Corporate America: You Need to Communicate Better!

Consider that work environment and culture are mostly influenced by immediate managers or leaders, and that leaders who fail to establish trustworthy communications are directly responsible for employee dissatisfaction and higher economic costs to the organization. No wonder CEOs are concerned with talent retention and leadership development!

Completing business objectives in the present stagnating economy presents considerable challenges to managers. The answer is a clear game plan that includes consistent, frequent and open dialogue.

Identifying barriers to communication

I’ve heard the following platitudes from managers who denigrate communications. Typically, these managers are also sidestepping other job responsibilities as well:

·         Excuse No. 1: It’s not my job.

·         Excuse No. 2: Employees just need to do what I tell them to do.

·         Excuse No. 3: Even though I’m moving at mach speed and I’ve chosen to ignore your emails and voicemails, it’s your fault you didn’t get my attention until the situation is almost unrecoverable.

Communications solutions

First, if manager is in your title, then communicating is your job. How often you communicate with your team and whether your key messages are consistent and logical to your direct reports have a dramatic impact on employee engagement. In a 2011 Buck Consultant survey, poor leadership and individual supervisors were top reasons cited for a decrease in employee engagement, 48 percent and 41 percent respectively. Corporate America needs managers who understand the concept of two-way communications and who practice and execute this consistently.

Second, a common management mantra today is that employees just need to do what the manager tells them to do. Adopting this strategy is certainly easier and less time-consuming. But if employees never see the “big picture,” then they’ll never understand how their work contributes to the greater mission or goal of the team | project | department | organization.

Corporate America needs managers who understand – and value – the concept of individual communication. What issues or projects do your direct reports want discussed openly? And what information do they need to be more effective in their jobs? I posit that many managers could actually build and head innovative teams if they regularly allowed direct reports to brain storm solutions.

Third, managers today say they’ve established an open-door policy for employees to address issues, but the key to an open-door policy is whether the manager actively listens. Active listening means that you hear the message vs. framing your response. Consider this: If an employee delivers negative news, what is the manager’s first response? Is the game plan to point fingers and blame the employee for [fill in the blank here]? Not hearing a direct report is a sure-fire way to lose top talent. And blaming that direct report for a manager’s listening deficit communicates clearly to an employee his or her value – or lack thereof.

Corporate America today needs managers who take the time to develop active listening skills and who understand that their response to a direct employee should not be blame. Not all projects go right all the time. How a manager communicates in those unfortunate moments can either build a team or disintegrate an employee.

Other communication barriers exist today for corporate managers. In your experience, what are these, and what solutions have managers successfully implemented  in your organization?

Five Laws of Trust for Communicators

As a communications or public relations professional, you’ll work with a plethora of other professionals: stakeholders, subject matter experts, journalists, bloggers, employees at every level of an organization and other communications colleagues.

Key to ensuring your work is solid is to form a good working relationship, one that establishes trust and credibility. This is, I realize, easier said than done. Still, by committing to these five basic essentials throughout your career, you’ll  find that others will begin to build confidence in you.

1. Say what you’ll do, and do what you say. This is particularly important in working with others who do not know you or your work. If you say you’ll deliver a story or a PR plan, or return a phone call, do it – and do it when you say you’ll do it. Understanding that in today’s world, communications doesn’t stop just because you got slammed with five other tasks will make you empathetic to others’ needs. Be credible!

2.  Tactfulness still goes a long way. When working on any particular project, remember that you’ll likely encounter multiple viewpoints. How you communicate details, particularly when referring to issues or delicate matters, can be a very important component. So, be sure you say these things as tactfully as possible. (Note: There is a time for laying it out there, but this wouldn’t be considered normal practice!)

3.  Know when to ditch your desk. I know, I know. Your life blood is tied to your laptop, which sits neatly on your desk. Remember, it’s a laptop, which means it – and you – can travel. Learn to discern when that’s necessary. Do you need five minutes of face time vs. a phone call or email? Or, do you need to catch a flight to that satellite office and spend a day with stakeholders in another city? I’ve tromped through airplane maintenance hangars and along railroad tracks to ensure I “get it” and that stakeholders I’m working with know that I am interested in and value their efforts. Rolling up your sleeves and seeing what others deal with on a daily basis will always give you insight. In the end, this results in clearer communications, which helps engender confidence in you and your work.

4.  Share your expertise. Being current on your company means you must be current on your company’s industry. Scanning the environment and recognizing industry trends not only helps you do your job better but also puts you in a position to provide story ideas to colleagues or meaty content to journos and bloggers. Being helpful to others, especially when that help is not requested, will carve a special place for you in the landscape. And add to your trust quotient. 

5. Be a careful listener. People love to share their stories. If you’re in communications, you probably thrive on hearing those stories and putting them to good use. Getting someone’s story or request wrong, though, is a sure-fire way to erode credibility. Be sure you listen well to others and respond appropriately.

