At each step in this perception monitoring drill, you and your team must watch carefully for negatives like false assumptions, rumors, misconceptions and inaccurate statements. In other words, negativities that might turn into target audience behaviors that could really damage your operation.

The monitoring data you collect is stuff of your public relations goal. For example, stifle rumor, straighten out misconception, turn around false assumption, or make that inaccuracy accurate.

However, managers know that achieving any goal demands right supporting strategy to show you how to reach it. Considering workload, you’ll be glad to know that opinion/ perception matters allow just three strategy choices: create perception where there isn’t any, change existing perception, or reinforce it. But be alert to need to select a strategy that directly complements your public relations goal.

The real burden of this PR problem solving sequence rests with actual message you use to communicate your corrective facts to your target audience. This is where public relations heavy lifting takes aim at altering individual perception among your target audience population.

First and foremost, your message must be clear, persuasive and carefully factual if it is to nudge perception/opinion in your direction and lead directly to those behaviors you desire. And it will do so only if your message is both believable and compelling. Which suggests that it be vetted prior to release by a variety of individuals to insure that it measures up to these standards.

You’re in luck because you will benefit from a long list of communications tactics to help carry your message to eyes and ears of members of your target audience. The list includes tactics like speeches, special events, media interviews and newsletters as well as press releases, customer briefings, facility tours, emails and quite a few others. Only caution here is, research each tactic carefully to be certain it has a record of reaching people just like those who make up your target audience.

Fortunately, things can always be accelerated by adding more high- impact communications tactics, increasing their frequencies and fine-tuning your message.

Answering opening question, using a public relations blueprint of this nature can be extremely “cool.” Especially when you, as a unit manager for a business, non-profit or association, take these steps to help persuade your key outside stakeholders to your way of thinking, then help move them to take actions that lead to your managerial success.

In my view, that IS best PR has to offer managers.

end

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

How I Have Managed Risk My experiences have given me a clear appreciation for importance of systematic and robust risk management. What I talk about next is how I identified, evaluated, and mitigated various risks at three different companies in three different industries.

While I managed a Midwestern real estate portfolio for Cohen-Esrey, risk emerged in several areas. The easiest risks to identify and mitigate were hazard points, such as fire and water damage for an apartment building. More complex issues, such as “Slips and Falls” on icy steps required us to put traditional insurance in place with a covenant that said employees would also work to minimize any liability by removing snow in a timely fashion. Other problems and solutions were less clear cut. At one point we had issues with employees “walking off” with tools from property workshops. To mitigate this problem, we restructured our recruitment and selection process. Vendor relationships also became a liability issue. Only clear communication on a timely basis minimized such vulnerability.

Although most small businesses won’t encounter risks I mitigated at HSBC brokering financial derivatives, experience built my appreciation for risk. Our team worked on behalf of many global banks hedging financial market risk. Although market place conventions and contracts were similar, each transaction was done for a different reason. We analyzed interest rate environment, advised traders as to how to better hedge their risk, and then brokered very large transactions. These experiences instilled in me importance of understanding and transferring risk.

Managing a Customer Relationship Project for Reuters is where my risk management became a formalized business process. My job was to coordinate and implement a CRM initiative that stretched over 10 months and included staff on several continents. To better understand what issues would affect timetable and budget, team put together a Risk Matrix. This illustrated three key issues: what each risk point was, its’ potential occurrence and severity, and who was responsible for mitigating it. At every meeting team would review Risk Matrix and identify any future risk points. As with most projects, communication is key, and this encouraged a high degree of communication and accountability.

Risk is embedded in every opportunity a business faces, and poor risk management can have profound effects on outcome of any business endeavor.

Putting an effective risk management system in place is first step for a small business owner, who can then confidently exploit new business opportunities.