What Managers Might Not Know About PR
What Managers Might Not Know About PR
newsletter, offline publication or website. Only
requirement: you must use the Robert A. Kelly
byline and resource box. Word count is 1350 including
guidelines and box. Robert A. Kelly © 2006.
What Managers Might Not Know About PR
O.K., you manage something like human resources,
distribution, special projects or finance for a business, non-
profit, government agency or association. And, oh yes,
you’re pretty darn good at what you do.
Trouble is, you may know very little about the public
relations someone else is doing on your behalf.
And that could cost you dearly.
Why? If your PR is focused on simple tactics like press
releases, broadcast plugs, special events or brochures,
you’re not getting the best public relations has to offer
a manager like you.
Instead of just tactics, consider using a strategic public
relations plan that alters the individual perception of
members of your key outside audiences, thus beginning
the process of changing their behaviors.
Then, your new PR plan will lead you to actually
persuade many of those key outside folks to your
managerial way of thinking, helping to move them to take
actions that allow your department, division or subsidiary
to succeed.
So, what are you REALLY doing at this point?
You are using public relations to do something positive
about the behaviors of the very outside audiences of
yours that MOST affect your operation. Especially
welcome when PR creates the kind of external
stakeholder behavior change that leads directly to
achieving your most important managerial objectives.
Which is why I believe you need a clearcut public
relations blueprint designed to get all your team
members and organizational colleagues working
towards the same external stakeholder behaviors.
A blueprint, say, like this one: 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.
This approach to public relations will ring true when
results like these appear: capital givers or specifying
sources looking your way; new proposals for strategic
alliances and joint ventures; a rebound in showroom
visits; membership applications on the rise; fresh
community service and sponsorship opportunities;
new thoughtleader and special event contacts;
improved relations with government agencies and
legislative bodies; prospects starting to work with
you; customers making repeat purchases; and even
stronger relationships with the educational, labor,
financial and healthcare communities.
Who, would you guess, is going to do the work?
Regular public relations staff? Folks assigned to you by
those above? Or could it be a PR agency crew?
Nevertheless, they must be committed to you as the
senior project manager, and to the PR blueprint starting
with key audience perception monitoring.
A word of advice. Be certain that your team members
really believe deeply why it’s SO important to know
how your most important outside audiences perceive
your operations, products or services. Be certain they
buy the reality that perceptions almost always lead to
behaviors that can help or hurt your unit.
Take the time to review your PR blueprint with your
team members, especially your plan for monitoring and
gathering perceptions by questioning members of your
most important outside audiences. Questions like these:
how much do you know about our organization? Have
you had prior contact with us and were you pleased
with the interchange? How much do you know about
our services or products and employees? Have you
experienced problems with our people or procedures?
Of course you can always use professional survey
counsel for the perception monitoring phases of your
program. But remember that your PR people are also
in the perception and behavior business and can pursue
the same objective: identify untruths, false assumptions,
unfounded rumors, inaccuracies, misconceptions and
any other negative perception that might translate into
hurtful behaviors.
At this juncture, you have to set down your public
relations goal. Here, you can do something about the
most serious distortions you discovered during your
key audience perception monitoring.Your new public
relations goal might call for straightening out that
dangerous misconception, or correcting that gross
inaccuracy, or stopping that potentially fatal rumor.
It seems obvious, but it bears repeating. To achieve
success, you need a solid strategy, one that clearly
shows you how to proceed. To keep things simple,
note that there are only three strategic options
available to you when it comes to handling a
perception and opinion challenge. Change existing
perception, create perception where there may be
none, or reinforce it. Of course, the wrong strategy
pick will taste like Braunschweiger on your bread
pudding, so be certain the new strategy fits well with
your new public relations goal. Naturally, you don’t
want to select “change” when the facts dictate a
“reinforce” strategy.
In this business, inevitably, you must do some writing.
And now’s the time to share a powerful corrective
message with members of your target audience. But
persuading an audience to your way of thinking is
no easy task. Which is why your PR folks must come
up with words that are not only compelling,
persuasive and believable, but clear and factual.
