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Stick To Your Messaging, But Don't Sound Like a Politician

With the GOP primary season in full swing, candidates are crisscrossing the early-primary states to introduce themselves to voters. Their movements are highly strategic and their words constantly scrutinized. One memorable misstep or slip of the tongue can effectively end a campaign. (Remember Howard Dean’s scream and Christine O’Donnell’s attempts to persuade people she’s not a witch?)

Politicians understand the importance of strong messaging. Extensive research helps them decide the best way to frame their position on certain issues. Sticking to the pre-determined messaging helps them put forth a consistent brand image and reinforce their beliefs and political personality in the minds of voters.

But sometimes politicians (and other spokespeople) go too far in sticking to their set talking points and forget to be spontaneous and conversational.

Recently, CNN’s Don Lemon criticized Michele Bachmann for her robot-like repetition of talking points and praised Sarah Palin for her openness and authentic tone with reporters. Shocking, right?

Sarah Palin is usually not credited for her media acumen or eloquent speech, but she definitely excels at appearing genuine, even though it sometimes backfires.

Successful spokespeople must combine Bachmann’s commitment to messaging with Palin’s candor. A simple tactic is to give short answers. Short answers are also much easier for reporters to use in their stories, whatever the medium.

Sometimes people get nervous in interviews and try to sound smart. These attempts often backfire and lead to long and confusing quotes that are impossible for a reporter to repurpose. Help them help you by keeping your answers short and to the point. Reporters think in terms of sound bytes, and so should you.

Although speaking to the media can be intimidating, if you know your message, keep it conversational and expect the unexpected, you will do well.

Deep-Diving to Become a Subject-Matter Expert

I recently got the pleasure of working with a new account in a space that was relatively new to me. When we met with their executives to review the PR Proposal, to determine if we would be their agency of choice, their CEO expressed some hesitation in our not being able to really understand the space. I love a 'vertical learning curve,' so I took this as a personal challenge, as I have worked in many industries, and have quickly become a subject-matter expert in a new field.

Here are some things you can do to become a subject matter expert in a short period of time:

• "Memorize" the company website- click on anything that is click-able. Review all news, press releases, presentations, case studies, etc.
• Get engaged in their social media sites, like Facebook and Twitter
• Do a Google search on the company and keywords applicable to the subject/space, and see if there is anything that wasn't covered on their page
• Do keyword searches on relevant keywords (i.e., re-targeting), to find out competitors, publications covering the space, and editors/journalists that are covering them
• Do keyword searches (i.e., re-targeting) on sites like YouTube and SlideShare, to see videos and presentations, to better understand the space and technology
• Research the competition- find out similarities and differences in the major competitors
• Set up Google alerts on the keywords and companies, to stay abreast of any updates & changes
• Find out who the thought leaders are in the space, and follow them on blogs, twitter, Facebook, and Google+
• Sign up for newsletters that are dedicated to the subject matter
  

With the internet and social media, we literally have the world at our fingertips.

Being continually open to learning is one of the secrets to staying young. Embrace every opportunity to learn a new field or subject, and become proficient enough to be able to contribute thought leadership in the area. Learn, then pass it along, so that others may benefit from your learning.

It's Tuesday Night, Is Your TV on HGTV or ESPN?

In my household, like in every home, my spouse and I often debate which channel we are going to keep our television fixed on. She prefers channels like HGTV, Food Network, and any program that features Leonardo DiCaprio or Joseph Gordon-Levitt. I would be pe rfectly content if our television were stuck on ESPN, TBS, and USA year-round (unless it were Shark Week of course). The reasoning behind this is simple:

I like to watch sports, comedies, and crime dramas. My wife wants to see home decorating, cooking, and dreamy men with superb acting skills.

Choosing the right program while channel surfing can be the difference between watching Gordon Hayward throw down a white man dunk and sleeping through Paula Deen dunking a white chicken breast in three sticks of melted butter.

For public relations strategists, a channel is the media method by which you are planning to communicate your message. It could be a newspaper article, a radio interview, blog post, or even a tweet.

In public relations, choosing the right channel is even more critical than in watching television. It can be the difference between creating a social media mob and retaining large numbers of customers.

Back track with me to last month when Netflix announced a 60 percent increase to the price of their DVD rental/streaming package. For some people this was a “where were you when…” moment. If you Netflix customers can think back, how did you first hear about the price hike?

a. Facebook/Twitter
b. Netflix blog
c. An email from Netflix
d. Word on the street
e. None of the above

Netflix used two communications channels to deliver the message of the price hike to their key public: a blog post and an email.

