Feedback Form
Home Features Mastermind Forums About Advertise Blog Network Contact Be An Author

Managerial Survival Key

Managerial Survival Key

Please feel free to publish this article in your ezine, newsletter,
offline publication or website. Only requirement: you must use
the Robert A. Kelly byline and resource box. Word count is
875 including guidelines and box. Robert A. Kelly © 2006.

Managerial Survival Key

For business, non-profit or association managers like
yourself, survival pretty much depends on whether you
achieve, or fail to achieve your department, division or
subsidiary objectives.

Which strongly suggests that, if you haven’t already
done so, you may wish to employ a set of tools that will
help you persuade your most important outside audiences
to your way of thinking, then move them to take actions
that lead to your success.

The tools comprise the fundamental premise of public
relations: people act on their own perception of the 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 the very people whose behaviors
affect the organization the most, the public relations
mission is usually accomplished.

And the promise those tools hold for managers are
behaviors like new prospects and more existing buyers,
repeat purchasors, highly qualified job seekers, new
capital contributions, increased membership referrals or
more proposals for strategic alliances.

But there is work to do. You need information about
those key external audiences. What do they know about
your unit and its operations? How familiar are they, if
at all, with your services or products? Have they ever
worked with any of your people? Was the experience
positive?

Tell the public relations folks assigned to your department,
division or subsidiary that you want answers to those
questions. And for the simple reason that how those
important outside audiences perceive your operation
usually leads to behaviors that can help or hinder you in
achieving your objectives.

Work with them on a list of your key external audiences
whose actions most affect your operations. Put those groups
in priority order and let’s have a go at #1.

Remember that the success of your new public relations
effort depends heavily on how well you gather these key
audience perceptions.

Here, you have a choice. You and your PR staff can interact
with members of that target audience, which seems
appropriate since your PR folks are already in the perception
and behavior business. Or, if a substantial budget is available
to you, you can hire professional survey counsel to do the
work for you.

Either way, asking members of your key target audience
questions such as those outlined above along with the
responses you receive, provide the foundation data that
underpins your entire public relations effort.

But, as you monitor audience member responses to
your questions, stay alert for hesitant or evasive observations
about your organization. Do you note statements that are
untrue or misconceived? How about inaccuracies, rumors or
false assumptions? You’ll need to remedy them because we
know that negative perceptions inevitably lead to negative
behaviors that must be fixed to protect your operation.

As mentioned, the data your interactive monitoring produces
is the raw material with which you create your public
relations goal. And that might well be clearing up that
misconception, correcting that inaccuracy or replacing an
untruth with the truth.

Reaching that goal is another matter. You need the right
strategy to show you how to get there. As luck would have
it, they’re but three strategic choices in perception/opinion
matters like this. Create perception/opinion where you have
none, change that perception, or reinforce it.

Good writing doesn’t come easy, but that’s your next challenge.
Here, you must put together the message you will use to transmit
your corrective facts and figures to those members of your target
audience.

Now, all at the same time – in a single message – you must be
clear about why the false assumption, the misconception or the
inaccuracy should be clarified, or even corrected. Your message
must present truthful supporting facts, and must be believable
and, if at all possible, compelling.

Your public relations team will provide that talent. Also discuss
with them blending the message into a variety of public
presentations so as not to damage its credibility with a eyebrow-
raising announcement.

Keep in mind that the timetable can always be accelerated by
adding new communications tactics and by increasing their
frequencies. Also a good idea to continue refining and updating
the message itself.

Happily, what you will have done is use a set of tools that
helped you persuade your most important outside audiences to
your way of thinking, then move them to take actions that lead
to managerial success and, some might say, survival.

end

Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks to business, non-profit and
association managers about using the fundamental premise of public
relations to achieve their operating objectives. He has authored 245
articles on the subject which are listed at EzineArticles.com, click
Expert Author, click Robert A. Kelly. 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. He holds a bachelor of science degree from
Columbia University, major in public relations.
mailto:bobkelly@TNI.net Visit:http://www.prcommentary.com





Managerial Survival Key - To learn more about this author, visit Bob Kelly's Website.

Like this article? Share it with your friends

Article Feedback
 Article Feedback No article feedback found.
  Leave Your Feedback
article feedback

Article Feedback

To learn more about the Evan Elite Author Program please contact us.