These are among my top five must-dos but by no means all the things a communicator can do to build confidence. What habits have you formed to ensure your own trustworthiness?  What’s the most important thing you can do, or have done, to build trust?

Know thy objective

I recently judged communication campaigns and tactics, and was struck by the lack of planning involved in nearly every entry.  Particularly absent was the lack of specific communications objectives. If you’re in public relations, marketing or corporate communications, you need to know how to craft a solid strategic communication objective because that is the single most important focal point of any communications campaign. If you don’t know what you're aiming for, you’ll never know if you reached it.

Below are components of a communication objective, but ultimately, you’ll want to ensure this is part of a strategic communication plan that aligns with your organizational or departmental business objectives.

• Expect your outcome. Are you trying to raise awareness of a new widget or new process? Or do you need to move the needle by changing employee or customer attitudes? Perhaps you need a target audience to adopt a specific behavior. Before you can craft an objective, know what you expect the outcome to look like.
• Use verbs! Once you know the expected outcome of your objective, select an appropriate verb. Do you want customers to buy, ban or endorse? Are you looking for employees to adopt, support or change?
• Be specific. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve looked at communications plans that aren’t tied to specific objectives. If you can’t articulate the objective specifically, then you are already missing the goal.
• Who is the audience?
• What is the timeframe?
• What is the attainment level?
• Measure the objective.  Know how to accurately measure your objective, and know your baseline. This is your starting point. What is the current status quo? You need to know this before you initiate your strategy; otherwise, you won’t know whether you moved the needle or not.

Below is an example of a specific communication objective that anticipates an increase in audience awareness:

Within the next 60 days, 70 percent of our organization’s customers will see or hear about our new widget.

Starting with these basics, you’ll add a solid, measurable component to your strategic planning. What other components help you achieve your goals?

It's the project people!

As organizations increasingly become more global, merge, shift their technological platforms, or downsize, more communicators are accountable for organizational change-management communications. The mission of a change-management group is to implement something new to an organization or department. If you are a communicator tasked with change-management communications, you have, de facto, become part of the change-management group.

To effectively assist with communications, you should have a clear understanding of the group. Without this assessment, your effectiveness, and therefore the mission and the communications coming from the organization or department, will be minimized.

Here are a few things to take into account:

• Group composition – Are members from the same department, or is it a cross-functional team? If cross-functional, are members siloed within their departments, or is there an evident esprit de corps? Understanding this will help determine your approach to strategic communication planning.
• Membership – Do individuals consider themselves to be part of a “group” or a member of a “team”? If the people assigned to complete the change view their involvement, or mission, differently, the communicator should be aware of this. Why? Because those who don’t view the group’s common goals as their goals typically will become a fringe element. Intrateam communications will likely get bogged down or, worse, become nonexistent. Barriers like geography, silos and day-to-day work tasks will only make communication that much more challenging.
• Leadership style – The tone and pace of communications from the change-management group to the rest of the organization depends heavily on the leader's style. Is she a visionary? If so, you’ll likely be in communication nirvana, crafting motivating messages. On the other hand, if the leader adopts a pacesetting style, you’ll probably need to redouble your efforts at intrateam communications, as people begin to feel underappreciated and assume their contributions aren’t helping achieve the mission.

By making these basic assessments, a communicator can begin to formulate an effective strategic approach. To help you get started, study the photograph above and assess your view and the views of other group members. Do you/they see it as:

• It’s the project people!

Or,

• It’s the project people!

How does your view of the image compare with others in the group? And what challenges do the different perspectives impose on your job as a communicator, both to the group and more broadly to the organization?

Ode to Olympic Love

I love watching the Olympics. As a small girl, I would watch ice skaters glide effortlessly on frozen water and marvel at pirouettes and jumps that I could not name let alone do. I would watch downhill skiers defy physics and live to tell about it at the bottom of a giant mountain. I love the Olympics because they challenge, inspire and tell the story of how people’s dreams can turn into reality. It is the stuff of legends.

As a tribute to these folks, I’ve started a list of U.S. Olympic athletes on Twitter. Please add more! And keep on living (and tweeting!) those dreams.

Biathlon
@jteela – Jeremy Teela

Bobsled
@eamslider24 – Elana Meyers
@stevemesler – Steve Mesler
@pcbobsledder - Steven Holcomb

Curling
@chrisplys – Chris Plys
@NicCurl - Nicole Joraanstad

Figure Skating
@CaydeeandJeremy – Caydee Denney and Jeremy Barrett
@charlieawhite – Charlie White
@Ben_Agosto – Ben Agosto
@jeremyabbottpcf – Jeremy Abbott
@JohnnyGWeir – Johnny Weir
@Meryl_Davis – Meryl Davis
@RachaelFlatt – Rachael Flatt
@TanithJLB – Tanith Belbin

