1. 9 Public Opinion and Persuasion C H A P T E R
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2. Topics Covered in Chapter 9
What is Public Opinion
Opinion Leaders as Catalysts
The Role of Mass Media
Persuasion: Pervasive in Our Lives
Factors in Persuasive Communication
Propaganda
Persuasion and Manipulation
The Ethics of Persuasion
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3. Video: Power: One River, Two Nations
The video Power: One River, Two Nations provides endless examples of how to persuade audiences using various public relations strategies and tactics.
The following slides tie the concepts from this chapter to examples in the video. Your essay question on the mid-term exam will be about this video.
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4. A Brief History of James Bay
It is helpful to know a bit of background about James Bay, in order to understand the campaign and the video. The next few slides are based on an article “A brief history of Cree: From trap lines to power lines, CG traces the James Bay Cree-outsiders’ exchange”
by Diana Gee-Silverman.
1600s - French explorers encounter the Swampy Cree
May 2, The Hudson’s Bay Company is incorporated. King Charles II of England gives the company control of Rupert’s Land, one-third of present-day Canada.
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5. James Bay Cree and Inuit territory
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6. Brief History of James Bay
The Cree get involved with the fur trade, with the French and the English. Pelts are traded for axes, guns, blankets and flour.
1870 – Rupert’s Land becomes a part of the Dominion of Canada.
1960s – Quebec begins the process of mass resource extraction.
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7. Brief History of James Bay
1971 – The Quebec government announces plans for the James Bay Project in northern Quebec—a massive hydropower development plans to build a series of dams, reservoirs and power stations on the Grand River.
The Grand Council of the Crees, representing nine Northern Quebec Cree communities, is created in opposition to hydro-development to protect Cree rights during negotiations.
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8. Brief History of James Bay
November 11, 1975 – The federal government, the Quebec provincial government and representatives from each of the James Bay Cree communities sign the first of the “modern treaties,” the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement.
Under the agreement the Cree receive $225 million in compensation and give up their claim to certain land in northern Quebec. As part of the agreement Cree communities also gain special hunting and fishing rights and more opportunity for self-government.
1979 – Phase one of the James Bay Project is completed.
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9. Brief History of James Bay
1986 – The Quebec government announces plans for the Great Whale Project, which would dam and divert five rivers that flow into Hudson Bay and flood over 3,500 square kilometres of Cree and Inuit treaty land along the Great Whale River in northern Quebec.
The power generated from the project will mostly be exported to the United States. The James Bay Cree join environmental groups to launch a highly publicized campaign to stop the project.
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10. Brief History of James Bay
1991 – Under the direction of Grand Chief Matthew Coon Come, the Cree launch a protest of the Great Whale project. Tactics include a full-page advertisement in the New York Times and canoe from Hudson Bay to New York City to lobby potential U.S. electricity customers.
Why do you think the Cree decided to focus on US electricity customers, rather than people in Quebec?
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11. Brief History of James Bay
1994 – The Quebec government cancels the Great Whale Project, in part because of public concern over its potential impact on the environment and Cree and Inuit communities.
The Cree and the Government of Quebec sign the landmark Agreement Concerning a New Relationship, also known as Paix des Braves. Far more than an economic deal, this is seen as a "nation to nation" agreement.
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12. Brief History of James Bay
Paix des Braves allows for continued hydroelectric development in exchange for Cree employment in the hydroelectric industry and $3.5 billion in financing over 50 years. In Cree communities, the agreement means expansion of infrastructure, including housing, community centres, health services and expanded opportunities in education.
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13. Canadian involvement in China
Feasibility study was needed “to form the basis for securing assistnace from international financial institutions”
On the committee to supervise the feasibiity study was Hydro-Quebec International and Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)
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14. A similar situation in China: Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River
The first edition of Damming The Three Gorges was dedicated to Dai Qing.
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15. Dai Qing
A Chinese engineer, environmentalist and award-winning journalist, Dai Qing was the chief editor of Yangtze! Yangtze! (1989) the first Chinese book critical of the Three Gorges Dam.
Watch video
For her role in spurring the public debate about the Three Gorges Dam, Dai Qing was arrested and detained without trial in a maximum security prision for ten months.
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16. And lest we Canadians feel too superior…
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17. What is Public Opinion? Public opinion is difficult to measure
Public opinion is defined as …the sum of individual opinions on an issue affecting those individuals
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18. What is Public Opinion? Key ideas in understanding the formation of
pubic opinion:
Self-interest
The importance
of events
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19. Importance of events…
Public opinion is sensitive to events and reacts to them.
Events of large magnitude have a particular power to swing public opinion
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20. Opinion Leaders as Catalysts
Opinion leaders serve as catalysts for the formation of public opinion through their knowledge and ability to articulate ideas about specific issues.
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21. Opinion Leaders Highly interested in a subject or issue
Better informed on an issue than the average person
Avid consumers of mass media
Early adopters of new ideas
Good organizers who can get other people to
take action
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22. Two types of Opinion Leaders
First, formal opinion leaders or power leaders have positions of power and tapped for information about specific issue related to their areas of responsibility or concern.