Only in this way will you be able to correct a
perception by shifting opinion towards your point
of view, leading to the behaviors you are targeting.
At a meeting of your communications specialists,
decide if your message’s impact and persuasiveness
measure up. Then select the communications tactics
most likely to carry your message to the attention of
your target audience. You can pick from dozens that
are available. From speeches, facility tours, emails
and brochures to consumer briefings, media
interviews, newsletters, personal meetings and many
others. But be sure that the tactics you pick are
known to reach folks just like your audience members.
Another word of advice. You might want to unveil
the message before smaller gatherings rather than
using higher-profile tactics such as news releases.
Reason is, the credibility of a message can depend
on the credibility of its delivery method.
When the topic of progress reports is suggested,
you and your PR team should stand alerted to return to
the field and start work on a second perception
monitoring session with members of your external
audience. In all probability, you’ll want to use many
of the same questions used in the first benchmark
session. Only this time, you will be watching very
carefully for signs that the bad news perception is
being altered in your direction.
On the chance that momentum may slow, try
speeding up matters with more communications tactics
and increased frequencies.
Here is the central reality of public relations: the right
PR can alter individual perception leading to changed
behaviors which, in turn, lead directly to achieving
your managerial objectives.
Only in this way will you move beyond PR tactics like
special events, brochures, broadcast plugs and press
releases to achieve the very best public relations has
to offer.
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 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:www.PRCommentary.com
What Managers Might Not Know About PR - To learn more about this author, visit Bob Kelly's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
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 1350 including
guidelines and box. Robert A. Kelly © 2006.
What Managers Might Not Know About PR
O.K., you manage something like human resources,
distribution, special projects or finance for a business, non-
profit, government agency or association. And, oh yes,
you’re pretty darn good at what you do.
Trouble is, you may know very little about the public
relations someone else is doing on your behalf.
And that could cost you dearly.
Why? If your PR is focused on simple tactics like press
releases, broadcast plugs, special events or brochures,
you’re not getting the best public relations has to offer
a manager like you.
Instead of just tactics, consider using a strategic public
relations plan that alters the individual perception of
members of your key outside audiences, thus beginning
the process of changing their behaviors.
Then, your new PR plan will lead you to actually
persuade many of those key outside folks to your
managerial way of thinking, helping to move them to take
actions that allow your department, division or subsidiary
to succeed.
So, what are you REALLY doing at this point?
You are using public relations to do something positive
about the behaviors of the very outside audiences of
yours that MOST affect your operation. Especially
welcome when PR creates the kind of external
stakeholder behavior change that leads directly to
achieving your most important managerial objectives.
Which is why I believe you need a clearcut public
relations blueprint designed to get all your team
members and organizational colleagues working
towards the same external stakeholder behaviors.
A blueprint, say, like this one: 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.
This approach to public relations will ring true when
results like these appear: capital givers or specifying
sources looking your way; new proposals for strategic
alliances and joint ventures; a rebound in showroom
visits; membership applications on the rise; fresh
community service and sponsorship opportunities;
new thoughtleader and special event contacts;
improved relations with government agencies and
legislative bodies; prospects starting to work with
you; customers making repeat purchases; and even
stronger relationships with the educational, labor,
financial and healthcare communities.
Who, would you guess, is going to do the work?
Regular public relations staff? Folks assigned to you by
those above? Or could it be a PR agency crew?
Nevertheless, they must be committed to you as the
senior project manager, and to the PR blueprint starting
with key audience perception monitoring.
A word of advice. Be certain that your team members
really believe deeply why it’s SO important to know
how your most important outside audiences perceive
your operations, products or services. Be certain they
buy the reality that perceptions almost always lead to
behaviors that can help or hurt your unit.
Take the time to review your PR blueprint with your
team members, especially your plan for monitoring and
gathering perceptions by questioning members of your
most important outside audiences. Questions like these:
how much do you know about our organization? Have
you had prior contact with us and were you pleased
with the interchange? How much do you know about
our services or products and employees? Have you
experienced problems with our people or procedures?
