by thought the boy was going mad but the trut is the kid was actually suffering from cancer and having believed the fallacies he knew the only way to save fellow kids from being exposed to cancer was to request the power line not to transmit cancer to other young boys. From this example one can clearly see assertion, emotional appeal and request for action. We can clearly see that there is no evidence to prove that power lines cause cancer its only misconception in place of valid logic. For this reason its clear that any communication should be made with logical points whenever persuading others. In order to persuade audiences every point should be backed with sources to avoid misconceptions. Q10.1 1. Polygraphs assume that lying is very stressful and therefore there is a misconception that lying can be measured and recorded using lie detectors. Individuals who support lie detectors argue that: Very few people can control all the psychological functions at the same time Polygraphs are used as examiners to individuals and their level of telling the truth On the other hand critics tend to think that it’s practically impossible to distinguish between a person’s generated stress from the polygraph and the stress being generated by an individual trying to lie. Experts are known to conceal stress and thus the lie detector won’t generate the needed results having that it depends on stress. If lie detectors were reliable then we couldn’t be having courts to handle cases. Q10.5 1. Watching reactions is a nonverbal communication method it helps a narrator understand how, when, and why people communicate like they do and it’s essential if one wants to effectively communicate with the audience Enroll an Observer An observer will always keep your nonverbal communication in check and thus having one physically or having him will help in communicating more effectively and in turn help learn more about the audience and yourself. Focusing on a Specific Type of Nonverbal Communication Focusing on specific types of nonverbal communication will help you understand things like eye contact and what really shapes or affects them. Observing will help sharpen skills through learning how others communicate and therefore looking for trends can be a very effective nonverbal communication strategy. Q11.1 1. Sound bites should be clear and concise, use vivid, dynamic language, easy to repeat and memorable to the target audience. Nike for the past 25 years had made their slogan a phenomenon, easy and memorable. Nike’s foot wear slogan is “just do it” which is so memorable, very dynamic and vivid. The most memorable sound bite and quotable for Nike states “quit making excuses, putting it off, complaining about it, whining about it, crying about it, believing you can’t , worrying if you can, waiting until you are older, skinnier, richer, braver, or all around better. Suck it up, hold on tight, say a prayer, and make a plan and JUST DO IT”. “Somehow we’ve come to believe that greatness is a gift, reserved for a chosen few. For prodigies. For superstars. And the rest of us can only stand by watching. You can forget that”. Nike inspirational tagline and quotable Q11.3 A sample agenda for the meeting to discuss the quarterly reports should consist of the title of the meeting, time it shall be held, the actual date, location, the phone number and email contact in case anybody needs clarification. It should outline the expected number of participants; have a purpose statement in this case discussing the quarterly results from the last marketing campaign. Who should call the meeting, how a roll call will be conducted and finally read the minutes from the last meeting before embarking on this new why. Q11.5 1.Help promote new products, through press interviews companies can seize the opportunity to promote new product through favorable press interviews for example a press interview for Microsoft will help promote new products e.g. press interview on windows 8.1 Press interviews help raise brand recognition and increased market authority. A company can get favorable brand recognition through press interviews and this helps increase brand recognition and market authority for example press interviews on the new iPhone 6 to enhance brand recognition 2. Maintaining successful media relations is an uphill task but therefore it’s paramount to know how to handle local media relations. I would like to know the local reporters and outlet on an individual level; I will send company information to them on personal basis as opposed to sending to chief editors. I will arrange meeting with them to gain their trust. I will help in delivery of company news that is newsworthy for this reason I will establish relationships that will last a lifetime. 3. In this particular interview, the public relations manager handles all press briefings before handing over to the chief financial officer then the managing director. The latter two looked nervous most probably for lack of press interview time and unlike them the public relations officer was charismatic and not nervous. 