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

---

Google News Updated : Tue, 30 Sep 2008 20:38:53 GMT Depression risk high for heart patients - San Francisco Chronicle Calgary Herald Depression risk high for heart patients San Francisco Chronicle - 13 hours ago (09-29) 17:20 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- Patients with heart disease should be screened and treated for depression because it can adversely affect their health outlook and quality of life, according to a new report by the American Heart Association. Heart Problems And Depression eFluxMedia Guidelines alert heart patients to depression risk Reuters WebMD - Bloomberg - The Associated Press - InjuryBoard.com all 438 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 30 Sep 2008 07:10:58 GMT Obama, McCain seek political gain in credit crisis - The Associated Press Seattle Post Intelligencer Obama, McCain seek political gain in credit crisis The Associated Press - 1 hour ago DES MOINES (AP) - White House rivals John McCain and Barack Obama combined televised attack ads with statesmanlike appeals for bipartisanship on Tuesday as they vied for political gain in the shadow of the worst economic crisis since the Great ... Video: McCain Faults Obama, Allies for Partisanship AssociatedPress McCain takes hit from bailout collapse CNN Reuters - ABC News - AFP - CNN Political Ticker all 2,630 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 30 Sep 2008 19:12:18 GMT China Detains 22 in Tainted-Milk Case - New York Times China Detains 22 in Tainted-Milk Case New York Times - 3 hours ago By DAVID BARBOZA SHANGHAI - China said Monday that it had detained 22 people suspected of operating an underground network that intentionally adulterated milk with an industrial chemical, melamine. Hong Kong says Cadbury melamine levels acceptable The Associated Press Manufacturing giant recalls melamine tainted tea CNN International AFP - Wall Street Journal - Reuters - GMA news.tv all 2,775 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 30 Sep 2008 16:50:50 GMT So much for those knee supplements -- probably - Los Angeles Times Chatter Shmatter So much for those knee supplements -- probably Los Angeles Times - 2 hours ago Don't go stocking up on glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate just yet. The supplements, often taken by people suffering from osteoarthritis of the knee, don't appear to slow cartilage loss. X-Ray Evidence Shows Popular Supplements Fail to Slow Knee ... MedPage Today Glucosamine and chondroitin don't slow arthritis Reuters USA Today - eFluxMedia - InjuryBoard.com - Austin American-Statesman all 53 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 30 Sep 2008 17:58:39 GMT Gallardo ready for Game 1 pressure - MLB.com Washington Post Gallardo ready for Game 1 pressure MLB.com - 33 minutes ago By Joe Frisaro / MLB.com PHILADELPHIA -- For a 22-year-old who appeared in just four games this season, Brewers right-hander Yovani Gallardo certainly endured a great deal. NL Division Series Breakdown - Milwaukee vs. Philadelphia Sports Network Brewers Will Open With 22-Year-Old Starter New York Times Bleacher Report - FanHouse - AHN - SportingNews.com all 506 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 30 Sep 2008 20:05:12 GMT Bloomberg Called Ready to Announce Third-Term Bid - New York Times New York Times Bloomberg Called Ready to Announce Third-Term Bid New York Times - 47 minutes ago By MICHAEL BARBARO and DAVID W. CHEN After months of speculation about his political future, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg plans to announce on Thursday morning that he will seek a third term as mayor, according to three people who have been told of his ... NY mayor Bloomberg to seek third term: report Reuters NY Times: Bloomberg To Announce Third Term Run NY1 TIME - The Star-Ledger - NJ.com - Gothamist - New York Daily News all 281 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 30 Sep 2008 19:51:03 GMT Sentiment against the rich, Wall Street, CEOs still a major hurdle ... - Bizjournals.com BBC News Sentiment against the rich, Wall Street, CEOs still a major hurdle ... Bizjournals.com - 1 hour ago Underlying public distrust of the wealthy -- along with Wall Street and Washington -- and the perception the $700 billion mortgage bailout will help big banks and rich CEOs continues to be the main stumbling block and minefield for passage of a rescue ... Michigan Rep. Miller demands that certain accounting practices be ... Detroit Free Press Reporter's Notebook: Meltdown FOXNews Washington Post - New York Times - Politicker Maine - Los Angeles Times all 2,883 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 30 Sep 2008 19:32:24 GMT RSS Software Increase Search Engine Traffic

PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts, Websites, and more...

Adsense websites

Questions To Ask Employees You Want To Retain

Times of cost cutting and downsizing has dramatically impacted the... Read More

Invite Self-Managed Staff

"Treat people as if they were what they ought to... Read More

Build Rapport Fast! - Eight Easy Steps

Building rapport is all about creating a relationship, in the... Read More

Presenteeism: The Hidden Costs of Business

(prez.un.TEE.iz.um) nPresenteeism, a relatively unknown concept, is the complement of... Read More

How To Prevent Your New Manager From Becoming A Statistic

According to a study by the Manchester Group, 4 out... Read More

Organizational Techniques - Tickler and Chron File

One of the biggest problems we encounter in our consulting... Read More

Dealing with Marginal Performers: The Therapeutic Approach

--PREPARATION: The purpose of the therapeutic approach is to spark... Read More

Overcoming Resistance

Virtually any type of organizational change involves role transitions of... Read More

What Consultants Want You to Know (But You Never Ask)

I've been both a CEO and a consultant, so I've... Read More

Lack of Operations Manuals Stunting Your Growth?

Lack of Operations Manuals stunting your growth?CONTENTS:1. Do you lack... Read More

Offshore This! (Outsourcing Tech Support Overseas)

So I call my telephone company and someone picks up... Read More

Why Outsourcing Could Be The Best Thing You Do For Your Business

While it's probably not true to say that the traditional... Read More

Giving a Good Appraisal Interview

Although this performance discussion is an opportunity for you to... Read More

The Power of ?Ask?

For Call Center managers, it is not a pipe dream... Read More

Five Defining Characteristics of Great CEOs

1. Personal insight. Great CEOs are great leaders. They know... Read More

Burger on a Bun Decision Making

When approaching any decision, it's important for individuals to maintain... Read More

25 Super-Practical Steps to Build Your Business!

For the past several weeks, we have focused on some... Read More

The Power of the Contract in Performance Management

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

Rethinking the CEO-Chairman Split

Traditionally, in American businesses, the same person occupies the role... Read More

Turnover is Not a Problem

"Ha!" you say. "For someone to make a statement like... Read More

Leadership: Stoking The Success Train

Everyone wants to succeed yet everyone has a different perception... Read More

Before You Head Off, Make Sure You Know Where You Are Going - The Importance of Clear Objectives.

The title of this article sounds like simple advice, but... Read More

The Email Trap

If you sit at a computer for most of the... Read More

Improved Communication to Improve Results

Facilitating good communication can make the difference between a well... Read More

People Skills: Eight Essential People Skills

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