Speaking of Communicating

You Must Pay Attention to Social Media, Bloggers, Online Community Publications

2011-07-22T16:18:00.000-07:00

The numbers are pretty overwhelming when it comes to social networking. As I am writing these words, Facebook reports the social networking site has around 700 million members. Amazing! If you don’t know about Facebook, or any of the legions of social networking sites, you are either living in a cave, don’t own a computer, or you don’t have teenage children. If you run a small company, a nonprofit group, or some kind of community organization read further about how social networking can help you.

Social networking has revolutionized communication by allowing people throughout the world to connect in an interactive, digital world. The social networking phenomenon has exploded over the past several years thanks to the proliferation of online communities where users keep in contact with family, friends, colleagues and former classmates.

All of the generations joining Facebook are doing more than socializing. They are using the channel to receive and transmit information, just as previous generations used the newspaper, radio and television for information gathering. Facebook and similar sites are playing larger roles in how people learn about world events. For example, to work around the ban on professional journalists in Iran, supporters of the Iranian opposition candidate used Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites to inform the world of the violence their government was using to silence them.

To increase exposure, some news organizations are making links to their articles available through Facebook and other sites, so that users can share them. You need to join in on the sharing and the socializing.

You have probably been putting it off for a long time, but if you have not jumped into social media with both feet you are missing out on some great (and free!) opportunities to connect with your communities. Even if you are not ready to jump in with both feet, you should at least consider dipping in your big toe. I think you will find that you will see results fairly quickly.

Things I Have Learned by Teaching Communications

2011-06-14T15:50:00.000-07:00

Being an adjunct college instructor is a lot of work, but it is also enjoyable and rewarding. I have been teaching writing and communications courses, mostly through online programs, for over a year now. Evenings and weekends are taken up with grading assignments, papers and discussion threads. One of the spare, upstairs bedrooms is where I conduct classes online and hold “office hours.” It has been a rewarding experience so far.

If I had to name one thing I have taught myself through teaching writing and communication courses, it would be that I still have so much to learn about writing and communication.

The majority of the students I teach are adult learners. Many of them are working full-time and going to school part-time in order to improve their opportunities. Many of them are people who could not finish college when they were of traditional “college age”, but now they are going back and trying again. You have to give these students a lot of credit (no college pun intended). They want to earn that degree and better themselves.

And here is what I have learned, and continue to learn from teaching: I am not even close to having all of the answers. Just because I have the teacher’s edition of the textbook does not guarantee that I have all of the answers. It is humbling.

I have learned that just because I have that teacher’s edition textbook that might have additional information on a specific communication concept; it does not guarantee that I fully grasp that concept. Reading and re-reading helps.

I have learned I do not understand every rule of grammar and punctuation. I also have learned that many of the rules I do understand, I still think are illogical, just as I did when I was in elementary school.

What I have learned by teaching communications is that there are so many theories and principles that I might never get around to studying, understanding or teaching so many of them. We are all students. Always.

How to Avoid Looking Like a Deer in the Headlights

2010-09-20T16:30:00.000-07:00

Press interviews can be intimidating, even for those with a lot of media interview experience. A spokesperson must know how to articulate the “company line” for lack of a better phrase and how to advance your organization’s goals, viewpoints and objectives.

The person chosen for this role has a lot of responsibility because the media’s power cannot be ignored and sometimes you only get one shot and representing who you are and what you do. You have to get it right.

Some people get that “deer in the headlights” look when they’re being interviewed. In fairness, not everyone is good at being an interview subject, at least at first. It takes practice.

So, here are some tips to help you prepare for that media interview:

Think of questions you’d most likely be asked by reporters and practice your answers.
Develop a standard set of “message points” about your group, organization or company. Have them handy or have them memorized.
Set up a mock press conference and have staff ask you questions.
Videotape your mock press conferences to see how you performed. Ask staff members to watch the video replay with you and offer brutally honest critiques.
Take your practicing seriously by watching how others handle the task. Watch televised news conferences to see how interview subjects are handling the questions and the pressure.
Practice and plan.

Two final tips: If you don’t know the answer to the reporter’s question off the top of your head, or from your notes, it’s okay to say “I don’t have an answer for that now but will get back to you.” And, if you are not clear what the reporter is asking you, it’s okay to ask that reporter to repeat the question if you are not sure what point he or she is trying to make.

Media training is taken very seriously in the world of big business. According to a 2004 survey by Impulse Research, nine out of ten CEOs have had some sort of formal media training. Why are so many corporate bosses going through media training? Nearly 84-percent of those CEOs questioned for the same survey said that media interviews were the most effective way to get their message across.

Is New Media Killing Journalism?

2010-08-27T20:40:00.001-07:00

I’m a former reporter and lots of people think I’m just being an old grouch when I complain about the current state of journalism. But I can’t help it. I think real, true journalism is becoming a dying art.

Reporters are forced to work too fast these days, what with filing their stories, posting on Twitter, giving updates on Facebook, shooting pictures and video for their websites, all while trying to follow the actual story. “News gathering” organizations spread their already thin staffs way too thin.

Which leads me to talk about this announcement by the University of Colorado Boulder: The school is considering pulling the plug on its school of journalism in favor of some kind of “new media” program offering.

According to an Associated Press story, Chancellor Philip DiStefano said in a written statement: "News and communications transmission as well as the role of the press and journalism in a democratic society are changing at a tremendous pace. We must change with it."

Change sure, but kill an entire worthwhile program? Where will our future journalists, real journalists come from?

Again, the grouchy former reporter here... I know the times they are a changin’ but reporting the news and reporting it well and accurately is a really big deal. And the people doing the reporting have to know what they’re doing. They have to be trained well. They need to have a foundation.

