Dont Get Caught With Your PR Down

Why risk the embarassment when with a little basic PR training, you as a business, non-profit or association manager can always be ready for battle?

Never again will you fail to do something positive about the behaviors of those important outside audiences of yours that MOST affect your operation.

Never again will you fail to create external stakeholder behavior change leading directly to achieving your managerial objectives.

And never again will you fail to persuade those key outside folks to your way of thinking, or move them to take actions that allow your department, division or subsidiary to succeed.

In fact, once you digest the underlying premise of public relations, you'll understand how the right PR really CAN alter individual perception and lead to those changed behaviors you need. Here's how it goes: people act on their own perception of the facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired-action the very people whose behaviors affect the organization the most, the public relations mission is accomplished.

However ? and this is a big however ? it requires more than special events, brochures and news releases if you really want to get your PR money's worth.

For example, business, non-profit and association managers who employ this kind of public relations can benefit from results such as new proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures; rebounds in showroom visits; membership applications on the rise; community service and sponsorship opportunities; enhanced activist group relations, and expanded feedback channels, not to mention new thoughtleader and special event contacts.

As time passes, you should see customers making repeat purchases; prospects reappearing; stronger relationships with the educational, labor, financial and healthcare communities; improved relations with government agencies and legislative bodies, and even capital givers or specifying sources looking your way.

Obviously, you want your most important outside audiences to really perceive your operations, products or services in a positive light. So be certain that your PR staff has bought into the whole effort. Convince yourself that they accept the reality that perceptions almost always lead to behaviors that can help or hurt your unit.

Get together and go over the PR blueprint carefully with your staff, especially regarding how you will gather and monitor perceptions by questioning members of your most important outside audiences. Questions like these: how much do you know about our organization? How much do you know about our services or products and employees? Have you had prior contact with us and were you pleased with the how things went? Have you experienced problems with our people or procedures?

You can depend on professional survey people to handle the perception monitoring phases of your program IF the budget is available. But luckily, your PR people are also in the perception and behavior business and can pursue the same objective: identify untruths, false assumptions, unfounded rumors, inaccuracies, misconceptions and any other negative perception that might translate into hurtful behaviors.

Let's chat for a moment about your public relations goal. You need one that addresses the problems that cropped up during your key audience perception monitoring. Chances are, it will call for straightening out that dangerous misconception, or correcting that gross inaccuracy, or doing something about that damaging rumor.

But as you surely know, goals need strategies to show you how to get there. And you have just three strategic choices when it comes to handling a perception or opinion challenge: create perception where there may be none, change the perception, or reinforce it. Unfortunately, selecting a bad strategy will taste like peanut butter on your sea scallops, so be certain the new strategy fits well with your new public relations goal. For example, you don't want to select "change" when the facts dictate a "reinforce" strategy.

Here the right, corrective language must be created, because persuading an audience to your way of thinking is awfully hard work Especially when you're looking for words that are compelling, persuasive, believable AND clear and factual. This is a must if you are to correct a perception by shifting opinion towards your point of view, leading to the desired behaviors. So, meet again with your communications specialists and review your message for impact and persuasiveness.

In order to carry your words to the attention of your target audience, you need to select the communications tactics most likely to reach them. Happily there are dozens of available tactics. From speeches, facility tours, emails and brochures to consumer briefings, media interviews, newsletters, personal meetings and many others. Just be sure that the tactics you pick are known to reach folks just like your audience members.

Occasionally, the credibility of your message can depend on its delivery method. So, consider introducing it to smaller gatherings rather than using higher-profile communications such as news releases or talk show appearances.

When you sense the need to provide a progress report, it's probably time for you and your PR folks to return to the field for a second perception monitoring session with members of your external audience. Using many of the same questions used in the first benchmark session, stay alert for signs that your communications tactics have worked and that the negative perception is being altered in your direction.

Should those around you wax impatient, things can always be accelerated with a broader selection of communications tactics AND increased frequencies.

