Understanding "The Tipping Point"

Malcolm Gladwell is a trend watcher. As a staff writer for The New Yorker magazine, he connects with his audience through stories that draw upon research into social and historical trends.

In 2000, he published The Tipping Point, an amazing book that focuses on what he calls social epidemics. Why, for example, did Hush Puppies rise from the retail dead world to become a fashion trend in late 1994-1995? It was a confluence, he says of a few people doing something that became contagious, thus having a big effect in a short amount of time. A few young people bought Hush Puppies at resale shops in Greenwich Village in Soho. Then designers spotted the shoes and used them in photo shoots. Suddenly sales of the shoes hit the Tipping Point, jumping from 30,000 pairs a year to more than a million in less than two years.

Gladwell is instrumental in introducing the Tipping Point into our vocabulary. He identifies three rules that describe this phenomenon: the Law of the Few, the Stickiness Factor and the Power of Context.

Let's see how these apply to public relations.

The Law of the Few looks at the three kinds of people who are critical to spreading your message. First are the Connectors. They're the people who know lots and lots of people because they're involved in so many different activities involving different circles of people. Second are the Mavens. These are people who know a lot of information and share it willingly without expecting something in return. For example, they might know which restaurants are the best in town and can tell you what to order, how much to expect to pay, and what the service will be like. Finally, we have the Salesmen. These are the ones who can persuade you to buy, feel or do something and make you feel good (at least for a moment) about doing it.

The second rule is the Stickiness Factor. Why do we remember some messages but not others? The makers of "Sesame Street," for example, learned that preschoolers would stop paying attention when real people -- adults and children -- were doing things and talking on screen. But as soon as the Muppets showed up, the preschoolers got interested again. The Muppets helped make the message stick.

Think about TV commercials. Which company uses a gecko as its "spokes-animal"? And what does that company sell? If you can answer both questions, then the messaging was sticky. Of course, the crucial part is whether the message moves you to act.

Little things can help a message stick. For example, Gladwell tells of a research study at Yale on what motivated students to get tetanus shots. Some students got a brochure with general facts while others got a version with gruesome details and scary photos. The number of students from both groups who actually went to the campus health center to get inoculated was essential the same (3 percent). The researchers found that by simply including a map showing the health center and listing when the shots would be given, this increased the number of students who got the tetanus shots to 28 percent. A small change brought about big results.

And the third rule is the Power of Context. This refers to what is going on at the time and place when you are trying to disseminate your message. Gladwell talks about the Broken Windows theory, proposed by James Q. Wilson and George Kelling, which says that "If a window is broken and left unrepaired, people walking by will conclude that no one cares and no one is in charge. Soon, more windows will be broken, and the sense of anarchy will spread from the building to the street on which it faces, sending a signal that anything goes. In a city, relatively minor problems like graffiti, public disorder, and aggressive panhandling ... are all the equivalent of broken windows, invitations to more serious crimes" (p. 141).

As a PR practitioner, you need to think about what the Tipping Point would be for your message. Who will deliver it? What will make it stick? And what else is going on that might help your people get ... and respond to ... your message?

The Value of the APR

One of the values expressed in the Public Relations Society of America Code of Ethics is "expertise," which recognizes that we must never stop learning. To be excellent PR practitioners, we must study the latest research, follow trends, upgrade our skills and remain leaders in our profession.

PRSA, through the Universal Accreditation Board (UAB), offers the APR certification, which stands for Accredited in Public Relations. According to the PRSA Web site, "APR is a mark of distinction for public relations professionals who demonstrate their commitment to the profession and to its ethical practice, and who are selected based on broad knowledge, strategic perspective, and sound professional judgment." Typically, candidates for the APR have a bachelor's degree in a communication-related field and at least 5 years professional experience.

I finally studied for and earned my APR certification in 2003, two years after I arrived at Florida A&M University. I was one of about 100 people nationwide who pilot-tested a new online exam. I had 6 hours to complete it, and I finished in 5 hours, 59 minutes and 52 seconds. It was tough!

The exam included questions on the following:
Research, planning, implementing & evaluating communication programs (30%)
Ethics & Law (15%)
Communication models & theories (15%)
Business literacy (10%)
Crisis communication management (10%)
Management skills & issues (10%)
Media relations (5%)
History of and current issues in public relations (2%)
Using information technology (2%)
Advanced communication skills (1%)

In 2004, I decided to apply for the second-tier credential -- the Certified Public Relations Counselor (CPRC) -- which is offered by the Florida Public Relations Association. Candidates must have at least 10 years professional PR experience, have earned the APR designation and be a member of FPRA.

The CPRC exam contains two parts: a written section consisting of case studies you must evaluate and offer sound counsel for, and an oral section before a panel of three APR/CPRC professionals. During the oral exam, I needed to "sell" an idea or course of action. I shared information about the successful "We Can Help!" campaign, which promoted the services of the communications office I led at the University of Idaho.

So now you know why I have "APR" and "CPRC" after my name. Every three years, I must offer evidence of my continued professional growth in order to retain the APR certification.

In the past, I have helped lead study sessions for PR professionals who are planning to take the APR exam. And last week, I served on my first "APR Readiness Review" team for a local PR practitioner. Three of us with the APR credential listened to the candidate describe a campaign she had led. It was gratifying to see that she had, indeed, followed the ROSIE/RPIE models we teach in class. In fact, if she hadn't, she wouldn't have passed the readiness review.

The candidate had used many of the research tools we talk about in class: communication audit, benchmarking, content analysis, surveying and so on. She used both traditional and new media. She had created measurable objectives and showed evidence of having met or exceeded her goals. She demonstrated knowledge of demographics, psychographics and communication theory. And she did all this while using technology effectively, speaking clearly (no grammatical mistakes) and acting professionally. This is the standard you must reach.

