Reversing Negative Perceptions

Sometimes people or organizations get a bum rap. It is unfair and can be awfully hard to shake. An example of this is Northern Illinois University, a fine institution of higher learning situated in DeKalb, Illinois, about 60 miles outside of Chicago. Over the past three years the university has had to contend with several incidents of violence that, collectively, have resulted in the institution being labeled unsafe. In February, 2008, a former graduate student walked into one of NIU's lecture halls and opened fire. He killed five students and injured 19 others before turning the gun on himself. Later in the year, after initial reports of being missing, the body of a female student was found in a wooded area off campus. She had been murdered. In 2010, another student suffered a gun wound as a a result of an altercation.

None of the incidents was the result of any negligence on the part of the university. Prior to them, crime that occurred at NIU was rarely more serious than theft or alcohol or drug-related. Further, the three violent incidents between 2008 and 2010 were handled by university officials with openness and transparency in terms of sharing information with the media, employees and students, and the general public. Despite this, concerns have been expressed by potential students and the media about the safety of the campus. One result of these concerns is that NIU has suffered a drop in enrollment and is currently struggling to regain the upward trajectory of interest among potential students that it enjoyed prior to 2008. Devising ways to help reverse the negative image and enrollment drop represents a significant communication challenge.

This is where an effective strategic communication plan comes in handy. Such a plan has several overriding objectives: it is designed to enhance the image of an organization and persuade targeted publics to take various actions that benefit the organization. In other words, it represents a well-organized road map geared to raise an entity's overall status. Such plans are usually complex, contain numerous components such as creating various communiques with specific messages and initiating an array of outreach efforts, and take time to carry out and generate the kind of results one seeks. NIU's reputation will eventually take a more positive turn because it is blessed with competent and caring administrators who are working to carry out such a road map. Until then, these officials will need to be patient. The truth does not always travel as fast as any of us would like. But a good communication plan gives it wings.