David Hazinski, an associate professor at the University of Georgia's Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, and a former NBC correspondent, told DailyFinance: “Ethics and standards will become even more important as the sea of opinion grows deeper. The content and context will be distributed over many platforms but someone has to be at the top of the information food chain. Those people will be skilled journalists, not technicians."

Reporting the news is serious stuff and has to be taken seriously by people who know more than just the glitzy, high-tech side of things. They have to know about accurately gathering and reporting the facts, and what to do with them.

When I graduated from Penn State many years ago, I graduated from the School of Journalism. A few years after I graduated, the university combined Journalism, Advertising/Public Relations, Film-Video and Media Studies, and Telecommunications under one roof of “The School of Communications.”

The name change still makes me cringe a little. That’s what happens when you’re an old grouch. I hope the “new media” grads that the schools are turning out know what they’re doing. Journalism is too important to treat lightly.

Honesty in Communication – Quite a Concept

2010-08-25T20:00:00.000-07:00

Question: How can you tell when a corporate spokesperson is lying?

Answer: When his lips are moving.

Okay, that’s a really lame version of a worn out joke but it reflects how a lot of people think these days.

The corporate spokesperson faces the camera and spouts the company position. But do people believe the words coming out of that spokesperson’s mouth? Not really. Consider everything and anything former BP exec Wayward Tony Hayward said during the oil crisis in the Gulf Coast. He’s a prime example.

So, why do company spokespeople say the things they say? Why do they tell untruths? In the great article Why Honesty Is the Best Policy, Bennett Freeman spells it out simply when he says: “They are frankly challenged by the demands of credible, transparent reporting and by the dynamics of stakeholder engagement.”

They are torn between the truth and protecting their companies, as well as their behinds. When push comes to shove, they protect their companies AND the behinds.

But while consumers may be buying the products corporations are selling they are not necessarily buying what those corporations are saying. The Corporate Eye Blog hits the nail sharply on the head:

“Consumers aren’t naive anymore. There was a time when consumers believed the marketing messages in ads. There was also a time when many people believed in political propaganda, but thankfully, with advances in communications and technology, more people than ever can see through those skewed messages.”

We receive tons of skewed messages everywhere. Banks took billions in bailouts but continue to struggle. We aren’t sure why. Car makers took billions in bailout, yet they’re still “losing money.” What do we hear from them and what are we supposed to believe?

One of the best corporate quotes comes from Howard Schultz, the CEO for Starbucks. He left Starbucks in 2000 and then came back to run the place in 2008. When he returned, the place was a mess. The company was losing business, losing customers. There was a real “anti Starbucks” mentality brewing. So, what did Schultz do? He took a long and honest look at the company and delivered an honest message to employees and other stakeholders about rebuilding the company.

Schultz told the Harvard Business Review:

“We had to admit to ourselves and to the people of this company that we owned the mistakes that were made. Once we did, it was a powerful turning point. It’s like when you have a secret and get it out: The burden is off your shoulders.”

That’s why transparency and honesty in corporate communications is vital. People DO see right through the smokescreens. They smell the crap as corporate execs dish it out. People need and want something to believe in. They really want to trust. But they need a reason to trust. Companies need to deliver the truth.

Is Social Networking Really Working in PR?

2010-08-24T17:30:00.000-07:00

Social media has really enhanced communication. It’s connecting people who’ve never thought of connecting before. That’s a huge plus as far as I’m concerned. But while social media has improved communication, I’m still trying to get a handle on how it can improve PR.

I know it’s there but I’m just not making the clear connection. I am open to any and all suggestions, sales pitches and interventions to show me the way.

I know a lot of folks who are convinced that social media holds the key to PR’s future. They are “friending” everyone possible on Facebook, LinkedIn and other networking sites. While their friends are posting status updates about where they went to dinner or thoughts about that driver who cut them off and ticked them off, PR practitioners are posting info you’d typically find in press releases or similar announcements.

Is this working?

In May/June 2010, the Oriella PR Network conducted a survey of over 750 journalists in 15 countries. They wanted to find out if how digital media was changing journalists’ news gathering habits. It seems journalists are tapping into social media for info but they are not completely sold on it yet. 75% of journalists surveyed still like to get press releases via email. That’s the “old fashioned” way in this tech savvy age.

The Social Media and Online PR Report conducted by Econsultancy, in November 2009, found nearly one-third of the companies surveyed said they are not spending any money on social media. More than 60% said they’ve looked into using social media to promote themselves but, admittedly, they haven’t done much.

Of course, November 2009 is light years ago in the social media world. So, maybe more companies are using social media as a PR tool.

Right now, reporters working in the conventional media – TV, radio, newspapers and magazines – seem to still prefer the traditional press release as opposed to Facebook postings or tweets on Twitter. Janet Thaeler, author of the Online PR Book, writes: “While social media and putting out the word yourself is a good idea, it shouldn’t replace sending press releases to the media if you have newsworthy content.”

Blogger Christina Warren says: “Having a goal in mind or a main focus can be very important when using social media for any reason.” So, maybe that’s the key. Not just using social networks just for the heck of it or because that’s what all the cook kids are doing. It’s about having a goal, a focus.

But still, am I just not getting it yet? Please show me the way.

Think First and Then Communicate. NOT the Other Way Around, Dr. Laura

2010-08-23T14:27:00.000-07:00

This is from the COMMUNICATE FIRST, AND THEN THINK file. But it’s an example of how we need to THINK FIRST, AND THEN COMMUNICATE.

By now, you’ve heard about Dr. Laura Schlessinger’s mammoth mistake during her August 10, 2010 with roughly 7-million people listening. Call it one of the biggest communications screw-ups EVER!

During the radio talk show a woman named “Jade” called. She’s a black woman married to a while man. She said feelings get hurt when her husband doesn't stand up to people who make racial generalizations and use the N-word.

