Communication for Social Transformation: Creating Two-Way Communication Channels

Summary for Chapter 6
Communication for the Social Transformation
This chapter primarily deals with the methods to create a two-way communication between
the administration and the masses of Latin America. In this chapter, they have discussed the
roles of the PR agencies and the tools that can be used to create a feel-good factor in the mind
of the people with respect to the corporations and other public bodies (Chambers, 1994). The
agenda of any communication should be aimed at creating a dialogue among the supra
communities (community of the communities), the PR tactics should be introduced with an
intention to create a symmetrical communication to define a social transformation.
The practices of the Non-western PR are creating a two-way communication channel with the
masses. The concept of horizontal communication and the horizontal education has the power
to bring in a transformation. The next level of communication is participation. Participation
based communication can ensure the galvanization of the masses in the direction of the
transformation. The chain of Goal, participation, and empowerment leads to the flow of the
message in a horizontal pipeline. The case of Kallppa youth project in Peru gives us an idea
about the scope of the communication where a variety of subjects were promoted under a
single PR flagship (J.Chia, 2005).
The success of the El Porvenir project also sets an example for the success of the
communication mediums that have a deep-rooted respect for multiple cultures and carry a
message to please the masses ahead of their ethnographic status. Winning the respect of
individual and collective dignity and agency ensures that the campaign has met with success
in all possible regards.
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The role of communication intermediaries cannot be denied in the process of a PR exercise,
they play the role of a promoter and an advertiser along with the most important process of
the co-construction of the knowledge (E.Dudley, 1993). The western models of the PR
strongly promote this culture of co-learning and with the help of this co-learning, they add a
new strength in the process of relationship building.
As a PR professional it is the responsibility of a professional to stay in regular touch with the
sources of the media, community leaders and other stakeholders in the process. The example
of the El Porvenir gives us an idea that how does symmetrical communication can do
wonders to a PR exercise. The co-creation of the knowledge and its channelization from the
side of the PR machinery in the form of a coordinated message can complete the circle of the
information for all the stakeholders that are involved in the process.
The knowledge gained through participatory communication and horizontal pipelines to
create a communication channel is a method developed by the western world PR agencies.
The essence of this exercise can be termed as a dialogue. PR is not all about promotion of an
event; it is more about a co-creation where the PR agency plays the role of a message carrier
or the communication channel to ease out the pressure on the formal direct communication
channel between the stakeholders.
Chapter 5
Diversity in Public Relations
Post-Colonial and critical race theories give us an idea about the section of a society which
was unheard in the society in the past. A PR exercise is incomplete without addressing this
diversity of the society. Addressing the socio-cultural differences present in the society in
favor of the given message or the purpose is an important aspect of any PR exercise. As a PR
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professional, we cannot ignore the presence of diversity in society. However, instead of
looking at it from the point of view of a race we should look at it from the point of view of an
ethnicity developed in an area (M. Dutta, 2008).
The presence of the diversity is not a problem all the time, it can also be considered as an
advantage sometimes because it gives us a strong purpose of the communication to bridge the
gap between sender and the receiver. The inception of the culturally diverse employees is an
organization helps the PR machinery in gaining additional points whereas the absence of
these employees can bring in a dead end in the exercise. (Taylor, 2002)
The management of the diversity can attract some flaws if the manager is looking at it from
the perspective of an individual rather than a group. The western theories of the PR
mechanism say that tactical management of the diversity can become a competitive tool in
the hands of a manager if it is executed well. The initiatives to curb the diversity should be
taken on two levels, a manager should come up with some day to day plans to handle the
diversity and complex initiatives should be taken with an intention to keep long-term gains in
the mind (A.K.Leeper, 1996).
The cultural specificity of any given message should be handled with the help of symmetrical
communication. The managers and other message carriers should change a few things in their
acts in order to maintain a tone to address the problems created by the diversity. Post colonist
CRT theories were promoting different types of the definitions to certain terms and their
impacts are evident. For instance, the definition of whiteness is not connected to the skin tone
of an individual alone, it also refers to the set of the privileges that a person wins from the
society because of his or her fair skin tone. The lens view of the theories connected to the
whiteness and CRT gives us a new intellectual clan of the individuals that follow the status of
being a diverse voice or an alternative rationalist.
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