Hockey
@Hilary_Knight – Hilary Knight
@PatKane88 – Patrick Kane
@RKsecrets – Ryan Kesler

Luge
@erinhamlin – Erin Hamlin
@tonybenshoof – Tony Benshoof

Skiing
@AndyNewellskier-Andy Newell
@aweibrecht - Andrew Weibrecht
@BelieveinSteve – Steven Nyman
@BillyDemong – Billy Demong
@EmilyCook – Emily Cook
@flyingfetch13 - Taylor Fletcher
@johnnyspillane - Johnny Spillane
@lindseyvonn - Lindsey Vonn
@LizStephen – Liz Stephen
@jakezamansky – Jake Zamansky
@Julia Mancuso – Julia Mancuso
@kikkanimal - Kikkan Randall
@marcOsullivan – Marco Sullivan
@Masterskier - James Southam
@N8Holland – Nate Holland
@shotime2010 – Sho Kashima
@smacartney – Scott Macartney
@simihamilton – Simi Hamilton
@speedypeterson - Jeret Peterson
@tedligety – Ted Ligety
@willyb14 - Will Brandenburg

Snowboarding
@scottylago – Scotty Lago
@GretchenBleiler – Gretchen Bleiler
@Shaun_White – Shaun White

Speed Skating
@AllisonMBaver – Allison Baver
@alydudek – Alyson Dudek
@ ApoloOhno - Apolo Anton Ohno
@BekahBrad – Rebekah Bradford
@celskeet - JR Celski
@chadhedrick – Chad Hedrick
@CYNeedham – Chris Needham
@katreutter - Katherine Reutter
@LMCHOLEWINSKI – Lauren Cholewinski
@nickotto7 – Nick Pearson
@raneycat – Catherine Raney
@ryanObedford – Ryan Bedford
@shanidavis2010 - Shani Davis
@speedchic428 – Kimberly Derrick

PR Dreams for 2010

Googling 2010 predictions shows that it’s the 36th-most searched subject on the final day of the decade. I’ve read some predictions, like these, with an enthusiastic nod. Still, I think there’s some of the “daring to dream” aspect that’s missing. That’s what I crave most, the idea that as a PR professional, I can do something in a new and unique way. So, without any prediction whatsoever, here’s my wish list for PR in 2010:

1. I want to see my elected PRSA leadership affirm accreditation with one voice and promote it. The APR conversation will continue to be circular without a strong, united voice coming from the association’s elected leadership. My wish would result in more knowledgeable PR professionals coming up through the profession and agreement on best PR practices permeating down from the top. I’m tired of hearing the same old arguments about why senior PR pros who don’t possess APR think it’s a bad idea. Get over yourselves already, and together, let’s build up the profession with professional standards and expectations.


2. I’m wishing for technology that allows PR to deliver green. Instead of just talking about how green an industry is, I’d like to practice green and add in the WOW factor. I can’t wait to deliver a PR communiqué using holographic displays from smart phones and e-mails. Or how about replacing Powerpoint with this type of presentation? Steve Jobs, can you hear me?


3. Quality content. Repeat that three times please. And then do it. Don’t put something out there that isn’t relevant, fresh and timely. That means PR professionals will need to hone their strategic skills and nurture their journalistic relationships. Spend time doing this instead of putting out a news release every single day. We’ll all reap the benefit of that practice.


4. Play nice with others. Marketers, advertisers and PR professionals need to be on the same team. Playing to each strength usually gets targeted results. When one of the three legs decides not to do this, the result skews and doesn’t deliver full strength.

I’m sure you have dreams for the PR profession, too. Please share those, so we can all toast them together, and here’s hoping your PR dreams come true in 2010.

A little bit of you

This isn’t a post about communications or public relations. This is a post about the human condition, and what each one of us is capable of accomplishing.

My daughter worked last summer at a local fast food franchise. There, she met Jessica.

After a couple of weeks, my daughter learned Jessica’s story. She was married; her husband, Sam, had lost his out-of-state job several years before. On returning to the Fort Worth, Texas, area, their house, which they had rented, had caught on fire and, though no one was injured, the structure was uninhabitable. So, Jessica, Sam and their four children, moved in with Sam’s dad, occupying the living room for what they thought would be a few months while their home was restored. Unfortunately, the contractor they hired took most of the insurance money without completing the work.

When my daughter met Jessica, the family was getting by on two minimum wage paychecks and federal aid – and had lived in Sam’s father’s living room for several years. My daughter called her dad to plead for help. One thing you must know about my husband is that he is extraordinarily gifted. He can build almost anything, and he can fix almost anything. Since retiring from being a 747 instructor pilot, he’s formed a contracting business, handling commercial remodels.

When he saw the house, he immediately knew two things: he could fix it, and it was going to take a lot of money, which Sam and Jessica did not have. In between his regular work, he began working on their home, praying that building materials would be donated for this family.

