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.