That’s a great discussion topic. Maybe if you THINK FIRST, AND THEN COMMUNICATE. But rather than delve into the issue, Dr. Laura blasted Jade for being hypersensitive. She noted black comics use the N-word constantly. Here’s what she said, if you can believe it:

"Black guys use it all the time. Turn on HBO and listen to a black comic, and all you hear is n****r, n****r, n****r. I don't get it. If anybody without enough melanin says it, it's a horrible thing. But when black people say it, it's affectionate. It's very confusing."

That’s one of the best/worst tirades of all time. It was a tirade made without thinking before talking, which, I guess, is the definition of a tirade. But rather than think (at all) Schlessinger dug a deeper hole when she spat out this gem:

"If you're that hypersensitive about color and don't have a sense of humor, don't marry out of your race."

The heat got so intense that Dr. Laura announced she’s quitting. In fact, in her blog, she wrote she’s following her own advice, which she calls the Four R’s: “Take Responsibility for your mistake. Make an immediate apology. Show true Remorse. Don’t try to explain away your action or defend it. Repair what is in your power to Repair. Repeat. “

Political blogger Keli Goff – who is black - wrote that Dr. Laura should be thanked for her N-word rant: “Arbitrary rules about who can say the N-word and who cannot simply do not work. Dr. Laura felt justified saying what she did because a host of rappers and comedians continue to validate her perspective.”

True enough. But don’t you think she could have validated her perspective by THINKING FIRST, AND THEN COMMUNCIATING?

Good Communication Leads to Success

2010-08-20T14:03:00.001-07:00

When I worked as a TV reporter in Dallas/Fort Worth in the mid to late 1980s, I had the good fortune of meeting Herb Kelleher, the co-founder and former CEO of the very successful Southwest Airlines. The energetic and plain-talking executive helped make the no-frills Southwest Airlines make a name for itself and become very profitable.

During one press conference (the topic escapes me) Kelleher was asked what type of advice he could give to young people who are just starting out in business. Kelleher said he believed in order for anyone to become successful in business, any kind of business, that it’s vital to have good interpersonal communications skills. He stated he looked for strong communicators when hiring employees.

Kelleher said that his goal had always been to build a company with employees displaying strong communications skills, which he believed served as the basis for success. Many years later, Kelleher reinforced these sentiments during an interview with Business in the Summer of 2004 when he said:

“It has to be a continuous stream of one-on-one communication, not like you sit down and say, ‘Boy, communication is pretty important. Let’s really communicate for the next six months and then move on to what’s really significant.’ It has to be part of your fabric; it has to be something that you do really as a product of your soul.”

Whether a job prospect is interviewing for a high level position with Southwest Airlines or for a night manager post at Burger King, it is important for that person to realize in order to stand out among the other candidates that possessing and displaying solid communication skills will provide an advantage.

Interpersonal communication skills will influence how effective a person is in all roles in life: spouse, friend, co-worker, or manager. We must utilize these skills whether engaging in a face-to-face conversation or some form of computer mediated communication.

Communication is more than what one says or hears, or how one acts. Communication is comprised of many components ranging from gestures, to facial expressions and even down to the clothing a person wears. We have to realize much of our communication is communication without words.

The lack of communication skills, or insufficient communication between people, is one of the greatest contributors to many of the problems we face at home, in school or at the workplace. Lacking the proper communication skills will leave an employee lacking in other areas of life. Only by enhancing our ability to speak, listen, communicate and exchange ideas can we expect to improve all aspects of our lives.

Herb Kelleher certainly figured it out.

Small Businesses Managing Media Effectively

2010-08-05T12:27:00.000-07:00

Effective media management can go a long way toward reducing on-the-job headaches. It will take a little time, and practice, but with proper planning you can learn to deal with the media and effectively cultivate good press contacts.

Throughout all of your planning you have to be flexible and learn to “go with the flow.” It’s important to have some kind of a plan. However, things don’t always go as planned and a reporter’s deadline will not always mirror when you are ready, able and available to release information.

Flexibility is one key to success with the press.

It’s also important to remember that there are no permanent friends or enemies in the media. One day, a reporter does a positive story involving your business or organization and the next one could be negative.

Despite what many anti-press pundits would like you to believe, the media is not always out to “get you” or unearth a controversy. The majority of reporters just want to make their deadlines, do their jobs well and go home at the end of the day.

It’s important that you be proactive in your approach to media management. If you own a small or medium sized business or run a non-profit organization you know that things are not going to get done unless you do it yourself. The same can be said for media management. It’s up to you to watch the news, read your local newspapers and listen to the radio. Pay attention to the hot topics of the moment. If an issue arises that possibly impacts your profession or cause then you should consider calling the local news folks and offering your input.

You can use the current news of the day to your advantage, whether that news is good or bad. If there is a string of nasty muggings in your community and you run a karate school, call the local media and offer to provide self-defense tips to the public at some type of community forum. If you read the newspapers and see that the government is considering limiting the tax breaks on big-ticket items and you run a tax preparation firm, consider calling your local media and offering yourself as a resource to tell people about the new laws and how they will impact people.

There are countless ways to proactively participate in news coverage that will produce positive results.

You have the power – through the media – to educate and if you can educate people then you can have some impact on public opinion. In addition to having some impact on public opinion, you can also help inform the public about what your group, organization or company does.

And to think you learned it after reading this blog! It gives me goose bumps!

Is Social Networking Good or Bad for Communicating?

2010-08-03T13:19:00.001-07:00

When I was a kid and wanted to see if my buddy Bobby O wanted to shoot hoops, I stepped out onto my porch and yelled “Bobby! Hoops!” The answer usually came quickly. Either a “Yeah” or silence. It’s how we communicated. My parents would say “I don’t understand the way you kids speak, all that yelling!”

