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Robert L. Dilenschneider Mastering the Art of Persuasion
Public Relations Review, 17(1):93-105
Copyright 0 1991 by JAI Press Inc. AU rights of reproduction in any form reserved.
ISSN: 0363-8111
Book Reviews Robert L. Dilenschneider Mastering the Art of Persuasion Englewood Cliffs, NJ: 1990, $19.95 This book often seems like a combination of the counsel of Machiavelli and the attack strategy of Von Clausewitz. It is aggressive, the product of a leader who has chosen his role carefully and has a firm, perhaps fierce, commitment to winning. Dilenschneider asserts the purposes of the book as “to express the realities of influence and how influence works in society and especially in business. . . to give everyone the opportunity to put proven influence tactics to work for themselves.” It reads as if we were sharing an ordered collection of career notes, the recollection of things which have worked well throughout a very distinguished public relations career. His basic premise is “the key to having influence is to get people to focus on a problem that is clearly and simply stated.” One wonders at the accommodation of a strong emphasis on “the high end of the ethical scale,” and the inclusion of a cover blurb by Larry Speakes, that admitted quotation-maker. This is not an aloof treatise; rather, it is a manual for action, a testament to the use of power and leverage; a driving, forceful text of personal learning; and now a sharing of action-oriented pragmatism: how to power to the top, and how to stay King of the Hill. It’s a thoughtful, helpful book, one which places a very welcome emphasis on public relations as a key part of the organization’s planning and strategy process, and which asserts frequently that issues anticipation, followed by prompt, capable and, if possible, planned, crisis management executed by true professionals. DilenSchneider emphasizes the need for quality practitioners, takes few hostages, names names.
spring
1991
93
Public Relations Review
Over and over again he stresses the need to be thoroughly informed, ranging from a soliloquy on how to read the Wall Street Journal in three minutes, to a deserved emphasis on the trade, foreign, alternative, and radical press, and reminder on the mother lode of public data: “[you] must know how to absorb vast amounts of information and act on it quickly.” Dilenschneider suggests ways to protect against aggression, which can range from boycott to hostile takeover, and also offers pithy counsel on how to attack most effectively. There is an endless series of one-liners, each though&Ily relevant, each pithily stated. “Never acknowledge an upstart by name. . . businesses that are leaders expect to be attacked. . . pound away at key advantages. . . mock your opponent’s boldness. _ . if you want your ideas to have influence, make them a part of the story line. . . don’t try to con a reporter. . . look for ways to be part of a rivalry.” This is a short book, well written, thoughtfully edited, worth reading. It will remind some of things won and lost and reasons why. For others, it will be an introduction to the realities, competitiveness, and ultimate demands of professional management and public relations. . . as opposed to much that masquerades under those banners. One chapter is devoted to special interests, reminding us that television has empowered them, given them a strong medium for appealing, emotional messages. He suggests that one “settle a problem before it goes public. . . calculate your concessions in advance and then figure out how not to give them up. . . assume that the special interest is never going to go away. . . for each controversy, assign one person and hold that person accountable. ” Dilenschneider reminds us that communication must be very sophisticated to appeal, restated many times to be effective. It is the frank directness, backed up by reasoning and examples, that are the charm, force, and value of the book. The author’s power triangle is: “do worthy things, communicate sound messages, and seek recognition quietly. If pressed, I’d say that’s my simple credo for making it in a very complicated world.” ‘The essence of public relations is the power to influence, and, as I hope I have made clear, that rests on a three column base of quality, accountability, and. . . tnlth.” Frank Winston Wylie Professor California State University,
Long Beach
Ahie L. Smith Innovative Employee Communication Englewood Cliffs, NJ: 1990, 235 pp., $21.95 This a thoughtful book; a pivotal book! It positions the employee communications function at the thrust edge of organizational governance-subject to the rigors, the accountability and, yes, the rewards, of the strategic planning and the management-by-objective disciplines. In doing so, the book revitalizes the function into the organizational mainstream 94
Vol. 17, No. 1
Copyright 0 1991 by JAI Press Inc. AU rights of reproduction in any form reserved.
