EFFECTIVE MESSAGES

Message formulation for the print or the electronic media or for advertising copy involves different techniques and formats to suit the compulsions of those media.

Who says what in which channel to whom with what effect? Harold Lasswell thus summed up the description of communication process. In this chain, khat' refers to the message communicated. ~lthodh the other elements are certainly important in their own way, what is conveyed is of great significance to the recipients. No wonder some authorities call the message a central element. Some others characterise it as the heart and soul of communication.

A message may be communicated through words, pictures, ges'tures, signs and symbols or even through silence. But if it is not understood properly by the audience concerned, it is an exercise in futility. The difficulty in understanding the message properly can arise for a variety of reasons. May be the language is difficult. Or possibly the concepts are so complicated that the recipient cannot grasp them. The problem can also arise if the speaker doesn’t draw the conclusion. In that case, the listeners may draw different conclusions, depending on their background and their understanding of the issue.

There is an interesting story which explains this point. Once a biology professor was performing an experiment. He dropped a worm into a beaker of water and the worm continued to wriggle in it. The professor then dropped the same worm into a beaker of alcohol where it immediately died. The professor asked the class as to what conclusion they would like to draw from this experiment. 'One student in the last raw of the class room replied: "If you don't want worm, drink alcohol."

The message to be effective must have certain attributes.

Clarity, Coherence and Consciousness

The message which is clear, lucid and concise is generally understandable. On the other hand, any message which is heavily loaded or is loose, jerky, overlapping, flabby or wooly becomes confused. Coherence is another attribute of a good message. The message should flow logically from point to point with proper links and examples. It should be a narration of story.

Simple Language , The communicators should approach the concept of style warily and avoid the temptation to embellish the language with purple phrases. The path to good effective communication is plainness, simplicity, orderliness and sincerity. Messages with these attributes get understood and that is what the aim of an effective communication i& There is a need for the communicators to take all precautions to ensure that mesa2ges are not misunderstood. Here lies the importance of pretesting and other forms of feedback. Pretesting minimises communication failures. This method can also help to pretest the following characteristics of a message: 1) effectiveness of appeal; 2) readability; 3) clarity; 4) effectiveness of presentation; 5) acceptability 6) appropriateness of length and layout of the message. -

Characteristics of Messages

 Credibility of the Source

'Who' in the communication process is another important factor in communication. If a famous historian tells how in the times of Jahangir the pulling of the silver chain in his palace would provide instant justice to any grieved person, people will consider that information to be correct, coming as it does from a historian of eminence. But if he recommends that the mechanism of distant communication adopted by Akbar to convey the tidings of the birth of Jahangir through physical chain transmission from Agra to Delhi is an ideal form of transmission and should be practised even today in our villages, the suggestion will hll flat on the students of modem telecommunications. That explains the importance of credibility of a speaker in respect of a particular topic. You will agree that the students of telecommunications will prefer to hear from an expert on telecommunications how a modem two-way telecommunication network could be installed in distant regions of our country. ,

 Persuasion

The message, to be effective, must be persuasive. This means that the contents and appeals should have the power to influence the receivers' attitudes. Communicators today are acquainted with the package of techniques which can endow that thrust to the message. But before we mention them, let us note the techniques which we should not employ.

 Rhetorics

At one time rhetorics (the art of oratory) was considered to be the source of : persuasibility. The episode of Anthony diffusing the impact of Brutus through oratory in Shakespeare's drama entitled Julius Caeser is a good example of such a feat. In closed societies, propaganda is resorted to for that purpose. It implies drawing an iron curtain (not permitting people to get information or know about a situation from other independent sources). Then the communicators hide the other side of the picture, make repeated statements so that the news which they are disseminating is fully accepted and the cause which they are promoting gets an overwhelming suppoh They also use the techniques of associating the person, producer or organisation with favourable abstractions such as advocacy of freedom, justice, equality etc. On the other hand, they would associate opponents with the terms charge with negative meanings such as fellow traveller, pervert, reactionary, war monger, etc.

 Modern Batteries of Persuasion I

The batteries of persuasion used today are equally effective. They are even better techniques which work in the open and seek changes by consent. One of the techniques is that before starting actual communication, the source must resort to audience analysis. Audience analysis is knowing the attitudes of the recipients of the message on the issue, their socio-economic status, theirkxposure to media, etc. This audience analysis enables messages to be tailored more appropriately to the felt- needs or problems of the audience. This orientation makes messages appealable to the psyche or economic and social requirements of the members of the audience. A good image of the source and his expertise in drafting the message skillfully help a great deal in the acceptability of the message by the audience.