If I was a kid today, I’d text Bobby O, or Facebook him, or use some social networking gadget. My parents would also probably say that yelling seems more personal than today’s texting. But I disagree. To poorly paraphrase Shakespeare: I come not to bury Facebook, but to praise it.

Social networks have change communication, and despite the seemingly impersonal nature of digital discussions the changes are for the better.

Plenty of social commentators have taken swipes at people’s communication methods these days. Author Guy Lecky-Thompson wrote: “The lack of face to face communication undermines skills such as reading body language and other indirect communication facilities.”

Yeah, that’s true to some degree. It’s easier to connect with someone face-to-face so you can read that person’s… well… face. Nothing will ever replace direct contact. But what about when direct contact isn’t possible?

Blogger Jim Ware once wrote: “Webinars, teleconferences, and all those other means of social networking are incredibly useful substitutes for “being there.” But there’s still something awfully powerful about “pressing the flesh.”

Yeah, that’s true too. Pressing the flesh is more personal than pressing the keyboard, but what about when you can’t be there in person?

And Hilary Stout recently wrote in the New York Times that “…today’s youths may be missing out on experiences that help them develop empathy, understand emotional nuances and read social cues like facial expressions and body language.”

Okay, I guess that’s true too. There is a certain art to reading nuances. And social clue reading isn’t a skill people are born with. But when you can’t be there in person to talk with someone IN PERSON then our social networks help fill a communication void.

Thanks to Facebook I was able to read updates from my son Mark when he was on his study abroad trip in Uganda. Because of social networking, I know what my childhood friends are up to, I can find out how my Aunt Jean is feeling, I express regret I can’t fly 3,000 to attend a relative’s funeral, I tell Cousin Ray that I am praying for his son to get out of the hospital soon. I’d rather do these things in person, but I can’t. Social networks close the gap. They are not perfect but I am grateful we have them.

I also know that Bobby O – who now lives in Colorado – is doing okay. He can’t come over and shoot hoops but thanks to social networking I can invite him without yelling from the porch.

Small Businesses Need Key Messages

2010-07-30T16:45:00.000-07:00

Key messages are talking points or message points that you will be using to communicate with your target audience. These are important to have, important to keep and vitally important to commit to memory.

These are brief, memorable sentences and phrases that are designed to stick in people’s minds. Let’s do a little experiment right now using the Internet. I hate to say this but put this book down for just a few minutes. Go over to your computer and do a search using the term “key message points.” You’ll find millions of results from just about any organization that you can think of: universities, businesses, sports teams, associations, politicians.

Key messages are an integral part of any media related campaign.

These are expressions, slogans or even individual words used to help you express your bottom line. Most slogans are associated with major corporations. Ford says “Quality is Job 1.” Folger’s is known for “The best part of waking up is Folger’s in your cup.” General Electric says “We bring good things to life.” Allstate says “You’re in good hands?”

There’s no reason why a local business or community group can’t have a meaningful and catchy slogan of its own. However, as you are developing your campaign or media outreach program, keep simple words and phrases in mind as you are massaging your message.

Here are some examples of message points that have no connections with each other but are the types of phrases that you can create and commit to memory when making contact with the media:

Our staff is trained and ready to accomplish this mission. We are committed to this cause and want the public to know that.

The Mayor’s proposals are ambitious. However, we feel they fall short of protecting the small business owner, the people who are the backbone of our local economy.

We had hoped the Governor’s budget would have taken into account what small, non-profit organizations like ours mean to their local communities.

As an organization, we would support a local tax increase if we felt the money would be used to help more people.

Sometimes speakers are able to memorize the talking points they are using but you must make sure that what you are saying does not sound too rehearsed. You don’t want to seem robotic. In many cases, it works just as well to concentrate on using key words and phrases to help you make your point.

The key to developing and using key messages is to make sure that what you are saying is clear and understandable. You don’t want anything that you say to create mixed messages, or sound as if they have double meaning.

In most cases, straight talk should produce straight results.

Wayward Words Land BP’s Hayward in Russia

2010-07-26T19:09:00.000-07:00

The other oily shoe finally dropped on the head of BP’s Tony Hayward, the man with the lousy communication skills. The guy who gained world fame for bungling the oil well crisis along the Gulf Coast is not getting fired. Worse: He’s getting shipped to Siberia. Well, Russia actually.

The executive who whined on network TV he wanted the oil spill saga to stop so he could “get his life back” will get his life back in October by heading up TNK-BP. It’s Russia's third-largest oil company and BP owns half of it.

Here’s a reminder of some other Hayward-isms that lead to his demise:

· "I think the environmental impact of this disaster is likely to be very, very modest." (May 18, 2010)

· "The Gulf of Mexico is a very big ocean. The amount of volume of oil and dispersant we are putting into it is tiny in relation to the total water volume." (May 13, 2010)

It makes me wonder how people in high powered positions can have such poor communication skills and have the inability to think first before saying incredibly dumb things.

Indra Nooyi, PepsiCo’s top boss once told Fortune magazine: “If all consumers exercised, did what they had to do, the problem of obesity wouldn't exist.” This from the person heading the corporation selling sweet, sugary junk? Was that comment well thought out?

Why do CEOs say such dumb things? Here’s an explanation from Joel Weinberger, of The Huffington Post: “How do we explain this? Stupidity? Greed? Arrogance? Callous indifference to the opinions and feelings of others? To a degree, all of the above. But there is more going on and that more is part of human psychology. These people acted exactly as people who hold such positions can be expected to act. It was their nature.”

Back to BP. With the announcement of Hayward’s banishment to Russia, BP’s stock rose 5-percent. The stockholders were communicating to BP –very loudly- that Hayward’s banishment to the tundra was a good move.

What so many executives fail to realize is that each word they speak in public carries a lot of weight and if they don’t choose their words carefully they can pay a heavy price.

