Continued from page 1
It would be ideal, of course, to use professional survey counsel to handle
perception monitoring phases of your program, if budget is available. But keep in mind 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.
At this juncture, you require a public relations goal to aim for as you address bumps that showed up during your key audience perception monitoring. And that goal could be to straighten out that dangerous misconception, or correct that gross inaccuracy, or stop that potentially fatal rumor cold.
But don’t try it without a strategy to show you how to get there. There are only three strategic options available to you when it comes to handling a perception or opinion challenge. Change existing perception, create perception where there may be none, or reinforce it. The wrong strategy pick will taste like hollandaise sauce on your cornflakes, so be certain new strategy fits well with your new public relations goal. You certainly don’t want to select “change” when facts dictate a “reinforce” strategy.
The truth is that persuading an audience to your way of thinking is plain, hard work. Which is why your PR team must create just right, 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 want.
Get input of your communications specialists as they review your message for impact and persuasiveness. Then, sharpen it one more time, and select communications tactics most likely to carry your words 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.
Remember old saw about credibility of a message depending on its delivery method. You might consider unveiling it in presentations before smaller gatherings rather than using higher-profile tactics such as news releases. When moment for doing a progress report arrives, it will sound alert for 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. Only this time, you’ll be watching very carefully for signs that bad news perception is being altered in your direction.
And for those among us who are just plain impatient, you can always move things along at a faster clip with more communications tactics and increased frequencies.
The reason same old, same old PR is still tops is that it continues to focus sharply on those key external audiences that most affect your organization, and you as a manager. And it does something positive about them by persuading those key folks to your way of thinking, and moving them to take actions that help you achieve 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 communications, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. mailto:bobkelly@TNI.net Visit:http://www.prcommentary.com
