PR and the Small Matter of Results

Author : Robert A. Kelly
As a business, non-profit and association manager, how
satisfied are you when the public relations people assigned
to your unit spend the bulk of their time on someone's favorite
special event, brochures, press releases and talk-show
mentions?Especially when you'd rather have a public relations effort
that creates the kind of key stakeholder behavior change
that leads directly to achieving your managerial objectives?You know, PR that does something positive about the
important outside audiences whose behaviors most affect
your operation. And, in the bargain, helps persuade those
key external audiences to your way of thinking, helping
move them to take actions that allow your department,
division or subsidiary to succeed.After all, what public relations boils down to are these realities:
the right PR really CAN alter individual perception and lead
to changed behaviors that help you succeed. Your public
relations effort must involve more than parties, videos,
booklets and column mentions if you really want to get your
money's worth. And you need a simple blueprint that gets
everyone working towards the same external audience
behaviors insuring that the organization's public relations
effort stays sharply focused.Sounds like good stuff, and it is!Here's one blueprint that can lead you in that direction: 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.And results like these can come your way. New proposals for
strategic alliances and joint ventures; customers making repeat
purchases; prospects starting to work with you; membership
applications on the rise; capital givers or specifying sources
looking your way, and even bounces in showroom visits.How, you are asking, do such managers produce results
like those?They spend some time figuring out who among their most
important outside audiences behaves in ways that help or
hinder the achievement of their objectives. Then, they list them
according to how severely their behaviors affect their
organization.More to the point, precisely how do most members of your
key outside audiences perceive your organization? If paying
for professional survey counsel isn't in the cards (or in the
budget!), your PR colleagues will have to monitor those
perceptions themselves. Actually, they should be quite
familiar with perception and behavior matters since they're
already in that business.All of which means meeting with members of that outside
audience and asking questions like "Are you familiar with
our services or products?" "Have you ever had contact with
anyone from our organization? Was it a satisfactory
experience?" And if you are that manager, you must be
sensitive to negative statements, especially evasive or
hesitant replies. And watch carefully for false assumptions,
untruths, misconceptions, inaccuracies and potentially
damaging rumors. When you find such, they will need to be
corrected, as they inevitably lead to negative behaviors.Big job now is to pick out the actual, offending perception
to be changed, and that becomes your public relations goal.
You obviously want to correct those untruths, inaccuracies,
misconceptions or false assumptions.The toughest part of this exercise is that a PR goal without
a strategy to show you how to get there, will taste like
asparagus with pancake syrup. So, as you select one
of three strategies (especially constructed to create perception
or opinion where there may be none, or change or reinforce it,)
what you want to do is insure that the goal and its strategy
match each other. You wouldn't want to select "change
existing perception" when current perception is just right
suggesting a "reinforce" strategy.Now you must create a compelling message carefully put
together to alter your key target audience's perception, as
specified by your public relations goal.Remember that you can always combine your corrective
message with another news announcement or presentation
which may give it more credibility by reducing the
apparent need for such a correction.The message you convey must be not only compelling, but
quite clear about what perception needs clarification or correction,
and why. Naturally, you must be truthful and your position
logically explained and believable if it is to hold the attention
of members of that target audience, and actually move
perception in your direction.It's easy to see why some folks refer to the communications
tactics necessary to move your message to the attention of that
key external audience, as "beasts of burden." After all, they
must carry your persuasive new thoughts to the eyes and ears
of those important outside people.You have a really wide choice because the list of tactics
is a long one. It includes letters-to-the-editor, brochures,
press releases and speeches. Or, you might choose radio
and newspaper interviews, personal contacts, facility tours
or customer briefings. There are scores available and the
only selection requirement is that the communications
tactics you choose have a record of reaching people just
like the members of your key target audience.Of course, you can always move things along by adding
more communications tactics, AND by increasing their
frequencies.In short order, you'll hear calls for progress reports. But
you will already be hard at work remonitoring perceptions
among your target audience members to test the
effectiveness of your communications tactics. Using
questions similar to those used during your earlier
monitoring session, you'll now become beady-eyed looking
for signs that audience perceptions are beginning to move
in your general direction.Despite the article's headline, public relations results are
no small matter. In my view, your results will be directly
dependent on whether you base your PR budget primarily
on tactics, or the creation of key stakeholder behavior change
that leads directly to achieving your managerial objectives.One can hope it will be the latter.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
Category : Skin Cancer