 Audience Participation

The research bears out that the ob'ective of communication- whether a change in d the attitude or reinforcement of e existing belief- is well accomplished through audience participation. There are many findings which prove that if the management involves the workers in problem solving and makes the workers come out with a solution themselves, they will practise it willingly. This goal may not be attained by merely asking the workers to ensure quality production. I 1

Even ordinary messages can be turned into interesting ones, into great attention catchers with a lot of impact, if some human interest touches, dramatic and emotional appeals are added to them. They can become very convincing and credible if presented graphhxlly and supported by statistics.

 Pathetic Stories

One can narrate a pathetic story to evoke an effective human response. For instance, depicting the miserable life of a particular refugee family in famine ridden Ethiopia could touch the human chord of sympathy more intensely than making a flat appeal to donate and save four million people stawing in that countly. Individuals can be related to a family but not to four million people. Human misery can be vividly illustrated by a small documentary showing a few shots of some poor children picking up remnants of food from a dust bin near a rich man's house and contrasting it by depicting food being wid on the dinner table of the rich family. The first part of the documentary could cause anguish and ,the other part could evoke the concept of disparity and poverty-divide in the couniry. A photograph of a thin sick woman holding achild with a distended belly would prove the adage that a single picture is more eloquent than a thousand words.

 Statistics in Support of Coqrectness

The use of statistics in 6n economic survey of a country can lend support to the correctness of conclusions drawn from the survey. The use of percentages and the details can show more convincingly the extent of rise and fall in the production of a commodity. Similarly, quoting feedback evidences or media testimonials in support of a cause can earn significant public backing.

 Emotional Appeals

Emotional appeals, if properly used at an appropriate time, can stir imagination. The phrase 'Quit India' coined by Gandhiji and addressed to the Britishers and 'Aaram Haraam Hai', Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru's slogan to activise the nation are still in the minds of Indians. Prime Minister La1 Bahadur Shastri's slogan, Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan, electrified the Indian people during India's war with Pakistan. Churchill (UK Premier) and Roosevelt (USA President) could galvanise their countrymen by issuing well- chiselled appeals during world war 11. Appeals, to the self esteem or social status have made people buy costly goods which normally they wouldn't.

 Perception Filter

Any message is called a stimulus and a strong and emotion-laden message is termed as a strong stimulus. However, before any stimulus or message can transfer , In Mass Media knowledge, create an image or change an attitude, or precipitate a behaviour, it must enter the mind of the receiver. Perception is the process whereby an individual receives stimulus through the various senses and interprets them. The factors which condition the perception of audiences are the information needs, attitudes, values, interests, learning process, social contexts etc. The ability of the source to codify messages with the knowledge of the perception filter of the auidence is, therefore, an important condition for a successful communication process. It is held by the researchers that the effectiveness of a message ultimately depends upon its relevance to the media.

 MEDIA RELEVANCE

Each mass medium requires messages to be tailored to its format and technology. We shall first talk about the print media. We have already learnt that the copy of the print media takes a direct path from the paper to the eye to the brain. For that reason, the print media format can afford to include comparatively more diverse and indepth coverage of topics and news stories. Because of the traditional respect for the printed word, as also because of the greater freedom which the print media have compared to other media, newspapers and magazines enjoy more credibility and shoulder greater social responsibility. Lately, the print media have acquired more of colour and gloss and the contents are getting graphic treatment, all as a result of the new printing technologies. Consequently, more readers and advertisers are'being drawn to these media. The Malayala Manoma, The Ananda Bazar Patrika, The Hindu, PuQab Kesari, The Times of India, India Today, Star Dust, Loksatta, Nav Bharat Times and many other publications have become the household favourities.

Electronic Media Messages

The messages of the electronic media and the newer visual media like satellite TV, cable TV, video magazines, include the spoken word, sound inputs, and the action oriented visuals. The radio copy is to be read aloud. Its writing must follow the common speech pattern. It needs to be written in the conversational style because the ear is most uses to conversation. The conversational langwge is simple and informal. The simple sentence is the most effective tool he writer of radio copy. Likewise, simple and commonly understood words are to be used. Besides, an easy flow of the language has to be ensured. Informal words like house in place of residence and actor in place of thespian are preferred.

In a broadcasting text, you are telling a story. You, therefore, use words and phrases that can be spoken naturally and relay the story in the form we are used to relating a story. If the language does not sound natural, if the meaning of words is not instantly clear to the listeners, it is not good radio style. One of the other important characteristics of the broadcast message is that spoken words must match with other audio elements. Characteristics of Messages Tongue-twisting alliterations or combinations of words which are jarring on ears are best avoided in radio copy. They create difficulties for news readers, announcers, and artists at the transmitting end and for listeners at the receiving end.

Radio being an aural medium, fine statistics should be avoided in news or other informational programmes. There is no use, for instance, writing that according to the Department of Fisheries, 30,11,782 fish died in the tanks of (any city or state), during the year 1993. "That exact figure is not likely to register with the listener's ears. And that precise figure has no special significance. It is good enough to say that "more than 30 lakh fish .........." Giving of the exact figure Is of course essential in announcing the result of a closely contested election. For example, X of the Congress Party defeated Y of CPI(M) by a slender margin of 55 votes. Likewise, in sports stories, the precise figures are necessary. For example : X remained unbeaten with 187 runs. Y took 4 wickets for 37 runs.

