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Coaching Public Affairs
Communication Catastrophes
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In the world of global news, fast-moving markets and instant decision making, communications are as vital to a modern organization as typewriter ribbons once were to an office secretarial pool, both internally and externally.
THE SMALL REALITY
Shan Lancaster is the director of a company in Brighton, UK, specializing in marketing photographic images to a clientele consisting of newspapers, TV broadcasters, PR companies, marketing and media groups. She specializes in the administration of the business which involves keeping track of tens of thousands of images at any one time - and knows the value of what she calls the 'Three C's' - communication, communication, communication. “Of course as the admin manager of a player in the large and fast-moving world of stock photography, I am very aware that communication is key to our company's survival,” she said. “Nobody knows we are there unless we can communicate with potential clients successfully and we can't meet clients' needs unless we can communicate effectively with photographers and make them aware of the rapidly-changing demands of the market.” A good manager is someone who can handle the indexing and technical side of the business, keep the diaries straight, track the finances rigorously and keep up to date with copyright breeches and new trends. In a large business that is enough to justify a full time job and let someone else cope with the communication side of things. “But in a small company such as ours, unless that person can also respond quickly and with empathy to email and phone requests and brief photographers clearly and concisely, then they are not pulling their weight. They would not be a good manager for us.” Time matters very much in our business. We rely on responding to trends and being ahead of the curve. So communication is vital but good communicators who are poor time-managers and fail to follow up on leads or to schedule briefings are not going to be good managers either. “I think there will always be a place for people with exceptional organizational/ financial skills who are not good communicators and good communicators will always be useful in business even if they are not the most efficient managers. It is possible to train people to communicate better - that is one of the uses of the good communicators. They are often very good at motivating others and helping them explore ways of improving their responses. Training communicators to be better managers is much harder in my experience. "In the future - there will be less and less tolerance of long-winded old-fashioned business-speak. This will make it tougher for bad managers to hide behind a smokescreen of blustering business jargon. They will have to think on their feet and send messages and responses briefly and quickly in a variety of media. Good communication technology may actually mean better real communication in business.”
THE ONLY THING THAT MATTERS Neil McLeod Senior Consultant at PHA Media LTD, a London-based Public Relations company which advises clients including major companies, business leaders and entrepreneurs, sporting stars, celebrities and leading brands. It's owner Phil Hall is a former national newspaper editor who regularly appears on TV. Neil, a former journalist himself, said "communication isn’t vital – it is absolutely essential, a must, a given. Bad communicators can breed problems whilst good ones can inspire, build
By ALLAN HALL
An "Old History"
There is a story from the trenches of World War One which, while almost certainly apocryphal, neatly sums up the catastrophe that awaits those whose lines of communication become garbled at times of crisis. "Send reinforcements, we are going to advance," was the message relayed down a line of shell-battered telegraphic wires. When it reached the headquarters staff it had morphed into: "send three and four pence, we are going to a dance." Two quite different messages with the potential for disaster.
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bridges and blur the lines of separation in organizations. "The most memorable politicians and business leaders aren’t necessarily always the best but often manage hold a place in our memory banks and the history books because of their communication skills. "And the world is a smaller place than it ever was – and is shrinking even as you read this. "Twitter and Facebook provide voices to anyone who can get online, while blogging and other forms of online media means pretty much anyone can have a voice at any time. "The influence of social media is growing all the time. It has collaborated with uprisings, been blamed for riots and landed many a football star into hot water. How you use this Social Media voice is essential, and one key element to modern "PR is how clients engage with customers, would-be customers, employees and other stakeholders on a day to day basis. This could be a company CEO outlining plans for the company’s future, a football club chairman keeping loyal fans informed on a daily basis or a celebrity letting his Twitter followers know what he is up to. The thing is, nearly everyone is doing it these days and so getting your message out there properly, in a form that captures interest and drives home messages, is vitally important. "The PR company of which I am part, PHA Media, coaches and trains clients in communication as well as being communication experts ourselves. It is true – some people are better ‘natural’ communicators than others. But we are firm believers that you can always train to be a better communicator, a better orator or better Tweeter, Facebooker or blogger. "We pride ourselves on an unrivalled media contacts book – something that has been built up by that old fashioned form of communication: talking to people."
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One artist, two interpretations of communication.
By Nathan Jones, photographer. "I spend most of my time on personal work, updating my daily blog with photos from whatever interesting things I've run across - mostly the local art scene in Savannah." [W nathanjonesphoto.com/bounce]
1Communication Stereotypes. The first two photos are a collaboration with Artist Michael Boyle. They are documents of a performance on Tybee Island of businessmen -- complete with cellphones and briefcases -- emerging from the ocean for meetings and negotiations. Fortunes lost, castles crumbled, deals struck, rolodexes filled with sand. 2 Communication Network. It is a set of images is an environmental installation just up the interstate from Savannah by the Collective Collaborators. [W experiencecollective.com/The-Fog] A 46,000 square-foot area of forest has been temporarily decorated with twine and fabric made from reclaimed cotton.
KEEP TRACK OF YOUR INTERNAL COMMUNICATION
Internally in a company, communications are no less important. Robert Hosking is executive director of OfficeTeam, a leading staffing service specializing in the temporary placement of highly skilled administrative and office support professionals. OfficeTeam has more than 325 locations worldwide and offers online job search services. He said, "during times of economic and business change, employee communication becomes particularly critical. If you're not keeping staff informed about company developments, rumors can spread, and morale and productivity can decline. A recent survey by OfficeTeam found that managers feel they are on the right track—with 69 percent of those polled noting that messages to employees have become more frequent within the past year and 56 percent suggesting communication is of higher quality. "The survey findings sound promising— until you consider the employees' perspective. Only 37 percent of workers surveyed agree that there has been a boost in the rate of corporate updates and only 38 percent believe communication efforts have been enhanced. Clearly, managers have room for improvement when it comes to employee communication. Here are some key steps to ensuring your staff outreach is effective. "While you may not be able to disclose all of the details about business decisions or activities, you should keep your team in the loop. For instance, if your company is opening a new office nearby, explain the reasoning for the expansion and what it might mean for current employees. Will your location remain open, or will staff have to work from the new facility? Even situations that are positive may not seem that way to staff if they lack key information. "Also recognize that there is such a thing as over-communicating. If you provide too many of the finer details, people may feel overwhelmed and overlook critical messages. When in doubt, ask yourself what facts are most pertinent to your employees and their daily job requirements. If staff members need to be aware of a large amount of information, consider prioritizing the specifics and conveying the messages over time. "Frequent and effective communication can help employees feel more connected to your company and its goals. This can be a real asset as the economy improves and retention becomes a greater concern. People who believe their employers treat them with respect by keeping them inform-ed and listening to their ideas and concerns are less likely to leave for other opportunities. By refining your communication strategies, you can ensure you're on the right track and building a positive, supportive work environment."•
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