Within a couple of weeks, members of our church found out about this young family’s needs. Many people wanted to help and did. Some volunteered their time to work at the house. Some volunteered money to the church to be used for building materials. Some offered expertise in other areas, and many offered words of encouragement.

Finally, after more than three months, and with city approval for occupancy, our family helped Jessica and Sam move into their newly rebuilt home Nov. 30. It was the first time that their youngest daughter had ever slept in a bed.

This family considered themselves lucky, because they had a roof over their heads. A homeless person, according to 42 U.S.C. §11302, is one who dwells in a public or private place not designated for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings.

I live in Tarrant County, Texas, and these are the facts about homeless persons here:

• At any given time in Tarrant County, more than 4,000 people are homeless, and more than 6,300 individuals experience homelessness in Tarrant County each year.


• Of the homeless in Tarrant County, nearly one third are children, 1 in 5 are women and children fleeing domestic violence, over 1 in 6 are veterans, and over half have a disabling health condition that largely contributes to their homelessness.


• Of the homeless in Tarrant County, 97 percent reported wanting to escape from homelessness.

Since meeting Sam, Jessica and their four children, I have come to understand that it doesn’t take a lot to help. It takes a little bit. A little bit of whatever you have. Please remember those less fortunate this holiday season.

Your organization’s social media reputation: Better put a ring on it

As Beyoncé says, “If you like it, then you better put a ring on it.” I want to make the case that most large organizations still don't get the concept of social platforms and will need to make necessary adjustments to assimilate this into their strategic communication planning. What’s involved? Here we go:

1. Plan the launch into social media, and put the ring of authenticity into it. Sunday, Nov. 22, news that Target had joined Twitterville spread within a matter of minutes. The @Target account went from 156 followers to more than 400 within 30 minutes. Think about this. The speed of social media can be near instant. What was @Target’s response? Look at their initial Tweets:


Notice that their first Tweet said they were looking forward to hearing from followers. But an hour passed before the second Tweet, which hawked a sweepstakes. Zero engagement with consumers and literally no hint of a social media persona. Additionally, the account was activated Nov. 11, so, the organization had ample time – 11 days – to align its first Tweets with business objectives and to ensure that their social media tactic was carefully and thoughtfully deployed. They needlessly raised the expectation that they would engage with consumers - and then didn't.

2. Ring out in a *real* social media voice. Organizational communications is about consistency of message and integrating that message across multiple platforms. The transparency of social media practically screams for this integration and for a spokesperson who’s not afraid to listen and respond. Need examples? Look at @TOMs Shoes. TOMS sports a following of more than 200,000 on Twitter and has garnered the attention of the New York Times and Business Week.
Or take Ford’s presence. They opted to humanize their brand – via @Scott Monty – and amassed a following of more than 34,000, giving that company major visibility while selling cars. The sooner companies understand that social media reputation is built on authentic two-way communication, the sooner they’re likely to hit the social media golden mean. Why hit that golden mean? Glad you asked!


3. Ring in profits through engagement. No doubt about it. TOMs is selling shoes – roughly $13 million of footwear in 2009. Companies are using social media platforms because that is where the consumer can be found. But these companies seem to be forgetting that in integration, the four Ps of marketing move to the four Cs. Most consumers don’t want more ad and marketing messages. Daily bombardment is up to what? More than 5,000 messages. Consumers today want their needs met and the more cost effectively and conveniently, so much the better.

So, what’s Target doing two days later? Out of eight more Tweets, they actually responded to four of their more than 1,200 followers, but the content of the messages is still all about Target and upcoming sales. Since the account is unverified, I doubted at first that this was the “real” Target. I would have thought the brand that brought designer touches to mainstream America, through Michael Graves, Issac Mizrahi, and Mossimo, would have been more insightful in their social media communications. Even their bio is corporate speak and thus, blasé: Expect more. Pay less. They're right about one thing. I did expect more, a whole lot more, from this brand.

What are your thoughts on how Fortune 500s can “put a ring on it”?

Teaching PR: What do employers really want?

Since teaching public relations at The University of North Texas, I’m often asked by prospective employers about the skill level of senior PR students. It’s an interesting question on many levels but particularly when you stop to consider the foundation of that question. Certainly the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) that I believe a PR student needs to have on entering the profession can differ radically from what a prospective employer envisions.

Overall, I think it’s important for PR students to learn strategic communications. I would rather students be able to critically think through their communications goals and objectives, and be prepared to practice public relations ethically. I believe that skill set will be invaluable to them, as they enter the field.

That said, a recent report undertaken by Korn Ferry and the Public Relations Society of America, 2009 Digital Readiness Report,“Essential Online Public Relations and Marketing Skills,” indicates that employers are looking for almost a 50/50 blend of traditional and social media skill sets for new hires.

I do teach social media technologies and the power behind viral PR, along with traditional media tactics, such as press releases, media kits and backgrounders; yet, it’s often a balancing act to ensure students are properly prepared to enter the field.

