27 July 2011
When a crisis hits, many companies quickly mobilize a communications team to get out their message. But they’d be better off having a communications team working year-round, if they really want to build credibility.
Erich de la Fuente, chief executive officer of Miami-based EDF Communications, discussed the importance of communications at WorldCity’s CEO Club on July 8 in a wide-ranging session that touched everything from preparing for a TV interview to managing social media.
Too often, companies neglect communications until they face an accident, lawsuit or other problem. By then, it may be too late to develop a coherent message or build relations with the media.
“Without a communications strategy, your business won’t reach its potential,” said the Cuba-born executive, whose firm has worked in countries as varied as Rwanda, Ukraine and Colombia.
To develop a communications strategy, it’s essential to know what your company stands for. Define three or four key messages, and focus on them in your communications over and over, he said.
As with sales, know and segment your audience. Decide who you want to reach inside and outside the company. Target what you say to them by age group, geography, type of media and other factors. Finally measure the effectiveness of your communication to make sure the message is understood, he said.
In meeting with the press, executives need to prepare. Communications staff can help them understand, for example, that a reporter may be seeking financial specifics or wants an industry outlook. They also can help executives practice interviews to make sure their message is clear and consistent.
“One of the biggest misperceptions is that ‘the media is out to get me,’” de la Fuente said, noting most media just want information and executives can shape the discussion too. “And nobody is a natural in front of a camera. People who seem like a natural have been trained and trained and trained.”
Vital to any strategy is internal communication with employees. Workers who can say what a company does, and what it stands for can be ambassadors. Keeping employees informed also boosts morale. In contrast, employees left in the dark may speak negatively of a company and hurting its image,
he said.
What are some best practices to keep employees informed?, asked Susan Greene, marketing director at Becker & Poliakoff law firm based in Fort Lauderdale.
With today’s Internet technology, teleconferences work well, de la Fuente said. One multinational has a monthly “tele-coffee” with its president, where employees who excel get to meet and ask questions of the big boss via Internet. Workers may be in Peru and the president in New York, but they share.
Blogs with video a good addition can also help spread the word. And of course, there’s nothing like face-to-face meetings. It pays when a top exec visits an overseas office and hosts a town-hall session, he said.
“It’s important that the communication be two-way,” de la Fuente added. Executives need to know: “Are people understanding what I’m saying?”
But how do you stay relevant to today’s youth who often think that executives, like politicians, are simply giving them “spin?”, asked Kjell de Orr, chief executive officer of polling and market research company Ibope Zogby.
Offer concrete examples, de la Fuente suggested. Find third-party endorsements that validate your point. And reserve the CEO to speak only on certain occasions.
“If the CEO talks all the time, you become just the spokesman,” said le Fuente.
Reaching today’s youth means mastering digital and social media. They are the first generation “to actually form a global community,” thanks to the penetration of the Internet, said Tom Shea, managing principal for Florida and the Caribbean for Right Management Consultants.
That means investing resources too, said Ibope’s de Orr. It’s not enough to start a Facebook page. A company needs people to update and monitor it and communicate appropriately, said de Orr.The message on Facebook or Twitter, as with all media, needs to stay consistent and sincere. If talk abounds about your losses, for example, say what you’re doing to address them, said de la Fuente.
“The minute you get caught in a lie, you lose credibility,” said de la Fuente. “And communications is all about credibility.”
The CEO Club is one of seven event series organized by WorldCity to bring together executives on international business topics. The CEO series is sponsored by the University of Miami School of Business Administration and law firm Becker & Poliakoff. The next session is set for Sept. 9.