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Business, non-profit and association managers are in a
stronger position to succeed when they use their public
relations resources in a way that alters individual perception
leading to changed external stakeholder behavior. A mouthful, but true.

Here's the obvious core of this approach: persuade your
most important outside audiences with the greatest impacts
on your organization to your way of thinking. Then move
them to take actions that help your department, division or
subsidiary prevail.

The right action plan – the right blueprint – helps you to
achieve that kind of success. And it does so by getting
everyone working towards the same external audience
behaviors. For example: 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. And look at what might happen. A nice jumpup in

capital givers or specifying sources making inquiries; and even politicians
and legislators viewing you as a leading figure in the business,
non-profit or association communities.

Caveat: your PR people are already in the perception and
behavior business, so they should be of real use for your initial
opinion monitoring project. But you must be certain your public
relations people really believe – deep down -- why it's SO
important to know how your most important outside audiences
perceive your operations, products or services. Make sure they
accept the reality that perceptions almost always lead to
behaviors that can help or hurt your unit.

While reviewing your PR plan with them, talk about how you will
monitor and gather perceptions by questioning members of your
most important outside audiences. 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?

While professional survey firms can always be hired to do the
opinion monitoring work, they also can cost big bucks. So,
whether it's 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.

Clearly, you must do something about the most serious distortions
you discovered during your key audience perception monitoring.
Will it be to straighten out that dangerous misconception? Correct
that gross inaccuracy? Or, stop that potentially damaging rumor
dead in its tracks?

We all know you won't get there at all without the right strategy
to tell you how to proceed. But remember that there are just
three strategic options available 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 sour cream on your spaghetti, so be
sure your new strategy fits well with your new public relations
goal. You wouldn't want to select "change" when the facts dictate
a "reinforce" strategy.

Now it's time to put together a well-written message and direct
it to members of your target audience. It's always a challenge
to create an actionable message that will help persuade any
audience to your way of thinking.

You need your best scribes for this one because s/he must build
some very special, corrective language. Words that are not merely
compelling, persuasive and believable, but clear and factual if
they are to shift perception/opinion towards your point of view
and lead to the behaviors you have in mind.

Once you've run draft copy by your PR team, it's on to the next
selection process -- the communications tactics most likely
to carry your message to the attention of your target audience.
There are scores that are available. From speeches, facility tours,
emails and brochures to consumer briefings, media interviews,
newsletters, personal meetings and many others. But you must
be certain that the tactics you pick are known to reach folks like
your audience members.

Actually, you may wish to avoid "shouting too loud" and
unveil your message before smaller meetings and presentations
rather than using higher-profile news releases, as the credibility
of any message is fragile and always at stake.

It won't be long before voices will be raised about progress
reports, which will be your signal for you and your PR team to get
going on a second perception monitoring session with members
of your external audience. You'll want to use many of the same
questions used in the first benchmark session. Big difference this
time is that you will be on red alert for signs that the bad news
perception is being altered in your direction.

It seems lucky for us that such matters usually can be accelerated
simply by adding more communications tactics as well as
increasing their frequencies.

Yes, you as a business, non-profit or association manager
become empowered when you persuade your most important
outside stakeholders to your way of thinking, then move
them to behave in a way that leads to the success of your
department, division or subsidiary. Pure and simple.

Put another way, when your key external stakeholders start
behaving suspiciously like everyone else – acting upon
their perceptions of the facts they hear about you and your
operation -- you really have little choice but to deal promptly
and effectively with those perceptions by doing what is
necessary to reach and move those important outside
audiences to actions you desire. End

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.
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