What you say to members of your target audience is really important. After all, you’re trying to change perceptions, and that requires a message that is not only crystal-clear, but persuasive and believable. So, when you say misconception, inaccuracy or rumor should be corrected, be sure your facts are rock-solid, credible and, hopefully, compelling.

Run message by your colleagues to test its chances of altering perception, then fine tune it.

Your delivery system for moving your message to members of your target audience is communications tactic. And there are scores of them available to you. From newspaper interviews, radio talk shows, emails, speeches and brochures to op-eds, community briefings, newsletters, personal contacts and many others.

How will you know if you are making progress?

Once your communications tactics have had six or seven weeks to make an impact on your target audience, go back out among audience members and ask same questions all over again. The big difference second time around is, you are now looking for signs that opinion has been altered with regard to problem perception. And watch especially for altered perceptions that include corrective elements of your message.

As you continue monitoring key audience opinion/perceptions, positive changes should begin appearing and, inevitably, lead to behavior changes you want.

In public relations, it doesn’t get much better than that.

end

Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks about the fundamental premise of public relations. 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

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Taxes to rise to pay for "Earth on Rocks" Initiative - Moscow, 16th August, 2030 In a co-ordinated but controversial attempt to combat global warming, United Nations announced in Moscow yesterday a commitment of a further $10 trillion for initiative to transport ice from polar regions of Mars to Earth’s own frozen wastes, thus reducing soaring median temperatures of our planet by a targeted 4 degrees Celsius within 50 years. The program will also see water from warmest of our seas siphoned out of Earth’s atmosphere and jettisoned in to deep space to assist with drop in global temperatures and to maintain current sea levels. The initiative will result in higher taxes for every person on earth, according to global "polluter pays" matrix established last year, with US citizens expected to pay most - an extra two cents in dollar in income tax. Opponents are sceptical of benefits, citing increased pollution from spacecraft used to "fire" blocks of ice from Mars and others which later adjust blocks’ trajectory before entry into Earth’s atmosphere, maintaining this will only add to greenhouse gases and eventually global warming. Excavation of ice on Mars by a mixed team of human beings and robots proceeds according to plan, although rumours of demands for huge pay increases among drilling contractors are rife. While human contractors do not land on Mars, supervising robot operations from orbit, long periods in space and lack of physical comforts have apparently led to disquiet. Stories abound that contractors only complied with UN conditions after secret agreements were reached over huge mineral reserves elsewhere on Mars. Well publicised horror stories of what could happen if control over one of 10-mile ice cubes is lost during re-entry to Earth’s atmosphere have alarmed many scientific observers. The probable loss of over 50% of ice due to re-entry burn up is also well documented, but program is still considered essential. Testing of "soft landing" techniques used to minimise impact in Arctic and Antarctic have faced "technical difficulties", but apparently are now proceeding more smoothly and involve slowing blocks of ice to minimum permissible speed to sustain flight as close to ground as possible before ice "plops" on to polar ice caps. As today’s children in 3rd grade all know, our water evaporation rate increases by about 5%-10% per degree of increase in temperature. In last thirty years world has heated up twice as quickly as people thought at turn of millennium and because of evaporation we simply do not have enough rainfall to replenish fresh water. In answer to a question during virtual meeting, UN Secretary General Kropotkin, 56, said, "Some would call this a desperate measure. In all honesty I would agree, but what else can we do? We know that we have inherited consequences of how our planet was handled by our most recent predecessors, but wailing and gnashing of teeth achieve nothing. We have to persevere with this, as we have no alternative. If initiative is successful, Earth’s climate will be stabilised and we can look forward to a secure future, including possible return of air travel to some degree so that I can answer your charming questions face to face. We all know alternative and, sir, what have you done today to reduce global warming?" Wilder speculation focuses on potential release from melting ice on Earth of little green men and "Martian mega viruses", for which there may be no antidote. People seemed less concerned about sudden impact on heads of Earth’s few remaining penguins and polar bears of millions of tons of Martian ice. As one seasoned journalist remarked, "With or without ice, sometimes you end up with a headache."

Issue 2, with you on 31st August will contain a Zapit Special Feature examining subject "I have no email!".

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