Comfort Zones

While all of us may have a different notion as to what makes us comfortable, there is no doubt it is a feeling which we all enjoy and one to which we all strive. Feeling comfortable finds us in a special zone where we are relaxed, less tense or on-edge about that which surrounds us, and more receptive to the ongoing sounds and messages that comprise each of our environments. Bottom line: a comfort zone is a good place to be no matter the length of time of our visit. Further, it is a place to which we all want to return. Professional communicators know this This is why so many of their strategies are designed to create some level of comfort for its targeted publics.




As so much of public relations efforts are designed to persuade people to take certain action or support particular positions, a key challenge is to help those same individuals feel good about taking steps that represent change or departure. Specifically, campaigns designed to persuade often are geared to get folks to move from one comfort zone - one they know - to potentially one they do not. For example, a member of the public might be very happy - comfortable - with driving a certain model of car. Why, they understandably ask, should they switch to another? The challenge of the professional communicator is to answer that fundamental question in a way that suggests continuous comfort.  


Feelings of comfort can be physical, mental or both. In their messaging and outreach efforts, communicators seek to touch one or both of these buttons. They know being in a comfort zone encases one in a posture of safety. Who doesn't want to maintain that? Thus, in their messaging, communicators flood their publics they with an array of positive assurances, including they will be happy, continue to live within their budgetary means, be the envy of others, and be viewed as being upwardly mobile. Such feelings come from being in a zone of comfort.