Situational Theory of Publics: A PR Perspective

In market segmentation, people can be identified and classified according to the time they take to recognise an issue facing them. They can also be identified & categorised according to how far they go in acting or reacting to issues.

The theory was developed by the PR veteran Prof. James E. Grunig at the University of Maryland. To date it is a well-tested theory which also makes part of the excellence theory. The theory is credited by PR scholars as being the first “deep theory” in the PR field.

The theory aims at putting messages across at the right time and to the right audience, it is for this reason that PR managers should strive at adding value to an organisation and contribute to its success by using cost effective means (Situational Theory Techniques) when putting messages across.

The theory consists of independent & dependent key concepts called variables (these variables changing from one person to another). They were formed to predict communication behaviour, attitude change and behaviour change (Grunig, 1978 & others). For example Problem recognition variable predicts the stage at which a person recognises the problem facing him/her. Besides, Constraint recognition variable tells the stage at which a person recognises the factors beyond his/her control that could prevent him/her from behaving/acting in a certain way. While Level of involvement variable measure of how personally and emotionally a person is attached to a certain problem

A good example of an issue that can be used to further explain the paragraphs is the recent South African public servants’ strike. During the protests PR practitioners and the media divided people in different groups according to the variables above so as to find out how various groups reacted to the strike in order to send out messages that suited each respective audience. By so doing communicators knew what level of knowledge that various affected publics had about the strike and therefore, they were able to identify what to communicate, who to communicate to, the language to use, mediums to apply and of course when and how to put the messages across to make an impact. Hence, the Situational Theory remains a vital element of the PR Excellence Theory.

The Rocking Oriental Kitchen in the Mother City...

There’s nothing I enjoy more than a nicely prepared meal. Prepared with an array of Asian spices and of course served with healthily cooked mixed vegetables. I love freshly cooked food that provokes all my senses and satisfies my every desire.

I never paid attention when my friend Maria spoke about the Eastern Food Bazaar in Cape Town CBD. Maria would always refer to it as, “the Asian restaurant, full of spicy adventures and unforgettable treats.” One day I decided to see for myself and Maria was more than happy to come with me.

On arrival instead of being lured in, my mind was full of doubt. The restaurant was packed with people and I lost all hope of getting a table. Luckily, some ostensibly satisfied customers finished their meal and the table was allocated to us. As we sat, my mind was at once amazed and perplexed of the wide variety of meals. There was just too much to choose from, instead of ordering my food I found myself observing on other people’s plates and their dishes. However, despite the pressure I managed to make an excellent choice, I ordered a meal that I would live to remember.

Once our meals were served, I was shocked by the huge amount of food on the plates. The aromas were absolutely breathtaking and the presentation was phenomenal. At this moment I understood and did not dare dispute those who called the place “a taste of heaven on earth”.

The food on my plate looked and smelled divine, chicken marinated in yoghurt and spices, slowly grilled in a tandoori oven hence, the name “tandoori chicken” served with medium fried chips, just the way I love them, as well as a small portion of oriental curried cabbage salad “something new”. Every bite gave me the taste of Asia; spices were well mixed and embedded in the chicken. Definitely a meal I will never forget. Surely every meal presented the love and passion for Asia and its authentic gastronomy.

I was struck by the prices of the dishes; I have always had this notion that to have a reasonable tasty meal in Cape Town, one needs to be willing to spend a lot of money. Conversely, it was not the case for Eastern Food Bazaar. Here, the prices were far more rational, the most expensive plate was R35. To me this restaurant is just “the food palace”.

The Last lecture

Will the last lecture ever come? That is the question that students ask themselves whole through the year. I do not understand how students think, hardly a week in class they are already talking about when the academic year will come to an end.

However, what students do not realise is that the last lecture is not as fun as it may sound. Being the last class and knowing that you are leaving and never to come back brings about mixed emotions. Some students, for those who make friends during the course of study, they feel deserted, some are afraid of what the future holds and some just do not understand why they should live without being told what to do (instructed) by someone. This could be due to lack of being self-responsible… very dangerous but anyways life goes on.

While, it seems there are reasons for wanting to have the last lecture. One of the reasons could be that students don’t like to do assignments or write tests, which means that thinking to them is a challenge. Who wants to be thinking all the time anyway? Well, reasoning makes people plan how they want to spend their lives, so students must get over it and look forward to their futures. The last lecture should save its purpose, therefore, should not be viewed as a scapegoat but should make students look into their futures with positive attitudes.

Bucket List Before I Die

There are many things that I want to do before I say good bye to mother earth and therefore, a bucket list is not enough. Besides, as long as life is still going-on, certain things that people want to achieve manifest as days goes by. Moreover, to a certain extent I will be say a lie if I present the bucket list of things I want to do before I die because what I want to do depends on the future. I don’t know my destiny as it lays in God’s powerful hands.

However, having a family and ensuring that it is godly is what I long for. Furthermore, if given a chance and the money to take all the street children and other children who don’t have education for various reasons to school, I would take them all to school and hence, empower them for the better. In addition, one more important think I would like to do before I die is to combat corruption of all types because corrupt leaders especially in Africa have led to increased levels of poverty.

What drives me?

Many are the times when people ask others about what motivates them. As much as this question may sound simple, many people stagger about giving the proper answer. I remember in one of the management practice class, the lecturer asked each one of us to say what it is that motivates us to wakeup early in the morning. Strange answers were given by various people; some said a cup of coffee motivated them to wakeup. As though, that was not fun enough, some people said that singing birds pushes them to get out of bed. Most interesting, one of the girls said “I wakeup for the fear of failing to accomplish my goals.

Then it was my turn, I was the third last person and therefore, I had some hard thinking to do so as to give a clever answer. Let’s put being clever aside, on a more serious note the goals that I have set for myself are what motivates me to get out bed, bath, and get onto a shuttle and hence, be at varsity. People should set goals in order to work towards them and thus, realise their personal potential and feel fulfilled. It is therefore, important that people have something to look up to in life and inturn be motivated by that.

The power of Mobile Communications…

Mobile Communications means that people communicate while they travel and attend to other issues. This feature has become one the most important part of our lives. We are now able to talk while on the move. All sorts of social media either on mobile phone, laptops and so on have made it possible for business deals to happen at any time, hence, supporting the premise that says “time is money”. Mobile communications is now even better as technology is at is highest level of advancement. One speaker at the WTF Media Conference 2010 noted that people who ignore the power of mobile communications are irrelevant. What does this mean? Well, it means that being ignorant of modern hi-tech communications puts a person in a position where he/she can’t communicate fully and therefore, remain in a state of naivety.

The cause for conversations

I have conversations because I believe that chatting brings about important information that might be needed to solve various issues if any. Besides, I talk because chatting makes me feel good, especially if something is bothering me. As the saying goes, “a problem shared is a problem solved”. Many people have died not of unpreventable diseases but because of suicide, depression and so on, which are all products of the mind. Moreover, conversations are healthy as they help us to exercise our muscles, brains and our level of thinking etc.

However, talks become dangerous when people don’t use their brains to think before utter any words. Most of the times senseless speaking results in confusions among people and thus, destruct harmony. We should always talk to be understood and to understand others, that way, conversations runs smoothly and mainly a lot of sense comes out.