Certainly you can count on professional survey people to handle perception monitoring phases of your program IF budget is available. But luckily, 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.

We should spend a moment on your public relations goal. You need one that addresses problems that cropped up during your key audience perception monitoring. Chances are, it will call for straightening out that dangerous misconception, or correcting that gross inaccuracy, or doing something about that damaging rumor.

Another truism is that goals need strategies to show you how to get there. And you have just three strategic choices when it comes to handling a perception or opinion challenge: create perception where there may be none, change perception, or reinforce it. Unfortunately, selecting a bad strategy will taste like maple syrup on your ziti, so be certain new strategy fits well with your new public relations goal. For example, you don’t want to select “change” when facts dictate a “reinforce” strategy.

Because persuading an audience to your way of thinking is awfully hard work, you now must create right corrective language including words that are compelling, persuasive, believable AND clear and factual. This is a must if you are to correct a perception by shifting opinion towards your point of view, leading to desired behaviors. So, meet again with your communications specialists and review your message for impact and persuasiveness.

Now you need to select communications tactics most likely to carry your words to attention of your target audience. Happily there are dozens 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.

Sad, but credibility of your message could depend on its delivery method. So, consider introducing it to smaller gatherings rather than using higher-profile communications such as news releases or talk show appearances. Progress reports will suggest themselves in due course. And that probably will mean you and your PR folks should return to field for a second perception monitoring session with members of your external audience. Using many of same questions used in first benchmark session, watch carefully for signs that your communications tactics have worked and that negative perception is being altered in your direction.

If you sense your colleagues or your client becoming impatient, you can always accelerate matters with a broader selection of communications tactics AND increased frequencies.

You won’t get hurt when you apply your budget to public relations activity that creates behavior change among your key outside audiences that leads directly to achieving your goals.

That will demonstrate conclusively that right PR really CAN alter individual perception. And better yet, lead to changed behaviors that help you reach those managerial objectives and come out on top.

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

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