Category Archives: Working with the media

It’s a web, not a cobweb

Talking to your customers, Working with the media

I’ve developed an annoying habit. It’s probably one that is unique to people working in corporate communications and might well be motivated by a touch of Schadenfreude, or at least, relief that it’s not me facing the flak on this occasion.

Sailing serenely on
I’ll come clean: when a crisis kicks off at a big company and their name is splashed all over the news, I’ll head straight to their website to see how they’re handling it. And what do I find there? Most of the time nothing it seems. The home page of the site sails serenely on through the digital ebb and flow of cyber space with little acknowledgement of the growing storm in the real world.

Does the company not care? Does it think people will not find out?

Get it up
Ironically websites might seem a bit old hat in the online world, but they are still one of the primary and most effective means of communication.  So if trouble strikes, get something up on the site quickly:

  • acknowledge the problem
  • tell people what you’re doing about it
  • and have regular updates.

Communication is too fragmented these days by the numerous methods of social media to hope that you can keep a lid on an issue. So make sure you can update your site quickly and use it as the frontline in your crisis communications – people will be watching.

Publish and be damned

Communicating in a crisis, Working with the media

It’s early days with this story, but you have to admire Louise Mensch’s (MP) method of dealing with questions from an investigative journalist.  

Faced with an email alleging details of taking drugs and other misdemeanours in a previous career, she has simply admitted them and published the correspondence for all to see  – the journalist must really hate her.

As ever, if you‘ve nothing to hide, transparency is everything and if you have something to hide, transparency is even more important. It will come out in the end so you might as well control the when and the where.

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.