It took me a while to see just HOW crucial the behaviors of an organization's key audiences really are to its success,be it big or small, non-profit, business, association oreven a public sector enterprise.

Sounds elemental, doesn't it? But the truth is, feworganizations can succeed today if those target audience behaviors don't fit the organization's objectives.

Fortunately for those working in public relations, mostpeople act on their own perception of the facts which leadsto behaviors about which we can do something. And thatmeans that when we create, change or reinforce thatopinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired- action those people whose behaviors affect the organization,the public relations mission is accomplished.

So, while applying that reality to your operation helps youachieve your objectives AND success, the publicrelations people still must modify somebody's behavior ifthey are to help you hit those objectives. Happily, it can be done and done well, as long as you keep your eye on thatbehavioral endgame.

For example, you may wish to influence people to beginthinking more positively about your organization, thusstrengthening its reputation and business potential. Itcould be as simple as communicating your organization'sstrengths to a target audience leading them to want towork more closely with you. Or even providingenvironmental activists with the facts about thecompany's full compliance with Federal regulations, inthe hope they will bring their plant-site demonstrationsto an end.

But remember, until you have a solid indication that targetbehaviors have, in fact, changed in ways that meet yourprimary behavior modification goal, you DON'T know if your investment has paid off.

So, let's look at ways to increase one's comfort level about that public relations investment. Here are five steps, that can help you hit the public relations goal - desiredbehavior modification -- on your next public relations venture.

Above all, in my opinion, you must keep your eye on theend-game, and not merely the communications tactics, because the reason we do public relations in thefirst place is to change the behaviors of certain groups ofpeople important to the success of our organization.

Step 1 Accept the Fact That People Act on their

Perception of the Facts

Most behavioral experts agree that people really do act onTHEIR perception of the facts, and that how they react tothose facts actually does affect their behaviors. It follows that individual understanding of those facts must be contin- ually informed if those behaviors are to help achieve theorganization's goal and objectives.

Step 2 Create, Change or Reinforce Opinion

Here, after assessing opinion among your target audiencesthrough media monitoring, opinion sampling and thought- leader contact, you must decide how you will approacheach target audience. Choosing the correct mode -1) reinforcing existing opinion, 2) creating new opinionfrom scratch or 3) changing current and possibly long-heldviews -- is obviously central to your message preparationstrategy and its copy approach.

Step 3 Reach, Persuade and Move-to-Action

Now, you must reach, persuade and move-to-action thosepeople whose behaviors will affect your organization. Thatincludes, among others, a variety of stakeholders including customers, employees, prospects, retirees, media, legislators andregulators, and both financial and plant communities.

Reaching these target groups means applying the most effective communications tools available to you. Again, among others, thesewill include such tactics as media relations and publicity- generating news conferences and press releases, newsletters ande-mails, high-profile speeches, charitable contributions,investor relations and informal opinion surveys.

Persuading these important groups of stakeholders to yourway of thinking depends heavily on the message you preparefor each target audience. You must understand and identifywhat is really at issue at the moment; impart a sense ofcredibility to your comments; perform regular assessmentsof how opinion is currently running among that group,constantly adjusting your message; as well as highlightingthose key issue points most likely to engage their attentionand involvement.

Step 4 Gain and Hold Understanding and Acceptance

By this time, your action program should begin to gain andhold the kind of public understanding and acceptance thatleads to the desired shift in public behavior.

Signs that your messages are turning some opinion in yourdirection should appear. A chance comment in a businessmeeting, a popular columnist's observations, e-mails frominterested parties or co-worker alerts that this politicalfigure or that local celebrity made public references toyour topic, should begin to build. Many of these indicators, each reflecting the state of individual perception, willgradually begin to reflect the modified behaviors you havein mind.

Step 5 Modify the Behavior, Achieve your Goal

When the changes in behaviors become truly apparent throughmedia reports, thought-leader comment, employee and community chatter and other feedback, at the same time clearly meetingyour original behavior modification goal, your publicrelations program is a success.

Please feel free to publish this article and resource box inyour ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. Acopy would be appreciated at bobkelly@TNI.net.

Robert A. Kelly © 2005.

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 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.

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