The Communicator

Have communicators completely consigned their spelling skills to Microsoft and Apple? All too often these days, I find myself the recipient of emails rife with glaring spelling mistakes or sporting a completely out of place word. 

I’ll be the first to admit that I am often schooled by Professors Gates, Jobs et al., particularly when I’m short on time or enjoying the blessings of an (all too infrequent) brainwave. But rather than blindly right clicking and accepting the first offering that the magical red wavy line suggests, I always try to take the time to see my mistakes and learn from them. 

An even worse scourge, however, is the ever-helpful ‘auto-correct function’. This little gem has been responsible for frequent careless and often embarrassing mistakes around the office. I myself have been guilty of blaming the looming ‘pubic health crisis’ for many of society’s woes. 

Here’s the problem: as professional communicators, a basic command of spelling and grammar is a must. A disregard for spelling – and in fact for editing – only erodes your credibility as a communicator. Sure, your friends and family will forgive you the occasional mistake or misplaced word, but at the office, few will give you the benefit of the doubt. In the corporate world, spelling mistakes are indicative of two types of people: those who believe themselves to be too busy for ‘quality control’, and those that simply can’t spell. Communicators should fall into neither camp. 

Regular readers will know that I always like to provide a selection of actionable and practical advice for the challenges I raise. In this case, however, there really is only one solution: Always make the time to read what you have written. And while the importance of rereading your work should not diminish based on the length of the piece or the audience for which it is intended, communicators who have just pounded out a 30-page dissertation (or a short yet crucial quote from your CEO), will want to make sure they walk away from their drafts and return to re-read them with fresh eyes. And it’s never a bad idea to get a colleague to take a look over projects you have been staring at for a while. 

At the end of the day, communicators that do not take this simple but critical step may suddenly wake up to find that they have lost both their ability to spell and their credibility around the office. 

(Editor’s note: those with dubious sensitivities will roar in laughter at some of the ‘autocorrect’ horror stories found at http://damnyouautocorrect.com/. You may want to close your office door.) 

Looking for a professional communicator that understands the importance of good grammar and quality control? Contact Peter at Peter@CommunicationsUnlimited.ca.

Communicators tend to think of our profession as an ‘art’ rather than a science. Not only does it add a certain mystique at dinner parties, but it also provides an excellent excuse when our work doesn’t meet expectations.

But the truth is that communications is a business service, much like IT or finance. As a function, we don’t generate direct revenue and are not (usually) core to the business. To make matters worse, our impact is largely unquantifiable, leaving many business leaders wondering what exactly we do with their budgets each year.

In response, some professional communicators have started to create and formalize Service Level Agreements (SLAs) that clearly define where their function adds value and what services they provide, while at the same time setting expectations around timelines and metrics.

Two levels of SLAs are usually required for communications functions to be successful. First and foremost, an overall departmental SLA should be designed and formalized throughout the organization to outline the intended scope of the communications department. The second level requires template SLAs to be created for each service the department delivers (for example, one could expect SLAs for media relations, web content, speech writing, event planning, etc.).

So what elements are important for an effective communications SLA? Here are five key sections that every SLA should include:

Definition of service: Be specific about exactly what is included in the service and what isn’t. Business leaders often expect every project to get ‘the works’, so it is important to be clear about the scope of services. And while it may seem obvious, always make sure that your team has the capability (or budget) to successfully deliver on the promised level of service.

Timelines and milestones: Possibly one of the most critical components of any SLA, timelines both provide a roadmap that clients can use to measure progress, and also enable communicators to set a reasonable pace for their projects. Keep in mind that it is just as important to set expectations around the length of time required to produce professional results as it is to meet those expectations, so be smart about what you can achieve.

Roles and responsibilities: Many projects meet with bottlenecks because key players in the process were unaware of their responsibilities. Take time to define exactly what role each party will play and, where there may be doubt, what those responsibilities entail. Clients also have a part to play (particularly in review and approval functions), so be clear about what will be expected of them – and in what capacity.

Budget and resource allocation: Left undefined, this is one of those areas that has the potential to derail projects in mid-stream. More than a simple budget approval formality, this section identifies all of the possible costs and resource needs that may come up while specifying how those needs will be met… and from whose budget.

