Ebook: The Art of Public Speaking Dale Carnagey 8

Inside The Minds The equity that builds up over time is invaluable in preserving the trust that must exist between a company or brand (or even an individual) and the audiences that are critical to the success of the brand. We have created a variety of other tools that help us work with clients to understand what they must do to create trust with their key constituents. Why is trust so important? We see trust as being a “higher” concept than reputation or image. Trust drives reputation. And image is just one aspect of the dynamic of trust. The critical elements of trust are integrity, competence, affinity, reinforcement, leadership, and commitment. It is an emotional bond that is personal, one-to-one, and lasting. Here is a list of behaviors we identified with Jim Lukaszewski, a highly regarded communications consultant, that do NOT build trust. We call them “Trust Busters.” Arrogance Broken promises Chest beating Creating fear Deception Denial Disparaging the opposition Disrespect Holding back Ignoring killer questions Ignoring core values Lies Minimizing danger Negative surprises Stalling Underrating negative emotion 70 The Art of Public Relations Failure to seek forgiveness Ducking responsibility Overrating preparation Victim confusion Don’t be victimized by these Trust Busters. The Five Cs of Successful Branding Public relations adds context, texture, emotion, and definition to a brand, so the audience – whether it’s a customer, an employee, or a shareholder – can develop the trust that needs to exist with the brand. It is based on having enough information to make a choice, an individual choice, about how one feels about this brand. It’s all about accessing information from a credible source, so an individual can make a decision about how to feel about a brand. The greatest brands in the world achieved the status by following what our firm calls the Five C’s of Successful Branding. First of all, one has to have a compelling proposition that’s high-impact and relevant. It has to mean something of importance. The second element in building a successful brand is to be sure there is some way of distinguishing between it and other brands that may compete for the same or similar 71 Inside The Minds positioning. In other words, there is a clear and distinctive position that is yours alone. If you stand for something, you stand out. By understanding what is truly unique about your organization, or brand, and staying focused on it, you define and then own the position. You can’t be all things to all people, so narrow the focus appropriately. If you narrow your focus, you expand your impact. The third C is that there must be consistent delivery of the brand promise. It can be trusted and relied upon every day and in every place. Communicate what you are about…and communicate it again. It requires some discipline, of course, and maybe some creativity to find different ways to communicate the same promise. The fourth is a connection with the stakeholders. More simply put, there has to be a meaningful and emotional bond. Care about what they care about. And fifth is a commitment to leadership and innovation. Your brand will be important in an ever-changing environment and can be trusted today and tomorrow. It means meeting or exceeding the expectations of your key audiences. And it means setting the bar for your competition. Ironically, it may mean joining with your competition to solve large issues. It certainly means changing as necessary, to continually strive for excellence in everything the brand means. 72 The Art of Public Relations What’s the Big Idea? For a public relations campaign to be energized and come to life, there has to be a Big Idea. Although the Big Idea doesn’t have to be expensive, it has to have the ability to deliver its message through the clutter, the confusion, and the overwhelming amount of information people are exposed to. So the Big Idea may be very simple, but it is compelling. More important, a variety of communication strategies can be developed around the Big Idea that leads to a program that really works on a variety of levels to achieve all the goals set. The second answer to how to create a Big Idea is to develop an Acceptable Idea that generates support from all those involved to make it work. I’ve seen many average concepts work in a big way because everyone was aligned to ensure success. In the end, it was a Big Idea because it achieved the goal. Agency people, especially, have to know a Big Idea is only as good as its ability to be sold in. You certainly cannot be afraid to sell and sell hard if you are convinced your thinking is right. But if your client does not agree, add some resourcefulness to your creativity. Determine what it will take to get the buy-in you need. Ensure that buy-in 73 Inside The Minds comes with commitments of time, energy, budget, staffing, and support. To come up with the Big Idea in a public relations campaign, you have to have access to information and the analytical talents required to review the information effectively. It is having a history or experience with a product, the audience, the category, or the geography that helps us get to that Big Idea. And it is having some insight, instincts, and intuition. Some magic doesn’t hurt. And a little luck can be useful! A successful public relations professional has to set the parameters that help define where and how the Big Idea has to work. In other words, he or she has to know what the limits or boundaries are. Is it geographical? Is it by audience? By budget? Is it by brand characteristics? Or is it by action that results from exposure to the messages behind the Big Idea? Usually, it’s a combination of all these to some degree. After the boundaries are known and agreed upon, the creativity takes over. Inside those parameters, you want people to be wildly creative. If the parameters are correct, it is comforting to know that any idea generated will be on target. Find the idea that is not only on target, but that also will motivate the team whose job it is to make it work. And, of course, be sure the idea will motivate the audience 74 ... - tailieumienphi.vn