Of course you can always use professional survey
counsel for the perception monitoring phases of your
program. But remember that your PR people are also
in the perception and behavior business and can pursue
the same objective: identify untruths, false assumptions,
unfounded rumors, inaccuracies, misconceptions and
any other negative perception that might translate into
hurtful behaviors.
At this juncture, you have to set down your public
relations goal. Here, you can do something about the
most serious distortions you discovered during your
key audience perception monitoring.Your new public
relations goal might call for straightening out that
dangerous misconception, or correcting that gross
inaccuracy, or stopping that potentially fatal rumor.
It seems obvious, but it bears repeating. To achieve
success, you need a solid strategy, one that clearly
shows you how to proceed. To keep things simple,
note that there are only three strategic options
available to you when it comes to handling a
perception and opinion challenge. Change existing
perception, create perception where there may be
none, or reinforce it. Of course, the wrong strategy
pick will taste like Braunschweiger on your bread
pudding, so be certain the new strategy fits well with
your new public relations goal. Naturally, you don’t
want to select “change” when the facts dictate a
“reinforce” strategy.
In this business, inevitably, you must do some writing.
And now’s the time to share a powerful corrective
message with members of your target audience. But
persuading an audience to your way of thinking is
no easy task. Which is why your PR folks must come
up with words that are not only compelling,
persuasive and believable, but clear and factual.
Only in this way will you be able to correct a
perception by shifting opinion towards your point
of view, leading to the behaviors you are targeting.
At a meeting of your communications specialists,
decide if your message’s impact and persuasiveness
measure up. Then select the communications tactics
most likely to carry your message to the attention of
your target audience. You can pick from dozens that
are available. From speeches, facility tours, emails
and brochures to consumer briefings, media
interviews, newsletters, personal meetings and many
others. But be sure that the tactics you pick are
known to reach folks just like your audience members.
Another word of advice. You might want to unveil
the message before smaller gatherings rather than
using higher-profile tactics such as news releases.
Reason is, the credibility of a message can depend
on the credibility of its delivery method.
When the topic of progress reports is suggested,
you and your PR team should stand alerted to return to
the field and start work on a second perception
monitoring session with members of your external
audience. In all probability, you’ll want to use many
of the same questions used in the first benchmark
session. Only this time, you will be watching very
carefully for signs that the bad news perception is
being altered in your direction.
On the chance that momentum may slow, try
speeding up matters with more communications tactics
and increased frequencies.
Here is the central reality of public relations: the right
PR can alter individual perception leading to changed
behaviors which, in turn, lead directly to achieving
your managerial objectives.
Only in this way will you move beyond PR tactics like
special events, brochures, broadcast plugs and press
releases to achieve the very best public relations has
to offer.
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 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:www.PRCommentary.com
What Managers Might Not Know About PR - To learn more about this author, visit Bob Kelly's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
 | |
 |
No article feedback found. |
| |
Leave Your Feedback |
 | |
| |||
|
To learn more about the Evan Elite Author Program please contact us. |
 | |
|  |
Subscribe to Bob's articles
 | |
|
|  |
 | |
|
| |
 | |||||||
|
 | ||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
|
| ||
 |
| 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. |
|
|
 |
| Modeling the Masters: Learn the true secrets behind Walt Disney's business success factors & grow your company! Video produced by Phanta Media |
|
|
 |
"Learn straight from Evan how you can Make a Full Time Income (And More) from a Website"
Click Here To Learn More |
|
|
|
|
Get advice & tips from famous business owners, new articles by entrepreneur experts, my latest website updates, & special sneak peaks at what's to come!
|
|
|
 Auditory, visual preference? New Year Revolutions Networking Road Warrior Power of Concentration Why Business Owners Quit |
|
 | ||
 |
The Top 10 ProBlogger Posts
Best Posts for Bloggers | |
 |
The Top 10 Guy Kawasaki Posts
Best Posts for Entrepreneurs | |
| ||
 | ||||
| ||||
|
| ||||
| ||||
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||
|
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!
|
|
|
