This past year, 2009, marked the bicentennial birth of one of America's greatest presidents and in remembrance, I want to take reflection of the works of Abraham Lincoln.
President Lincoln was charged with one of the most devastatingly difficult moments in U.S. history- the Civil War. In his hands, he found the strength to bring together a divided nation in its darkest moments. By many historians, Lincoln is considered to be the greatest American president. He will always be mine.
To understand the impact of Lincoln's legacy is to examine his views on the subject of public opinion, and to study the techniques he used to influence it.
"I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts."- Abraham Lincoln
Lincoln understood that public opinion is everything and it drove an ethical center in his presidency. He also knew that to shape that public opinion would take the fine art of persuasion.
He recognized that bold new ideas needed time and patience to become accepted as "inevitable." Even with drastic change, Lincoln still gave the people time, announcing the immanent issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation 100 days before hand rather than a bold immediate implementation of the act.
He also understood the principle of being forthright with the public. Persuasion, in Lincoln's view, did not include concealment in areas of disagreement. His listeners were entitled to know exactly where he stood, even if they did not agree.
Lincoln's eloquent use of language was profound and his rhetoric figures of irony, metaphor and extended metaphor reflected the styling of both the King James Bible and the works of Shakespeare. In your spare time, I highly recommend reading the series of articles by ClimateProgress.org's Joe Romm, detailing the precision of Lincoln's work in these styles. It is a wonderful view into the mind of our greatest president.
Lincoln's mastery of language, inspiring determination and faith in us all are the same principles any public relations practitioner should live by. Thank you, Mr. President.
Showing posts with label Abraham Lincoln. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Abraham Lincoln. Show all posts
Monday, July 19, 2010
Sunday, December 6, 2009
He Who Molds the Public
Knowing how far we've come as practitioners is essential to the art of Public Relations. Although technology is a key factor changing how we communicate, remembering the wisdom of the past gives us the focus we need to become great practitioners. All the technology in the world doesn't make up for the age old truths that guide us. Here are some of my favorite PR quotes. Some are serious, others funny; but they all remind us of the importance PR and the quality of how we practice it. Enjoy!
"All the president is, is a glorified public relations man who spends his time flattering, kissing, and kicking people to get them to do what they are supposed to do anyway."
- Harry S. Truman
"He who molds the public sentiment... makes statutes and decisions possible or impossible to make."
- Abraham Lincoln
"Don’t believe your own publicity. You can’t; you’ll start thinking that you’re better than you are."
- Leif Garrett
"I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts."
- Abraham Lincoln
"Publicity is the life of this culture- in so far as without publicity, capitalism could not survive."
- John Berger, 'Ways of Seeing'(1980)
"Words are like bullets; if they escape, you can't catch them again."
- Wolof, African proverb
"If I was down to my last dollar, I'd spend it on public relations."
- Bill Gates
"Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some hire public relations officers."
- Daniel J. Boorstin
"PR means telling the truth and working ethically - even when all the media want is headlines and all the public wants is scapegoats. Public relations fails when there is no integrity."
- Viv Segal, MD of Sefin Marketing
"The formulation of a public relations strategy properly begins with listening, not talking.... (Public relations) is an exploratory process in which one must establish goals, seek and, sometimes create opportunities, evaluate options, anticipate obstacles and ways of overcoming them, and assign the most qualified professionals to initiate the activity which is most likely to achieve the best results."
- Leonard Saffir
"All the president is, is a glorified public relations man who spends his time flattering, kissing, and kicking people to get them to do what they are supposed to do anyway."
- Harry S. Truman
"He who molds the public sentiment... makes statutes and decisions possible or impossible to make."
- Abraham Lincoln
"Don’t believe your own publicity. You can’t; you’ll start thinking that you’re better than you are."
- Leif Garrett
"I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts."
- Abraham Lincoln
"Publicity is the life of this culture- in so far as without publicity, capitalism could not survive."
- John Berger, 'Ways of Seeing'(1980)
"Words are like bullets; if they escape, you can't catch them again."
- Wolof, African proverb
"If I was down to my last dollar, I'd spend it on public relations."
- Bill Gates
"Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some hire public relations officers."
- Daniel J. Boorstin
"PR means telling the truth and working ethically - even when all the media want is headlines and all the public wants is scapegoats. Public relations fails when there is no integrity."
- Viv Segal, MD of Sefin Marketing
"The formulation of a public relations strategy properly begins with listening, not talking.... (Public relations) is an exploratory process in which one must establish goals, seek and, sometimes create opportunities, evaluate options, anticipate obstacles and ways of overcoming them, and assign the most qualified professionals to initiate the activity which is most likely to achieve the best results."
- Leonard Saffir
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
