GCruz RESPONSE_Greg Sulik Wk4 Post

GCruz RESPONSE. Greg SulikWeek 4 Post: The NFL, Domestic Violence, and Social Networks

Great work on your post, Greg. 

The R.A,C,E. method is a key start for information gathering. The RESEARCH gathered can expose and reveal issues of ethics and unjust enrichment that can be surrounding the NFL commissioner, management, and possibly some players involved in domestic violence and public concern with Ray Rice originally receiving a slap on the hand. Some may being RESEARCH from the top-down or bottom-up to begin the discovery process and to also receive enough information to devise important open-end questions to receive the results the interviewer is looking for. The topics for discussion and the circumstances that impact the football league may revealed in when answering the 5 w’s and the h (who, what, when, where, why, and how). The questions can help shed light on the best methods to apply when constructing open-ended questions to engage listeners and those who are interviewed.

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The results from the research / discovery can also assist with devising a strategic ACTION plan which can encourage the NFL reps to answer the questions. However, some answers to questions may create additional problems and enhance the public’s negative opinion of the entire NFL. The league must realize that consistency is important if the league is trying to maintain or rebuild their reputation and relationship with the public. Unfortunately, if the league is contemplating whether-or-not they will answer questions, they must accept and consider the backlash to not answering questions or making a comment, and new information about the case could have arisen from ongoing public discussions on different social media / networks regarding the NFL commissioner, management, owners, and players.  

Communication.  The NFL reps could have and should have been more proactive by making the public their advocates. This could have been achieved through on communications updates on social media / networks, and by allowing the public and the NFL reps to share their true concerns not just for the abuser but the helpless victim who was abused. The NFL could have partnered with domestic violence organizations and local / state legislator to create a webinar, podcast, online chats, etc. in order to deliver a public message expressing their true and authentic concerns for the victims of domestic violence and the aftermath of that violence on innocent children (i.e. Ray Rice’s wife and children). The research, action and communication methods can be evaluated and measured based on outcome of the total number of participants who connected to the webinar podcast, online chat, etc , The NFL;s commissioner, management and owners could communicate their resolutions to those NFL players who continue to be involved in domestic violence. 

G.Cruz: Week 4 Response to Lydia

Great job responding, Lydia!

Q1 RESPONSE:  One key condition the NFL management failed to immediately acknowledge and inform the public, is the NFL and its players are public figures with the same level of responsibility as any other public figure albeit in politics, the entertainment industry (music, film, sports, etc.) or any industry where your personal life can be subjected public scrutiny by virtue of the choices and the social behavior the public figure “chooses” to participate in exposes his or her behavior to become exposed to the public for material gain, or as a matter of principle. The public figure, their management, and their employer – in Ray Rice’s case his employer was the NFL -- will also cause all individuals connected to that public figure to be judged and/or scrutinized. Case-in-point, the public questioned and (is still questions) why did it take the NFL’s reps and management take so long to respond, including Ray’s agent / manager, Ray’s family (especially his wife, relatives and friends), etc.  As a result of the NFL’s past behavior and how they approached different issues that required a response, the league practically thumbed their noses at the public, and arrogantly refused to respond to any questions!

On September 23, 2014, ESPN provided commentary which discussed the public’s perception of the NFL. The commentary also supports the argument, whether-or-not the NFL would have had a duty to inform the public about different incidents involving NFL players being charged with domestic violence? The Ray Rice incident and other issues that the NFL deliberately avoided are the reasons why the public questions the integrity of specific league management and their failure to inform their stakeholders. The report stated: “… Over-and-over, the NFL and its owners have acted in an arrogant manner.  … The result is they have no reserve of goodwill to fall back on when times are tough. If the NFL's owners were beloved -- or perceived as playing positive roles in their communities -- they would have a reserve of public goodwill. They have none. … Some people don't like the outsize role football plays in American politics and urban development. Some think a violent game should not be the United States' national sport. ” (espn.com)

Q2  RESPONSE:  These strong words are the aftermath of the NFL’s management and reps not utilizing the RACE and PACE strategies during the discovery phrase of the NFL’s past and present behavioral patterns when it comes to addressing public concerns and answering the public's questions regarding the league’s management and their players.

Retrieved: September 25, 2014. From: http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/page/TMQWeekThree140923/nfl-tried-too-hard-control-message-tuesday-morning-quarterback

Response to Kenya Gibson_Week3 Post

Hi Kenya, I enjoyed reading your post.

I agree that listening is the first step to discovery. When a customer experiences a problem it is usually due to an internal glitch. If the problem is not corrected swiftly, the effects will tremendously impact your external and internal stakeholders. The problems with listening can evolve from the lack of effective communications, hurt, and, anger. This is due to the customer / receiver not feeling his / her voice has been heard. Effective listening will guide you to the issues behind the customer’s pain. Listening most definitely requires unbiased and clear listening channels to quickly process the information received and then provide a resolution for the pain!  If you are not listening, you will never hear the need.

Response to Lydia Murray's Post

Great post, Lydia:

I agree with Kerpen’s suggestion (p.75) to respond quickly to bad comments.  You cannot control what other people say however you can control what you say, and how you respond to what has been said, whether the comment is good, bad or indifferent. Therefore, it cannot be said that you never responded because not responding can be interpreted as you do not care or that the person’s concerns / issues were just not that important. This opens the doors of opportunity for the customer to seek other means to getting his or her voice heard, and his or her concerns answered on social media / networks like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. In my opinion, these social media / networks are analogous to the power of a subpoena, which will force you to respond to the claims made on social media / networks. According to Kerpen (p.81), “Responding with a short but genuine apology is a great start, but equally important, you’ve got to be able to fix the problem.”

If you are not listening, you cannot fix the problem. Kerpen (p.19) teaches us that you cannot listen for just a while, and then communicate with all of your prospects that you wish to convert into customers. Listening remains 50 percent of communicating and therefore you must continue refining your listening skills throughout social media. … Learning to listen is never-ending.

SOURCE:

Kerpen, D. (2011). Likeable social media: how to delight your customers, create an irresistible brand, and be generally amazing on facebook (and other social networks). McGraw-Hill, ISBN 978-0-07-176234-2

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