Metrics and measurement: As we’ve discussed in a recent article, metrics don’t always have to be based on ‘return on investment’ to be measurable. Use this area to define what ‘success’ is to a project and on what terms. When creating template SLAs, it may be preferential to outline how metrics will be created, rather than setting out specific goals and targets.

Implemented properly, most professional communicators and department leaders will find that SLAs provide much needed structure around the services that we provide, and take great strides towards clearly demonstrating the value that we deliver.

Need help reducing your workload? Contact Peter at Peter@CommunicationsUnlimited.ca.

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Look out, professional communicators! Researchers at Stanford University believe they have created a program that can detect if your executives are lying. 

According to The Economist (How to tell when your boss is lying, August 19, 2010), researchers fed more than 30,000 transcripts into a computer and came up with a list of phrases and speech patterns that – in their view – implicate an executive in deceit. 

For professional communicators and executive speech writers, the study provides some insightful commentary on word choice and presentation skills, such as: 

• Using exceedingly positive words – researchers found that deceitful CEOs were more likely to use words such as ‘fantastic’ instead of ‘good’, which pointed to a need to whitewash the facts with exuberance.
• Over preparation – a complete lack of hesitation (denoted by the use of ‘um’ or ‘er’) during a presentation insinuates over-preparation and excessive rehearsals, which (the researchers believe) points to a cover-up.
• Excessive use of third party endorsements – while third party endorsements are usually a great communications tool, their excessive use can certainly be portrayed as a ‘cover your ass’ strategy.
• Swearing – this one is a no-brainer (which – in this case – means that no executive with half a brain should ever swear – or condone swearing – on a public conference call). Using swear words in inappropriate situations is always an indicator of stress. 

While there are a number of things for PR professionals to learn from this study, it should also be taken with a grain of salt. One serious flaw is that the researchers assume that all of the words spoken by the CEO were – in fact – written by the CEO. 

Readers of this blog know differently.

Need help with executive communications? Contact Peter at Peter@CommunicationsUnlimited.ca.

Summer has finally arrived. But if you were expecting some much needed R&R… think again. 

For professional communicators, The Dog Days of Summer represent the best (and often only) opportunity to focus on the fundamentals. As executive teams start to shift their thoughts from goals to golf, many communicators take advantage of the relative ‘down time’ of the summer to prepare for the business year ahead. 

Not sure where to start? Here are five areas that should be a priority for any communications team this summer: 

1. Clean up your website: All too often throughout the year, press releases, feature stories and news items are rushed onto organizational websites in an ad-hock fashion to meet an immediate need or crisis – sometimes with little regard to strategy or process. The quiet summer months provide an ideal opportunity to bring some much-needed focus and discipline back to your website(s).
2. Update your brochures: With long review and approval cycles, multiple stakeholders and complex production schedules, updating your corporate collateral can be a time consuming business. While the summer season won’t necessarily speed up the process, you will find that key stakeholders (Finance, HR, Operations, etc.) are much more open to participating in these types of projects when their plates are less full. 
3. Media train your executives: The worst time to media train an executive is in the middle of a crisis. To be effective, proper media training starts in a relaxed environment, free from distractions and competing priorities. Many executives benefit from group training sessions, which are also much easier to coordinate over the summer.
4. Prepare for issues: While most issues are – by nature – unexpected, there are several ways that communicators can use the summer to prepare for the unknown. Standby statements, draft Q&As and position backgrounders are great ways to get ahead of a crisis, and the summer provides the perfect timing to conduct table-top exercises to ‘stress-test’ your crisis manuals.  
5. Build relationships: Never underestimate the intrinsic value of a strong working relationship. Take some time this summer to build valuable relationships with your colleagues, peers and suppliers, as well as any key opinion leaders in your industry (media, bloggers, industry gurus, etc.). Besides, it’s a great time of year for a few drinks on a patio! 

Above all, take advantage of the comparative calm to take a vacation, long-weekend or afternoon off, and remember that achieving work-life balance is (or should be) just as important as achieving your business objectives. 

Looking to get ahead of your communications strategies this summer? Contact Peter at Peter@CommunicationsUnlimited.ca  to see how we can help you make the most of the summer months. 

   Rebranding is an expensive and complex business. 

Even with the guidance of a specialized branding agency, success can never be guaranteed. That’s because rebranding requires a fundamental change within an organization that transcends logos and slogans. And while some of that change can be forced through advertising and desk drops, ultimately the success of the initiative will depend on how effectively the rebranding is communicated to your various audiences.  

