Where is there a business, non-profit or association manager who does not need all the help he or she canfind in achieving their managerial objectives?

Help like altering individual perception leading tochanged behaviors among their key outside audiences?

Help in the form of positive actions affecting thebehaviors of those important external audiences thatmost affect their operations. And the help affordedwhen the manager persuades those key outside folksto his or her way of thinking, then moves those peopleto take actions that let the department, group, divisionor subsidiary succeed?

Of course they can use that kind of help. It's calledpublic relations.

And here's the premise upon which it's based: peopleact on their own perception of the facts before them,which leads to predictable behaviors about whichsomething can be done. When we create, change orreinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading andmoving-to-desired-action the very people whosebehaviors affect the organization the most, the publicrelations mission is usually accomplished.

Managers who adopt this course of action are then freeto move beyond tactics like fun-to-manage special events,press releases and brochures and pay closer attention tothe perceptions and behaviors of the very people whocould hold their professional success as a managerin their hands.

And there's no end to the positive results. Savor thesefor a moment: new approaches by capital giversand specifying sources; community leaders beginningto seek you out; prospects starting to do business withyou; welcome bounces in show room visits; risingmembership applications; customers making repeatpurchases; fresh proposals for strategic alliances andjoint ventures; not to mention politicians andlegislators viewing you as a key member of thebusiness, non-profit or association communities.

Will an outside PR agency team do this sort of work? Folks assigned to your operation? Your own public relationspeople? Point is, regardless of where they come from,they need to be committed to you and your PR planbeginning with key audience perception monitoring.

As with any manager, you need to talk to your public relationspeople in order to be certain that those assigned to you areclear on why it's vital to know how your most importantoutside audiences perceive your operations, products orservices. They must accept the reality that perceptions almostalways lead to behaviors that can help or hurt your operation.

Take the time to sit with them and go over how you plan toimplement the PR program, especially how you will monitorand gather perceptions by questioning members of yourmost important outside audiences. For instance, how muchdo you know about our chief executive? Have you had priorcontact with us and were you pleased? How much do youknow about our services or products and employees? Haveyou experienced problems with our people or procedures?

Budget is always a concern, so if you have the resources,by all means use professional survey firms in the perceptionmonitoring phases of your program. And remember that yourPR people are also in the perception and behavior businessand can pursue the same objective: identify untruths, falseassumptions, unfounded rumors, inaccuracies, misconceptionsand any other negative perception that might translate intohurtful behaviors.

You're employing the heavy artillery when you set the kind of PR goal that lets you deal effectively with the worstaberations you discovered during your key audience perceptionmonitoring. In fact, the new goal will undoubtedly call forstraightening out that dangerous misconception, or correctingthat gross inaccuracy, or stopping that potentially fatal rumorright in its tracks.

The importance of selecting the right strategy telling youhow to move forward cannot be overemphasized. Keep in mind that you have just three strategic options availablewhen it comes to handling a perception and opinion challenge.Change existing perception, create perception where theremay be none, or reinforce it. Since the wrong strategy pickwill taste like red eye gravy on your pumpkin pie, be certainthe new strategy fits comfortably with your new publicrelations goal. You don't want to select "change" when thefacts dictate a "reinforce" strategy.

Somebody on the PR staff (hopefully your best writer) mustprepare a strong corrective message and aim it at membersof your target audience. It's hard work, no doubt about it, but you must have words that are not only compelling, persuasiveand believable, but clear and factual if they are to correctsomething and shift perception/opinion towards your point ofview leading to the behaviors you are targeting. It's that simple.

You can have some fun with the next task -- selecting thecommunications tactics most likely to carry your messageto the attention of your target audience. (Suggest you do thisafter you run the draft by your PR people for impact andpersuasiveness). There are many tactics available to you.From speeches, facility tours, emails and brochures toconsumer briefings, media interviews, newsletters, personalmeetings and many others. But be sure that the tactics youpick are known to reach folks just like your audience members.

As you probably know, a message's believability can sink or swim on the credibility of the means used to deliver it. So, youmay decide to unveil it (and monitor reactions) before smallermeetings and presentations rather than using higher-profilenews releases.

You will soon hear suggestions that progress reports might bea good idea. Best reaction is to take it as a signal that you andyour PR team should think about a second perceptionmonitoring session with members of your external audience.Many of the same questions used in the first benchmark sessioncan be used again. But this time, you will be watching carefullyfor signs that the problem perception is being altered in yourdirection.

If program momentum appears to slow, you can always speedthings up by adding more communications tactics, and increasingtheir frequencies.

In as few words as possible, what is the PR advantage managers need? Public relations' ability to alter individual perceptionleading to changed behaviors among key outside audiences.Particularly when the effort persuades key outside stakeholdersto the manager's way of thinking, and then moves those folks tobehave in a way that leads to the success of the manager'soperation. It doesn't get any better than that.

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 © 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 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.mailto:bobkelly@TNI.net

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