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Are You the Culprit?
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 Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy would be appreciated at bobkelly@TNI.net. Word count is 890 including guidelines and resource box. Robert A. Kelly © 2004. 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 been DPR, Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communi-cations, 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
Latest News:Site: Yahoo! News Search Results for news UAL shares walloped by new posting of old news (Reuters via Yahoo! News) A nearly 6-year-old news story on the 2002 bankruptcy filing of UAL Corp resurfaced on the Internet on Monday, clobbering the airline's shares as some traders mistook the report as current and plausible news. ABC News hammering out Palin interview plans (Reuters via Yahoo! News) ABC News is spending more time trying to assemble the logistics of its exclusive interview with Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin than it did negotiating with the McCain campaign itself. ABC News campaigning in all 50 states (Reuters via Yahoo! News) ABC News will be hitting the road -- and the rails -- for a whirlwind tour of all 50 states before the November election. Game news: 'GTA IV' hits 10 million, EA meets ESPN (AP via Yahoo! News) Real news from the virtual world: Google News snafu leads to airline stock plunge (CNET) After an investor news wire service mistakenly highlights a 6-year-old news story (allegedly sans time stamp) about United Airlines filing for bankruptcy, shares of the carrier tank. Tacoma's News Tribune offers buyouts to 189 staff (AP via Yahoo! Finance) The News Tribune on Monday offered voluntary buyout deals to 189 of its 350 full-time staffers although the publisher said the newspaper doesn't intend to accept anywhere near that number as it works to bring its expenses in line with reduced advertising income. 2002's News, Yesterday's Sell-Off (Washington Post) A six-year-old article mistakenly seen by Bloomberg financial news users yesterday reported the bankruptcy of United Airlines and triggered a massive sell-off that nearly obliterated the company's stock in a matter of minutes. Kenyans React to American Political News (NPR) The United States and much of the world have been transfixed by the current presidential race. Farai Chideya crosses to Barack Obama's father's homeland, Kenya, to get insight into how political news is being received. She's joined by radio reporter Michael Kaloki. United Airlines shares nosedive on old news (BBC News) United Airlines shares nosedive after an old news story about its 2002 bankruptcy battle resurfaces. Column: 'Daily Show' Is One Of Few Fair And Balanced TV News Shows (CBS News) I have this silly little habit of watching the Fox News Channel when I'm bored or in some weird self-loathing state of mind. So for the Republican National Convention, I thought it appropriate to bathe in their conservative credibility instead of the CNN/Barack Obama PDA I witnessed the week before. Site: news - Google News Palm's new smart phone steals the show - MarketWatch
MORE RESOURCES: Site: Yahoo! News Search Results for management Unisys Wins Email-Management Deal From UK Police Force (Computer Business Online via Yahoo! UK & Ireland News) Unisys' UK subsidiary has been awarded a three-year outsourcing contract from North Wales Police to provide email management services. CA Offers Compliance-Management for Utilities Sector (Computer Business Online via Yahoo! UK & Ireland News) CA has launched a risk and compliance management offering for power and utility providers. Vodafone Restructures and Shuffles Management (Computer Business Online via Yahoo! UK & Ireland News) UK mobile network operator Vodafone has announced a series of changes to its management and organization including the split of its emerging markets business into two divisions. Enterprise Asset Management Market to Grow 6.5% Over Next 5 Years (Industry Week) Sept. 12, 2008 -- The worldwide market for Enterprise Asset Management (EAM/CMMS) is expected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.5% over the next five years, according to a new ARC Advisory Group study. Selfridges rolls out complaint management software (Computing.co.uk) Angelica Mari, Computing , Thursday 11 September 2008 at 16:11:00 Feedback system aims to help maintain service levels Retail chain Selfridges is using feedback management software to build customer loyalty and maintain service standards. The company hopes that the new system will help it identify the root cause... Industry releases content-management interop spec (ZDNet Asia) Microsoft, IBM, Oracle, SAP, EMC, Alfresco and OpenText have released the first draft of their Content Management Interoperability Services specification. Compare your salary Use the IT salary benchmark wizard and know the average salary differences between different job functions. Join activeTechPros. http://www.activetechpros.com Compli And Environmental And Occupational Risk Management (EORM) Announce Partnership To Provide EH&S Compliance ... (SafetyOnline) As part of Compli's continuing effort to provide compliance protection to auto dealerships, Compli and EORM (Environmental and Occupational Risk Management) of San Jose, California, have formed an alliance to provide top-tier Environmental, Health and Safety (EH&S) information and content to dealers through Compli's Dealership Compliance Management System (DCMS) POWER: Lighting management IC drives up to eight LEDs in series (Embedded Systems Programming Magazine) Phoenix, Ariz. ? ON Semiconductor has introduced the NCP5890, a lighting management device that integrates LCD backlighting, fun light controls and ambient light sensing in a 3 x 3 x 0.55-mm uQFN-16 package. The NCP5890 targets compact smart phone and portable media player applications. Union Bank - Edelweiss JV for wealth management service (Business Standard India) Union Bank of India (UBI) in tie up with Edelweiss Securities has launched wealth management services ti tits high networth clients in Mumbai. RedPrairie Enhances Internationalized Shipment Capabilities In Transportation Management System (TMS) (Logistics) RedPrairie Corporation, a world leading consumer driven optimization company, announced today a host of new features in its updated transportation management (TMS) release - built especially for international users. Site: management - Google News MedaSorb Technologies Corporation Announces Management Changes - CNNMoney.com
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