Politically Incorrect Language

Beyond avoidance of stereotypes, there is an ongoing controversy about what constitutes "politically correct" (commonly called "PC") language. In today's world of diversity at all levels of national life, there is increased sensitivity about what words are used to describe minorities and other groups of people.

Such concern has merit, and writers should be sensitive to words that may offend individuals or groups. However, critics charge that a flood of euphemisms can cause a loss of clarity and may result in a kind of political censorship that is not healthy for freedom of expression. For example, some groups think the word "civilization" is polit­ically incorrect because it infers that some people are not civilized. Still others object to the word "disabled" and want to substitute "physically challenged" or "differently abled". Is a person an "alcoholic" or just "suffering from substance abuse"? Even the old term " Dutch treat" is under attack because it implies that Dutch people are cheap.

On another level, however, some suggestions seem quite logical. For example, in a global economy, American companies now refer to "international" sales because "for­eign" sounds ethnocentric. Writers are using terms like "Asian-American" instead of the now pejorative "Oriental". And currently, there is some argument as to whether "African-American" is more politically correct than "black"; both terms have their supporters.

Language, and its connotations, is constantly changing. The professional public relations writer must be aware of the changes and must make decisions on the basis of such factors as sensitivity to the audience, accuracy, and clarity of communication.

 

Persuasive Writing

Your purpose is to persuade your target audience. Your message may be delivered in one way, a few ways, or many different ways. As you work on message content, however, you should keep in mind the concepts of audience analysis; source credibility; appeal to self-interest; clarity of the message; timing and context; symbols, slogans, and acronyms, semantics; suggestions for action; and content and structure.

 

Audience Analysis

A message must be compatible with group values and beliefs. Taxpayers, for exam­ple, get more interested in recycling when the message points out that trash collection costs millions of tax dollars annually or that recycling will generate revenues to keep taxes down.

Tapping a group's attitudes and values in order to structure a meaningful message is called channeling. It is the technique of recognizing a general audience's beliefs and suggesting a specific course of action related to audience members' self-interests. In this example, the incentive to participate in recycling programs is given a strong push by the prospect of tax savings.

It must be remembered, however, that taxpayers are only one target audience. A message to members of hiking clubs might emphasize that overflowing landfills and mountains of trash are despoiling scenic areas. You should always keep in mind that the more you can segment various audiences, the more you can tailor your message to specific group attitudes.

 

Source Credibility

A message is more believable to an audience if the source has credibility. That is why writers try to attribute information and quotes to perceived experts; it makes the material more persuasive.

Indeed, expertise is a key element in credibility. The other two elements are sincer­ity and charisma. Ideally, a source will have all three attributes.

Depending on the message and the audience, various spokespersons can be used and quoted for source credibility. For example, if you are writing a news release about a new product for a trade magazine, perhaps the best source to quote would be the director of research and development for the company. This person is a credible source primarily because of personal knowledge and expertise. If the news release is about the fourth-quarter earnings of the company, the most credible person to quote in the news release would be either the chief executive officer or the vice president for finance, both experts by virtue of their position.

Source credibility also can be hired.

Additional credibility is gained if the spokesperson comes across as being sincere about the message.

Sincerity is an important component in celebrity endorsements. Sincerity and cha­risma are the key elements of using celebrities to provide source credibility.

Celebrities are used primarily to call attention to a product, service or idea. The sponsor's intent is to associate the person's popularity with the product. This is called transfer.

The use of various sources for credibility depends in large part on the type of audience being reached. That is why audience analysis is the first step in formulating effective public relations messages.