Ogilvy & Mather CEO Shelly Lazarus once said “Everything a CEO says and does is no longer personal. It is attributed to the company.” That’s so true. Hayward’s frighteningly insensitive comments became BP’s comments. He didn’t think before he spoke and it cost him. Now he’ll be thinking in Russia, where it’s too cold to think.

When Is Too Much PR Really Too Much?

2010-07-23T15:54:00.000-07:00

You’ve probably heard the saying about too much of a good thing NOT being a good thing.

I think a lot of us in communications and public relations would agree that excess can sometimes do more harm than good, which leads me to the NATO Afghan Command. What’s that you say? It seems the NATO Afghan Command is in overdrive trying to convince American journalists the troop surge in Afghanistan is working by barraging journalists with press releases boasting of any and all accomplishments.

Walter Pincus, in his Washington Post blog Checkpoint Washington, writes the NATO Afghan Command shot off six – count ‘em SIX - press releases within six hours in one day, touting successful coalition activities throughout Afghanistan.

What type of announcements? The capture of a "senior Taliban commander", the arrest of a Taliban member and “improvised explosive devices”, the arrest of “suspected insurgents" and the discovery of huge batches of bomb-making materials.

I don’t mean to diminish the Command’s achievements, but don’t you think sending out six press releases within six hours might cause journalists to start ignoring those messages? Maybe toss them in the trash? Why not combine the accomplishments in one larger release and highlight each one? One major message has more punch than six smaller ones. The press releases are getting more press than the content of the messages themselves.

I hate to use the word overkill during time of war, no pun or disrespect intended, but too much is too much. The messages get lost.

Stuart Foster, the author of the blog The Lost Jacket stated it well when he wrote: “Getting coverage in tons of blogs, publications and media is great. But what if you are everywhere? Inevitably a backlash will begin.”

Call it The Gosselin Effect. She’s everywhere to the point that people don’t pay attention. Kate and her (ex-) husband Jon were voted the most overexposed couple of 2009 by a gaggle of publications, blogs and TV media. So, while lots of PR and exposure are good, too much isn’t.

Julia Gaynor, who blogs for Tech Affect nailed The Gosselin Effect when she wrote: “It’s undeniable that her long-term career prospects will be irreparably impacted as a result of her current overexposure. And she still doesn’t seem to be letting up.”

I was a reporter in California when Republican Pete Wilson was governor during the 1990s. Whenever he left the state Lieutenant Governor Gray Davis, a Democrat, was in charge. The minute Wilson was out of California, Davis’s office would fire off press releases starting with “Acting Governor Gray Davis announces…” it got to the point that reporters ignored those releases. While Davis eventually was elected Governor, and later tossed out in a recall election, the point is that his over-messaging got ignored.

Too much of a good thing can do harm. Just ask Kate Gosselin.

Small businesses should buy in to this equation: Media = Opportunity

2010-07-21T15:11:00.000-07:00

There probably have been plenty of times when, as a consumer, you have turned turn away a salesman at your door by saying something like, “Look, I really don’t need your combination floor wax/poultry marinade product but thanks for coming by my home at dinner time!”

Well, maybe in that case opportunity was NOT knocking. However, in many cases it can come knocking when it comes to a call out of the blue from a local media outlet. An unexpected call from a reporter is something that your business can use to generate some publicity.

As a reporter I always found that if I needed interviews from business people that it worked best to contact small, locally owned companies. Dealing with big chain company stores was always a hassle because of the layers of bureaucracy I had to go through for permission to get inside a store to take pictures and get interviews. Medium sized to smaller companies always worked best because I could talk to the owner – or someone within earshot of the owner – to get the necessary information and ingredients for a good story.

One thing for you to remember is that in many cases there is a simple equation that comes into play, and that is that your company plus media interviews can equal free positive publicity.

Here is a list of a few things to keep in mind regarding the media:

Remind yourselves that media coverage can be an opportunity to “sell” your programs and accomplishments.

Remember; don’t ignore the media because you will miss opportunities to promote your programs, your people and your achievements.

Media educates the public and influences public opinion. In doing your planning, think of how you can use media coverage to your advantage to educate people about your group or organization and how you can help influence public opinion.

Be proactive in your “media relationships.” Get to know the reporters, editors, staff writers and editorial writers. Make personal connections with the press and cultivate relationships.

Be a source and a resource. When reporters contact you, you need to be able to provide good quotes as well as solid background information.

Be willing and able to send reporters to other places and other people where they can get information. Especially the information that you WANT them to get.

Remember: press coverage and media attention can be just as effective if not more effective as any other type of advertising.

In many cases, a reporter is working on a story that’s negative in nature. You’ll have to figure that out for yourself by asking the reporter some questions before agreeing to an interview. The bottom line is that if you get your name on the local news station then someone will see it and it is possible that event could create business for you.

Anything is possible!

How to Get the Media Interested in Your Story

2010-07-20T12:07:00.000-07:00

A.J. Liebling, an American journalist who did a lot of writing for the New Yorker during his reporting days once said: “People everywhere confuse what they read in the newspapers with news.”

That brings us to the age-old question: what makes a news story interesting enough to attract the media? There’s really no definitive answer to that question because sometimes it just depends on the day. Some news days are busier than others and your event, the one you have been planning for months, just does not interest the press the day that your event is being held. There’s nothing you can do about that.

You can lead reporters to your story but – if they don’t find it interesting - you can’t make them actually report on it.

Here are some general reasons that a news organization might find something you are doing worth covering:

• Your story has real or potential community impact
• There’s relevance to an ongoing issue or community need
• There’s a connection, or “tie-in” with an ongoing story or larger interest or a “tie-in”, with a national holiday or observance
• Is your story visual? (Both for television and newspapers. Remember: Newspapers need great photos!)
• If your story is unique in some way
• Convenience—if the time, place and location of your story easily fits into the plans of the media outlet
• Credibility—both your credibility and the credibility of those who are connected with you, your organization or your event
• Celebrity involvement
• If there is large community participation

To be honest, news often is hard to define. Editors will tell you that news has to be interesting, entertaining, shocking, intriguing or funny. It can be something that affects a lot of people, or sometimes maybe just a small segment of the population. By definition, news is something that’s new. However, old topics get coverage too.

