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 765 including guidelines and resource box. Robert A. Kelly © 2003. “Publicrelationistas?”
Is that what we are? Fanatic, over-the-top disciples of some wretched obsession?
Well, maybe not fanatic, or even wretched or obsessive, but certainly SOLD on
reality that people act on their own perception of facts before them, leading to predictable behaviors. And equally sold on next step too, create, change or reinforce that perception/opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired-action those people whose behaviors affect organization.
Why am I sold on what amounts to a fundamental premise for public relations? Because it’s best way to insure that you, as a manager, get key external audience behaviors you need to help achieve your unit objectives.
It also makes proper execution of public relations program very important to other managers like yourself in any business, non-profit or association.
Here’s one approach that can work just fine.
Jot down your unit’s, or department’s, most important audiences, then prioritize them as to impacts they exert on your operation. Let’s look at #1 on list because, clearly, any organization, including yours, must stay in touch with its most important external audiences in order to know how it is perceived, remembering of course, that behaviors usually follow perceptions.
Now, you need to interact with members of your target audiences, monitor what they think about you and ask lots of questions. “What do you know about us? Have you had any contact with us. Was it satisfactory?” and so on. Be alert to an untruth, an inaccuracy, or a potentially damaging rumor.
The responses to your opinion monitoring form basis for your public relations goal. In other words, specific perception to be altered, followed by desired behavior change.
Obviously, goal will seek corrective action. That is, clear up a misconception, scotch a rumor, or correct an inaccuracy.
But a goal without a strategy is like a hot dog without a bun.
We’re fortunate we have just three choices when it comes to strategies to deal with opinion matters: we can create perception where there isn’t any, change existing perception, or reinforce it. But make sure strategy you select flows naturally from your newly-minted goal.
