Home
>
Public Relations
>
PR for Brand New Managers

PR for Brand New Managers

Just promoted to manager?

Here's something you need to know.

Whether you are now a business, non-profit or association manager, your road to success really means achieving your new managerial objectives by altering perceptions. And I refer to perceptions leading to changed behaviors among those key outside audiences of yours that most affect your new group, department, division or subsidiary. And, incidentally, key external folks whose behaviors will affect whether you will be a success in your new role as a manager.

Along the way, hopefully, you'll not only do something positive about the behaviors of those important external audiences of yours that most affect your operation, you'll persuade those key outside folks to your way of thinking, then move them to take actions that allow your department, group, division or subsidiary to succeed.

Fortunately, others have trod this path before you. Lessons learned include this one: 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.

That approach lets you attend to the perceptions and behaviors of the very people who could hold your professional success as a manager in their hands. And not spend all your time with tactics like special events, brochures and press releases.

When your PR program goes the way you want, you should start to see new approaches by capital givers and specifying sources; fresh proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures; prospects starting to do business with you; welcome bounces in show room visits; rising membership applications; community leaders beginning to seek you out; customers making repeat purchases, not to mention politicians and legislators viewing you as a key member of the business, non-profit or association communities.

You are forgiven for wondering just who will perform these labors. Perhaps an outside PR agency team? Or people assigned to your operation? Or your own public relations folks? No matter where they come from, they must be committed to you and this new PR plan starting with key audience perception monitoring.

As a brand new manager, you need some back and forth with your public relations support people to be sure that those assigned to you are clear on why it's vital to know how your most important outside audiences perceive your operations, products or services. They must accept the reality that perceptions almost always lead to behaviors that can help or hurt your operation.

When you talk with them, be clear about how you plan to proceed, in particular how the perception monitoring and gathering will proceed by questioning members of your most important outside audiences. As examples, how much do you know about our chief executive? Have you had prior contact with us and were you pleased with the interchange? How much do you know about our services or products and employees? Have you experienced problems with our people or procedures?

It's expensive to use professional survey firms in the perception monitoring phases of your program. If the resources are there, by all means do so. But it should also be a source of comfort to know that if the budget is not available, your PR people are also in the perception and behavior business and can pursue the same objective: identify untruths, false assumptions, unfounded rumors, inaccuracies, misconceptions and any other negative perception that might translate into hurtful behaviors.

The worst distortions you discovered during your key audience perception monitoring will be no match for the right kind of PR goal. And that's because the new goal will probably call directly for straightening out that dangerous misconception, or correcting that gross inaccuracy, or stopping that potentially fatal rumor dead in its tracks.

HOW to move forward with your new PR effort is always challenging, especially when it comes to selecting the right strategy to tell you how to get where you want to be. Keep in mind that there are just three strategic options available to you when it comes to handling a perception and opinion challenge. Change existing perception, create perception where there may be none, or reinforce it. Since the wrong strategy pick will taste like butterscotch sauce on your antipasto, assure yourself that the new strategy fits comfortably with your new public relations goal. You don't want to select "change" when the facts dictate a "reinforce" strategy.

Here's a case where strong language can be an asset, because someone on your PR staff must write a strong message and aim it at members of your target audience. Obviously, crafting action-forcing language to persuade an audience to your way of thinking really is hard work. Which is why you need your first-string varsity writer because s/he must create some very special, corrective language. Words that are not only compelling, persuasive and believable, but clear and factual if they are to correct something and shift perception/opinion

towards your point of view leading to the behaviors you are targeting.

With all that a new manager has to do to get oriented to the new responsibility, you'll be relieved that one of the less complex jobs is selecting the communications tactics most likely to carry your message to the attention of your target audience. You can do this after you check out the draft message with your PR people for impact and persuasiveness. There are dozens of tactics available to you. From speeches, facility tours, emails and brochures to consumer briefings, media interviews, newsletters, personal meetings and many others. But be sure that the tactics you pick are known to reach folks just like your audience members.

Another caveat, you may decide to unveil your message before smaller meetings and presentations rather than using higher-profile news releases. The reason: a message's believability can depend on the credibility of the means used to deliver it.

Consider it your signal to begin a second perception monitoring session with members of your external audience, when the subject of progress reports arises. Many of the same questions used in the first benchmark session can be used again. But now, you will stay alert for signs that the problem perception is being altered in your direction.

Also keep in mind that if your program suffers a loss of momentum, you can always speed up things by adding more communications tactics, and increasing their frequencies.

Brand new managers often are anxious for positive results on their new job and, to that end, they had best worry more about external audience behaviors than exploding out of the gate with tactical broadsides.

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.

Robert A. Kelly ? 2005.

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. mailto:bobkelly@TNI.net

Visit:http://www.prcommentary.com

car service from Midway Burlington .. Lockport Chicago limo O’Hare

In The News:

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says a malware app called SpyLend is posing as a financial tool, hitting 100,000-plus downloads.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says Clone Robotics’ Protoclone mimics humans with 1,000 muscles – too human for comfort.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson urges you to use Apple’s App Privacy Report to see what your apps are really up to.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson talks about how to smoothly transfer your data from an old laptop to a new one using cloud storage or external drives.

Kurt the CyberGuy offers tips to safeguard your personal information as scammers become more sophisticated with scam texts and other methods.

WeRide's unmanned electric delivery van, the Robovan W5, has 194 cubic feet of cargo space and can carry payloads up to about 2,205 pounds

Kurt the CyberGuy recommends deleting 16 browser extensions immediately in response to a report saying more than 3.2 million web users were affected by a security breach.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

A robotics firm in China claims a robot has performed the world's first humanoid robot front flip, which is significantly more difficult than a backflip.

A digital ID may be even more secure than a physical ID. Storing your driver's license in your Apple Wallet is an ideal solution for commuters.

A cybersecurity firm has shed some light on just how common tax scams have become. Kurt the CyberGuy offers his advice for how to protect your refund.

Lifesize Plans offers immersive walk-throughs that allow customers the opportunity to tour a home's design before construction actually begins.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

A man invested $4 million in bitcoin and lost it all with a single click when he was targeted by a vishing scam, which uses phone calls to trick people.

Expandable's Touchdown is a designer trailer that promises a luxury off-grid living experience and unfolds into a home in about 15 minutes.

Major employee screening company data breach affects 3.3 million people. Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson explains what happened and gives five ways to protect your data.

Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson reveals mind-blowing tech that gives you sunlight on demand.

New malware "FrigidStealer" targets Mac computers. Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson offers four ways to stay safe from infostealer malware.

Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson talks about how lab-grown muscles power a biohybrid hand for scalable prosthetics and research.

Reports of task scams have significantly risen in the past four years, according to the Federal Trade Commission. Kurt the CyberGuy offers some red flags.

iPhones have a hidden folder that eats up storage without you knowing it. Kurt the CyberGuy offers some tricks to free up storage on your device.

A recent ransomeware attack targeted Zacks, an American investment firm, and a cybercriminal claimed to have stolen records for millions of customers.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Researchers unveiled a new soft prosthetic hand that combines the natural coordination patterns of our fingers with the decoding of motoneuron activity in the spinal column.

Accidentally deleting a text message on your iPhone or iPad is not a problem if you still need the message. Apple has a built-in way to recover it.

PR for Brand New Managers

Public Relations