Information

Broadly, information is the message conveyed through the use of symbols, signs, events, and any other communicative elements that create it. Throughout much of the past 60 years, this term was the most used and fundamental to the communication discipline; adopted from information sciences and theory, it was defined as a counterpart to uncertainty.

The process of informing in public relations involves the release of information and how that message is then interpreted and used by publics. Source, receiver, and situational characteristics affect the information exchange at every stage of the process. The goal of most information dissemination is to create, reinforce, or change an attitude or behavior, and the complete process of informing involves intrapersonal, interpersonal, organizational, and mass communication level considerations.

Public relations practitioners inform increasingly broad and diverse publics; thus, assuming a “message sent is the message received” posture can cause informational exchanges to fail. New technologies heightened audiences’ expectations for information that is succinct, engaging, and culturally tailored. Further, information must break through the clutter to resonate with publics who often suffer from information overload. Understanding the audience and the context in which it receives a particular message is central to effective, persuasive information exchange.

Receivers filter information through unique frames of reference and evaluate not only the message sent, but also who sent it and how, when, and where it was received. Different affective states and cognitive schema factor into this processing. A central goal of information is to reduce uncertainty. Uncertainty affects both information seeking and processing in the audience. Uncertainty generally motivates information seeking to enable a clearer understanding of the situation and thus reduce the state of uncertainty. Too much uncertainty, however, may be debilitating and lead to resignation from information seeking.

How publics interpret and act on information they consume is of central importance in the process of informing, especially in public relations. For example, amidst a disease outbreak, public health practitioners may order publics to stay inside and avoid public places. High uncertainty levels may result in people leaving their homes to visit doctors’ offices or to consult with friends and family. Those with low uncertainty may be more likely to follow protocol. Source and situational characteristics also factor in; the more credible the source, the more likely publics may be to follow directives. Even simple information, such as “avoid public places,” can be interpreted differently by different receivers; to some, “public places” is the grocery store or school while for others it may be interpreted as any contact with other people.

Different audiences, messages, and situations dictate the types of appeals that best lead to the desired persuasive routes. Artistic proofs, or means of persuasion, include ethos (ethics/credibility), pathos (emotions), and logos (logic) and are used based on their appropriateness in the overall informational context.