What KSAs do you see as being vitally important for PR newbies?

Top five PR peeves

I would rather we encourage best practices in public relations, but lately, I’ve noticed that some PR practitioners are developing some unhealthy habits. So, in the spirit of helping newer communicators understand what not to do, here’s my list of PR pet peeves:

1. Issuing communications without fact checking. A corollary to this is sending out communications without spell checking. And yes, drafts do count. When I get a draft, I expect the facts to be correct and that any editing I do does not include spelling corrections or AP style errors.

Comic strip credit: Scott Adams

2. Promoting self over service and product. PR is about the client, first and foremost. For that matter, this also applies to marketing. Newbies need to be aware that their time really belongs to the employer or client, so while we live in the era of digital communications, it’s probably not cool to promote yourself over your company, product or service. Remember, you need to bring real value to the organization, not just a reputation that they’re unable to successfully leverage.

3. Not playing nice with others. Today’s cross-functionality means that PR pros need to understand – and practice – the meaning of teamwork. And when working with others on a PR team, this means not “stealing” ideas. Always give credit where credit is due. Experienced managers understand team dynamics a lot better than you think. Sooner or later, that bad habit will catch up with you.

4. Spamming journalist pitches. Stop this. If you don’t know or understand how to target your pitches, find a mentor who can help you learn this. In the meantime, you’re making our jobs harder than necessary, not to mention journalists and bloggers.

5. Not understanding confidentiality and loyalty. We all have bad days and disagreements, but in the end, if you’re representing a client or employer, you need to put aside differences of opinion before you bad mouth an employer, client or decision. IF an action or decision involves ethics or wrongdoing, find a PR confidante who can help you work through that; otherwise, leave it at the office and understand that tomorrow will bring new opportunities for you to make an impact.

There, now that I have that out of my system, what advice can you offer new PR pros?

Three reasons why PR is no longer the whipping boy

From marketers to journalists to mom bloggers, PR has traditionally been the favorite scapegoat of those in other areas of the communication field. Commonly referred to as purveyors of the “dark side” of communications, public relations professionals have dealt with a tainted label far too long. But that label is a non sequitur now, and here’s why:

1. The economy is a great leveler. Hoards of journalists have exited their profession – and at least some of them have entered public relations, a field they once castigated. I’ve watched this trend with interest and predict that more seasoned journalists will come to view public relations professionals with a lot more respect.

2. Digital deadlines and a “news now” mindset necessitate an alliance. News journalists simply have more to do with fewer resources. Today’s journalist must view PR professionals as a service-oriented commodity, necessary due to digital news timeframes. Newer journalists will welcome strong PR relationships.

3. The mommy blogger PR Blackout yielded backlash. Even Trisha, owner of MomDot.com, admits that she ill chose the name of a one-week campaign whose intent she *claims* was to encourage mom bloggers to get back to the basics of parent blogging. The ensuing conversation split the parent blogging community, yielded poor participation (latest estimates were 20 committed to participating) and had journalists like Cnet’s Caroline McCarthy declaring that “Working with the public relations industry is core to any journalist's (and now blogger's) job, as is the use of press releases and in some cases review products.” It’s a sure sign that whipping up on PR is passé and not to be done.

I also think that PR is naturally embracing strategic relationship management and expectations from an increasingly complex array of stakeholders and publics in a way that marketers and advertisers cannot in Web 2.0. Stakeholder demand for authenticity is placing PR professionals in the leadership role to define corporate values and to sustain interactive relationship building. The result is that the PR profession is building trust with more constituencies than ever before.

Taken together, these markers signal – to me, at least – a new era in PR, one that shows the value of the profession.

Seven things you don’t know about me (and perhaps never wanted to)

The challenge to write this post was announced originally by Geoff Livingston, who tagged school PR guru, Richie Escovedo, Mansfield Independent School District, who then tagged me. The challenge? A writing exercise that will reveal Seven Things You Don’t Know About Me.

So, now I’m “it.” I realize that many of you won’t care to know these facts. If that is the case, stop reading this post right now. For the intrepid, I’m offering up part of my soul when I tell you:

1. I once rented my home to one of America’s 10 Most Wanted. Mind you, I didn’t purposefully set out to do this. I was a new mom, and we had just moved to Texas from our paradise island home on Vashon Island, Wash. A well-known realtor on the island called me, saying that a prominent businessman from Orange County, Calif., wanted to lease our home for 6 months while he built a new one across the [Puget] Sound. The realtor guaranteed that the guy checked out every which way, and best of all, he was willing to pay for the lease up front. I didn’t blink an eye, accepting $6,500, and certainly didn’t check with my pilot husband who was on an extended trip to Japan. A week later, I became very well acquainted with the FBI, which is another story completely. Suffice it to say that after this two-year drama, my husband and I made an agreement about signing contracts.

