Can Newbies Avoid The Pitfalls?

Yes indeed! If you are a young person who has decided that a career in public relations will be your Caviar and Champagne in life, here are four situations in which you do not want to find yourself:

1. You confuse the basic function of public relations with sub-parts that make up the whole like publicity, crisis management or employee communications.

2. You feel unsure in approaching public relations problems, then uncertain about what counsel to give your employer/client.

3. As the years pass, you rely on career-long misconceptions about public relations but forge ahead anyway advising the employer/client ineffectively sometimes with damaging, if not dangerous counsel.

4. You realize too late that you have gone through your entire career without a firm grasp of what public relations is all about.

Newcomers can avoid those pitfalls by grasping early-on The Rosetta Stone of public relations, i.e., a guide to understanding the discipline and its core strength. Namely, people act on their perception of the facts; those perceptions lead to certain behaviors; and something can be done about those perceptions and behaviors that lead to achieving an organization's objectives.

Which is why, when public relations goes on to successfully create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired-action those people whose behaviors affect the organization, it accomplishes its mission.

NO organization - business, non-profit or public sector - can succeed today unless the behaviors of its most important audiences are in-sync with the organization's objectives. And that means public relations professionals must modify somebody's behavior if they are to help hit the employer/client's objective and earn a paycheck. All else are but means to that end.

And here's one way to get there:

-- identify the problem or challenge
-- identify target audiences
-- set the public relations goal
-- set the public relations strategy
-- prepare persuasive messages
-- select/implement key communications tactics
-- monitor progress
-- and the end game? Meet your own behavior modification goal.

A bonus: you are using a near-perfect public relations performance measurement. I mean how can you measure the results of an activity more accurately than when you clearly achieve the goal you set at the beginning of that activity? You can't. It's pure success

So, as a beginner, can you expect to avoid the four pitfalls listed above? Yes, and here's why:

-- With proper preparation, you will not confuse action tactics with the basic mission of public relations because you will know precisely what each is and just what fits where in the public relations problem solving sequence.

-- You will feel more confident about providing counsel to the employer/client because the public relations problem at hand can be clearly identified allowing you to select solutions that obviously fit into the action sequence outlined above. You will identify your target audiences because you will know exactly who your employer/client wants to reach, and the necessary action tactics will then be self-evident.

-- You realize that you have gone through your entire career WITH a firm, successful grasp of what public relations is all about.

Of course, on the way you will also nurture the relationships between your target audiences and your employer/client's business by burnishing the reputation of the organization, its service and products. You will do your best to persuade those target audiences to do what your employer/client wants them to do. And while seeking public understanding and acceptance of that employer/client, you'll insure that your joint activities not only comply with the law, but clearly serve the public interest. Then, you will pull out all tactical stops to actually move those individuals to action. And your employer/client will be pleased that you have brought matters along to this point.

But when will that employer/client of yours be fully satisfied with the public relations results you have produced? Only when your "reach, persuade and move-to-desired-action efforts have produced that visible modification in the behaviors of those target audiences you, and they wish to influence.

In my view, this is the fundamental premise of public relations, its central, strategic function and the basic context in which you must operate in your pursuit of a successful and satisfying public relations career.

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 communications, 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.

Visit: http://www.prcommentary.com; bobkelly@TNI.net

---

A Managers PR Paradigm

If you manage a department, division or subsidiary for a... Read More

Your Organization: What Role PR?

As a manager, does your current business, non-profit or association... Read More

The Non-business Business

Think for a moment! If you were to do a... Read More

Get Write To It

The toughest thing about writing a news release is getting... Read More

PR - More Than News Releases

Public relations and news releases are synonymous in the minds... Read More

Right PR Empowers a Manager

Business, non-profit and association managers are in a stronger position... Read More

Passion with Purpose - The Winning Combination

The power of PassionPassion is an extraordinarily powerful spring. Without... Read More

Trade Show Tactics Revealed

Being part of a trade show gives small business a... Read More

Killing Them Softly

The world has woken up to ethical issues in corporate... Read More

How To Make Time For Public Relations

"Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly... Read More

Three Communication Secrets of The Great Communicator

I've worked in media and public relations for 20 years,... Read More

Austin?s Annual Charity Event with KVET

In my travels around the country while building my business... Read More

Why Restaurants Go Out of Business

Recently someone asked me why so many restaurants go out... Read More

Publicity: Marketing-Minded Financial Planners, Never Say These Words to a Reporter

Everyone has something that drives them up a wall. You... Read More

PR Where it Matters Most

What's more crucial to the success of a business, non-profit... Read More

Managers: PR More Than Tix and Plugs?

You bet! And in three ways vital to you as... Read More

Perception Persuasion Behavior: PR at Work

Managers ? the business, non-profit and association sort ? really... Read More

35 Quick Tips for Writing A Press Release

Layout1. 1-2 pages in length.2. Double-space.3. 1.5 to 2 inch... Read More

Forget the Press Release - Heres How to Pitch Like Roger Clemens

Stripped down to its core, publicity is little more than... Read More

Publicrelationistas?

Is that what we are? Fanatic, over-the-top disciples of some... Read More

Prep for a Successful Trade Show

Well, autumn is upon us and with the onset of... Read More

Media Release Headlines - Ten Tips to Get Media Attention

So you have spent hours and hours writing, shaping and... Read More

Sound Like Your Situation?

What a shame! Potentially productive public relations people resting on... Read More

Asian Media Relations: Increase Your Profile and Image in China

China's media is booming creating opportunities for marketing-savvy businesses. But... Read More

Is PR All About Image? NO!!

That's like asking if advertising is all about type faces... Read More

Why Not PR That Gets Real Results?

And not results you can measure only in terms of... Read More

Press Release Preparation

Small Business Owners should send press releases out at least... Read More

Free Radio Publicity for Marketing-Minded Financial Planners

Radio is a powerful publicity tool. Most stations offer news... Read More

Cutting Down Your Trade Show Budget

Whenever a recession or volatility threatens the economy, companies immediately... Read More

How Would You Ever Know?

Your important outside audiences behave in ways that stop you... Read More

Get PR Off the Bench

Something that results in your most important outside audiences doing... Read More

Why PR is a Vital Force

Because it can alter individual perception and lead to changed... Read More

7 Tips to Get More Mileage Out of Your Online or Offline Publicity

You worked hard to get a story on your business... Read More