So – from a communicator who has helped a number of organizations get real value from their rebranding – here are a few tips for those communications professionals who might be considering (or be in the throes of) a rebranding:  

Use your people: Employee reaction to rebranding can take many forms. Some become evangelists for the new brand, while others lament the loss of the old brand. The goal should be to engage your employees in the process wherever possible and convert nay-sayers into Brand Ambassadors. Consistent, transparent and engaging internal communications needs to start long before brand launch to achieve a high level of employee engagement.   

Set the rules: One of the more critical aspects of rebranding is to ensure that the new brand identity and standards are applied consistently and appropriately by your staff and suppliers. Beyond the Visual Identity Standards commonly provided by most branding agencies, a robust set of brand guidelines, resources and approval processes are required to properly manage the brand as an asset.  

Be the brand: Branding is about more than flashy logos and new websites. Executed properly, it encompasses a new tone of voice, brand promise and values – characteristics that simply can’t be communicated through graphics alone. While reflowing existing content into the new ‘look and feel’ might seem easy, it’s a dangerous cop-out. Unless you want all your efforts to be nothing more than an expensive facelift, you need to rewrite your brochures, websites, profiles and factsheets to really embody the new brand. 

Get some press: Rebranding offers lots of great opportunities to both strengthen existing media relationships and start up new ones. Make sure to take the opportunity to communicate the new brand to your industry and trade publication contacts, but don’t underestimate the benefits of targeting advertising, branding and marketing publications as well. Good press is good press, and the positive kudos from the profession may reinforce your executives’ will power. It’s also a great time to contact mainstream media to ‘reintroduce’ yourselves and your company. 

Harness social networks: This is a must for any rebranding initiative. More than just updating your company’s LinkedIn and Facebook profiles, social networking can be an inexpensive and highly effective way to build hype about your new brand and solicit valuable feedback from your customers and the general public. As with all great social networking strategies, be sure to use your employee and supplier networks to spread the good news.   

Possibly the biggest challenge for most professional communicators may come from trying to juggle the responsibilities of supporting a new brand launch while still managing the day-to-day communications needs of the business. That said, if your resources are stretched too thin, there are always a few freelance communicators with the right experience to make your rebranding a success.

Professional communicators should be paying attention to the simmering content ownership battle between Rupert Murdoch and free online content providers. It could end up being the self-inflicted wound that kills traditional media.

If Murdoch is ultimately successful in cutting out free online media syndicators like Google, Microsoft and Ask.com, pundits predict an immediate 25% drop in overall readership. For professional communicators who base their media lists on hits and circulation, this kind of change could push once-venerable publications off the radar entirely.

In truth, the content wars will only accelerate the inevitable. Most communicators saw the writing on the wall years ago, and quickly readjusted their media lists to accommodate new media commentators who offered further reach and more influence than their stalwart daily counterparts.

Regardless of how the battle ends, the ensuing propaganda and inevitable fallout sends a number of clear messages to professional communicators:

Prioritize for accessibility: When building your media lists and outreach plans, factor in the accessibility of a publication as well as the reach and reputation. Consider conducting a media audit to understand who the real media players are in your market and what biases they may have.

Educate your executives: Remember that the world has changed quickly, and some of your senior executives may not agree that their faithful daily is on life support. Start the education process now by taking away their company-expensed subscriptions and replacing them with an online version.

Be the media: As the traditional sources of reliable information begin to fade, professional communicators have an opportunity to fill the void and provide the public with alternate sources of information. Be very careful, though, not to try to pass off marketing propaganda as hard news. The public can be quick to recognize and expose self-serving agendas.

Broaden your outreach: There may still be a place for the traditional desk-side briefing or media tour, but chances are your newest key influencer lives on a farm in rural Wisconsin or in a Bangladeshi apartment complex. Some innovative communicators are seeing a lot of success using social media sites and tools to conduct real-time ‘face-to-face’ briefings over the internet.

At the end of the day, Mr. Murdoch will soon realize that his real problem isn’t the free content providers at all. It’s that people simply don’t want to pay for their news anymore.

Content ownership wars – the communications fallout is one of our Top Ten Communications Issues for 2010. Next week we’ll look at issue #6: Taking Corporate Reputation off life support