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Home » Business And Finance Articles » Pr Lets Dump The Smoke And Mirrors

PR: Let's Dump the Smoke and Mirrors

O.K., press releases, broadcast plugs, special events and brochures help business, non-profit, government agency and association managers move a message from here to there. And that's an important and useful function, but that's all they are.

Communications tactics by themselves are not the high-impact PR action plan those managers need if they are to experience the best public relations has to offer.

That action plan will call for them to do something about the behaviors of those important outside audiences that most affect their operation; create the kind of external stakeholder behavior change that leads directly to achieving their managerial objectives; and do so by persuading those key outside folks to their way of thinking by helping move them to take actions that allow their department, group, division or subsidiary succeed.

What, you may ask, is going on here? Well, you're preparing to do something positive about the behaviors of the very outside audiences of yours that MOST affect your operation.

It is then â€" absent any smoke and mirrors â€" that PR actually creates the kind of external stakeholder behavior change that leads directly to achieving your most important managerial objectives. And what sweeter music can there be for a professional manager?

Managers like that really need a public relations game plan if they are to get all their team members and organizational colleagues working towards the same external stakeholder behaviors.

While public relations plans vary all over the map, here's one that can keep a manager's public relations effort "on message:" 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.

The only thing that really satisfies are results, so this is what a manager might expect when he or she approaches PR this way: improved relations with government agencies and legislative bodies; a rebound in showroom visits; membership applications on the rise; new thoughtleader and special event contacts; capital givers or specifying sources looking your way; new proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures; fresh community service and sponsorship opportunities; prospects starting to work with you; customers making repeat purchases; and even stronger relationships with the educational, labor, financial and healthcare communities.

Your strongest public relations tool will prove to be of the utmost importance. Will you use your regular public relations staff? People assigned to you from a higher authority? Or might it be PR agency staff? No matter, they must be committed to you as the senior project manager, and to the PR blueprint starting with key audience perception monitoring.

And by all means, take as much time as needed to satisfy yourself that team members really believe that it's crucially important to know how your most important outside audiences perceive your operations, products or services. Be certain they buy the reality that perceptions almost always lead to behaviors that can help or hurt your unit.

Be sure to confide in your PR people by going over the blueprint with them, in particular your plan for monitoring and gathering 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 exchange? How much do you know about our services or products and employees? Have you experienced problems with our people or procedures?

Among your options at this point is the use of professional survey counsel for the perception monitoring phases of your program. But 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.

Wait no longer to set down your public relations goal from which you can do something about the most serious distortions you discovered during your key audience perception monitoring. The new public relations goal might call for straightening out that dangerous misconception, or correcting that gross inaccuracy, or stopping that potentially fatal rumor.

By now, you know you need a solid strategy behind that new goal if you are to be successful. A strategy that clearly indicates to you and the PR staff how to proceed. But do 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. The wrong strategy pick will taste like fluffernutter on your susage balls. So, be certain the new strategy fits well with your new public relations goal. It goes without saying that you don't want to select "change" when the facts dictate a reinforce" strategy.

You can't avoid sitting down at your computer and preparing a powerful corrective message with members of your target audience. But persuading an audience to your way of thinking is no easy task. Which is why your PR folks must come up with words that are not only compelling, persuasive and believable, but clear and factual. Only in this way will you be able to correct a perception by shifting opinion towards your point of view, leading to the behaviors you are targeting.

This is the time to bring your staff into the planning cycle and, together, decide if your message's impact and persuasiveness measure up. Then select the communications tactics most likely to carry your message to the attention of your target audience. You can pick from dozens of available tactics. From speeches, facility tours, emails and brochures to consumer briefings, media interviews, newsletters, personal meetings and many others. But be sure that those you pick are known to reach folks just like your audience members.

A bit of advice: you might want to unveil the message before smaller gatherings rather than using higher- profile tactics such as news releases. Reason is, the credibility of the message itself can actually depend on the perception of its delivery method.