Most customers received the email after they had heard about the increase somewhere else or they didn’t receive it at all. While the blog post now has over 12,000 comments, I’d be willing to bet most people were linked to it from a social media site with a status along the lines of: “Those jerks at Netflix are punching kittens in the face.”

If you choose the right channel you can control your message. The email wasn’t a bad idea, but it was a day late and a dollar short. The blog on the other hand was a terrible channel because it allowed the media and social media mobs to control the story. A very small percentage of customers read it and Netflix fails to reach their entire key public through it. Those that did see it ran with the story.

I’m not going to say that there is a perfect solution to keep people happy when executing a price hike. But, when delivering the bad news it’s best to control your message from the start instead of letting others do it for you. Always be first, factual, and forthcoming.

When it comes right down to it Netflix had the chance to control their message by choosing a more direct channel to communicate the situation to their key public. Instead of seizing that opportunity they showed HGTV to the ESPN crowd.

I Don't Have to Like You, I Just Have to Be Nice

Several years ago my brother-in-law made an interesting comment about a potential new in-law. His comment rang very true in the context of the family setting we were in, but I believe it makes as much sense and is as applicable to a work environment as well.

He said, “Just because my sister marries somebody doesn’t mean I have to like that person. I do however have to be nice and find a way to get along.” He continued by saying, “If we become friends and like each other and choose to socialize together then that’s just an added bonus.”

As I said, he was referring to a family scenario, but I believe the same concept can be applied to a work relationship. We may not always have a choice or a say in who we work with, but we do need to find a way to get along.

I’m a huge sports fan and have always loved basketball, especially the NBA. One of my all-time favorite players is Larry Bird. I loved the way he played and how hard he worked to make the most of his abilities. During the ‘80s I always rooted for Bird’s Celtics, as they seemed to face the Los Angeles Lakers every year for the NBA Championship.

I was young at the time but felt the Lakers always had the better talent but that Bird and his Celtics played better as a team, which enabled them to win three championships in the ‘80s. Little did I know that Bird and Kevin McHale didn’t care much for either. Bird was driven, highly competitive and practiced his craft relentlessly. McHale was laid back, working hard during the season but rarely touching a basketball during the offseason.

The differences in personalities caused some friction and tension in the locker room, but in Peter May’s Book entitled The Big Three, the author quotes McHale after one of many disagreements with Bird as saying, “I’ve only developed a few tight, long-lasting relationships in basketball with people I’ve played with, and I don’t know why that is. Danny (Ainge), Jerry (Sichting), Bill (Walton). And there were guys I loved playing with. You work in the office with people, but does that mean you have to invite them over every weekend? But one of the things I can say about Larry and Robert is that we never had an argument that lasted. And if we ever yelled at one another, it was all over the next day. Nothing ever lasted.”

This quote reminds me of my brother-in-laws quote I referenced earlier.

The third member of Boston’s Big Three was Center Robert Parrish. Parrish managed to stay fairly neutral in the Bird-McHale rift. His only concern was winning. Indeed all three were focused on winning despite their personal feelings for each other.

Individually they all enjoyed success. Bird was the biggest star of the three, averaging 24.3 points and 10 rebounds a game over his career. He was a Rookie of the Year, three-time NBA MVP, scored more than 21,000 points, was a 10-time NBA All-Star, a member of the first Olympic Dream team and gold medal winner, and a 1998 Hall-of-Fame inductee.

Kevin McHale averaged more than 17 points and 7 rebounds a game over 12 NBA seasons. He was a seven-time NBA All-Star and a 1999 Hall-of-Fame inductee.

Robert Parrish played 20 NBA seasons averaging more than 14 points and 9 rebounds a game. He was a nine-time NBA All-Star and a 2003 Hall-of-Fame inductee.

All very impressive, however, despite not getting along personally, the three were able to put their differences aside while on the court and together won three NBA Championships, made 42 playoff appearances and scored more than 62,000 points collectively.

Think what your teams could accomplish if they could follow this example and put differences aside. Too often people focus on personal problems and allow those issues to cloud judgment and get in the way of achieving ultimate success. If you take the approach that just because you work together doesn’t mean you have to like each other and focus on taking care of business you’ll find that you can achieve great things regardless of personal feelings for one another.