4. Joan Rivers stormed off camera when she felt she could not take any more embarrassing questions from CNN’s Fredericka Whitfield. The interview centered on her controversies over the years https://www.perezhilton.com/2014-07-09-celebs-who-have-walked-out-on- Q11.7 1. Cuba Gooding Jr, while accepting an award for the best supporting actor in 199. Gave a very effective speech having that with every punch line he gave a taste of what it feels like to have your biggest dreams come true. And the background music only made the acceptance speech more epicwww.rottentomatoes.com/news/1926815/mobile/ 2. While accepting an Oscar award for best supporting actress, Angelina Jolie gave a powerful speech but toward the end she said something about her brother that angered the crowd and made her brother feel so embarrassed www.nextmovie.com/blog/worst-oscar-speeches/ Q11.9 1. Viral messages always compel people to act and feel the need to share them. Recently I had to share a message sent to me by a friend about threats issued by North Korea to America and in retaliation the author of the message clearly stated how America’s nuclear arsenal can destroy North Korea within a second and the funniest part was the conclusion where it stated that “for the love of God and country” America can make North Korea’s nuclear arsenal look like chicken feed. 2. Words, ideas and images help increase attention and more so in business good words, ideas and images go a long way. a) Words like Free- people can’t resist new things New- people will always like to try something new Last chance- creates some sense of urgency and makes people more keen Easy- gives a person motivation to try and do anything having the people rarely like difficult things Revolutionary- this creates a notion that this thing in question will change person’s life b) Ideas Gas stations with free washing services. Cars with greater horse power and low fuel consumption Fat free doughnuts Online transactions and kiosks Free goods delivery c) Images Q12.1 1. Indirect approach can be used to deliver a negative message when you want to give a first time general warning to the employees. It is also applicable when you know that the recipient of the news is very emotional. 2. To all members. There will be a 20% reduction in both the working hours and the base pay effective as from February 2015. Q12.2 1. Last year I was doing a class presentation on a topic that seems not to interest most of the class members who spontaneously started dozing got the feedback quite in time and adjusted the content of the topic. After the adjustment the results were quite encouraging since most people seemed interested in my presentation. I appreciate the feedback though at that time I felt discouraged and quite intimidated. Q12.3 1. A crisis communication plan is very important in any business organization. Communication crises arise in everyday life. It is, therefore, important for any company to draw an effective plan that could be used n case of a crisis. A crisis communication plan outlines the don’ts and dos during a crisis 2. When people are not aware of what to do in a crisis the situation can easily get out of control. Q13.1 1. He is seated in the furthest conner in the restaurant taking a cup of coffee. The place seems quite amusing. He takes a sip and stares blankly at the several couples who are enjoying their drinks in the company of their loved ones. 2. When doing a challenging task I usually encourage myself by saying ‘I can do this’. I often think of the many times when I eventually accomplished challenging tasks and encourage myself to go on. The use of self talk just happens though sometimes I choose to use it. Q13.2 1. There are two predominant dimensions that contribute to my resume. The first is the information that is known both others and me. For instance, my sex is known to everybody not excluding myself. Secondly there is that bit of information that others do not know like my career objectives? 2. In terms of these dimension I can describe myself as a self driven individual who is also highly responsible. Additionally, I am a flexible person who readily fits in a numbers of situations. My mission is serve humanity as much as I can. Moreover my principles incorporate hard work in addition to high standards of integrity. Q13.3 1. There are several situations whereby I may need to adjust my personal needs. For instance if I am working in a renowned organization and I have attained the highest possible rank, I would feel secure as well as contented. However, if I start sensing that the organization is on the verge of collapsing I would definitely start feeling insecure. In this case, I would starting giving out my resume to other organization and increase my savings at the same time. this actions are as result of seeking security which is no longer guaranteed in my current organization. Q13.4 1 . Personal self Professional self Generous Highly motivated Hardworking Very cooperative Respectful Team player Humble enthusiastic Emotional Dedicated and committed 2 We have established a mutually trusting relationship with my best friend. We knew each other way back in high school and ever since we have been the best of friends. Though our friendship has been faced by various challenges, we have always devised ways to overcome the challenges. There is mutual understanding between the two of us. However, building this trust over the years has not been easy. Both of us have played a great role in building the trust. We had similar interests from the very beginning and this was one of the motivating factors. Most of the times I could rely on my friend to in most matters and this made my trust on him to develop. 3. Self disclosure is very important business organizations. First it plays a very significant role in establishing different types of relationships in the work environment. It can help the members of the organization to understand each other better. This will thus lead to the development of shared virtues in the organization. Q13.5 1. Employment interviews are important to both the interviewer and the interviewee. The interviewer gets to learn more about the prospective candidate. Employment interviews present a great opportunity for the candidate to create a positive impression and increase his/her chances of securing the job. 2. Employment resources Schools Hospitals Orphanages Q13.6 1. When I was in high school I could often conflict with my parents. For, instance one day I wanted to use my mom’s to take my girlfriend out and she was reluctant since I did not have a driving license. Another reason was that she did not approve of my being in a relationship with the opposite sex. This particular conflict resulted in a bitter exchange between us. I think the best way I could have handled it was to walk out of the house and discuss the issue later. 