You won't get caught with your PR down when you apply your budget to public relations activity that creates behavior change among your key outside audiences that leads directly to achieving your managerial objectives.

That's when it will become clear to you that the right PR really CAN alter individual perception and lead to changed behaviors that help you win.

end

Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy would be appreciated at bobkelly@TNI.net. Robert A. Kelly © 2004.

Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks to business, non-profit and association managers about using the fundamental premise of public relations to achieve their operating objectives. He has been DPR, Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communi- cations, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. He holds a bachelor of science degree from Columbia University, major in public relations. mailto:bobkelly@TNI.net Visit:http://www.prcommentary.com

---

4 Steps to Success In Life, Business, The Universe And Everything

Everyone wants to succeed in life. And no one starts... Read More

5 Questions Great Managers Ask (and they arent hard!)

However hard we try, we seem to make life more... Read More

Radical Creativity from Incremental Creativity ? large movements from small changes

Positive radical movement is the holy grail of nearly every... Read More

Joint Accountability: Another Key for Your Effectiveness

I once was part of a group of management professors... Read More

Conference Calling Can Save Your Sales OrganizationTime and Money!

Conference calling can save you money. There is no doubt... Read More

A Checklist for Organized Executives

I could begin this article by providing a checklist of... Read More

Collections Management

How long does it take your customers, clients or patients... Read More

Employee Success! - 7 Ways Feedback Works

By sharing how well you are doing and how well... Read More

Behavioral Extensions and Its Implications at Workplaces

The study of Behavioral extension involves investigating the source of... Read More

The Top 10 Things They Don?t Teach You In Business School

Here are 10 subjects that academia should be teaching their... Read More

Dialogue vs. Discussion

Have you ever sat in a meeting where everyone is... Read More

The Seven Cs: Partnership Danger Signs - Communication Breakdown

An ongoing series of articles exploring the seven critical areas... Read More

How to Hold Effective Staff Meetings

Many people believe that they conduct effective meetings, when all... Read More

Are Your Marketing Pieces Up to Date?

The other day someone asked me for one of my... Read More

Boost Your Leadership Skills Simply By Answering The Question, What Does Our Organization Really...

The difference between leaders is ears. Good leaders not only... Read More

Innovation Management ? Good Leadership

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

The Power of the Contract in Performance Management

An essential step in managing the performance of salespeople is... Read More

5 Ways of Increasing Business Profits

The economy may finally be turning around and showing signs... Read More

People Skills: Eight Essential People Skills

Being able to communicate effectively with others requires people skills,... Read More

Innovation Management ? Measuring Failure!

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

The Silent Assassin - What to Do When They Visit You?

IntroductionThere are a group of people in the community that... Read More

Nonprofit Performance: Outcome Measurement Can Be A Good Thing

Does the idea of program evaluation make your stomach churn?... Read More

Attract and Retain Positively Great Employees - An Action Plan for Employee Training

Everyday a business owner, CEO, or manager somewhere is complaining... Read More

Performance Reviews That Actually Improve Performance

Employee performance reviews are one of the most dreaded tasks... Read More

Innovation Management ? how does the user benefit?

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

How to do SWOT Analysis for your Business

SWOT analysis is needed for all business to understand how... Read More

Oasis in a Cash Flow Desert - Four Resources That Increase Small Business Capital Streams

For small business owners, an enthusiastic vision for smooth, steady... Read More

The Professor Makes A Minus Power Move

If you think the power move has costs, consider the... Read More

Workplace Violence - People are Dying Going to Work

Workplace violence has become a tragic reality today. From minor... Read More

Organize your Office- Seven Solutions

1. Create a filing system with broad categories such as... Read More

Communicating with Offsite Workers

How do you, or would you, communicate with employees who... Read More

How to Build Your Business and Still Take Time Off

We all know people who are like human dynamos. They... Read More

Tales from the Corporate Frontlines: Training is in the Eye of the Beholder

This article relates to the Training competency, commonly evaluated in... Read More