The trick is to do something about such negativity before it morphs into injurious behavior. Which means you now pick specific perception to be altered. Not surprisingly, that becomes your public relations goal.

Now, reality is that a PR goal without a strategy to show you how to get there is like a meatball without a cheesy center. That’s why you must select one of three strategies especially designed to create perception or opinion where there may be none, or change existing perception, or reinforce it. The challenge here is to insure that goal and its strategy match each other. You wouldn’t want to select “change existing perception” when current perception is just right, suggesting a “reinforce” strategy.

Good writing required here. Somebody has to prepare a really compelling message carefully designed to alter your key target audience’s perception, as required by your public relations goal.

Be careful here. Combine your corrective message with another newsworthy announcement of a new product, service or employee, which may lend credibility by not giving too much emphasis to correction.

As you might suspect, message also must have several values. For example, clarity. Also, your facts must be truthful and your position on inaccuracy must be persuasive, logically explained and believable if it is to hold attention of members of that target audience, and actually move perception your way.

Now things get more relaxing. Namely, choosing actual tactics you will use to carry your persuasive new thoughts to attention of that external audience.

And there is no shortage of such tactics. For instance, radio and newspaper interviews, personal contacts, newsletters, letters-to-the-editor, brochures, press releases and speeches. Or, you might settle on group briefings, special events or facility tours, always making sure those tactics you select have a record of reaching same audiences as those that make up your target stakeholders.

Sorry, but you will be queried about progress and will have to once again monitor perceptions among your target audience members. And with a line of questioning similar to that used during your earlier monitoring session. The difference now is that you must stay on lookout for indications that audience perceptions are beginning to move in your direction.

But this is our lucky day. We can always expedite matters and speed up process by employing additional communications tactics, AND by increasing their frequencies.

My experience has been that business, non-profit and association managers survive very nicely, thank you, when they sharpen their focus on very groups of outside people who play a major role in just how successful a manager they will be – their key external stakeholders.

end

Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks to business, non-profit and association managers about using 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 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

Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks to 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 communications, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. mailto:bobkelly@TNI.net Visit:http://www.prcommentary.com

3. Passion – do you love what you do? Develop a niche or specialty that you truly enjoy … and are good at.

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