In my opinion, you must keep your eye on end-game because reason we do public relations in first place is to change behaviors of certain groups of people important to success of our organization.

Another way of saying that? What we REALLY care about is modifying behavior of those we wish to influence. Ask yourself this question: do we employ public relations for sheer pleasure of writing news releases, running special events, doing surveys or booking speeches? Some folks may actually think so, but I believe answer to that question is no. We employ public relations so that, at end of day, somebody’s behavior gets modified.

o you may wish to influence people to begin thinking more positively about your organization, thus strengthening its reputation.

o or encourage them to begin buying your soft drink brand by communicating its great taste and refreshing flavor.

o it could be as simple as communicating a company’s strengths to a target audience leading them to invest in company’s shares.

o or even providing environmental activists with facts about company’s full compliance with Federal regulations, in hope they will bring their plant-site demonstrations to an end.

But remember: until you have a solid indication that target behaviors have, in fact, changed in ways that meet your primary behavior modification goal, you DON’T know if your investment has paid off.

So, let’s look at ways to increase one’s comfort level about that public relations investment. Here are five steps, that can help you hit public relations bullseye – desired behavior modification -- on your next public relations venture.

Step 1 Accept Fact That People Act on their Perception of Facts

Many behavioral experts agree that people really do act on THEIR perception of facts, and that how they react to those facts actually does affect their behaviors. It follows that individual understanding of those facts must be contin- ually informed if those behaviors are to help achieve organization’s goal and objectives.

A simple, but effective illustration of this dynamic at work, is investor considering purchase of company shares. With facts available to him or her at moment, he/she forms a perception of company. Unsupported though they may be, should those facts cast doubt on company’s future, it’s safe to say that investor’s negative perception of company will lead to a certain behavior, namely, no shares are purchased.

Public relations counsel, alerted to negative perception about company through continuous media monitoring, opinion sampling and thoughtleader contact, moves rapidly to communicate accurate sales and financial data to investment community. In due course, this leads to perception and behavioral changes on part of many investors – namely, towards a decision to buy company’s shares.

Step 2 Create, Change or Reinforce Opinion

That’s why public relations should play a central role in your business planning in 2002.

Any recovery that takes place this year will be result of industrial, commercial and individual consumers alike starting to behave like buyers, whether of luxury real estate, frozen pizzas, industrial transformers, or running shoes.

So, before this train leaves station, any manager unsure how best to use public relations in upcoming business recovery is hereby advised that changed key-audience perceptions, much stronger confidence levels and clearly modified behaviors will be essential to business expansion as never before. Fortunately, all three are social dynamics at which public relations excels.

Consider its basic mission: Public relations is firmly rooted in principle that people act on their own perception of facts. Then it strives to create, change or reinforce public opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to- action those people whose behaviors affect organization. When behavioral changes become apparent, and meet program’s original behavior modification goal, a public relations venture can be deemed a success.

So, what comes first? In my opinion, a real acceptance that (1) individual perception of facts is THE guiding light leading to behavioral change, and (2) that something really CAN be done about those perceptions. Think about that for a moment – not every one buys it. For me, I can tell you it was an epiphany of immense proportion that actually helped shape my career in public relations.

Next, What Will it Be? Opinion Creation, Change or Reinforcement?

CREATION

O.K., now real public opinion work begins. The public relations squad must decide whether opinion among key audiences is to be created from scratch, requiring a lot of basic data, information and interpretation from which a person can form an initial opinion.

CHANGE

Or, are we talking about a change in opinion, a nudge in one direction or other requiring a clear, credible and well-supported explanation of, and rationale for why anyone should alter their current views?

REINFORCEMENT

Or, do we simply reinforce opinion that pretty much tracks with opinion level we desire? Here, we use simple corroboration and additional third-party support to strengthen existing public opinion.

But for each of three choices, information and data to be communicated must be creditably sourced, crystal-clear and logically presented.

On to Reach, Persuade and Move-to-Action

REACH

Now, reach your key audiences, people whose behaviors will affect your organization. Among others, these stakeholders include customers, employees, prospects, retirees, media, legislators, regulators, and both financial and plant communities.

But reaching these target groups means applying most effective communications tactics available to you. These will include such tools as media relations and publicity- generating news conferences and press releases, newsletters and e-mails, high-profile speeches, charitable contributions, investor relations, informal opinion surveys and many others.