2. The best strategy is to manage one’s emotions. This gives one a chance to relax and think soberly about the conflict. Making decisions in anger will always have negative results. 3. I remember sometime back my mum had problems wither boss. Since she had grown distressed my father decide to take a loan and start her a small family business so as she can quit work. Luckily the business flourished into a big company and we enjoy the benefits today as a family. Additionally, mum started spending more time with us and this made us happy and improved our family relationship. Q14.1 Old age culture Dominant culture Wise young Old folk junior Elders laddish Wizened youthful Grizzled yoof The words that describe the youth culture create an impression that the youths are dynamic and quite energetic. Conversely for the old age culture they depict their vast knowledge as well as wisdom Q 14.2 1. When receiving a gift from a friend I should open the gift immediately. This will give me a chance to show my sincere gratitude to my friend. Besides, the friend will be glad to see my feeling and get a feedback whether I liked the gift or not. 2. When buying grocery one should touch them in order to assess their freshness. Failure to do a careful examination may result into a loss since one can easily end up buying rotten fruits and vegetables. Touching the vegetables has no harm since they will be washed well before being taken. 3. In a conversation with my supervisor I should maintain direct eye contact. This will help me to evaluate what the supervisor is saying. Additionally direct eye contact will be an indication that I am confident and interested in the conversation as well. Q 14.3 Offensive pictures Cultural pictures Q14.4 Bob James (Jade Ltd) (24, Wall Street) Manchester To: 10 High Street Manchester (16th Feb. 2015) Dear sir/madam, I hereby wish to inform all our suppliers that we have bargained a new deal for you following the easiness of import tariffs on farm products. Our suppliers are held in high esteem and therefore we would like to extend our savings to them.. The prices of most juices will therefore be reduced by a least 20%. A new price catalogue will be issued to you soon. Thank you. Willy Johns, Director Rewriting the letter has interfered with the general outlook of the letter. In addition to this the choice of words has been interfered with and it reflects a different culture. 2. Some movies titles that have been translate into English due to cultural influence Le pacte de loups (2001), Asterix et oblex contre) cesar (1999) and le diner de cons (1998 Q14.5 1. During the 2007 global financial crisis, two of my friends’ parents were laid off at work. This affected the families in a negative manner since one of my friends was forced to drop out of school due to lack of school fees. Ethically the laid off workers needed to be compensated but they were not therefore the act was unethical. Q14.6 As a manager of a dozen workers, I would prefer to adopt theory Y over Z and X. I would thus perceive my subjects as self motivated, self directed and ambitious. This positive perception will offer the employees and opportunities to self actualize and complete tasks with a lot of efficiency. This leadership style will motivate the employee to strive to reach their fullest potential. One of the management decisions I would make if to let their workers determine their holiday duration and remove communication barriers among the workers. Another important decision When the workers are set free to explore their talents they are likely to be innovative. They will set their own target and work tirelessly in order to meet their objectives. However, there should be a well drawn strategy that should be used in motivating the workers. This can be done by recognizing their collective effort as well as the individual efforts. Worker motivation plays an important role in business development. Q14.7 1. Expert networks and online forums are important forms of intercultural interactions. Members of various online communities communicate basically using the internet and come from different culture. These interactions have largely contributed to cultural appreciation. Some people communicate online with people they have never met in real life. These internet communication channels can act as an information system. 2. Overseas assignments can be challenging. According to me the hardest part of the international assignment would be my safety. As long as I can try to console myself that I am secure in a foreign country, security issues would still affect my performance in different ways. Q 15.1 1. Family members and close friends form the most important primary groups in my life. Most of my needs are effortlessly met by these primary groups. For instance, when undergoing emotional difficulties, family members are always ready to offer the support. Most of my needs are thus met by these primary groups including financial assistance. Whereas primary groups meet most of an individual’s needs, secondary groups are short-lived. Some of the secondary groups I have engaged in include class groups which are specifically meant to complete a certain class assignments after which they dissolve. 2. Sometimes it is better to work alone than in groups. For instance, if the task is easy to accomplish then it is better if it is done individually. Additionally, working alone provides one with an opportunity to assess his/her skills and abilities. 