The bottom line is that there is no tried and true hook that will guarantee media coverage for you. Many times, the negative aspects of stories get coverage and with good reason. There are reporters in newsrooms all across the country searching for positive news stories to cover. Sometimes they just can’t get the approval to report those stories from the people above them on the media outlet food chain. But keep trying.

Positive, solution oriented stories do creep their way into local news coverage now and again. Maybe your positive story will be the next one.

Someone Call Apple and Tell Them to Respond Quicker to the Next Phone Problem

2010-07-18T20:21:00.000-07:00

Steve Jobs is a master at media manipulation but fell far short when it came to how he, and Apple, responded to bad reviews regarding the new iPhone 4. When dealing with a crisis, denying there’s a problem – when one clearly exists – is NOT the solution.

Quick synopsis: Apple came out with a new smartphone called the iPhone 4. Apple disciples, people fanatical about Apple products like squealing teenage girls are about those dreamy Twilight vampire movies, snatched up the phones like cheap candy. (Which they are NOT, by the way. Those things cost at least $200.)

But shortly after the iPhone 4’s release, users started reporting reception problems. First, Jobs said – and I am paraphrasing here – “People are holding the phone wrong…” or something like that. Okay, so you have to hold a phone a certain way to guarantee good reception?

That was not a smart move to say customers were too dumb to use the smartphone the right way.

A big blow came when Consumer Reports would not make the iPhone 4 was one of its recommended products because of the external antenna reception problem. So, Apple called a press conference and Jobs demonstrated that other competing models, like BlackBerry and HTC, also had signal loss issues. Jobs said "All smartphones have weak spots, this is not unique to the iPhone 4.”

That ploy was, kind of, I don’t know…bush league. There’s no need to demo other models and basically say “Yeah, well their stuff is messed up too!”

Patrick Kerley, a crisis communication expert for Levick Strategic Communications, in an interview with the International Tech Times, said Apple was caught flat footed right out of the gate. Kerley said: "They should have simply acknowledged the fact that the iPhone 4 has reception problems, said 'We're getting reports of problems, and we're investigating,' then sit on that message throughout."

Jobs and Apple’s execs should have admitted to the reception problem right away, rather than denying a problem existed.

However, Jobs did the right thing when he announced all iPhone 4 users would get a free case to solve reception problems. Some estimates say the free cases could cost Apple close to $180M when all is said and done.

That decision will take a bite out of Apple’s profits (pun intended) but I have to say nice recovery Mr. Jobs!

Apple’s image and its bottom line took a hit, but the corporation did the right thing by making things right with faithful followers. But, if it ever happens again, Apple, react a little quicker please.

Big Tobacco Responds to Bad Press. How’d they do?

2010-07-17T14:32:00.000-07:00

An incredibly scathing new report batters big tobacco really hard. The Human Rights Commission hammered Philip Morris International (PMI) in a report stating the company was using illegal child labor and slave labor at farms it operated in Kazakhstan.

The report by the international human-rights group states PMI’s Kazakhstan farm operators were more than inhumane to its workers. They confiscated passports, cheated workers out of wages, and forced them to work long hours without clean drinking water or clean facilities. The report says these tobacco farms had kids as young as ten slaving away in the fields. Amazingly horrific.

Senior Human Rights Commission Senior Researcher Jane Buchanan said, in a story reported by the BBC: "Many of these tobacco workers, adults and children alike, came to Kazakhstan and found themselves in virtual bondage."

As if you didn’t already know, Philip Morris International is a huge company. Every year, the tobacco giant buys about 600,000 tons of tobacco from suppliers in more than 30 countries around the world.

So, how did PMI respond to the report "Hellish Work" Exploitation of migrant tobacco workers in Kazakhstan? As far as crisis communications goes, PMI responded like it was supposed to.

First, whether the corporation was aware of the atrocities or not, PMI publicly condemned the child and slave labor practices and promised to fix things. Whether that happens is material for a future story, but PMI did react with indignation, whether sincere or manufactured.

In a statement, posted on the corporation’s Web site, PMI states its opposition to labor abuses of any kind, expressed gratitude to the Human Rights Commission for shining a spotlight on this problem. The corporation responds, in part, by saying: “No one should work in unsafe or unlawful conditions and we are committed to working to prevent child labor, forced labor and other labor abuses in the tobacco supply chain. We look forward to a continued cooperation with Human Rights Watch, other NGOs, and government organizations to achieve this goal.”

The makers of Marlboro and other carcinogenic brands say it has strengthened contracts with overseas farmers to set higher standards for workers and will use monitors to keep one the foreign farms.

I’m against big tobacco because it kills 200 million people worldwide, EVERY YEAR. But give PMI credit for giving the right answers, pretty much. However, the corporation is used to being the bad guy and has loads of experience responding to these types of crises. Practice makes perfect.

Tea Party Bombs with Billboard Blasting Obama

2010-07-15T10:05:00.000-07:00

So, a Tea Party group in Iowa put up a billboard comparing President Obama to Hitler and Lenin (not John Lennon, the one who had no hit records) and then took the billboard down after getting bombarded with criticism for trying to make such an inflammatory and idiotic connection.

The wording under the three photos on the original sign read: "Radical leaders prey on the fearful & naive." Associated Press correspondent Luke Meredith reported that the local group took the billboard down after the national group criticized the message and asked the locals to remove it.

The Iowa Tea Partiers apologized, sort of, and called the billboard a bad decision that reflected poorly on their organization. But the damage was done, don’t you think?

