Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy would be appreciated at bobkelly@TNI.net. Word count is 1045 including guidelines and resource box. Robert A. Kelly © 2004. A PR Question For Chinese Managers
As
practice of public relations in China continues to mature, it seems appropriate to ask whether Chinese business managers – tutored as they have been by European, North American and other PR specialists – continue to apply major public relations emphasis to print and broadcast communications tactics. In other words, do they still see PR through lens of simple publicity, as many in West still do?
Or, do best among Chinese managers -- as is also true for many businesses in Western economies -- realize they need true behavior change among their most important outside audiences leading directly to achieving their managerial objectives?
And, do they then take steps to persuade those key external stakeholders, who have greatest impacts on their organizations, to their way of thinking, then move them to take actions that help their departments, divisions or subsidiaries succeed?
Let us presume that you are that business manager in China, and that you are well aware of high-impact fundamental premise of public relations. Namely, “People act on their own perception of facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When that opinion is created, changed or reinforced by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired-action very people whose behaviors affect organization most, public relations mission is accomplished.”
Managers who employ such a PR blueprint often see results such as prospects for their services or products starting to do business with them, fresh proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures arriving on a regular basis, specifying sources starting to look their way, increases in visits to show rooms, and existing customers beginning to make repeat purchases.
If this approach to public relations appeals to you, before that PR blueprint is first employed, you need every member of PR team assigned to your unit to agree that it’s crucially important to know how your outside audiences perceive your operations, products or services. Dig deep to ensure they REALLY accept reality that perceptions almost always lead to behaviors that can damage your operation.
With that understanding achieved, It’s time to activate PR blueprint and begin monitoring and gathering perceptions of those key external stakeholders by questioning members of that very important outside audience. Ask questions like these: how much do you know about our organization? Have you had prior contact with us and were you pleased with interchange? How much do you know about our services or products and employees? Have you experienced problems with our people or procedures?
Fortunately, PR people assigned to you are, by definition, already in perception and behavior business, so they can be of real use for this opinion monitoring project. While professional survey firms can be brought in to handle opinion monitoring, that can be expensive. But whether it’s your people or a survey consultant asking questions, your objective is to identify untruths, false assumptions, unfounded rumors, inaccuracies, and misconceptions.
