OK, as a manager, your goal is to show a profit for yourbusiness unit, or meet certain expectations of yourassociation membership, or achieve your non-profit'soperating objective. In each case, you'll need publicrelations activity that creates behavior change amongyour key outside audiences. Behavior change that leadsdirectly to achieving your managerial objectives.

Here's how you can make it happen. Accept the fact that the right PR really can alter individual perception andlead to those changed behaviors you need.

Then resolve to do something positive about thebehaviors of those important outside audiences of yoursthat MOST affect your operation.

In particular, create the kind of external stakeholderbehavior change that leads directly to achieving yourmanagerial objectives. You'll be able to pull this off whenyou persuade those key outside folks to your way ofthinking, and then move them to take actions that allowyour department, division or subsidiary to succeed.

Here's the blueprint showing you how to manage thiskind of public relations. People act on their ownperception of the facts before them, which leads topredictable behaviors about which something can be done.When we create, change or reinforce that opinion byreaching, persuading and moving-to-desired-action thevery people whose behaviors affect the organization themost, the public relations mission is accomplished.

But you'll find that you will need a lot more than newsreleases, brochures and special events to get a satisfactory return on your PR investment.

Here are some of the results business, non-profit andassociation managers can expect from this kind of publicrelations. New proposals for strategic alliances andjoint ventures; rebounds in showroom visits; membershipapplications on the rise; community service and sponsorshipopportunities; enhanced activist group relations, and expandedfeedback channels, and even new thoughtleader and specialevent contacts.

Before long, you should see customers making repeatpurchases; prospects reappearing; stronger relationshipswith the educational, labor, financial and healthcarecommunities; improved relations with government agenciesand legislative bodies, and perhaps even capital givers orspecifying sources looking your way.

A word of caution here because you certainly want yourmost important outside audiences to really perceive youroperations, products or services in a positive light. Be surethat your PR staff is really on board for the whole effort.Reassure yourself that they accept the basic truth thatperceptions almost always lead to behaviors that can helpor hurt your unit.

Sit down and review the PR blueprint carefully withyour staff, especially regarding how you will gather andmonitor perceptions by questioning members of your mostimportant outside audiences. Questions like these: howmuch do you know about our organization? How much doyou know about our services or products and employees?Have you had prior contact with us and were you pleasedwith the how things went? Have you experienced problemswith our people or procedures?

Clearly, IF the budget is available, you can depend onprofessional survey people to handle the perception monitoringphases of your program. But fortunately, your PR people arealso in the perception and behavior business and can pursue thesame objective: identify untruths, false assumptions,unfounded rumors, inaccuracies, misconceptions and anyother negative perception that might translate into hurtfulbehaviors.

When you set your public relations goal, remember that youneed one that addresses the problems that appeared duringyour key audience perception monitoring. Probably, yournew goal will call for straightening out that dangerousmisconception, or correcting that gross inaccuracy, or doingsomething about that awful rumor.

As day follows night, goals need strategies to show youhow to get there. But you have just three strategic choiceswhen it comes to handling a perception or opinion challenge:create perception where there may be none, change theperception, or reinforce it. Unfortunately, selecting a badstrategy will taste like anchovy paste on your scones, so becertain the new strategy fits well with your new publicrelations goal. For example, you don't want to select "change"when the facts dictate a "reinforce" strategy.

How you structure your corrective message is crucial becausepersuading an audience to your way of thinking is awfullyhard work. Especially when you're looking for words that arecompelling, persuasive, believable AND clear and factual.Hard work, but a must if you are to correct a perception byshifting opinion towards your point of view, leading to thedesired behaviors. Review your message with yourcommunications specialists for its impact and persuasiveness.

Sounds obvious, but in order to carry your words to theattention of your target audience, you need to select the precise communications tactics most likely to reach them. Fortunately, you can pick from dozens of available tactics. From speeches,facility tours, emails and brochures to consumer briefings,media interviews, newsletters, personal meetings and manyothers. Be darn certain that the tactics you pick are known toreach folks just like your audience members.

When you think about it, the credibility of your message candepend on how you deliver it. So, try introducing it to smallergatherings rather than using higher-profile communicationssuch as news releases or talk show appearances.

Before long, you'll need to produce a progress report, whichmeans it's probably time for you and your PR folks to get backout in the field for a second perception monitoring session withmembers of your external audience. You can use the samequestions used in the first benchmark session, but now you muststay alert for signs that your communications tactics haveworked and that the negative perception is being altered inyour direction.

If things aren't moving fast enough for you, matters canalways be accelerated with a broader selection of communicationstactics AND increased frequencies.

Because people act upon their perceptions of the facts theyhear about you and your operation, you really need a publicrelations blueprint like this. Reason being you have little choicebut to deal promptly and effectively with those perceptions bydoing what is necessary to reach and move those key externalaudiences of yours to actions you desire.

Please feel free to publish this article and resource boxin your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website.A copy would be appreciated at bobkelly@TNI.net.

Robert A. Kelly © 2004.

Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks to business, non-profit andassociation managers about using the fundamental premise of publicrelations 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 presssecretary, The White House. He holds a bachelor of science degreefrom Columbia University, major in public relations.

Visit:http://www.prcommentary.com; bobkelly@TNI.net