A Guide to College Baseball Bats

Author : Jason Gluckman

In the mid 1850s, when baseball was in its infancy, players made their own bats. They experimented with flat bats, round bats, and heavy bats. They ultimately discovered that the barrel shaped bat was the most effective. Today, college baseball bats have taken this technology to a new, powerful level upon the introduction of aluminum bats in the mid 1970s. Too many wooden bats were being broken, so due to budget crunches suffered by many college athletic programs, collegiate baseball made the switch from wood to aluminum bats. This sparked a debate that rages today.Many purists want to do away with the high tech aluminum/alloy bats and return to the days where they claim hitters had to be much better in order to rack up those high batting averages. On the other hand, a many people believe that the aluminum college baseball bats elevate the game to an exciting level, with more home runs and a faster pace. Colleges still prefer the aluminum bats due to their durability, their cost effectiveness, and their lightweight swinging power.College players can pay as little as $50 for a used bat or up to several hundreds of dollars for ultra-light, specialized alloy bats. College players usually have a good feel for what kind of bat they need. They should consider personal height in relation to the length of the bat, and of course barrel size and weight. One advantage of current college baseball bats is that the batter can capitalize on the inside edge of the strike zone. So when a pitcher is trying to jam the batter, a base hit can be ripped out with a good aluminum bat. College baseball bats are available online, in sporting goods stores, and at used equipment outlets. Always ask the coach for guidance, and test bats for free at a batting cage so that you may more effectively judge the bat?s power and fit before making your selection. Baseball Bats Info provides detailed information on youth, wood, college, senior league, and discount baseball bats, baseball bat reviews and more. Baseball Bats Info is the sister site of Baseball Gloves Web.

Category : Baseball

The Best Article on Stress Management You'll Ever Read

Author : Pamela Catey

Have you been looking for an article on stress management that could really make a difference in your life? Are you tired of the exhaustion, fatigue and irritability that have now become a way of life for you in how you relate to stress?This article on stress management isnt your usual top 10 list of what to do. Id like you and I to shift our focus and attention on who you are choosing to be that is really fueling what you are doing.I know you are pretty sure that your stress is caused by all external factors, but its really more important to look at how you are relating to what you identify as stress internally. Lets face it, we only have so much control over our external environment and 100% control over our internal one. This maybe a new concept to you, but I assure you its a powerful one if you want to feel the freedom and power that managing stress can provide.Have you ever heard of the concept Be, Do, Have? It can be revolutionary in your life if you havent. Most of us live our lives out of the concept of Do, Have, Be which is extremely stressful because we are trying to do, do, do in order to have what we want so that we can then be how we want to be. This is backwards and futile. I mean really arent you exhausted, fatigued, irritable, and still dont have what you truly want?Shifting your focus away from what you want to have to who you want to be can eliminate a lot of stress and start bringing forth that which you desire. The following exercise can give you a start on this path. Take out a blank piece of paper and draw a vertical line down the middle of it so that you have 2 columns. On the right side column write at the top of it What do I want? Now, make a list of everything you want to have from the most mundane to the most profound. After you have completed that, at the top of the first column write Who would I be being to have what I want? One by one go through the list of what you said you wanted and ask yourself the above question. Write down the answer in the first column. Can you see that you dont have to know what to do if you focus on who you are being? If you focus on who you are being, you will become that and the actions to take will readily be available to you. This eliminates a lot of stress.If you thought this article on stress management was helpful to you, let me know. Pamela Catey is a Best Selling Co-Author, Self Improvement Coach, Musician, and Inspirational Leader. If you are ready to live a life you love or are interested in learning more about stress management, sign up for her Free FunLightenment Newsletter and discover how fun self improvement and personal growth can be at http://www.LightenUpandLive.com

Category : General Self Help

Does My Child Have Migraine? 5 Things To Consider...