15.2 1. It is not easy for a non group member to assist a group to overcome the challenges experienced during the storming stage. The best person to offer assistance a person who understands the objectives of the group and anticipates the storming challenges at the same time. a non group member will only be of help if he has knowledge concerning the group otherwise he will not be of any help. 2. Currently I am a member of a certain journalism club. At the beginning I was the secretary to the group. In this club there is constant change in the roles played by the different group members. For example currently I am the treasurer of the group. I took this over from a member who was accused of mistrust and unreliability. Several other roles within the group have also been changed due to a number of reasons. 3. Last year I was a member of a class discussion group commonly referred to as group 5j. In this particular group I used to be a group leader and it was my responsibility to organize for group activities. However the group was dissolve as soon as we had finished working on the assigned project. The group comprised of members who were very active and we did not encounter any problem I the due course. Most of the members displayed a great deal of responsibility and could always meet on time. During the discussion most members were highly cooperative and could not hesitate to share their ideas. Q15.3 1. Last year one of our teachers assigned us a task a group of around five members. The biggest challenge we encountered in that group was inadequate contribution from the members. More than half of the members were withdrawn and were not willing to offer their contributions. The resultant was a conflict among the group members. We utilized three of the seven framework steps in order to solve the problem. First we defined the problem and selected an approach which was successfully executed. In my opinion, following the complete seven step framework would have been helpful as well though it would consume a lot of time. 2. In the near future I will have to decide on the most cost effective business venture to undertake. I will have to either start a coffee shop or cosmetics shop. In order to make the right decision I will apply CBA. This will involve estimating the cost effectiveness of the two business ventures. Q15.5 I prefer working in team or group environment. Advantages of working in a team environment Working in a team environment has several advantages over working alone. When different minds are working together, one has access to numerous ideas. In teamwork, things are thought in different perspectives thus enhancing quality innovation. Groups lead to the creation of support environment that drive people in the direction of implementation. Another advantage of teamwork is improved efficiency. When people work together as a team, tasks are completed in the minimum possible time. Increased efficiency is likely to result in cost reduction since tasks are easily completed. People who work as a team can compensate for their weaker areas in addition to showcasing their strengths. The resultant is a workforce that is more skillful as well as strong. Through teamwork the relationship different members can greatly improve since they get to understand each other in a better way. Disadvantages of working as a team Although most people think of teamwork in a positive manner, there are quite a numbers of limitations associated with teamwork. Teamwork may result in conflicts in addition to resentment due to unequal participation by the respective members. Some members have the tendency of sitting back and letting others to do most of the work. Additionally, teamwork is likely to disadvantage those members who prefer working on their own. Loners usually feel dissatisfied when forced to work as a group but if left to work independently can achieve the best results. Advantages of working alone Working alone has some advantages. First when working alone, one has the freedom to make a decision regarding when where to complete the assigned project. In addition to this, when working alone, there is limited distractions and interference. The results obtained from working individually fully reflect the individual’s skills and abilities as opposed to teamwork results where an individual may dominate and cause passivity. Disadvantages of working as an individual People who work alone usually take longer time to accomplish tasks as compared to team workers. This is due lack of brainstorming and support from other parties in order to complete assigned projects. The person in charge of the project takes full responsibility in case the project goes bad. . 1 If could go for a strong team player. The person should be reliable and consistency. This means that I should be able to trust the person and he should also be depended on to complete assigned tasks. The person should also be able to communicate in a constructive manner. He should therefore express himself in a clear, honest and respectful manner. The team leader should have the ability to function as an active team member. An active participant prepares well for group meetings. In addition to this, a team leader should be ready to inform others through sharing willingly and openly. Moreover a strong team leader should be flexible and show strong commitment to the team. 3. One of the leaders I admire and respect is the late Nelson Mandela of South Africa. Nelson Mandela became the South African leader as a result of democratic elections in the year 1994. Nelson Mandela played an important role as a conductor since he united his countrymen for a common goal. Read More