2. I once wrote a humorous short story in Portuguese. Portuguese is a beautifully fluid language that lends itself to double entendre. My story was a side-splitter, too. I’d translate it here, but it’s not funny in English. For wordsmiths, being able to converse on a literary level in a foreign language has to be the ultimate high. Just ask Paulo Coelho.

3. Secretly, I agree with George Banks that “some big-shot over at the wiener company got together with some big-shot over at the bun company and decided to rip off the American public.” What can I say? I’ve never understood the inequity of eight wieners to 12 buns, which is why I totally support Mrs. Baird’s and always buy their hot dog buns. They’ve figured out that the American consumer wants equality in the wiener : bun ratio.

4. After college, I ditched my B.A. in English to become a flight attendant for Northwest Airlines. I love to travel and thought of this as an adventure to capture foie gras for my planned career as America’s next Hemingway. Travel! See the world! I didn’t expect to have to serve coffee and Bloody Mary’s while doing it, however. I did meet my pilot husband, the love of my life, while working there, along with Duane Woerth, whom I hope will be our nation's next leader of the FAA, and a whole host of other aviation visionaries. That was pre 9/11 and also before Northwest became just another operating unit of Delta Airlines.

5. My middle name is an initial. No, it isn’t that my parents couldn’t spell. My middle name Ld signals the heritage of my birth middle and last names, which I used for 29 years before I married. Thus, the L refers to my given middle name Lee, and the d refers to my father’s family name, Drozd. Mostly my middle name is a non sequitur, as people usually call me by the initials Lj.

6. I’m ashamed to say that I drive an SUV. I exude American ambivalence at its best. On the pro side, I’m proud of the fact that my hunker SUV is made in America. On the con end of things, I hate the wastefulness and disregard for the next generation. Regardless of how I feel about the Big Three loan-to-survive package, I have recently discussed options of how to be a greener citizen with Scott Monty, Ford’s social media expert, and realize that it’s time I address my contradictions (I know what will happen if I don't!) and align my values with my actions.

7. I have always believed – and always will – that my greatest contribution to Earth is my progeny. As a career mom, I know that my two kiddos can think for themselves, find humor in all situations, love challenges, care about humanity, believe in God. This is why I truly believe yes, mavericks can. (Drats. Now I’ve revealed I’m an independent politico, which means technically that you know eight things about me.)

I now tag:
• Pete Wann
• Dan Keeney, APR
• Laura Van Hoosier, APR
• Susan Iskiwitch
• Kami Huyse
• Terry Moraski
• Scott Monty

The rules:
• Link your original tagger(s) and list these rules in your post.
• Share seven facts about yourself in the post.
• Tag seven people at the end of your post by leaving their names and the links to their blogs.
• Let them know they’ve been tagged.
(Hat tip to Beth Harte for the rules.)

Putting Ethics into PR Practice

After listening to Doug Newsom, grande dame of public relations, speak about the ethical situations in which a public relations professional can become mired, I was surprised to hear her tell of how she resigned a position because she was asked to do something unethical. And in her words, she had four children to support at the time. The show-and-tell of that kind of moxie is really needed so that those of us in the public relations profession understand that, where the stakes are high, resigning just might be the appropriate action.

Newsom delivered several powerful lessons from her 40 years' experience at the Nov. 13 Greater Fort Worth/Dallas PRSA meeting. Chief among them:

1. Stand your ground. When dealing with senior execs, more than likely you're dealing with strong opinions and strong personalities. You have expertise in your field - expertise that the CEO counts on hearing.

2. Understand the culture of the corporation. As Newsom pointed out, when it comes to communication, companies range from closed to open. Know where the company/client falls on that continuum, and decide if your personal values fit that culture. If not, you'll likely encounter some conflicts when sensitive issues arise.

3. Adhere to an ethics model. She specifically discussed a utilitarian model, which supports decision-making of doing the greatest good for the greatest number, or a communitarian ethics model, which stresses morality in the community and being a good "corporate citizen." She mentioned Mitch Land's book, Contemporary Media Ethics, which I highly recommend. Land and co-editor Hornaday present multiple case studies of PR ethics problems, considering them from both perspectives, so the reader can see the difference in the two models.

Newsom also discussed two likely ethics dilemmas with the audience and then stuck around to answer questions.

Her message, so needed in today's transparent world, was timeless and a good reminder to anyone in the communications business.

Punching Away at PR

Seems like local journalists at both the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Mitch Schnurman, 7.16.08 column) and the Dallas Morning News (Steve Blow, 7.13.08 column) don't mind beating up on the profession of PR. What'd they use as an excuse? Chesapeake Energy's bold entry into online video to disperse information concerning the Barnett Shale (shale.tv).

Rather than attack corporate PR efforts, maybe these journalists should consider the interesting changes happening with media. It's no secret that many journalists are monitoring blogs and other social media sites to find out what's important to folks these days. The interest in social media clearly explains why Chesapeake Energy and other corporations are deciding to offer their information online through a "pull" technology.