Author :

<b>Does My Child Have Migraine? 5 Things To Consider...</b><br><p> by: <b>James Cottrill</b><p><p><p><p>Maybe you have migraine yourself, or someone you know does. You start to wonder if your child is going through the same thing. They might be complaining of headaches, or going through cycles of symptoms that are familiar to migraine sufferers. Here are 5 things to keep in mind as you try to help your child:<p><p>1. Migraine can strike in children<p><p>More than half of the adult migraineurs (migraine sufferers) report that they had their first headache as a child. Of children with migraine, it's estimated that about a third get their first attack before the age of 5. We know that children as young as 2 deal with migraine, and possibly even infants, although we still don't understand exactly how infants interact with pain.<p><p>2. Don't assume your child is just looking for attention<p><p>Sometimes it's hard to tell if children are really suffering, or if they're trying to get out of something. Some children of migraineurs may simply imitate the behavior that they've seen in a parent. Dr Sarah Cheyette, a pediatric neurologist and a mother herself, suggests that you not focus on the pain but tell your child they will "feel better soon". At the same time, keep a close watch for yourself and try to see the patterns.<p><p>3. Remember that migraine is different in everyone<p><p>We're all familiar with the headache pain that often goes along with migraine. But sometimes migraine attacks do not involve pain at all. Some people only see flashing lights. There's nausea. Weakness. Pain in different areas, even the abdomen. Watch for overall patterns in your child that may be related. Look for times when their behavior changes. When they're sick to their stomach. It's up to you to watch for symptoms that your child may not even realize are there.<p><p>It was a long time before I was actually diagnosed with headaches. For a long time I just had a vague idea that I "didn't feel well" at various times, though I couldn't really explain it. Your child may be dealing with something similar. Write down what you observe and share it with your doctor.<p><p>4. When to contact a doctor<p><p>Contact a doctor right away if there is a sudden change in the headaches your child is experiencing. This is especially important if your child gets any of the following symptoms: stiff neck, fever, dizziness, problems breathing, blurred vision, or headaches that are made worse with exertion. Your doctor can guide you through further observation and testing.<p><p>5. Learn about the available treatments<p><p>There's no reason to panic if you think your child may have migraine. Even if you've struggled with migraine for years yourself, treatments for your child may be different and more effective.<p><p>Don't assume that your medication will work for your child. Many adult drugs have not been tested for children and are not known to be safe. The same goes for natural therapies.<p><p>However, there are very effective treatments for children. Many common painkillers may be sufficient, as long as they're not taken too often (in many cases twice a week should be the maximum). For many, lifestyle changes can make a huge difference - more exercise, better eating habits, for example. One natural treatment that seems to work very well for children is biofeedback. When it comes to specific migraine drugs, recent trials have found certain doses of Imitrex to be helpful for children.<p><p>Children with migraine can look forward to treatments that were not even thought of ten years ago, and they live in a world where we have a far better understanding of migraine every year. Migraine does not have to ruin the life of a child, but can be an important challenge that you can help them through.<p><p><p><p><p><table width=100% cellpadding=8 cellspacing=0 border=0 bgcolor=#dddddd><p><tr><td><p><p><b>About The Author</b><br><p><p><p>James Cottrill is himself a migraineur, and is a health writer at <a href="http://www.relieve-migraine-headache.com" target=new>http://www.relieve-migraine-headache.com</a>. He lives with his wife, daughter and son in Canada, under the shadow of the Canadian Rocky Mountains.<p><p><p><p><p></td></tr><p></table>

Category : Hot Rods