TV writing is picturised presentation of a story. Visual pictures replace verbal ones. Programmes are shown, not told. The TV copy is a split copy describing both the video and audio components. Words lose two-thirds of their value on the TV and the eye holds up the picture. What is being seen on the TV screen need not be described through words. TV has its own techniques of visual narration. No wonder that the viewers cling to the TV, absorbed in what is put out on the small screen.

In video magazines, interviews and articulate shots produce poignantor striking news stories. In films, the still pictures captured by the camera at a speed of 24 shots per second and projected at the same speed by the projector in the hall create an illusion of motion pictures on the wide screen, depicting a vivid human story, punctuated by dance and song sequences and scenes of touching and dramatic actions.

Thus you have seen that the message writing or scripting varies from medium to medium and unless it is done to suit the typical attributes of that medium and is in tune with the social-economic conditions, attitudes and media habits of-the target audience, the messages may not have the desired impact, the programmes may not click with the audience.

 HOT AND COLD MESSAGES

Marshall McLuhan differentiates between hot and cold messages. By the former, he

Elements in Mass Media means the messages with highly undektandable specific contents. According to him, such messages are good for disseminating specific information. The announcement of a new product on the market is one such example. People read or hear such news in the media but there is very little involvement on their part.

Cold messages, on the other hand, are more appropriate if the objective is to have people internalise and retain the information. People interpret such news according to their own,perception. In such messages, there is more involvement of the people.

 CREATNE AD MESSAGE

The copy writers of ad texts are constrained in what they can create by the production technologies and the availability of media forms. Nonetheless, it is a creative exercise. A print copy is described as "salesmanship in print". Creativity in the ad format is required towards this end. The entire copy is to be structured along the AIDA line, that is for attracting attention, stimulating interest, creating desire and invoking action. According to Advertising Manager's handbook, a good copy must dos even things in order to produce results. These are 1) c:eate interestj2) inform the readers to the maximum about the product in an interesting way or in a display form 3) highlight the solution which the advertised product or service offers, 4) help the readers to solve his or her problem, 5) convince the reader that the advertisement is truthful, 6) persuade the reader to buy the product, 7) to create such awareness of a product in the readers that the next time when they have a problem, they will remember the advertised product as the solution to the problem. In general, a creative copy style is one in which every word counts and communicates. It must speak the language of the market. The message must be concise, precise and eye-catching.

 Radio Ad Copy

Characteristics of Messages

Radio copies, messages, slogans, jingles and musical commercials are very vigorous / although they are oriented only to the ears of the listeners. Combining voices, spoken words, music and sound effects, the copies evoke various mental pictures. As radio gives the copy writer complete freedom of time, and better scope is available for ingenuity and creativity.

Elements in Mass Media Radio copywriting or message or slogan formulation, therefore, is an imaginative and professional job. As someone said, the acid test of a good radio copy is "put the copy on the tape and play it back". If it is not found effective, re-do the process until a radio commercial becomes a good package of sound, creativity and mental pictures and above all an order spinner.

 TV Commercial

As TV is a combination of all the virtues, strengths and beauty that audio-visual technology can impart, the medium alone draws more ads than any other individual medium does. However, writing a TV script for a commercial is a complicated and highly professional task, since the medium involves moving pictures. Whatever be the type of TV commercial that is to be produced, the script writer has tohclude all the basic selling steps to cover attention, interest, desire, conviction and action. In fact, the script has to use the strongest attention-getting, attention- keeping and persuasive elements, including personalities and drama. The difference between the TV commercial and the print medium ad is that TV commercial must ensure that viewers grasp the entire story the first time they watch it. In case of the print media, the reader has a chance to look at it again and read it repeatedly. Recent research studies in India and abroad have clearly proved that even TV spots of short duration possess a formidable selling pull. There lies the strength and promotional potency of TV commercials, whether for selling products and services or for promoting non-profit social ideas or public utility causes.

Pictures and other visuals used in various media are not merely playing the role of supplementaries for reinforcing a story but are giving new turns to stories. At times, they contain even independent or deeper versions. Whether it is the cropping, bleeding or placing of figures, they all add different moods to the pictures. Cartoons and other graphics speak their own language of satire or humour.

The video and TV camera, through close ups or long shots, aerial or side views, add a Characteristics of Messages new angle to a story. Illustrative or visual journalism is, therefore, becoming a powerful art. The video magazines, computer graphics and mixers add new dimensions to news coverage. The students of mass communication must learn this new language and grammar of visuals because they are creative elements and constitute an integral part of the message.