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Getting
a Grip on Negative Spin
Perception is reality. As difficult as
that may be to swallow, it's true.
If someone feels that they have been wronged,
or if they have a negative opinion of a
situation, that is their reality. You can't
change it . . . or can you?
Here is a "for instance," let's
say that there is an article in your local
paper that discusses the value of summer
camp. The article is incredibly positive
and highlights your camp. You are satisfied
and send a link out to your parents, staff,
etc. You want everyone to read this wonderful
article, until the blog commentators on the
online version of the article start to go
negative. It starts with one comment about
that person's bad experience with summer
camp. The next person also comments about
a bad summer camp experience and names your
camp in their posting. The third comment
gets fairly aggressive and uses terms like "careless" and "unsuitable." Suddenly,
the positive article has turned into a negative
nightmare. How can you respond? What can
you say that doesn't sound defensive?
Mark
Collier, columnist for MarketingProf.com,
suggests that if you see negative comments,
especially those based on inaccurate information,
you should address them. Collier suggests
that we follow these basic four steps:
- Respond — If someone is leaving
a negative comment, respond.
- Mind your Manners — Remember to
be polite. Maintaining a respectful and
polite attitude will go a long way. A defensive
or rude comment will only fuel the fire.
- Get it Right — If their comments
are based on wrong information, politely
correct them.
- Encourage — Thank them for their
feedback, and encourage them to continue
to provide more to you directly.
By following these basic steps, and keeping
your cool, you may be able to stop the negativity.
Remember, that comment postings also work
in reverse. A positive comment is likely
to fuel additional positive comments.
For more information or assistance with
positive responses, or to serve as a member
of the Media Resource Team, contact Dawn
Swindle, public relations specialist, at
765-349-3317 or dswindle@ACAcamps.org.
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Camp e-News:
Keeping Parents Informed
Camp
e-News, ACA's parent newsletter,
goes out four times each year to
over two million parents across the
country. With helpful articles and
information, this tool informs parents
about the importance of camp for
every child. This is also one of
the ways you can ask your national
office to work for you.
If you have collected a list of e-mail
addresses — from camp fairs,
phone calls, or Web site requests — of
parents requesting more information
about the camp experience, we can add
them to the Camp e-News mailing
list.
Recently, the national office worked
with the ACA,
New Jersey to add e-mail addresses
from recent camp fairs to the Camp
e-News mailing list. An initial
e-mail was sent to these parents thanking
them for requesting more information,
offering further assistance, letting
them know who to contact for more information,
and introducing Camp e-News.
This worked out well for the local
office, and we were able to add over
300 parents to the distribution list.
To add your parent e-mail addresses
to the Camp e-News mailing list,
or for more information, contact Dawn
Swindle, public relations specialist,
at 765-349-3317 or dswindle@ACAcamps.org.
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