About The Author


Bob Kelly
(Visit Bob's Website) Bob Kelly counsels and writes for business, non-profit, government agency and association managers about using the fundamental premise of public relations to achieve their operating objectives. He has published 245 articles on the subject which are listed at EzineArticles.com, click ExpertAuthor, click Robert A. Kelly. 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. He holds a bachelor of science degree from Columbia University, major in public relations. mailto:bobkelly@TNI.net Visit:www.PRCommentary.com

Bob Kelly is a Platinum author on EvanCarmichael.com
About The Author

View Author Blog
View Author Blog

View Author Video
View Author Video

Free Downloads


Bob Kelly's

Complete
List Of
Public-Relations
Articles

Name
Email
If you enjoyed this article, get Bob Kelly's Complete List of Public-Relations Articles For FREE!

More Bob Kelly
PR Performance You Should Expect
What Many PR Users Ignore
PR Essential to your Success
Managers Should Your PR Budget Stress Tactics or Strategy
Arent Small Businesses Lucky
Why All Managers Are Alike
Managers Paying for PRLite
How Would You Ever Know
Just What Kind of PR Matters to You
Managers Are You PRFit
Free Downloads


 
 
 


Evan Elite Authors
Linda Richardson  
Jay Kubassek  
George Ludwig  
Evan Elite Authors

Become An Author
Have you written articles that would be of value to entrepreneurs? Become an expert on our site by publishing them! Expose yourself to a wide audience, drive more traffic to your website and get more sales! Click Here for details.
Become An Author

Evan's Latest Video
Modeling the Masters: Learn the true secrets behind Walt Disney's business success factors & grow your company! Video produced by Phanta Media
Evan's Latest Video

Business Opportunities
"Learn straight from Evan how you can Make a Full Time Income (And More) from a Website"

How to Start An Online Business

Click Here To Learn More
Business Opportunities



Evan's Newsletter
Get advice & tips from famous business owners, new articles by entrepreneur experts, my latest website updates, & special sneak peaks at what's to come!
Name:
Email:
Evan`s Newsletter

Free Downloads
Women Entrepreneurs Icon Women Entrepreneurs
Strategic Planning Guide Icon Strategic Planning Guide
ACES Research Report Icon ACES Research Report
Become a Better Closer! Icon Become a Better Closer!
Super Productivity Icon Super Productivity
Free Downloads - Complete List

Entrepreneur Tools and Guides
Top 50 Blogs For Startups To Watch In 2008
Top 50 Blogs For Startups
Top Blogs To Watch In 2008
 
Guide To ERP Software / Business Management Software
Guide To ERP Software
Business Management Software
 
Entrepreneur Tools and Guides

SEO For Africa
SEO For Africa
George Kuranche Siwdo, Ghana,
George Kuranche
Siwdo, Ghana
SEO For Africa

If I Were A Startup...
Kerry Shapansky, $2.0 to $51 Mil in 5 years
Kerry Shapansky
$2.0 to $51 Mil in 5 years
Stephen Pollack, $1.2 to $16.2 Mil in 3 Years
Stephen Pollack
$1.2 to $16.2 Mil in 3 Years
If I Were A Startup... - Complete List

Famous Entrepreneurs
David Ogilvy, Ogilvy & Mather
David Ogilvy
Ogilvy & Mather
Thomas Watson Jr., IBM
Famous Entrepreneurs - Complete List

Entrepreneur Advice
Zig Ziglar, See You At The Top
Zig Ziglar
See You At The Top
Ask Michael Gerber, Reader Questions
Ask Michael Gerber
Reader Questions
Entrepreneur Advice - Complete List

Popular Articles
(Premium Authors)

     Executive Coaching Whats in it for me
By Di Holliday
     LIFE COACHING ON THE CHANGE
By Di Holliday
     The Business of Coaching Communication
By Di Holliday

Have A Suggestion?
Toronto Salsa Classes / Toronto Salsa Lessons Email us your ideas on how to make our website more valuable! Thank you Sharon from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for your suggestions to make the newsletter look like the website and profile younger entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez and Sean Combs!
Have A Suggestion?

More Evan Carmichael
More Information