Largely due to social media, public relations in the last several years has been moving to a much more transparent model, one that invites two-way communication. The issue of transparency hasn't been lost on PR professionals. Witness the case study of Edelman's Wal-Marting Across America to understand how badly PR can be practiced. It seems to me that the field of PR - including Richard Edelman who issued an apology on behalf of his agency - took that case (and a couple of others) to heart. Edelman's redoubled their emphasis on ethical practice and issued a call to the entire industry to do the same, resulting in a terribly positive industry response.

PR practitioners are called to perform their jobs ethically and to abide by a Code of Ethics, as laid out by the Public Relations Society of America.

I work with many public relations practitioners and corporate communicators who act ethically and professionally in every sense of the word. I know that in my corner of the world, I work diligently to uphold that standard, going so far as to include an ethics statement on every client contract I sign. In other words, I agree to act ethically, but I also ask my clients to do the same. If they don't or won't agree, we don't do business.

I also believe our local schools, i.e.; Texas Christian University, University of Texas at Arlington and University of North Texas, do an excellent job in raising awareness of basic ethics issues likely to arise, either by requiring students to take a PR ethics course or by consistent discussion of ethical issues within the context of other public relations courses.

I'm proud to be part of a profession that has an ethics code and works to follow it, even to the point of educating new practitioners about ethical issues.

If Schnurman and Blow disagree with Chesapeake's direction, they should offer a meatier argument than not liking the venue (shale.tv) and printing inflammatory statements about PR. For all their posturing, by choosing to attack PR efforts - without a counterbalanced perspective - they're actually communicating more about the current state of journalism than the current state of PR.

Flak Attack

Well, well, well. Seems CBS News has decided to take on the PR profession. Or rather, take off on it. Andrew Cohen has decided to lump every single PR practitioner into the unethical category. Now, that's a shame. Here's my response to his opinion:

With regard to L'Affair Cohen, if he wanted to take a swipe at the PR profession, he shouldn't have led with a journalistic hook beginning with Scott McClellan. Say what you want to say, Mr. Cohen, but don''t hide behind the pants of a newly-released author.

I very much adhere to an ethical PR practice and believe that most of my peers do also. Mr. Cohen, if you look at any profession, you're going to find those that do not live up to the professions' standards. But to roundly accuse an entire profession of not having standards or of manipulating them is irresponsible. So, perhaps, Mr. Cohen, you''re in the same percentage as Mr. McClellan with regard to your profession?

I think this PR blogger may be onto something.

I believe the PRSA has undertaken the best course of action in publishing a code of ethics. And I also believe that at any moment in time, there will be individuals who fail to follow those ethics. But to ascribe one person's failure to an entire profession is simply irresponsible.

Getting Back To My Roots

Wow. I've been gone a long time from this blog but not from PR. In the meantime, lots of questions have popped up in the field concerning ethics, not to mention where the field of PR is headed in PR 2.0.

More later on that topic, but here's a question:
Is it ethical for a PR practitioner to pitch for casinos?

Financial Tammany In Trinity Riverland

Yuck. Financial tammany has come to Trinity Riverland here in Fort Worth, Texas.

And that’s no compliment.

Seems that a publicly-supported entity, the Trinity River Vision Authority (TRVA), headed by J. D. Granger, is spending around $1 million to hire a public relations consultant for the next four years. Part of the services this consultant will provide is:

• Fair contracting consulting services
• General consulting services
• Responsibility for filing registrations and reports with regulatory authorities
• Documentation of all contacts and communications with third parties
• Updated mailing lists and databases of same

On top of this, the contract requires the PR consultant to obtain certifications from the North Central Texas Regional Certification Agency (NCTRCA) as a woman-owned business, disadvantaged business, and minority business enterprises. Interestingly, the contract stipulates that the PR consultant must act professionally at all times.

Additionally, the consultant is required to supply the TRVA with evidence of insurance coverage blah blah blah.

After all this, immediate tasks are set forth that include TRVA staff training, community outreach (duh!), market surveys, printed materials, Web site responsibilities, special projects and solicitation of private donations.

Did I forget to mention that the contract was let without an RFP? And that the award went to none other than personal friend of Granger, Bryan Eppstein, a political consultant who’s been behind most of the campaigns of the county’s elected officials? When the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported (and supported) the award, I could hear the ghosts of Tammany Hall cheering all the way from New York City.

That ghoulish cheer was raised again two short weeks later when the Tarrant Regional Water District (TRWD) hired Eppstein’s group to be a consultant for that publicly-supported body by further giving him another $750,000 contract. That’s $1.75 million altogether, an outrageous amount of payback.

Did I forget to mention that Eppstein was responsible for ensuring that two of the TRWD members get elected this past year? And that one of these members still owes Eppstein $30,000? That would be board member Jim Lane, who insisted that by voting to approve the contract with Eppstein, he wasn’t breaking any laws, though admittedly he realized that “it would raise a lot of eyebrows.”