ISSN: 0363-8111
Book Reviews Robert L. Dilenschneider Mastering the Art of Persuasion Englewood Cliffs, NJ: 1990, $19.95 This book often seems like a combination of the counsel of Machiavelli and the attack strategy of Von Clausewitz. It is aggressive, the product of a leader who has chosen his role carefully and has a firm, perhaps fierce, commitment to winning. Dilenschneider asserts the purposes of the book as “to express the realities of influence and how influence works in society and especially in business. . . to give everyone the opportunity to put proven influence tactics to work for themselves.” It reads as if we were sharing an ordered collection of career notes, the recollection of things which have worked well throughout a very distinguished public relations career. His basic premise is “the key to having influence is to get people to focus on a problem that is clearly and simply stated.” One wonders at the accommodation of a strong emphasis on “the high end of the ethical scale,” and the inclusion of a cover blurb by Larry Speakes, that admitted quotation-maker. This is not an aloof treatise; rather, it is a manual for action, a testament to the use of power and leverage; a driving, forceful text of personal learning; and now a sharing of action-oriented pragmatism: how to power to the top, and how to stay King of the Hill. It’s a thoughtful, helpful book, one which places a very welcome emphasis on public relations as a key part of the organization’s planning and strategy process, and which asserts frequently that issues anticipation, followed by prompt, capable and, if possible, planned, crisis management executed by true professionals. DilenSchneider emphasizes the need for quality practitioners, takes few hostages, names names.
spring
1991
93
Public Relations Review
Over and over again he stresses the need to be thoroughly informed, ranging from a soliloquy on how to read the Wall Street Journal in three minutes, to a deserved emphasis on the trade, foreign, alternative, and radical press, and reminder on the mother lode of public data: “[you] must know how to absorb vast amounts of information and act on it quickly.” Dilenschneider suggests ways to protect against aggression, which can range from boycott to hostile takeover, and also offers pithy counsel on how to attack most effectively. There is an endless series of one-liners, each though&Ily relevant, each pithily stated. “Never acknowledge an upstart by name. . . businesses that are leaders expect to be attacked. . . pound away at key advantages. . . mock your opponent’s boldness. _ . if you want your ideas to have influence, make them a part of the story line. . . don’t try to con a reporter. . . look for ways to be part of a rivalry.” This is a short book, well written, thoughtfully edited, worth reading. It will remind some of things won and lost and reasons why. For others, it will be an introduction to the realities, competitiveness, and ultimate demands of professional management and public relations. . . as opposed to much that masquerades under those banners. One chapter is devoted to special interests, reminding us that television has empowered them, given them a strong medium for appealing, emotional messages. He suggests that one “settle a problem before it goes public. . . calculate your concessions in advance and then figure out how not to give them up. . . assume that the special interest is never going to go away. . . for each controversy, assign one person and hold that person accountable. ” Dilenschneider reminds us that communication must be very sophisticated to appeal, restated many times to be effective. It is the frank directness, backed up by reasoning and examples, that are the charm, force, and value of the book. The author’s power triangle is: “do worthy things, communicate sound messages, and seek recognition quietly. If pressed, I’d say that’s my simple credo for making it in a very complicated world.” ‘The essence of public relations is the power to influence, and, as I hope I have made clear, that rests on a three column base of quality, accountability, and. . . tnlth.” Frank Winston Wylie Professor California State University,
Long Beach
Ahie L. Smith Innovative Employee Communication Englewood Cliffs, NJ: 1990, 235 pp., $21.95 This a thoughtful book; a pivotal book! It positions the employee communications function at the thrust edge of organizational governance-subject to the rigors, the accountability and, yes, the rewards, of the strategic planning and the management-by-objective disciplines. In doing so, the book revitalizes the function into the organizational mainstream 94
Vol. 17, No. 1