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23. Two types of Opinion Leaders
Second, informal opinion leaders have clout with peers because of some special characteristic.
Public relations professionals try to influence these leaders as they try to influence the public at large.
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24. Working with journalists…
One of the things opinion leaders understand is the need of journalists for quotes that are short and have impact. When you are watching Power, listen for short, high impact statements that a key spokesperson provided to the media.
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25. The Role of Mass Media
Via the mass media, public relations people become major players in forming public opinion because they often provide the mass media with the information in the first place.
The following theories can help practitioners understand mass media effects:
Agenda Setting Theory
Media Dependency Theory
Framing Theory
Conflict Theory
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26. Persuasion: Pervasive in Our Lives
Persuasion has been around since the beginning of human history.
Persuasion is used to
To change or neutralize hostile opinions,
crystallize latent opinions and positive attitudes
conserve favorable opinions.
The dominant view of public relations is one of
persuasive communication actions performed on behalf of clients.
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27. Factors Pervasive Communication
A number of factors are involved in persuasive communication, and the public relations practitioner should be knowledgeable about each one, including
Audience analysis
Source credibility
Appeal to self-interest
(4) Clarity of message
(5) Timing and context
(6) Audience participation
(7) Suggestions for action
(8) Content and structure of messages
(9) Persuasive speaking
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28. Audience Analysis Understand your audience.
What is their “self-interest”
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29. Source Credibility
What makes someone a credible source of information?
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30. Appeal to self-interest
What do they want?
What do they care about?
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31. Clarity of message Complicated messages leave people confused
Simple, clear, straightforward is good…
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32. Timing and context Holidays and special days. Stuff in the news
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33. Audience participation
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34. Suggestions for action
A number of factors are involved in persuasive communication, and the public relations practitioner should be knowledgeable about each one, including
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35. Content and structure of messages
A number of factors are involved in persuasive communication, and the public relations practitioner should be knowledgeable about each one, including
Audience analysis
Source credibility
Appeal to self-interest
(4) Clarity of message
(5) Timing and context
(6) Audience participation
(7) Suggestions for action
(8) Content and structure of messages
(9) Persuasive speaking
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36. Persuasive speaking
A number of factors are involved in persuasive communication, and the public relations practitioner should be knowledgeable about each one, including
Audience analysis
Source credibility
Appeal to self-interest
(4) Clarity of message
(5) Timing and context
(6) Audience participation
(7) Suggestions for action
(8) Content and structure of messages
(9) Persuasive speaking
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37. Propaganda
Propaganda is defined as the deliberate and systematic attempt to shape perceptions, manipulate cognitions, and direct behavior to achieve a response that furthers the desired intent of the propagandist.
In the 20th century, it took on a negative connotation.
Today, propaganda connotes falsehood, lies, deceit, disinformation, and duplicity.
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38. Propaganda cont.
Advertising and public relations messages for commercial purposes use several techniques commonly associated with propaganda, including:
Plain folks
Testimonial
Bandwagon
Card stacking
Transfer
Glittering generalities
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39. Plain folks
Plain folks is an approach often used by individuals to show humble beginnings and empathy with the average citizen. Political candidates, in particular, are quite fond of telling about their “humble” beginnings.
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40. Testimonial
Testimonial is frequently used device to achieve credibility, as discussed earlier. A well-known expert, popular celebrity, or average citizen gives testimony about the value of a product or the wisdom of a decision.
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41. Bandwagon
Bandwagon is the implication or direct statement that everyone wants the product or that the idea has overwhelming support.
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42. Card stacking
Card stacking is the selection of facts and data to build an overwhelming case on one side of the issue, while concealing the other side. The advertising industry says a ban on beer advertising would lead to enormous reductions in network sports programming and a ban on cigarette advertising would kill many magazines.
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43. Transfer
Transfer is the technique of associating the person, product, or organization with something that has high status, visibility, or credibility.
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44. Glittering generalities
Glittering generalities is the technique of associating a cause, product, or idea with favorable abstractions such as freedom, justice, democracy, and the American way.
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45. Using the mass media
Each medium has particular strengths and weaknesses that can be understood and exploited.
When you are watching Power, look for examples of how the Crees used each particular medium to get their message out.
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46. Print Good for details and complex messages.
Can be kept for future reference
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47. Television Has emotional impact.
Viewers can actually see what's going on for themselves.
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48. Radio Immediate. Low cost. Reaches specific target audiences
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49. Online media Why didn’t the James Bay campaign use social media?
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50. Persuasion and Manipulation
Public relations practitioners ability to use persuasion leads to charges that they have great power to influence and manipulate people.
What public relations campaigns have influenced you and people you know?
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51. What factors limit how persuasive your message is?
Lack of message penetration
Competing messages
Self-selection
(4) Self-perception
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52. Power: One River, Two Nations
The James Bay Cree sponsored a film as one of their public relations tools to raise awareness about their campaign to stop Hydro Quebec. That is the film we are going to watch!
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