Public Notice: How to Lose Trust and Alienate People

If you ever want to legally tell someone about something without them ever knowing you told them, use a public notice.

Have a multi-million dollar planning development you want to quickly get approved. Public notice.

Ever wondered about a government decision, ‘how did I not know about this?’ Public notice.

Whether intentional or not, the use of public notices to notify the public is grossly inadequate. 

A staple of local, state and federal governments, the public notice is a beast best understood through a simple Google search:

Used widely as a tool to notify and seek feedback from stakeholders (quite often due to legal requirements), this dull and uninspiring approach is in desperate need of a makeover. No other form of communication has persevered with as much nerve as this mono monstrosity.

And it’s not limited to the visuals either; the written form is just as poorly executed.

Let’s take a look at two options for making an announcement to a group of people you’d like to engage with. This first one is based on the thinking ‘what am I required to do to meet my obligations?’

Pursuant to the aforementioned inadequacies of public notification, it is hereby given that readers of this literature will be provided with opportunity to provide uninhibited feedback and contributions to a consultation phase as per the regulations imposed by the University and course coordinator. Submit your contribution at the conclusion of this notice.

Even if you can make sense of that paragraph, chances are you’re not filled with a desire to respond.

Now imagine I asked you to go the very back of the West Australian to read this. What’s that? You didn’t read that edition? Sorry it’s not available anywhere else - this is a limited time offer, pal. 

But suppose my approach was instead based on 'how can I write this so people will immediately understand.' Taking the first example and re-writing it as simply:

What’s your view on the role of tone and language in corporate writing? Post your thoughts in the comments section. 

And instead of the back of the paper, I post this on social media and as a news item on my website home-page. 

An extreme example, but one not too far from reality.

The more pessimistic among you may accuse these public notice architects of underhandedness. I take a more generous view. It’s not intentional, it’s institutional. It’s a habit-driven, culture based issue that’s as systematic as a 12pm lunch break.

So who will rescue the public notice from the depths of mediocrity?

PR folk of course!

At its core, this argument boils down to fundamental communication principles and it’s the role of PR practitioners such as us to fight for the rights of communication. 

There are great examples of this happening right here in Australia.

Project Robin Hood by the City of Melville is a brave approach to engaging residents in the council’s budgeting process.

Dumb Ways to Die by Metro Trains in Melbourne raised awareness of staying safe around trains.

This is broadening the issue to more than a simple public notice, but the principle is the same – take something that on the surface is dry and uninteresting and develop a communicative approach that successfully combines design, tone and distribution to legitimately engage with the public.

The three messages I want to drive home here are:

1. We must not settle for inadequate communications. 
2. We must not blame those who do not know better. 
3. We must work with our colleagues to develop a culture of broad engagement and accessibility.

So the next time your legal team asks you to place a public notice in the back of the paper, make it clear that the public won’t notice it.