The review team asked tough questions, exploring why the candidate chose the strategies and tactics she did. Imagine capstone on steroids, and you'll have an idea of what this was like.

The candidate asked us whether getting the APR really made a difference in our lives. One reviewer said, "It made me smarter." I added, "I wish I had known 30 years ago what I know now. I would have been much more effective in my work."

Today, many agencies and companies will only hire APRs or will expect their employees to earn the APR within a set amount of time. In general, practitioners with APRs earn more money than their non-APR colleagues. And having the APR is a sense of pride and a sign that you have been recognized as one of the best in the world. Only about 5,000 people in the U.S. have earned the APR certification. Plan to join this exclusive club.

Graduating with a degree in public relations puts you on the right track to earn the APR. It's up to you to continue to learn once you leave FAMU. Your job -- and your clients -- depend on it.

Things happen ...

One important skill PR practitioners must have is the ability to change course and make adjustments at any point to achieve a goal. And that's what I've had to do these last few days.

In September 2008, Ms. Nia Robinson, executive director of Environmental Justice and Climate Change, came to FAMU to meet with the FAMU Green Coalition. During her visit, she encouraged us to attend the Power Shift 2009 summit in Washington, D.C., Feb. 27-March 2. More than 10,000 students are expected to attend, she said, and one goal of the EJCC was to get more students from HBCUs to attend. Blacks and other minorities, she pointed out, are disproportionately affected by pollution and effects of global warming. Their voices must be part of the dialogue on how to handle our nation's energy and environmental challenges.

So, after conversations with members of the Power Shift planning team during which we were given every indication that we'd be given significant financial support to make the trip, the FAMU Green Coalition collaborated with students at FSU to try to get 50 students from Tallahassee to attend Power Shift. Nearly 40 students had signed up when we got word Thursday night that we wouldn't be getting the $5,000 grant afterall. The lesson: Get confirmation in writing and ahead of time when it comes to something that you're counting on to achieve your goal.

Two options jumped to mind: Quit now and cut our losses. Or explore other options. We chose the second. The lesson: Be flexible. Things happen.


I e-mailed my contact at the Energy Action Coaltion and spoke on the phone with Mandy from the Southern Energy Coalition., who is charged with recruiting students from universities throughout Florida and surrounding states. Mandy was just as shocked as I that we -- and other Florida schools -- didn't get travel funds. She said the University of Florida was in the same bind and suggested we work together to rent a bus. Mandy said she'd still try to shake loose some funds at the national level. The lesson: Have friends who have connections.

So my next call was to Jessica at UF. We agreed to work together to raise the funds for one bus to D.C. The quotes we've received for renting a bus range from $6,600 to $8,800. This is a LOT of money to raise in three weeks! But when you break it down per person ($175 apiece), the task seems doable. Two lessons here: Collaboration can make the impossible possible. Break big tasks into smaller, more manageable pieces.

The next step was to get buy-in from the FAMU and FSU students who had said they wanted to go to Power Shift. If UF sends 20 students and FAMU/FSU send 30 -- and each student comes up with $175 -- we'll have enough to pay for a bus. So far, 15 FAMU/FSU students have said they still want to make the trip and have vowed to help raise the funds. The lesson: If something has value to people, they're more willing to work hard to achieve it.

Money is tight these days, so "typical" donors may not be able to help out. So we've decided to focus on two publics with different needs. We're selling pizza to hungry college students Thursday night before "ABDC." And we're appealing to FAMU alums who are willing to give back to help current students achieve their goals. The lesson: Target potential "donors" based on an understanding of their psychographics.

Will we make it to Power Shift? Stay tuned. Things happen ...

Asking good questions and listening for answers

This morning on NPR, I heard a "This I Believe" essay from Dr. Alicia Conill about the importance of listening. She reported on a study that says the average length of time a doctor waits before interrupting a patient is 18 seconds. That doesn't give patients much time to tell their stories, nor is it much time for doctors to hear and understand what is going on with their patients.

This got me thinking about how much time we, as PR practitioners, spend listening to our publics. What is our "PR bedside manner"?

We spend a lot of time in the classroom practicing our writing and speaking skills. But we don't spend nearly as much time practicing our listening skills.

My experience has been that PR/communication offices typically do their jobs with minimal interaction with their ultimate publics. So not much listening -- or talking -- takes place. A lot of assumptions are made about what people need and want based on gut feelings and intuition. Those are important, but we must learn to listen and interpret what is said and not said.

I was born and raised in Minnesota, where we are taught since infancy to get along and not be disagreeable. You usually have to ask "real" Minnesotans a question at least three times, three different ways, before you can get an answer. You have to learn how to listen and ask questions to decipher what's on their minds.

For example, my sister, LaVonne, and her husband, Stan, came for a visit a few years ago. We stopped at the grocery store deli to pick up meat for lunch. Ham (which I don't eat but, obviously, many people love) was on sale. So I asked Stan if he wanted me to buy some ham. He shrugged his shoulders and said, "Doesn't matter to me." So I tried again. "Well, would you prefer smoked ham or honey-baked ham?" Again, he shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Doesn't matter to me." So I tried one more time: "Well, I don't eat ham, so which type of ham should I get?" You know his response.

I turned to the clerk and said, "I'll have a pound of honey-baked ham," at which point Stan said, "Why don't we get smoked ham, instead." So I did.

As a Minnesotan, I knew enough to "listen" to Stan's verbal and nonverbal communication to finally "hear" what he was trying to tell me.

Today we have many vehicles for listening -- face-to-face, meetings, mass media, social media -- so how good of a job are we doing? Are we really listening to our publics and providing them the information they need?