This week's celebration of Labor Day reminded me of long-forgotten days of neighbors sitting around the front porch, reminiscent of Aunt Bea and Opie enjoying
Sheriff Andy Taylor strumming his guitar while they all rocked on the front porch in "The Andy Griffith Show."These days, it seems there are fewer front porches and that mosquitoes or pollen might have driven us inside. Yet the lure of the front porch remains. Visions of a wrap-around veranda, with oscillating ceiling fans, slat-back rockers and hanging ferns come quickly to mind, where the news of the day can be freely shared among family and neighbors.
Be approachable
In public relations there's a lot of talk about front-porch approachability and the welcome that your front porch reflects. I often marvel that people forget what's on their personal front porch as I remark on a college logo on their ball cap or T-shirt or comment on the insignia on a bag or book they are toting, or during a transaction use their name based on their name badge. They look stunned for a moment until they connect the reference, then usually they smile and continue the conversation.
Just last weekend I heard "Go Bucks!" as I was waiting in line at the Waldorf Panera Bread. Immediately I knew that the stranger had spied one of the "front porch" items that I sport once fall football season has kicked off, the Ohio State University logo, which that day happened to be attached to the sides of my shoes.
I responded with our alma mater's traditional "O-H," to which he returned, "I-O" and our conversation was off and running as we soon learned we had graduated within a year of each other.
Build rapport on your front porch
Your front porch is a valuable PR resource. It creates spontaneity and breaks the ice among people who would otherwise be strangers. It elicits comfort and rapport. And it empowers people to communicate who might otherwise not.
Do you convey an invitation to come and sit a spell while you enjoy a refreshing glass of raspberry lemonade? Are you the type who waves and keeps on walking, or do you step onto the front porch and share the news? Do you mind your manners, and do you let others share the conversation?
In today's world, front-porch conversations may be face-to-face within your organization or just as often carried out in the digital environment.
Take your front porch online
Front-porch conversations in the wider scope of social media invite more people to be a part of the conversation, thus encouraging new ideas and influences. Promotions regarding Toby Bloomberg's recent presentation on "Social Media … Southern Hospitality Style," referenced the culture of Southern hospitality as a foundation for social media strategies, sharing that "Front porch swing conversations develop community. When you visit on the front porch you extend your world from inside your house to outside into your neighborhood. There is an unspoken invitation for friends and neighbors to not only drop by but to join the conversations."
How do you create a Front Porch?
How do you create a front porch? How do you encourage customer conversations? And, how do you prepare an organization for the bigger picture of social media conversations?
The fifth annual PR and Marketing workshop sponsored by Public Relations Individuals in Southern Maryland, can be a starting point. This year's topics included a crash course on social marketing for those who haven't ventured fully into this field yet. The session, presented by Will Burns of the Maryland Chamber of Commerce, provided valuable information for those who want to confirm the usefulness of these tools.
PR tip of the month
These days conversations among neighbors on a front porch may seem few and far between. They aren't. We have simply extended our world beyond the traditional front porch into backyards, online and beyond. How do you encourage lively front-porch conversations?
Ask questions. Listen. Smile. Be curious. Be open. Find common ground.
Great communicators are the ones more interested in finding common interests than in staking territory.
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