All posts by Sebastian

Trusting your instincts

Communicating in a crisis, Talking to your customers, Talking to your employees

A good take on the Murdoch phone hacking saga today in the Guardian http://bit.ly/oTq5Zp. Deborah Orr discusses the ‘working towards the Führer’ analogy put forward by historian Ian Kershaw, where basically Hitler’s advisers would implement policy according to what they thought were Hitler’s wishes – a sort of please him at all cost approach even if the overall circumstances favoured a different tack.

It is an extreme comparison of course, as Orr says, but how far did/does this type of culture seep through the News Corp culture?

For the communications team in a corporate environment, the Chairman/CEO are big stakeholders in what goes out and, rightly so, often have a big influence in those communications. The dilemma however is when communication is shaped against the better judgement of the comms team because they know what their Chairman/CEO is expecting to see.

Managing that interaction is difficult, but for a comms manager, not losing sight of the bigger picture and trusting your comms instincts should override any other consideration.

Taming your untamed CEO

Working with the media

I read a good piece on the BBC website the other day profiling FT journalist Lucy Kellaway’s research into the seven deadly CEO sins.

So, how many of these does your CEO display?

  • control freak
  • vain
  • ditherers
  • bad at listening
  • bullies
  • afraid of conflict
  • no good at small talk.

The bad news of course, for most in house PR professionals, is how you deal with that many headed hydra when shaping your external communications?

Give as good as they get
This is precisely when a good external media trainer (preferably an ex or current working journalist) can come into their own and there aren’t many grizzled old hacks who won’t be afraid to give as good as they get. But make sure you get them in for a decent session – with half a day you can make real progress.

The chief exec will say he/she doesn’t need media training (vain), will keep putting it off (dithers), will be uncomfortable at dancing to someone else’s tune (control freak), and will no doubt try and talk you out of it (bullies).

Keep trying though – remember, your CEO doesn’t like conflict.

The truth will out

Communicating in a crisis, Talking to your customers, Talking to your employees

The recent storm over the use of super injunctions in the UK, much used, it seems, by celebs desperately trying to mask a marital indiscretion or two, has opened up a whole debate on what should, or should not be published in the public interest. I think the issue at the heart of this though, and a good lesson for anyone involved in the world of communications, is the trouble that awaits when the desire to cover something up overshadows the need to communicate openly.

No secrets
The old saying that the ‘truth will out’ has never held as much currency as it does in today’s social media era. What price a super injunction when @tellitlikeitis on Twitter can broadcast the news; seemingly impervious to the legal blows of the judge’s gavel?

Tell it like it is
Whether you’re dealing with the media or communicating company news to employees, obfuscate at your peril. Tell it like it is; people from all sides will respect and admire your refreshing honesty. And even if they don’t, just think of the legal fees you’ll save on super injunctions.