Money may not grow on trees, but PR advice sure does. A slew of titles focusing on PR and communications hit the bookstores recently, with enough (communications) bullet points
to make Al Capone wince. It's a pretty ripe market, what with corporate America still spooked by corporate scandals and senior executives, including PR directors, trying to figure
out how to avoid the pitfalls and build better ties with their constituents. Below are thumbnail reviews of three recent books that, each in their own way, should be required
reading for PR pros.
"Media Training 101: A Guide to Meeting the Press" by Sally Stewart (John Wiley & Sons, 2004; $24.95)
Stewart, a former news reporter for USA Today, who now heads her own consulting group, takes readers through every step in developing and cultivating relationships with the
media. She begins with understanding how journalists think and behave and goes on to offer best practices on interviewing techniques, crisis communications, creating a killer
press kit and even what not to say to a reporter. Written in a brief, breezy style, the book - chock-full of real-world examples on dealing with the media -- includes a delicious
chapter titled "Lethal Mistakes: The Dirty Dozen," focusing on how to communicate your message to the media without getting tripped up. Each chapter includes helpful "Key Points"
and "Homework" sections if, like many PR pros these days, you're operating on the fly but could still use a scratch sheet on navigating the media.
"The Transparency Edge: How Credibility Can Make or Break You in Business" by Barbara Pagano and Elizabeth Pagano (McGraw-Hill Books, 2004; $19.95)
Corporate consulting guru Pagano and her daughter, Elizabeth, backed by exclusive research of thousands of executives at Fortune 500 companies, provide a comprehensive guide to
attaining corporate transparency. In the chapter titled "Be Overwhelmingly Honest," the Paganos provide some stats that'll make your head spin. For instance, in a survey of 40,000
people, 93% admitted to lying "regularly and habitually" in the workplace and among 12,750 workers only 63% felt their companies conducted business with honesty and integrity. For
a cold-eyed look at honesty in the workplace, the book offers managers various tests with one column asking for a scale on how the manager thinks (s)he is doing while the other
column asks what others might think. It's the PR equivalent of taking a hard look in the mirror and realizing that others don't see you the way you necessarily see yourself when
it comes to effective communications.
"Trust or Consequences: Build Trust Today or Lose Your Market Tomorrow," by Al Golin (The American Management Association, 2004: $24.00)
Golin, founder and chairman of Chicago-based Golin/Harris International, bemoans the (latest) erosion in corporate trust stemming from a string of corporate scandals a la
Enron, Worldcom, Tyco, and on down the line. Golin's remedy? Create a trust bank, in which a company can make deposits of good will to draw on as needed. Sprinkling the book with
quotes ranging from Samuel Johnson to George Bernard Shaw - all applied to best practices in communications - Golin offers a series of strategies that companies can adopt to
regain or rebuild trust with their various stakeholders. He includes tips on how to respond to crises and develop positive relationships with the media. Golin often points to
"trust strategies" he has used on behalf of such mega clients as Walt Disney and McDonald's and how such tactics can apply to your company. The back of the book has the results of
a comprehensive Golin/Harris Trust Survey showing that corporate America business has many rivers to cross before it can win back consumers. To wit: 40% of respondents say they
trust business less than they did a year ago compared with 10% who say they trust business more than they did in 2002.