The NAACP called on Tea Party members to "repudiate the racist element and activities within the Tea Party". Is that the type of message the organization is trying to send?

And with the message already out there, already reported on by media, did the group actually achieve its communication goal? The answer: Probably so.

I’m not a Tea Party member (I’m more of a coffee person). I wasn’t invited to the initial advertising campaign planning session but it seems this type of well-planned and harshly worded message bomb was constructed, detonated, and did the job message that senders intended.

The co-founder of the North Iowa Tea Party admitted the Hitler image was not a positive reflection of their members. Well, that’s good to know. But did the billboard get put up with a wink and a nod from the top Tea Partiers, followed by an exaggerated public chastising just to look better in the eyes of the general public? Hopefully not but we might never know for sure.

As any good communication professional knows, whether we are talking about handling messaging for a corporation, a nonprofit, or a political party, it has to be consistent in order for that organization to maintain legitimacy with all stakeholders, both internal and external.

Any group that hopes to keep a good name cannot let horrible, incendiary messages like the Hitler/Lenin mortar get launched. It’s a shot in the collective foot for the organization. Said more bluntly: Stupid move guys!

Mixed messaging can damage any organization. Especially if that messaging is highly volatile, divisive in nature and in every respect inaccurate.

The role of the mass media in crisis – or perceived crisis - situations

2010-07-14T11:38:00.000-07:00

Whether it’s something really significant like how BP and the federal government are responding – or not responding – to the undersea oil gusher in the Gulf, or something less important like how the ungracious exodus of LeBron James from the NBA’s Cavaliers impacts the city of Cleveland, how the media acts and reacts impacts us.

Although I know LeBron’s immature antics probably don’t qualify as crises, (or perceived crises!) the role of the mass media during crises is an age-old topic of discussion and criticism of how media handles itself dates back centuries. Thomas Jefferson once wrote: “The man who reads nothing at all is better educated than the man who reads nothing but newspapers.”

Many people still hold that type of mistrust today.

During times of crisis of any kind, there is a great deal of uncertainty and fear among the people who have some sort of investment, either money-wise or emotion-wise. People turn on their televisions, or log onto the Internet, to get the latest information, analysis of the current circumstances, and to make sense of things. Most people look to the media to reduce uncertainty and fear by receiving what they believe to be accurate information.

There are several questions that are raised about this. First, is the information sources are providing journalists accurate? For example, news reports seem to change by the hour regarding whether BP has or has not capped the oil well leak. And, if you are a sports fan, how many different reports did you read stating that James was headed to the Knicks, or that he was staying in Cleveland?

Sometimes CEOs and spokespeople publicly react too quickly, without having all the facts, or the right facts. This can compound the crisis. Also, are the journalists accurately reporting the information? Are journalists reporting inaccurate information too quickly in order to be the first to break the “news”? Sometimes accuracy cannot be guaranteed during crisis situations. It’s up to professional communicators to monitor the reporting and speak up when inaccuracies are reported.

The news business today moves at lightning speed. Many stories now are broken on blogs rather than in the Sunday morning newspaper or the 11:00 p.m. news. The race by news organizations to be the first and the fastest to report a big news story means that now, more than ever before, it is vitally important that the news sources – CEOs, Board Presidents, and other executives – must learn how to react accurately, promptly and properly during crises.

Newspapers, news radio stations, 24-hour cable news operations and every other media outlet imaginable can have great impact, both negative and positive, on any given situation. A company cannot control how a news organization reports a story, but that organization can control how it interacts with a news organization and how it provides information.

What Is Your Source for Information?

2010-07-12T12:39:00.000-07:00

Many years ago, I watched a lot of television and got most of my information from television news and radio news. That has changed greatly over the past several years. I used to watch as much as eight hours of TV news each week, I now doubt that I watch one total hour.

My viewing habits have changed greatly. Things likely changed for me when I changed professions. When I worked as a television news reporter I watched the competing local stations, as well as the networks, to see what they were reporting. I was looking to see what I might have missed or what I might have had that the competition did not.

Now, I get the majority of my news and information now from two main sources: the Internet and newspaper. Old habits die hard and I find reading the morning newspaper to be a necessity for me. Reading the newspaper at the morning breakfast table is a constant. I doubt that will ever change.

That’s what more people are doing these days. The Pew Research Center for People and the Press says 40-percent of the people surveyed in 2008 said they got most of their news about national and international issues from the Internet, up from just 24-percent in September 2007.

Like many people, I don’t have the time and don’t make the time to sit down in front of the television to watch the 6:00 p.m. news and I find that I’d rather be reading a novel at 10:00 p.m. or 11:00 p.m. than tune into the late local news. What the stations are reporting at 11:00 p.m. I can see on their Web sites on my laptop at the breakfast table if I choose to do so.

I think my mass media consumption habits changed because I saw myself changing and growing more skeptical of what I was seeing on television news programs and listening to on the radio. I became more skeptical as I became disillusioned with my former profession – I was a television news reporter/anchor for more than 20 years. I became disillusioned because I was getting less and less time to investigate and report stories and was expected to produce more stories per day. The quality of what I could present was slipping. I felt that I was no longer providing a useful service for viewers.

Now that I work on the other side of the camera and know what television news reporters go through, I find myself trusting my own instincts more and finding my own information, rather than having it reported to me.

My mass media consumption habits have evolved. But for the better? I wonder sometimes.

Communication is the constant…

2010-07-09T14:08:00.000-07:00

Peter Drucker once said: “The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn't said.”

Communication is a lot of things to a lot of people. It focuses on how people use messages to generate meanings. It involves the sharing of ideas and information. Communication is more than talking or writing. Communication is interaction between people, verbal and non-verbal.

