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Chapter 14
Public and Press Communication
It’s at the heart of our economy, society, and politics. Studios use it to promote their films.
Politicians use it to get elected. Businesses use it to burnish their image. Advocates use it to
promote social causes.
It’s a field built on ideas and images, persuasion and information, strategy and tactics. No policy
or product can succeed without a smart message targeted to the right audience in creative and
innovative ways. The ability to communicate this way – to communicate strategically – is what
our programs are all about.
Public Communication

Communication doesn't happen in a vacuum. Public Communication students learn and use an
integrated approach to communication that includes critically analyzing situations, managing
information, and crafting messages that work in an increasingly global society.

By embedding real-world projects with classroom reflection, service-learning courses allow

students to acquire the skills necessary to succeed in a professional environment. Whether they
are creating press releases, analyzing case studies, or designing visual components

The Importance of Public Speaking

“Knock the "t" off the "can't." -Samuel Johnson.

Do not ever make the mistake of thinking that public speaking and effective
communication is NOT important. It would be as silly as saying you will never
need to know how to read in life!
Learning how to become an effective public speaker can be the key difference
between success and failure in your life at home, at work and in your own
community!

As an adult if you still have the fear of speaking in front of people, then you
need to make sure your child does not have this fear. Equip yourself with
life skills to be able to stand up and speak with confidence, poise and skill.
Once they have developed this skill, it will stay with them for the rest of
their life. Remember effective communication skills means you can
impress your boss, make more sales, deliver a great speech, and move up
in your company and the world opens up to you when you can get your
point across on your feet.

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There are several reasons why public speaking is so critical and why it is so important
to equip and train your child to be an effective communicator
and public speaker.

• By learning how to effectively speak in public, you'll be able to

increase your own self-confidence. Since public speaking is one of
the most prevalent fears in the western world, by enabling yourself
to master this difficult skill you'll have the confidence that you need
to meet and greet future challenges.
• Public speaking regularly (and well) helps to make you more
comfortable around other people, including strangers. Once you're
capable of greeting and instructing an entire room full of strangers
(or at least most of them strangers), it'll be nothing to smile and
shake hands and meet new individuals in more personal and less
threatening circumstances.
• Public speaking will help fine-tune your everyday verbal and
nonverbal communication skills. This is especially true for people
who spend a great deal of time working with the written word, and
have forgotten how to properly vocalize their messages to get their
points across best.
• For obvious reasons, the ability to dive into public speaking and
related communication skills are a big winner among prospective
employers, and are also a great way to snag that promotion you've
been awaiting for such a long time. Public speaking ability is a true
career booster. In fact, both undergraduate and graduate Business
school alumni who attended the University placed oral
communication at the top of a list of skills that were relevant to
overall job success.
• Using public speaking effectively will allow you to make a difference
in your business, community and perhaps even the world. By
sharing your information with others, you're better able to increase
the impact of your hopes, dreams, desires and goals for your life
and the world around you.
• Because by the time you've learned to embody the importance of
public speaking, you'll have learned another key principle. We can
better persuade people when we are able to appeal to them as
human beings that have emotions, desires and thoughts just like we
do. This is the difference between distinguishing between simple an

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 audience of bosses, employees or clients and transforming them in
your mind into people with real problems, hopes, fears, dreams and
desires.
• The skills you'll develop by learning the art of public speaking can
boost your performance and value in just about any arena - home,
office or life at large.
• Learning to master public speaking early is a great way for students
to perform better in college, as well as offer them greater
opportunities to be accepted into their top choice schools.

What is Press Communications?

A press release, news release, media release, press statement or video release is a written
or recorded communication directed at members of the news media for the purpose of
announcing something ostensibly newsworthy.

External business communication is any information the company distributes to the public, either
about the organization itself or their products and services. A well-thought out communications
plan not only defines the target audience, but also focuses on how to reach it effectively. Because
the goal of external communications is to promote the company and increase revenue, external
communications are an important part of an overall marketing plan.

External Communications
External communication is any communicative effort specifically for people and organizations
operating outside of the business. While internal communications are specifically for employees
and management, external communications focus on spreading news and information about the
corporation to the public, customers, and company stakeholders. Common examples of external
business communications include direct mailings, financial records, press releases, and
newsletters.

Public Relations
Although many companies focus on sales as a measure of business success, public perception is
just as important to the organization's bottom line. Communications are one way to shape and
define a corporation's image to the community, clients, and potential investors. External
communications such as newsletters, media stories and press releases let the public know about
the company workplace, philanthropic and environmental efforts, and other imagerelated
activities, all of which serve to strengthen the public relations efforts of a company.
Technology and External Communications

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While traditional print methods of communications are still common, modern technology has
changed the face of external communications, and the Internet has become a valued resource in
reaching new customers. Companies create websites to let people know of upcoming products
and services. Social media such as Facebook and blogs are an easy way to reach target
demographics and are a cost-effective means of promotion. However, with interactive
technology there is also the possibility of public backlash, such as negative comment posting. In
the long run, the benefits far outweigh the risks, as technology is far-reaching and allows the
company to communicate with audiences all over the world.

Challenges

While external business communications seem like an effective way to reach out to the public, it
is not without its challenges. The public impression of an organization can define the success or
failure of the company in the long-run. One misplaced quote, or badly worded newsletter will
not only ruin an expensive external communications plan, but also has the potential to affect
corporate revenue. Therefore, those in charge of external communications for the company
need to be aware of their audience and the company image they wish to convey.

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