Media Relations: What type of spokesperson works best?

published 2005

For large organisations such as public companies, multinationals and Government departments and agencies, who speaks on behalf of the organisation is a key consideration in public relations strategy.

In many cases it can unduly dominate perceptions of a company. Certainly media often judge an organisation on the demeanour and personality of the spokesperson - simply because it’s their only exposure to the organisation.

Here are four characterisations of the types of internal spokespersons found in Australian organisations.

The Egotist CEO

Makes it a personal mission to present the organisation by insisting that he/she must be the only person to speak to media.

Plus:	If he/she does it well it really can give the organisation a personality and a profile
	Can give the organisation a greater share of media
	Media love it - and he/she can build some good relations with key media
	If he/she has the talent and will listen to, and accept advice, can be a potent weapon
Minus:	Media coverage - and therefore the profile of the organisation - can be personality driven
	Often he/she doesn’t have the discipline to deliver consistent messaging that supports the business and its objectives
	Can make formal PR and other supporting activities very difficult to implement
Overall:	Tend to be entrepreneurs and owners or significant stakeholders. Can be great for the organisation’s profile.  But often there’s no structure or depth to the PR

The Recluse CEO

Refuses to engage with media, or does it under duress only when there is no option.

Plus:	Very little - in today’s environment an organisation needs its CEO to engage
	Can be circumvented (to an extent) by having a company spokesman and a supporting PR program.  But without a participating CEO it is diluted
Minus:	Really makes it difficult for the organisation to fill modern day requirements
	Often ensures less media coverage (especially when competitor CEO’s speak)
	Can have a bad impact on staff morale and make meaningful PR and stakeholder engagement difficult
Overall:	Often have a finance background or multi-nationals on assignment. If he/she is respected in their own right and have a good corporate PR operation behind them (or a good spokesperson with strong media links) any weaknesses can be overcome
	Or alternatively, find another senior spokesperson (eg: in a multinational an Australian who will be here for more than three years)

The Career Company Spokesperson   

Is typically a career company manager who is given public affairs/public relations as a pre-retirement role or because they present or speak well or have worked in a diversity of roles and know the company very well.

Plus:	Is usually very knowledgeable about the company and has the confidence of those internally and knows how to play the politics of the organisation
	Often runs a competent PR/public affairs unit which is administratively sound and does what the company expects
	Is very good at protecting the company from controversy
	Can be absolutely relied upon by the company to never embarrass it
Minus:	Tends, because of company history and lack of knowledge of media, to see his/her prime role to be defensive ie keep the organisation out of the media
	Often not mindful of media deadlines etc so can frustrate media
	Because of lack of media knowledge, is inherently distrustful of media and so doesn’t build relations with, or earn the confidence of, media
	Media often avoid him/her because they know they will seldom get ‘news’
Overall:	Works well in organisations that are inherently conservative and want to be ‘low key’.  By the organisation’s standards he/she often does a great job because is seen to be protecting the company from media scrutiny. Often benefits from having an external agency with a strong media bias to complement so that the ‘good news’ also gets out

The Specialist Media Spokesperson  

Is often a journalist or media personality who is recruited to be the ‘mouth’ of the organisation.  Usually is part of the public relations team under the control of the PR or Corporate Affairs Director.

Plus:	Brings media expertise, knowledge and contacts to organisations that are constantly in the public eye with obligations to be media accessible and friendly all the time
	Knows how to deal with media, deliver messages and for radio can present a good ‘voice’
	Favoured by daily reporters who need to file a story with comments
	Is an efficient way to handle daily ‘low level’ announcements
Minus:	Usually are truly only a ‘spokesperson’ - he/she will have little idea of wider PR or the company
	Often only capable of handling routine media enquires or comment on today’s media release
	At the end of the day their roots are in media, so if the chips are down they may not defend the organisation to the extent that senior management might like. In fact they could leave over an ‘issue of principle’
Overall:	Essentially, they are simply a mercenary - hired from the media to deal with the media. They are the voice of the organisation and behind them there needs to be a comprehensive PR structure that does the strategy, planning and wider stakeholder communication

Of course, all of these are generalisations - and there are variations on each of the above characterisations. And there is no right or wrong.

What works for one organisation may not for another. The challenge is to find a balance - that works.

In a large organisation the players normally include:

• The CEO and/or senior management
• The PR or Corporate Affairs Director
• The company spokesperson
• The PR Department
• The PR agency

The key is to realise that the spokesperson should normally only be one part of a team. This article is about realising the strengths and weaknesses of the spokesperson approach your organisation takes. And then recognising the need to complement this so that the overall PR/communication for the organisation is effectively delivering the messages you want.

Note:  The author of this article is a senior Sydney-based independent corporate PR consultant who advises, coaches and mentors PR Managers and undertakes PR audits of PR Department structures and programs as well as helping toreview and select PR agencies. In addition he also provides specialist corporate PR and communications advice where issue or change are impacting on an organisation. He also blogs regularly on PR and communications topics similar to those in this article.