Many confuse the terms “media relations”, “marketing” and “public relations” and any other communications related profession and use these terms interchangeably. It’s easy to understand why people are confused with these terms and their meanings. Their paths cross. They all live in the same house.

There are similarities among these terms and the professions often get lumped together. However, keep in mind there are differences and you want to make sure you know what they are. You might ask, why? Well, if your house needed a new roof you wouldn’t hire a guy who knows a little about roofs but hangs aluminum siding for a living, right? Probably not.

Well, you don’t want to hire a media relations specialist when what you really need is marketing help or assistance with public relations.

You don’t want to sign a contract with a marketing firm when what you really need is help with media relations. Some firms do it all. However, you don’t want to contract with anyone and spend big money unnecessarily. If you can’t do the work yourself, then hire someone who can. Just hire the right person.

What all of these areas of expertise mentioned above have in common is communication. Communications is the constant. It is the foundation for each one of them. In the recent Harvard Business Review, Dan Pallotta, author of Uncharitable: How Restraints on Nonprofits Undermine Their Potential, said: “You will never get the business result you want by putting something other than the communication first.”

That’s so true. You can’t build a house without a solid foundation. You can’t have a solid company – or any solid relationship - without good communication.

LeBron James: Narcissist or Good Marketing Communicator?

2010-07-07T11:35:00.000-07:00

A lot of people are interested in finding out where NBA star LeBron James will be playing next season. When I say “a lot of people” I mainly mean sports fans. Not the entire world. But if you are a sports fan you have probably paid attention to the unfolding drama regarding free agent King James and his deep internal struggle as to whether he should keep playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers or jump to a different team that will give him a Brinks truck full of money to play basketball and win a championship.

The scenario plays out in the sports media like a soap opera. Will King James stay in his home state? Will he bolt for the bright lights of a big city like New York, Chicago or Miami?

James decided to drag out the drama when he confirmed on his website he will end his free agency with an announcement on ESPN. Really? Is it necessary to commandeer and entire sports network to announce his career plans?

Dictionary.com defines narcissism as follows: /1. inordinate fascination with oneself; excessive self-love; vanity. 2. Psychoanalysis: erotic gratification derived from admiration of one's own physical or mental attributes, being a normal condition at the infantile level of personality development.

Isn’t that a bit narcissistic of James and his staff to think people would care so much that he needs an entire network to announce his plans? Or is it good marketing and good communications?

James’ business manager, Maverick Carter, wrote on lebronjames.com: “Due to the unprecedented attention and interest surrounding LeBron’s decision, we have decided to make this announcement on national television. By doing so we have generated funds that will be given to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. LeBron has a longstanding commitment to giving back to the community, and has worked with the Boys and Girls Clubs in cities across the country.”

James also made a similar post on his new Twitter account with a link to his site. So, the Boys and Girls Club will benefit from the hoopster’s hoopla. Smart move by James and his friends. At least, in part, it appears to look like this is not just all about LeBron. Although it still is.

Here’s a contrast: Kevin Durant, an NBA superstar in the making, took a similar yet simpler approach announcing his career plans. Durant posted an update on his Twitter page saying he’d agreed to a five-year, $85 million contract extension with the Oklahoma City Thunder. He tweeted: “Exstension for 5 more years wit the thunder….God Is Great, me and my family came a long way…I love yall man forreal, this a blessing!”

Forgive the misspellings. Mr. Durant’s hands might have been shaking after accepting a huge deal. Durant isn’t on James’ level as a player, not yet. But let’s stay tuned to see what happens when Durant makes his next big announcement to see if narcissism rears its ugly head again, as it has with King James.

Saying the wrong thing at the right time

2010-07-05T13:21:00.001-07:00

Welcome to my blog. I’ll focus on communication and communicating. Primarily, I’ll discuss business communication, but I’ll also look at interpersonal communication too. It’s all connected. I invite you to give your feedback, as much as possible. No one has cornered the market on good ideas.

On this post, I’d like to talk about the concept of thinking first, and then speaking later. Let’s zero in on what NOT to say in critical situations. In tough situations, it’s important for spokespeople and other representatives to first think about what they will say, and then say it in such a way that they help and not hurt their organization. Novel idea, huh?

Which leads me to this: Tony Hayward is the executive who WAS in charge of the oil spill situation for BP. That is, until he visited the site during the early days of the ongoing tragedy and when reporters asked what he wanted to tell the locals victimized by the environmental disaster he said: “We’re sorry for the massive disruption it’s caused their lives. There’s no one who wants this over more than I do. I would like my life back.”

Wow! Really? He said that? Yeah, he did. What he said was incredibly thoughtless. Not to mention stupid. That has to go down as one of the most damning and damaging quotes of all time. If real life had a “do-over” function Mr. Hayward would probably ditch the completely insensitive sentence “I would like my life back” and replace it with one of the following:

• We have to fix this problem as soon as possible because too many lives and livelihoods at stake.
• We deeply apologize to everyone impacted by this and we are doing our best to make it right.
• BP is sorry and we are working to fix this problem.
• Dude, my BP stock is tanking. No pun intended. Cut me some slack!

Maybe that last suggested comment isn’t a good one. But the bottom line is this: open, clear and honest – and heartfelt - communication is the only way to survive PR disasters of any kind. It also helps to have someone running the show that is in tune with the situation and will say the right things at the right time.

Did anyone prep Mr. Hayward and, if so, did this guy listen to the advice he received? What does this say about him personally? I’m not a huge Anthon Robbins fan but the highly successful motivational speaker made a lot of sense when he said: “The way we communicate with others and with ourselves ultimately determines the quality of our lives.”

More plainly put: If you don’t watch what you say, then what you say will come back to haunt you. Mark Twain once said: "It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt."

Did Mr. Hayward remove all doubt as Twain suggests? Probably so. It could be because he didn’t think first before he spoke.