Make Your PR Budget Work HarderWritten by Robert A. Kelly
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 800 including guidelines and resource box. Robert A. Kelly © 2003. Make Your PR Budget Work Harder Do it by restructuring your business, non-profit or association public relations program so that it delivers stakeholder behavior changes you want. Changes that lead directly to achieving your objectives. A good first step is to base restructure on a reality like this: People act on their own perception of facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired -action very people whose behaviors affect organization most, public relations mission is accomplished. Then, if you haven’t done so already, think about your important outside audiences and how their behaviors can help or hinder your organization. List them in order of damage severity, and let’s talk about #1 on roster. Obviously, before you decide how to deal with external audience perceptions and, thus, behaviors, it makes sense to find out what members of that target audience really think about your organization. If you are not equipped with a budget to pay for professional survey work, you and your colleagues,have little choice but to interact with audience members and that means using penetrating questions – “What do you think of us? How much do you know about us? Have you ever had contact with our people? If so, was it a positive experience?” Stay alert to negativities, and watch closely for inaccuracies, misconceptions, and exaggerations. The data you gather from such monitoring activity let’s you identify most severe perception problem, then establish it as your corrective public relations goal. Which allows you to straighten out that misconception, correct that inaccuracy or deflate that exaggeration. Your goal isn’t worth much by itself. It needs a buddy, and that buddy is a strategy that shows you what you must do to achieve goal. Luckily, there are only three strategies to choose from when it comes to perceptions and opinions. Reinforce existing opinion, change it, or create perception where none exists. Here, by way, you must take care that your chosen strategy fits naturally with your new goal.
| | How to Establish Your AuthorityWritten by Susan Dunn, MA Clinical Psychology, The EQ Coach
“Leaders are born, not made” – do you think this is true? I think one can learn to act as if he or she was born a leader. I’m thinking of my young friend Mark who told me his boss had told him, “The only reason I haven’t made you a manager is that you don’t act like one.” Sounds like a Catch-22, but that’s what we’re talking about. It helps to be given a title, but even then others won’t follow you unless you act like a leader, which requires believing you are one. TIP OF THE DAY: Don’t waste time trying to earn your leadership position. Impose it. Don’t be tentative. Claim all your Personal Power, an Emotional Intelligence competency. Deliver it like Henry, or Catherine, with authority and without emotion: EDICT OF NANTES: "Henry, By Grace of God, King of France, and Navarre, To all Present, and to Come greeteth. Among infinite Mercies that God hath pleased to bestow upon us, that most Signal and Remarkable is, his having given us Power and Strength not to yield to dreadful Troubles, Confusions and Disorders--" THE MANIFESTO OF THE EMPRESS CATHERINE II, OF RUSSIA: "By Grace of God "We, Catherine second, Empress and Autocrat of all Russians at Moscow, Kiev, Vladimir, Novgorod, Czarina of Kasan, Czarina of Astrachan, Czarina of Siberia, Lady of Pleskow and Grand Duchess of Smolensko, Duchess of Esthonia and Livland, Carelial, Twer, Yugoria, Permia, Viatka and Bulgaria and others; Lady and Grand Duchess of Novgorod in Netherland of Chernigov, Resan, Rostov, Yaroslav, Beloosrial, Udoria, Obdoria, Condinia, and Ruler of entire North region and Lady of Yurish, of Cartalinian and Grusinian czars and Cabardinian land, of Cherkessian and Gorsian princes and lady of manor and sovereign of many others."
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