By Jerry Doyle
It's TiVo nation! The U.S. consumer has multiple choices of where and when to find news and information, and they can scan, zap and skip to the parts they want to see, read or
listen to like never before. Organizations, including news media (both professional and "citizen journalists"), now have simpler and more sophisticated ways of distributing
information.
Whether it is RSS, wiki, webcasting, podcasting or blogs, information is flying out to audiences at the speed of light, and it is incumbent upon all communicators to be aware
and utilize it to your and your clients' advantage.
So, now more than ever, these innovations are important from a Media Preparedness/Messaging POV. Here are three ways all communication professionals can use the latest
innovations.
Complete the Story
How often have you felt that an article in a traditional news medium - like a mainstream daily - offered an incomplete portrayal of the story or the individual? After all
you've done to provide background and press materials (including the preparation of your messages and the spokesperson and the booking of the interviews), you and/or the client
find the resulting article is unfinished or unflattering? What recourse do you have? Until recently, there wasn't much other than the letter to the editor.
But today, there are online communities of targeted, interested parties where you can post the "whole story." You can establish or re-establish context and explain in more
detail your point of view. If possible, this option should be exercised every time you or your client is featured or quoted in a story - not just when you were portrayed
negatively or you're in the throws of a crisis. Never miss a chance to underscore or elaborate on a message. But, of course, when in crisis or managing an issue, strategically
participating in a blog (or running one) or, more directly, in your Web site can help you restore calm and confidence with your constituents.
Unbury the Corrections
When a publication owns up to a mistake, where do they post it? On the front page? In a full-color supplement? In large, all-capital font? No, of course not. These
corrections are buried in the publication on the bottom of the page, often in smaller print. This will hardly undo the damage done the day or days before.
If it is a big enough error, many communication professionals counsel their clients to submit an op/ed to address it. But, what if the letter doesn't get published? Or, what
if the correction, while important, does not rise to the level of calling in those critical media favors to get the op/ed published?
In either case, use a blog or the press section of your Web site to "unbury" the correction. Then, take that opportunity to provide your side of the story and add in a
positive message to boot.
Open the Executive "Door"
Remember the old "Open Door Policy" that so many companies claimed to have? The idea behind it was that any employee had access to the CEO and upper management to express
grievances, make suggestions, air complaints or to simply get straightforward answers from the top. For a variety of reasons, this is a difficult promise to keep. For the most
part, managements' hearts are in the right place, but it is a logistical nightmare.
With today's technology, the corporate communications team can bring back the open door policy through a blog or online bulletin boards and can more efficiently respond to
employees. This works even for the far-flung employees around the country and the globe. Other tactics include internal webinars and chat rooms. Options include allow
employees, customers, vendors and stakeholders to post questions and comments.
And, for public companies you can even extend this to shareholders, investors and the media.
Live meetings, conferences, webcasts and teleconferences have all been around. The difference is that the blog route allows for a much more controlled atmosphere, and you can
provide thoughtful, researched responses. How many times has a CEO complained that he wished he could provide the detail that his constituents want? But, understandably, he will
not have everything at his fingertips when asked a question during a live forum.
Blogs can help put the humanity back into the C-suite and allow for complete and useful answers and solutions for employees and stakeholders alike. There are many ways to use
these innovations, but from a message crafting and distribution standpoint, these are a critical few.
Contact: Jerry Doyle is executive vice president at CommCore Consulting Group, an executive spokesmen coaching firm with offices in New York and Washington, D.C. He can be
reached at 212.468.4309, [email protected].