You will want to lead your PR team on a second visit to the field where you can gather data for a followup perception monitoring session with members of your external audience. You'll need comparative data to produce progress reports, and you'll want to use many of the same questions used in the first benchmark session. Only this time, you will be watching very carefully for signs that the bad news perception is being altered in your direction.

Of course, your new PR effort can always slow down, so be prepared to accelerate matters with more communications tactics and increased frequencies.

This is the time to move beyond tactics like special events, brochures, broadcast plugs and press releases to achieve the very best public relations has to offer.

Clearly, by reducing your preoccupation with communications tactics, you insure that never again will you fail to persuade those key outside folks to your way of thinking, or move them to take actions that allow your department, group, division or subsidiary 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 1340 including guidelines and resource box.

Robert A. Kelly © 2006.

And here is another random article you might be interested in...

Feng Shui Your Home to Help it Sell Quicker

In a competitive real estate market, home sellers are looking for the edge to make their home sell fast. Feng Shui, or the ancient Chinese art of placement, is one answer. Jaan Ferree, a Feng Shui consultant based in Asheville, North Carolina, explains. that Feng Shui is "having the intention to pay attention" to your environment.

I recently asked Jaan for a few Feng Shui pointers to help the home seller find a buyer faster. Here are some of her Feng Shui ideas for the home seller.

House Number

Jaan Ferree suggests taking a closer look at the house number and position on the block. As a buyer approaches the home is it easy to tell he or she is at the right place? Is the number of the home visible?

Front Door and Approach

Make sure the entrance to your home is easily discernable. If the entrance is not the front door, is it obvious to the visitor where they enter? Is the walk from the car to the door safe, well defined, well lit, and attractive?

Ferree says the front porch, door, and threshold should be welcoming and have a "greeter". Use a pot of geraniums, other flowers or plants, a statue, or an attractive welcome mat. She also suggests a beautiful color on the door, wind chime, basket hung on the wall beside the door, plaque beside the door or other plants or objects which will "lift the chi" (energy) of the person approaching the entrance to the home. Finally, a clear bell or doorknocker, to let someone know you are there, is always helpful.

Trim the Bushes

Make certain shrubbery and landscaping is not overgrown. If it is, the energy may have the effect of "pushing the person away" who is approaching the entrance to the home. The best plants to line the edge of the walkway have soft round corners. Avoid sharp pointed plants or objects.

Interior Entranceway

Once you enter the home the space inside the door should be clear of clutter and obstructions. If there is a wall directly across from the entrance Ferree says that placing a mirror or art on the wall will lift the chi tremendously. This Feng Shui treatment makes sense because it prevents your visitor from walking into a blank wall. It also makes something visible that will immediately lift the spirits of your guest.

Ferree suggests paying close attention to the "subtle environmental clues" in the interior of the home to make sure that you are not pushing someone away with the objects in the space, or making them have to "get smaller" to walk through the space.

Safety First

In addition to aiding in lifting the energy of a space, Feng Shui can also reflect simple common sense. Safety, both real and perceived, is extremely important. Ferree recommends, "Pick up any items strewn about the yard and make sure all walkways and stepping stones and steps are level. Good lighting is essential, too. It must b e easy to walk through the interior and exterior of the house without obstruction."

Avoid Clutter

According to Ferree, "clutter will keep a house from selling for many different reasons, one of which says the person does not attend to the upkeep of the home." Clutter collects stagnant energy and brings the feeling of the space down.

The two kinds of clutter are passive and active. Examples of active clutter are scattered children's toys in a living room, or brushes, paints and accessories in an artist's studio. Passive clutter is piles of things which have not been put away, thrown away or recycled.

Positive Energy Keeps Guests Happy

Ferree has some ideas on how to invite positive "chi" (energy) into your home. Spread smells, such as vanilla, cinnamon, or citrus throughout the home. Consider the lighting, colors and color arrangements and clarity of a space. Work on design enhancements that welcome visitors to your space and invite them to stay a while.

Ferree has one piece of final advice that applies to many situations. "Your home tells a story about you" she says, "People read the story every time they visit your space. Be aware of that and put your best self forward."