Hey, Mr/Ms Manager!

Does it really make sense to bet your PR budget on results like newspaper mentions and zippy brochures while your all-important outside audience behaviors are probably receiving much less attention than they need?

I mean, the concern is valid. What your most important external audiences believe about your organization, and then to what behaviors those perceptions lead, has a lot to do with whether it ? and you ? succeed.

Ignore that reality and you invite a lot of pain and suffering. But, bite the bullet now and you can begin seeing results like growing repeat purchases, higher levels of membership applications, new engineering firm specifications of your components, a boost in capital contributions or brand new community support.

Public relations isn't that different from any other professional discipline you employ on the job ? you need a plan to succeed. And the plan must be based on a foundation that makes sense.

Try on this fundamental premise for a moment and see if you can live with it: 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.

Because if you CAN live with it, you'll soon be working with a blueprint that helps persuade those important stakeholders to your way of thinking. And that should move them to take actions that lead to your success as a business, non-profit or association manager.

Give it a try. Sit down with the public relations folks assigned to your department, division or subsidiary and tell them you're going to find out what those external audiences whose behaviors affect you the most, REALLY think about the organization, then list them in priority order ? i.e., which audience behaviors have the greatest impact on your organization ? so that we can work on the one you assign first place.

Because this approach to public relations may be unfamiliar to those PR folks assigned to your unit, you must take a personal role in getting it off the ground, as well as inputting each major decision point. Your incentive to do so lies in the fact that dealing effectively with key stakeholder behaviors, talks directly to your own success on the job.

First big question? How do members of your key target audience actually perceive your unit, that is, your department, division or subsidiary? You can commit a large portion of your budget to professional survey counsel or you and the PR folks assigned to your unit can do it the grass roots way and interact with members of your target audience, and ask a number of questions.

"What do you know about us? Have you had any contact with our people? Did it work out to your satisfaction? Is there a problem with our products or services?" All the while you remain alert to exaggeration, inaccuracies, misconceptions, untruths or rumors, as well as paying attention to hesitant or evasive answers to your questions.

The responses you collect will help you set down your public relations goal, which could read this way: tone down that exaggeration, neutralize that rumor, or clarify that misconception.

Next challenge? How do you reach that public relations goal? It may surprise you, but there are just three strategy choices when it comes to matters of perception and opinion: create perception where there may be none, change existing perception, or reinforce it. But be sure that the strategy you select fits your new public relations goal.

This step in the public relations problem solving sequence may be the most challenging ? preparing the message you will count on to correct the offending perception you discovered during your monitoring session. Since it will be delivered in online, print, telecommunications, speaker and broadcast modes, it must be prepared in a compelling yet believable manner. It must explain why the current perception is untrue and unfair. And it must be written clearly. After all, you are trying to alter what people believe in a way that leads to the target audience behaviors you need to achieve your unit objectives.

How you deliver the message turns out to be less complex. There are dozens of communications tactics at your disposal ranging from newsletters, open houses, media interviews and brochures to emails, speeches, seminars and many more.

Curiosity will soon overtake all concerned as to whether the program looks like it will reach the goal. Quickest way to find out is another Q&A session with members of your target audience. And you and your PR team should ask the same questions used in the earlier monitoring session.

Big difference the second time around is, you'll be on the lookout for signs that you have actually altered the offending perceptions as planned. And that is a giant step towards creating the target audience behaviors you need.

Yes, as a manager, what you now have is your own workable, department or division public relations program that will work well on behalf of any business, non-profit or association. In other words, a PR blueprint that will help lead you directly towards achieving your operating objectives.

About The Author

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 communications, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. mailto:bobkelly@tni.net. Visit: mailto:bobkelly@tni.net

disinfecting cleaning services Arlington Heights ..

In The News:

ChatGPT data breach exposes personal info of users through partner Mixpanel. OpenAI confirms names, emails compromised in security incident.

Android rolls out Emergency Live Video for 911 calls, letting dispatchers see real-time scenes during emergencies. Great for holiday travel safety.

Malicious Chrome and Edge extensions collected browsing history, keystrokes and personal data from millions of users before Google and Microsoft removed them.

Google's new Call Reason feature lets Android users mark calls as urgent before dialing, displaying an urgent label to recipients using Phone by Google app.

Medical history made as surgeons successfully restore sight to legally blind patient using world's first 3D printed corneal implant grown from human cells.

Data brokers aggressively collect your holiday shopping data to fuel scams and targeted ads. Learn how to delete your digital profile before 2025 starts.

Scammers are sending fake MetaMask wallet verification emails using official branding to steal crypto information through phishing links and fraudulent domains.

Learn what background permissions, push notifications, security updates, auto-join networks and app refresh mean to better manage your phone's privacy settings.

Criminals test stolen data by applying for deposit accounts in victims' names to prepare bigger attacks. Learn why banks won't share fraud details.

New study of 10,500+ kids reveals early smartphone ownership linked to depression, obesity, and poor sleep by age 12. Earlier phones mean higher risks.

A phone phishing attack compromised Harvard's alumni and donor database, marking the second security incident at the university in recent months.

AutoFlight's zero-carbon floating vertiport uses solar power to charge eVTOL aircraft while supporting emergency response, tourism, and marine energy maintenance.

A new phone return scam targets recent buyers with fake carrier calls. Learn how criminals steal devices and steps to protect yourself from this fraud.

New Anthropic research reveals how AI reward hacking leads to dangerous behaviors, including models giving harmful advice like drinking bleach to users seeking help.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

Holiday email scams, including non-delivery fraud and gift card schemes, spike in November and December, costing victims hundreds of millions, the FBI says.

Holiday visits offer the perfect opportunity to help older parents with technology updates, scam protection and basic troubleshooting skills for safer digital experiences.

Swiss scientists create grain-sized robot that surgeons control with magnets to deliver medicine precisely through blood vessels in medical breakthrough.

Researchers exploited WhatsApp's API vulnerability to scrape 3.5 billion phone numbers. Learn how this massive data breach happened and protect yourself.

Travel companies share passenger data with third parties during holidays, but travelers can protect themselves by removing data from broker sites and using aliases.

Xpeng's humanoid robot moves so realistically that crowds believed it was fake, marking a major advancement in robotics technology ahead of 2026 commercial launch.

Researchers discover phishing scam using invisible characters to evade email security, with protection tips including password managers and two-factor authentication.

iPhone and Android users can reduce battery drain and data usage by restricting Background App Refresh to Wi-Fi connections instead of mobile networks.

Scammers nearly stole an Apple account by exploiting the support system with authentic-looking tickets and phone calls, users can protect themselves with safety steps.

FoloToy restored sales of its AI teddy bear Kumma after a weeklong suspension following safety group findings of risky and inappropriate responses to children.

Hey, Mr/Ms Manager!

Public Relations