Is Perception Really Reality?
Posted on June 26, 2007
The other day, The Seattle Times ran a front-page story from the AP about the generosity of Americans. With the headline Americans set record with gifts to charity, the Times details the nearly $300 billion given annually, noting that the vast majority of those billions come from individuals.
In philanthropic giving, the article continues:
“…as a percentage of gross domestic product, the United States ranked first at 1.7 percent. Britain was next at 0.73 percent, while France, with a 0.14 percent rate, trailed such countries as South Africa, Singapore, Turkey and Germany.”
Yet somehow the United States is portrayed as a selfish, materialistic nation by countries like France and others.
Even within our country, the perception is that wealthy liberals care more about the poor and needy than conservatives. Yet study after study shows that rural conservative America gives far more than wealthy urban liberals.
In a story done by 20/20 last November, it became clear that “this idea that liberals give more is a myth.”
“Of the top 25 states where people give an above average percent of their income,” the story explained, “24 were red states in the last presidential election.”
The story went on to detail that finding further, quoting Arthur Brooks, the author of Who Really Cares:
“…when you look at the data, it turns out the conservatives give about 30 percent more. And incidentally, conservative-headed families make slightly less money.”
How can perceptions of reality be so wrong? While I’m certain conservatives will not find this fact too surprising (after all, they are the ones giving), it must come as a shock to liberals who view themselves as a group that cares more about the poor.
Not wanting to play politics, when you look at your business is the perception the reality? If you asked a regular customer what they thought of your core business, would they get it right? What about your employees? Do they really know the truth about what you do and where you are going? Do they understand your vision?
A strong, strategic communications plan can help you avoid such damaging misperceptions before they become reality. After all, it is much harder to try to get people to think differently about you than it is to just make sure they have the right view of you from the beginning. This becomes increasingly difficult as your business grows and your audience expands.
Don’t stay so focused on the bottom line that you forget the critical role communication plays in your staying power.
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Finally! The Interview
Posted on June 5, 2007
So you finally got someone in the media to call you back. They want to do a story with you and are planning to interview you tomorrow. Since they want to talk about you and your company/product/service, this should be easy. You don’t need to prepare because you already know everything there is to know about you, your company/product/service. Right?
WRONG!!!
Believe it or not, the reporter won’t be able to write about everything there is to say about you, your company, your product, or your service. And if you meet with him and just start talking a little about everything, he won’t walk away with much of anything. At best, he won’t be too excited about interviewing you again. At worst, he’ll get things wrong in the story and you’ll have wasted the shot to get some great buzz.
So how should you prepare for an interview?
First, know the angle. What is the story trying to accomplish and how does your company fit into it?
Second, do your homework. Prepare a list of speaking points and answers to potential questions. While you don’t have a crystal ball to know exactly what the reporter will ask, chances are if you think about it there are common questions that you’ve had to answer in the past about your company. Make sure your answers are accurate, concise and quotable.
You also should be familiar with the reporter’s work. Understand his style and what kind of stories he’s written in the past. It will help you feel more comfortable in the interview and will also help you think of the best way to answer questions.
Finally, if you have any materials you want to share bring them with you to the interview. This is especially important if you are talking about a product. Being able to demonstrate the value of your product is the best way to explain it.
A good PR person can help you flesh this out and can even walk you through a few practice runs so that you feel ready for the interview. We’ve all had those moments when we looked back and wished we had said something differently in a situation. You don’t want an interview with a reporter to be one of those moments.
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