Goals vs Objectives

By Craig Miyamoto, APR, Fellow PRSA

(This is the 2002 Second Quarter issue of Public Relations Strategies, a quarterly publication of Miyamoto Strategic Counsel)

Just as there is confusion between a �strategy� and a �tactic,� there is also confusion between a �goal� and an �objective.� Although the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, there are differences between the two.

Goals are general directions, somewhat nebulous, that are not specific enough to be measured. Think of the word "go." It has no end.

A good example is the signature line of the Star Trek television series: "To boldly go where no man ("no one" in Generations) has gone before." You can't measure it, and you probably will never know if the goals were accomplished, because once humans have gone somewhere, we've been there, and there are still other places to go since the universe is infinite and has no end.

State your campaign goal simply and resolutely. State it confidently, with all the bravado you can muster, secure in the knowledge that the question, "Did you accomplish your goal?" can never be answered in the absolute affirmative.

Objectives, on the other hand, are specific and measurable. They can be output objectives, or they can be attitudinal or behavioral. But most of all, they can be measured. They are concise. They are specific. Think of the word "object." You can touch it, it's there, it's actual, it's finite.

Objectives should be set for each audience identified. In general, there must be at least one objective per audience. This is usually sufficient. In come cases, however, you will have more than one objective for each audience.

Objectives should measure impact. Behavioral objectives are preferred ("Exactly what is it you want to get them to do?"), but the objectives can also be attitudinal ("What do you want them to think?"), or informational ("What do you want them to know that they didn't know before?").

Objectives also can measure your output � what you did. But unless output is central to your problem and contributes to solutions, try to keep these to a minimum.

State your objectives in specific and quantifiable (measurable) terms whenever possible. Set them in a time frame, and if you know what the budget is, tell the client what you expect the cost to be. The objectives should be reachable, they should be acceptable to the client, and they must be ethical.

A crystal-clear objective would read something like this: "Our objective is to deliver X results by Y date at a cost of Z dollars."

Think of the goals as the treasure at the top of a stairway, and the objectives as the stairs.