Are You the Culprit?

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Word count is 890 including guidelines and resource box.
Robert A. Kelly 2004.
Are You the Culprit?
by Robert A. Kelly

Are you a business, non-profit or association manager
who pretty much ignores your organization’s important
outside audiences?
If that’s you, do you realize how difficult you’re making
it to achieve the important behavior changes you really
need and want? I mean changes that lead directly to
achieving your department, division or subsidiary’s
objectives?
I’m talking about achieving new levels of membership
applications; growing the repeat purchase rate; capital
givers looking your way; attracting new prospects;
expanding the list of organizations officially specifying
your service and products; or suppliers newly motivated
to meet your strict quality and delivery requirements.
Start operating in your own best interest by taking a
closer look at the public relations work underway on
behalf of your unit.
Is it focused more on communications tactics than upon
a workable, comprehensive plan for dealing with those
key external audience behaviors that impact your
operation the most?
What may be needed is a refocus on 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 accomplished.
When you meet with the PR people assigned to your unit,
be clear about the need to list and prioritize those key
external audiences, and then monitor how your unit is
perceived by members of those audiences. That means
interacting with those folks and asking lots of questions.
Now, and only now, can you mount an effort to alter
those perceptions, and thus behaviors, in your direction.
You need to evaluate the data gathered during the perception
monitoring session. Is there a glaring inaccuracy about your
organization mentioned by several members of that audience?
Any false assumptions come bubbling up about your products,
services or management? Are misconceptions, rumors or
distinctly negative attitudes obvious during your monitoring
interviews?
From these data, you frame your public relations goal. For
example, spike that rumor, correct that inaccuracy, clarify
that misconception or “we’d better do a better job of
communicating our service benefits.”
Every good PR goal needs an equally good strategy
showing you how to achieve your goal. But when it comes
to matters of opinion and perception, there are only three
choices available to you: reinforce existing perception/
opinion, create perception where there is none, or change
existing perception. Just be certain your choice of strategies
is a natural fit for your new PR goal.
Your public relations people should be especially useful
to you for the next step, writing a message positioned to
alter perception among members of the target audience.
You should, however, be closely involved in putting the
message together. It must be not only persuasive, but
compelling as well. And it must be very clear as to why
the offending perception is simply wrong, or unfair,
including the language needed to correct, clarify or change
it. I’m certain you will agree that, as you make the case for
your point of view, you must be believable.
No easy task to alter what people have come to believe,
but certainly worth the effort.
Your public relations people will help you deliver your
message to the attention of members of your key target
audience. They will identify the communications tactics
to help you do the job. As they will tell you, you have a
broad choice of tactics such as newsletters, radio and
newspaper interviews, newsworthy special events,
brochures, speeches and scores of others. The only caveat
here, check carefully that your chosen tactics have a record
of reaching people like those who make up your target
audience.
In short order, all concerned will wonder aloud whether
progress is being made toward the public relations goal.
Obviously, to satisfy yourself that offending perceptions
are actually being altered, leading to the behavior change
you desire, you must remonitor the perceptions of
members of your target audience.
The difference this time is, you will be watching carefully
for clear indications that perceptions are, in fact, being
altered.
Now, if you’re not pleased with the rate of progress, add a
few more communications tactics, as well as using them
more frequently, to increase the impact.
So, as a manager, you’ve pretty much ignored those important
outside audiences until now. But, hopefully, these comments
have convinced you to ramp up your unit’s public relations
effort and pursue the behavior changes you really need and
want, and that lead directly to achieving your department,
division or subsidiary’s objectives.
end