How to do brochures,
throw parties, talk to reporters and
write press releases? Or, are we teaching
them what PR's fundamental premise says
we should be teaching them?
In so many words, whether they go
to work for a business, non-profit,
government agency or association,
students will soon discover that 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 usually accomplished.
Which is why, after public relations
students digest THAT basic touchstone,
they should be made aware that, as
future managers, their core public
relations mission will be to pull
together the resources and action
planning they need to alter individual
perception leading to changed behaviors
among their most important outside
audiences.
But that's not all! Then PR students
should learn that they will have to
persuade those key folks to his or
her way of thinking, then move them
to take actions that allow their subsidiary,
division, department, group or office
to succeed.
What we want for our new crop of
PR students is the knowledge that
the right public relations planning
really CAN alter individual perception
and lead to changed behaviors among
the very outside audiences who will
help them succeed as managers.
Should you find yourself explaining
the role of public relations, you
must ask your audience to remember
that their PR efforts will demand
more than the use of special events,
news releases and talk show tactics
if they are to receive the quality
public relations results they deserve.
As to the results they can expect,
tell them how glad they'll be that
they took your advice when capital
givers or specifying sources begin
to look their way; customers start
to make repeat purchases; membership
applications begin to rise; new proposals
for strategic alliances and joint
ventures start showing up; politicians
and legislators begin looking at them
as key members of the business, non-profit
or association communities; new bounces
in show room visits occur; prospects
actually start to do business with
them; and community leaders begin
to seek them out.
Discuss with your audience why it's
SO important to know how your most
important outside audiences perceive
your operations, products or services.
Above all, be sure they really believe
that perceptions almost always result
in behaviors that can help or hurt
their operation.
Go over with them the need for monitoring
and gathering perceptions by questioning
members of their most important outside
audiences. Have them ask 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?
They should learn that the cost of
using professional survey firms to
do the opinion gathering work will
be considerably more than using their
PR colleagues who are already in the
perception business. But whether it's
their 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.
Public relations students need to
know that here they must establish
a goal calling for action on the most
serious problem areas they uncovered
during their key audience perception
monitoring. Will that goal be to straighten
out a dangerous misconception? Correct
a gross inaccuracy? Or, stop a potentially
painful rumor before it really gets
started?
An equally important lesson is this.
Setting a PR goal requires an equally
specific strategy that tells you how
to get there. Only three strategic
options are available to you 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 mushroom gravy on your pumpkin
pie, so be sure your new strategy
fits well with your new public relations
goal. You certainly don't want to
select "change" when the facts dictate
a strategy of reinforcement.
Most students of public relations
already know the importance of good
writing. Explain to them that now
is the time that good writing comes
to the fore. They must prepare a persuasive
message that will help move their
key audience to their way of thinking.
It must be a carefully-written message
targeted directly at their key external
audience. They must come up with really
corrective language that is not merely
compelling, persuasive and believable,
but clear and factual if they are
to shift perception/opinion towards
their point of view and lead to the
behaviors they have in mind.
This step many of your students will
find especially interesting. They
must now select the communications
tactics most likely to carry their
message to the attention of their
target audience. There are many available.
From speeches, facility tours, emails
and brochures to consumer briefings,
media interviews, newsletters, personal
meetings and many others. But be certain
that the tactics they pick are known
to reach folks just like their audience
members.
Another reality PR students need
to know is that the credibility of
any message is fragile, so how they
communicate it is also a concern.
Which is why they may wish to unveil
their corrective message before smaller
meetings and presentations rather
than using higher-profile news releases.
As always, the need for a progress
report should cause them to begin
a second perception monitoring session
with members of their external audience.
Fortunately, they'll want to use many
of the same questions used in the
benchmark session. But now, they will
be on strict alert for signs that
the bad news perception is being altered
in their direction.
Reassure your student audience that,
should program momentum slow, they
can always speed things up by adding
more communications tactics as well
as increasing their frequencies.
Students everywhere need reassurance
that they're on the right track, and
future business, non-profit, government
and association managers getting their
first exposure to PR are no different.
What they need to know about public
relations are three realities.
First, as outlined above, they must
marshall the resources and action
planning needed to alter individual
perception leading to changed behaviors
among their most important outside
audiences.
Second, they must help persuade those
key folks to his or her way of thinking.
And third, move them to take actions
that allow their division, subsidiary,
department, group or office to succeed.
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
1245 including guidelines and resource
box.
Robert A. Kelly © 2005.
