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Robert A. Kelly 2005.
Is PR Really A Soft Discipline?
If so, what is a hard discipline? One that involves HUGE
money or personal pain? One that absorbs all the general
counsels time? Or, is it the blinding success of a brand
new business or, maybe, something that affects individual
careers? Or must it simply employ clubs and brass knuckles?
I believe public relations is as hard as ANY discipline
can get when it puts together for a business, non-profit,
government agency or association, the resources and action
planning needed to alter individual perception leading to
changed behaviors among their most important outside
audiences. When it goes on to help managers persuade
those key folks to his or her way of thinking, then move
them to take actions that allow their department, group,
division or subsidiary to succeed, thats hard, real hard.
Since, plain and simple, that can mean success or failure for
the organization, yes, Id call it a very hard discipline
indeed!
And that notion isnt just sitting out there all by itself.
Its foundation is the underlying premise of public relations
itself: 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.
Thats why many managers are comforted by the thought
that the right public relations planning really CAN alter
individual perception and lead to changed behaviors
among key outside audiences!
Should you be that manager, try to remember that your
PR effort must demand more than special events, press
releases and brochures if you are to receive the quality
public relations results you want.
It will all seem worthwhile when capital givers or
specifying sources beginning to look your way; customers
begin to make repeat purchases; membership applications
start to rise; new proposals for strategic alliances and
joint ventures start showing up; politicians and legislators
begin looking at you as a key member of the business,
non-profit, government or association communities;
welcome bounces in show room visits occur; community
leaders begin to seek you out, and prospects actually start
to do business with you.
Close by are your public relations professionals who
can be of real use for your new opinion monitoring
project because they are already in the perception and
behavior business. But be certain that the PR staff really
accepts why its SO important to know how your most
important outside audiences perceive your operations,
products or services. Above all, be sure they believe
that perceptions almost always result in behaviors that
can help or hurt your operation.
Before you monitor and gather perceptions by
questioning members of your most important outside
audiences, go over your plans with your PR staff.
Rehearse asking 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? Are you familiar with our services or
products and employees? Have you experienced
problems with our people or procedures?
Be ready for an epiphany when you discover that using
professional survey firms to do the opinion gathering
work will cost considerably more than using those
PR folks of yours, who already happen to be in the
perception monitoring business. However, whether
its your people or a survey firm asking the questions,
the objective remains the same: identify untruths,
false assumptions, unfounded rumors, inaccuracies,
misconceptions and any other negative perception
that might translate into hurtful behaviors.
Goal-setting time has arrived, a goal that calls for
action on the most serious problem areas you
uncovered during your key audience perception
monitoring. Will it be to straighten out that dangerous
misconception? Correct that gross inaccuracy? Or,
stop that potentially painful rumor cold?
The facts of life say that setting your PR goal
requires an equally specific strategy that tells you
how to get there. Only three strategic options are
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. The wrong strategy pick will
taste like Hollandaise Sauce on your waffles, so
be sure your new strategy fits well with your new
public relations goal. You certainly dont want to
select change when the facts dictate a strategy
of reinforcement.
Good writing is always important in public relations,
but never more so than now. Here, youve got to
put together a persuasive message that will help
move your key audience to your way of thinking. It
must be a carefully-written message targeted
directly at your key external audience. Select your
very best writer because s/he must come up with
corrective language that is not just compelling,
persuasive and believable, but clear and factual if
it is to shift perception/opinion towards your point
of view and wind up with the behaviors you have in
mind.
Selecting the communications tactics most likely
to carry your message to the attention of your
target audience can be a fun chore. There are many
available to you. From speeches, facility tours, emails
and brochures to consumer briefings, media interviews,
newsletters, personal meetings and many others.
Take time to assure yourself that the tactics you pick
are known to reach folks just like your audience
members.
Another reality we labor under in PR is that the
credibility of any message is fragile and always
suspect to some folks. So the method you use to
communicate it is a very valid concern. Which is why
you may wish to unveil such a corrective message
through smaller presentations and meetings rather
than using higher-profile news releases.
Many eventualities can lead you to begin a second
perception monitoring session with members of your
external audience. But nothing like talk of progress
reports. Youll want to use many of the same questions
used in the benchmark session. But now, you will be
on strict alert for signs that the bad news perception is
being altered in your direction.
Not all programming runs apace, so should momentum
flag, you can always move things along by adding more
communications tactics as well as increasing their
frequencies.
Calling tactical devices tactical devices (like the
communications tactics discussed above avoids confusing
them with the broader, more comprehensive mission
known as public relations. A mission that we now see
allows managers of all stripes to alter individual perception
in a way that leads to changed behaviors among key
outside audiences.
A discipline you certainly could call one of the harder
disciplines insuring the success of any managers operation.
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