Now you can use professional survey counsel for perception monitoring phases of your program if your budget will allow. But remember that your PR people are also in perception and behavior business and can pursue same objective: identify untruths, false assumptions, unfounded rumors, inaccuracies, misconceptions and any other negative perception that might translate into hurtful behaviors.

It’s goal-setting time. Here, you do something about most serious distortions you discovered during your key audience perception monitoring. In other words, establish your public relations goal. And that could be to straighten out that dangerous misconception, or correct that gross inaccuracy, or stop that potentially fatal rumor dead in its tracks.

For success, you need a solid strategy, one that clearly shows you how to proceed. To keep things simple, note that there are only three strategic options available to you when it comes to handling a perception and opinion challenge. Change existing perception, create perception where there may be none, or reinforce it. Of course, wrong strategy pick will taste like week-old cole slaw, so be certain new strategy fits well with your new public relations goal. Naturally, you don’t want to select “change” when facts dictate a “reinforce” strategy.

Now you need to hit members of your target audience with a powerful message. But persuading an audience to your way of thinking is hard work. Which is why your PR folks must create some very special, corrective language. Words that are not only compelling, persuasive and believable, but clear and factual. Only in this way will you be able to correct a perception by shifting opinion towards your point of view, leading to behaviors you are targeting.

Check out your message with your communications specialists to make certain its impact and persuasiveness measure up. Then, sharpen it before selecting communications tactics most likely to carry your message to attention of your target audience. You can pick from dozens that are available. From speeches, facility tours, emails and brochures to consumer briefings, media interviews, newsletters, personal meetings and many others. But be sure that tactics you pick are known to reach folks just like your audience members.

It’s well-known that credibility of a message can depend on its delivery method. So you might consider unveiling it in presentations before smaller gatherings rather than using higher-profile tactics such as news releases. People will soon request progress reports, which will alert you and your PR team to get back out in field and start work on a second perception monitoring session with members of your external audience. You’ll want to use many of same questions used in first benchmark session. Difference this time is that you will be watching very carefully for signs that bad news perception is being altered in your direction.

Should program momentum slow, try speeding things up with more communications tactics and increased frequencies.

By now you know this secret about potent public relations: right PR can alter individual perception and lead to changed behaviors which, in turn, lead directly to achieving your managerial objectives.

end

Bob Kelly counsels 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. mailto:bobkelly@TNI.net Visit:http://www.prcommentary.com

4. Calculate risks of saying, "NO." Test requester's reaction by delaying your final decision on your refusal. Test system by conducting an informal survey with a control 'Yes' group compared with an experimental 'No' group and assess consequences.

5. Say, "NO" and duck which is a paraphrase of the, "Do It and Duck" strategy followed by some bureaucrats. This, of course depends on situation: (a) stakes are not high, (b) you've noted few results when doing previous tasks, or (c) you're feeling frustrated with repeated and insincere requests.

6. Ask yourself, "What's worst thing that can happen to you or to others?" This could include follow-up to ducking method suggested above. You can always pretend not to hear (a common technique with seniors.)

7. There's always escape hatch, "I'll consider (or I may be in a different position) AFTER I complete Project X." Be honest by ensuring your inner thoughts are honest. Appear to be honest (recall survey method in item 4 above) by checking your usage frequency.