During 30 years in PR I trained hundreds of spokespersons to talk to the press. As it turns out, the things that good spokespersons do apply equally well to any form of communication. Behold, my favorite spokesperson homilies, with applications for other audiences:
Credibility is hard won – and virtually impossible to gain once lost. In other words, don’t make crazy stuff up. Making stuff up in a media interview is dangerous, because when the Internet finds you out and broadcasts your falsehood (which they will), you will have created a PR crisis. But lose credibility among your customers and your employees and you destroy your business. I don’t need to recount specific examples here – spend 3 minutes thinking on this and several cautionary tales will come immediately to mind.
Your audiences don’t find your company anywhere near as fascinating as you do. There is a big world out there – you’re not the center of it. An ambitious spokesperson intoxicated by media attention can easily forget that they are not the center of the universe. When you’re with your customers, it’s vital they feel that you find their business and their issues essential. When you’re with your advisors, they need to feel their advice is incredibly valuable, or they’ll stop giving it. Etc.
Repetition is the only defense against cultural ADD. Seriously. In our massively over-saturated, over-stimulated culture, expect to repeat yourself constantly. To any and every audience you reach. Do so graciously and patiently. When you’re talking to employees it’s OK to say things like “As I always say” or “To repeat my favorite point.” With your channel too. It telegraphs that they’re insiders. With customers, not so much – it seems condescending.
Expect no institutional memory, expect no context. Never assume that a reporter has done any homework, or remembers what you talked about last time. Start wherever they need you to start. Learning how to read your audience –in a media interview, a sales meeting, in a performance review, is an exceptionally important skill. Let’s say you’re a division VP presenting your QBR to your CEO. She has a lot of things on her mind besides your last quarter’s presentation. If she looks a bit perplexed by a point you’re making, graciously and subtly weave in context without calling her attention to it. She will feel smart, and she’ll think you are smart.
Everyone remembers graciousness. Be nice. For real. Is there any setting in which this is bad communication advice?
Every communication can be improved by a little application of skills.
Communication is the essential last mile in finding and motivating the right teams, acquiring strong allies, powerfully bonding with customers, and capturing mindshare with compelling stories. Nothing will serve you and your vision better than developing exceptional communication skills.
