1. current information management (CIM);

2. Image-making.

The methods of CIM are as follows:

1. holding press conferences;

2. holding briefings;

3. distribution of press releases;

4. organization of interviews;

5. providing Internet-sites.

The most large-scale image-making methods are:

1. usage of the outstanding events (exhibitions, sporting competitions, etc.);

2. organization of the so-called “special events” (performances of the celebrities; press publications which accentuate these or those qualities of the IPR subject; meetings; commemorative events and so on).

Now let’s analyze specific character of the IPR mainstreams and methods in a more detailed way.

Current information management

Here we speak about processing and distribution of information about current events concerning the PR subject for the purpose of the creation of the positive presentation of this subject in the public eyes and maintenance of positive interest and benevolence around him / her.

The main tasks of the CIM are as follows:

1. distribution of its own version of the event;

2. neutralization of the negative information.

Of course, such a division is rather relative. Sometimes both components combine with each other: because the neutralization of the negative information is impossible without the distribution of its own version of the current events. On the other hand, the distribution of its own version of the current event is not always designed to repel hostile attacks.

CIM methods, which are usually used to solve these tasks, come to the following:

Press conferences, that is specially organized meetings of the official representatives of the PR subject with the journalists who are allowed to pose their questions to the organizers of this press conference according to the time limit.

Briefings, that is convocations and brief notifications of the journalists without letting them pose questions. As a kind of compromise between the interests of the PR subject and the interests of the journalists, the briefing is especially convenient when it is both undesirable to keep silence about the current events as well as to carry on an active (like on the press conference) dialogue with the journalists.

Press releases, that is special information bulletins which contain the data for the immediate publication in the mass-media. Of course, journalists are usually not satisfied with such a prepared for them (and, actually, instead of them) piece of information. Nevertheless, when the events march quickly and the journalists do not have enough time (at least at first) to collect complete information themselves, press-releases – as a ready draft copy of the first article – are accepted by them very good-naturedly.

Interview. We do not mean sudden attacks of the journalists on the political or business leaders, but thoroughly planned conversations on the PR subject’s initiative. In such a situations both sides win the victory. Journalists get an exclusive access to the information they are interested in, and the PR subject, in his / her turn, through mass-media channels represent for the public his / her own point of view without no risk to be posed some impartial questions as it happens quite often during the press conferences.

Internet-sites. On the basis of the computing machinery there was appeared a new form of representation of the current information, which differs in the main from press releases, press conferences, newspaper publications and so on. As a CIM form, electronic sites possess unique advantages. The access to them is possible practically from all over the world and at all hours. Their information capacity is enormous. The information can be updated on a real time-basis and be represented in the colourful form, easy to understand. Finally, they are interactive: they can produce on the recipient of information an impression of the direct participation in the current events. No wonder that all more or less major IPR subjects have their personal sites, constantly upgrade them, and develop. (Let’s name e-mails of some of them: a site of the President of Ukraine – www.president.gov.ua, a site of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine – www.mfa.gov.ua, a site of the President of the USA – www.whitehouse.gov, a site of the Department of State of the USA – www.state.gov, a site of the President of Russian Federation – www.kremlin.ru, a site of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation – www.mid.ru.)

Whatever are the tasks of the CIM, whatever are the methods used to solve them, we cannot but neglect the following general requirements to the preparation and presentation of information:

1. a conscientious preparation of the information message;

2. a clear differentiation of the authorities of those who distribute the information;

3. a clear exposition of the information distributed.

Conscientiousness. Remember that “honesty is the best policy”, and use only true information. As a rule, all the risks, arisen as a result of the truth concealing and distribution of the false information, are non-profitable: sooner or later the truth reveals as well as the false information is exposed which does double harm to the reputation of the country, company, or political leader.

The authorities of those who distribute the information. We’ll talk below in a more detailed way about the dependence of the success of our contact with the foreign society upon the right choice of the “addressees” of our information messages. Here we just point out that as much important is a clear differentiation of those who will represent us, who will act on our behalf. Not to give this question a clear answer is to give way for serious troubles. Hypothetically speaking, only one authorized representative can act on behalf of any PR subject. All others should do their part on the given area of work in silence.

A clear exposition of the information distributed is one of the most obligatory requirement for all who perform the CIM tasks. A skillfully compiled message not only reduces the risk of misunderstandings of various kinds, but also shows culture and professionalism of the PR subject’s representatives.

In the process of the information interchange with a foreign audience we can face different problems which are usually the result of:

1. mistake in the choice of the recipient of information;

2. mistake in the choice of the behavioral forms of the contact with a foreign audience (eye contact, distance).

So, the first condition of the successful information interchange with a foreign audience is a right choice of the recipient. Communicator should know perfectly well what place his / her interlocutor takes in the group of foreign partners. It would be at the same time ridiculous and non-productive to try to solve serious problems with the uncommissioned representatives of the opposite side. Moreover, these attempts can insult those who really are in commission to do it.

The second condition of the successful information interchange with a foreign audience is a right choice of the behavioral forms of the contact with a foreign audience.

Even if you know perfectly well whom you message should be addressed to, you can have difficulties anyway. How to represent you message? How to attract the attention of the audience and keep it on the necessary level? How not to spurn a foreign audience because of your tactless if unpremeditated actions?

Eye contact with a foreign audience. In the Lecture # 1 when we spoke about the density of the different channels of the information perception, we have already pointed out the importance of the eyesight. Put in mind: all that we see (in particular, opposite looks of our interlocutors and listeners, their faces, gestures, etc.) make up more than a half of the information we get from people with whom we communicate. If our appearance and the way we look at the foreigner seem to him / her to be wrong (especially if the communication takes place in his / her native land), our stock to attract his / her favourable interest is low therefore.

In connection with the above-mentioned, it would be necessary to remind that according to their attitude towards the intensive eye contacts different cultures can be divided into three groups: “staring”, “less staring”, and “shy”. To the group of countries with a “staring” culture, for whom a long and intensive eye contact seems to be a norm, we can refer France, Italy, countries of the Middle East and Latin America. “Less staring” culture (long eye contacts happen only from time to time) is widespread in the USA, Scandinavia and Eastern Europe. Finally, “shy” people live in the countries of the East and South-East Asia. In this group Japan represents for us the most interesting example of the strained, negative attitude towards the frequent and long eye contacts.

Distance between a communicator and a foreign audience. Our respect for the particular representatives of foreign culture and its norms shows itself in our attitude towards the personal space of our foreign partners. The more “individualistic” is the culture, the wider is the personal space of the individual, the stricter are its boundaries, the less is the number of those who can freely cross these borders.