PR acts on dissonance

Cognitive dissonance is a theory in communication and marketing that I have done two semesters worth of research on here at Missouri State University. The theory of how Public Relations professionals should utilize the theory is new to me, though — the three steps on how to persuade an audience into a new mindset to create “cognitive consonance” as Leon Festinger, the original theorist, described it.

According to the textbook “Public Relations Writing and Media Techniques” by Wilcox and Reber, the first step, simply stated, is to explicitly claim that there has been a change in the way something is. The second step is to elaborate on the change with the relevant developments, and the third step is to provide a quote or statement from someone credible that the audience trusts. These steps are designed to give even a stubborn audience the information they need to change their opinion, so the new information is not looked over or disregarded.

I have actually had to use a similar process before without realizing it, when I was the Alumni Relations chair for my fraternity. Long story short: The restaurant we had reservations for on Homecoming had double-booked their venue and did not communicate the change with me until I went with some alumni to the event and they told us they could not accommodate us. I had already made multiple posts about the event, and many alumni were planning to attend. I had to immediately make a post on Facebook to all of the alumni that there was a communication issue on the restaurant’s part, we had made new plans for the afternoon, and what the plans were. Our Alumni Board of Trustees president at the time even supported my message with one of his own just thanking me and confirming what I had said. It all worked out in the end to not upset any alumni and to keep our chapter from looking like we screwed up. These three steps will definitely be in my mind in my future in Public Relations!

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