Now it’s message time. What will you say to members of your target audience to alter that negative perception that surfaced during your conversations with them? Your message must be persuasive, so stick with facts and present them clearly. By identifying honestly what is really at issue at moment, you impart a sense of credibility to your comments, and their timeliness adds a compelling dimension to your message.

What’s best way to get that message to eyes and ears of members of your target audience?

Here, you have an embarrassment of riches with dozens of communications tactics including news announcements, op-eds, letters-to-the-editor, speeches, community briefings, broadcast and newspaper interviews and many, many others.

Progress can best be tracked by interacting all over again with members of target audience. While you’ll ask questions similar to those you asked in your earlier monitoring sessions, this time you’re looking for signs that your message got through. In other words, signs that your message succeeded in altering any negative perceptions of your business.

You should also monitor print and broadcast media, key customers and prospects for similar indications of success.

Should progress not be fast enough for you, you’ll want to consider increasing number of communications tactics you employ as well as frequency of their use. Your message should also be re-evaluated for its factual basis and clarity.

Gradually, your monitoring will playback perception changes among that target audience, and that means behaviors you seek will not be far behind.

It is this kind of success that tells us very clearly why small business must turn to PR if it is to realize its potential.

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

5. Flexibility and Creativity--

A good coach should be nimble, quick footed, comfortable with ambiguity, fast change, and lots of uncertainty.

6. Tough Love--

At end of day, coaching is about getting results you want in realistic time frames set. A good coach has to be able to deal with difficult issues, make people accountable, and ensure realistic outcomes.

7. Comfort at Top--

Coaches have to be able to relate to being at top and meeting expectations of shareholders and boards. Being comfortable and having experience at senior levels are crucial for top coaches.

8. Organizational Insight--

The goal of executive coaching is to improve performance and to find common ground between executive's needs and needs of company. A good coach requires significant understanding if nuances of getting two objectives to meet to achieve clearly defined goals.

Clear Focus is experienced in getting the best out of each and every person, and building greater results with more efficient effort. As a coaching organization, we have proven abilities in helping to find solutions, implementing effective strategies, and achieving peak performance.

To learn more about us, visit us on the web at http://www.clear-focus.com.