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The Managers Path to PR Quality

Written by: Bob Kelly

Article Overview: The manager's path to PR quality public relations requires that you resolve to do something about the behaviors of those outside audiences that most affect the unit you manage. And that's for starters.

The Managers Path to PR Quality

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The Manager’s Path to PR Quality

What is it, you might ask, that allows certain business,
non-profit, government agency or association managers
to believe that they run a high-quality public relations
operation?

In my judgement, they can believe that only if:

1) They operate a strategic PR plan that leads directly
to achieving their unit’s managerial objectives.

2) They do something really significant about those
important outside audience behaviors that MOST
affect the department, group, division or subsidiary
unit they manage.

3) They take advantage of the perception levels they’ve
achieved as those key external audiences become
persuaded to the manager’s way of thinking.

4) And once having persuaded many members of that key
external audience to their views on the issue in question,
watch that perception closely as it usually morphs into
behavioral actions that allow their unit to succeed.

But few managers achieve this level without earlier exposure
to the tactical approach to public relations. An approach that
pretty much uses a collection of communications tactics to
move a message from one point to another. And that’s fine if
the manager’s only objective is to create print and broadcast
exposure.

However, problems arise when it becomes obvious that
counterproductive behaviors by target audiences are the direct
result of negative perceptions about the organization or its
services, products or personnel.

Suddenly, it is clear why steps must be taken to monitor
opinion among members of your most important outside
audiences to (1) determine how they perceive your organization;
(2) to further evaluate those survey results in order to identify
and prioritize public relations goals; (3) to create and share
corrective messages with key outside audiences and, finally,
(4) to carefully monitor how and when those perceptions
inevitably become the key audience behaviors you know you
need as the manager in charge of your unit.

This is an action plan that calls on you to do some meaningful
things about the behaviors of those important outside audiences
that most affect your operation; to create the kind of external
stakeholder behavior change that leads directly to achieving
your managerial objectives; and to do so by persuading those
key outside folks to your views by helping move them to take
actions that allow your department, group, division or subsidiary
to succeed.

Still, you may be wondering, what’s REALLY going on here?
Well, you’re preparing to do something positive about the
behaviors of the very outside audiences of yours that MOST
affect your operation. And that’s when PR can actually create
the kind of external stakeholder behavior change that leads
directly to achieving those key managerial objectives of yours.

By the way, the foundational premise for this approach to the
practice of public relations is sound: 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 accomplished.

Conducting public relations this way, a manager might expect
results along these lines: new proposals for strategic alliances
and joint ventures; a rebound in showroom visits; customers
making repeat purchases; improved relations with government
agencies and legislative bodies; membership applications on the
rise; capital givers or specifying sources looking your way;
fresh community service and sponsorship opportunities;
prospects starting to work with you and even stronger
relationships with the educational, labor, financial and healthcare communities.

It pays to review your PR timeline with your PR staff and,
moreover, take the time to critique how you will monitor
and gather perceptions by questioning members of your most
important outside audiences. Suggest queries along these lines:
how much do you know about our organization? Have you had
prior contact with us and were you pleased with the exchange?
Are you familiar with our services or products and employees?
Have you experienced problems with our people or procedures?

Are you confident that your most dependable and professional
PR people really accept why it’s SO important to know how
your most important outside audiences perceive your operations,
products or services? And do you believe THEY believe that
perceptions almost always result in behaviors that can help or
hurt your operation?

Of course, any kind of surveying/polling and the like usually
go easier when a professional survey firm helps monitor your
key audience’s perceptions. But real pros cost real money
compared to using your existing public relations staff who,
while they are already in the perception and behavior business,
also cost money. But whether it’s your people or a survey firm
asking the questions, the objective remains the same: identify
untruths, false assumptions, unfounded rumors, inaccuracies,
misconception and any other negative perception that might
translate into hurtful behaviors.

This is the time to set a realistic PR goal, one that calls for
action on the most serious problem areas you uncovered
during your key audience perception monitoring. You may,
for example, decide to straighten out that dangerous
misconception, bring to an end that potentially painful rumor,
or correct that terrible inaccuracy.

Your new goal, obviously will get you nowhere without the
support of an action-oriented strategy. If, that is, you are to
know how to get to where you’re going. And do keep in mind
that you have just three strategic options available to you when
it comes to doing something about perception and opinion:
change existing perception, create perception where there may
be none, or reinforce it. Needless to say, the wrong strategy
pick will taste like chocolate chips in your liverwurst soup.
So be sure your new strategy fits well with your new public
relations goal. You certainly don’t want to pursue “change”
when the facts dictate a strategy of reinforcement.

Now, in order to move your key audience to your way of
thinking, the best writer on your team must prepare a carefully
-written message targeted directly at your key external audience.
And make no mistake about it, putting together a really
persuasive message usually is the toughest part of this drill.
S/he must produce some really corrective language that is not
merely compelling, persuasive and believable, but clear and
factual if they are to shift perception/opinion towards your
point of view and lead to the behaviors you have in mind.

To carry your message to the attention of your target audience,
you’ll require carefully selected communications tactics and
there are many such available. From speeches, facility tours,
emails and brochures to consumer briefings, media interviews,
newsletters, personal meetings and many others. But be
certain that the tactics you pick are known to reach folks just
like your audience members.

As the program gets under way, you’ll probably want to unveil
your corrective message before smaller meetings rather than
using higher profile news releases or broadcast announcements.
Reason is, a message’s credibility is always fragile and often
suspect, depending on the method by which it is delivered,

The time needed to prepare and distribute progress reports
is time well invested because you will be illustrating how the
monies spent on public relations can pay off. But they’ll also
be your alert to start a second perception monitoring session
with members of your external audience. Here, you’ll use
many of the same questions used in the benchmark interviews.
Only difference now is, you will be on strict alert for signs
that the bad news perception is being altered in your direction.

In the unlikely event that forward motion slows down a bit, be
advised that you can always add more communications tactics,
and/or increase their frequencies to address that problem.

In one long sentence, the manager’s path to quality public
relations requires that you resolve to do something about the
behaviors of those outside audiences that most affect your
operation; create the kind of external stakeholder behavior
change that leads directly to achieving your managerial
objectives; and do so by persuading those key outside folks
to your way of thinking by helping move them to take actions
that allow your department, group, division or subsidiary
unit to succeed.

end

Bob Kelly counsels and writes for business, non-profit 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 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:www.PRCommentary.com

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