Well, by Tammany Hall standards, this contract has “honest graft” written all over it. But until taxpayers in my neck of the woods let it be known that they won’t stand for it, I’ll be one of the few voices to call it like it is: The most dishonest “honest” graft to come along since George W. Plunkitt.

Question of the Week: Should Texas state law require RFPs for all services of publicly-funded bodies?

So, I'm Having a Conversation with Betty Now...

Continuing the dialogue with a Betty user, what if....

Just to refresh your memory, this product was launched by Betty Beauty, a New York startup that is marketing pubic hair dye for “the hair down there.” The dye comes packaged in kits with names like Brown Betty, Auburn Betty, Blonde Betty, Black Betty and Fun Betty (hot pink). And it’s not just for female Bettys either.

I ended my last post with having started an imaginary conversation with you about why you use Brown Betty and your friend uses Fun Betty and why I don’t use Betty at all. And from a PR point of view, that’s great. But if our ultimate PR goal is to adhere to a two-way symmetrical model, then that means that I have to not only hear you but also respond to what you’re saying.

So, we have a difference between us. I don’t see any reason to use Betty products, but you do. And in order to convince me that Betty products are worth using, you’ll have to tell me a lot more about the product itself. For instance, what’s in the product? Are there any ingredients that are harmful? Where is the product made? Since it’s new, do we really know about all the side effects of it? Do we really know that the dye isn’t permanent?

In answering these questions, what would happen if, for instance, you tell me that using Betty products is helping provide jobs in a Third World country? Shouldn’t that make a difference to me? And what if, through PR’s two-way dialogue, I find out that Betty folks are launching a campaign against nonusers simply because they’ve developed the idea that a real Betty is defined as one who uses Betty products?

If collectively we don’t continue a conversation, tensions could presumably escalate to the point where opinion becomes belief and belief is translated into action. And the actions of Bettys might not be all that fun to the rest of us. What if Bettys everywhere united and made it their mission to make everyone a “real Betty”? The role of PR becomes more important, seen from this viewpoint. Why? Because through PR, we can discuss what is reasonable, what is principled and what is conscionable. And in the end, together we might find that “Betty truth” may exist somewhere between the nonuser position I advocate and the user position you advocate. Another result might be that Betty users realize that nonusers pose no threat—and vice versa. And that’s a conversation worth having if it transcends the disrepect inherent in promoting our own definition of what a real Betty is. Maybe in the long run, a real Betty means continuing the conversation. And that's what PR does best.

Question of the Week: When someone disagrees with you, do you continue the conversation?

Viva la différence!

This headline caught my attention:

Launch of Pubic-Hair-Coloring Product Line Scores PR Coup


Betty products. For the hair down there.

Made for Bettys everywhere, the product was launched by Betty Beauty, a New York startup that is marketing pubic hair dye for “the hair down there.” The dye comes packaged in kits with names like Brown Betty, Auburn Betty, Blonde Betty, Black Betty and Fun Betty (hot pink). And it’s not just for female Bettys either.

The owner of Betty Beauty is Nancy Jarecki and to date, she’s only spent $1,995 on advertising. Yet, her product is the current buzz from Bean Town to Star Town.

In thinking about all the Betty products, I was reminded of cosmopolitanism. Now, you might not see the immediate connection, so bear with me.

Nancy was inspired with the idea while she was on vacation in Italy. As to her epiphanous thinking, she says, "I thought, 'Of course, who wouldn't want to be a true blonde? "' On her return home, she worked with a gynecologist, a chemist and a toxicologist to develop a gentle, no-drip formula and special dye tools.

Now, I’ll be the first to give Nancy credit for her spark, naming creativity and persistence. But I have to admit, I just don’t think I’m ever actually going to use her product. I don’t see a reason to. But I’m not going to stop you from using it, if that’s what you feel compelled to do. I’m definitely going to talk to you though, to try to understand the reasons you have for using Betty. (Be prepared, however. I’m too nosy not to also want to know which Betty product you use!)

And essentially that’s what the heart of cosmopolitanism is, being able to create dialogue where there are differences. And during that conversation, I might discover that you use Brown Betty while a good friend of yours uses Fun Betty. And then we could talk about whether you might ever use Fun Betty or whether you only want to use Brown Betty. I might also discover, through that dialogue, that using Betty products is worth trying. And then again, I might decide Betty products are worthwhile but still not have the desire to try it.

So many options can come from that conversation. And that’s the point for PR. Starting the conversation. And that’s for Bettys everywhere.


Question of the Week: How can you start a conversation with your pubics, er, publics?

WOMMA, ignoring Big Macs?

Well, they finally did it. The Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) adopted an ethics toolkit this past week. The toolkit provides guidance, and in some cases, even templates, for companies and marketers to use, depending on the communication and the medium. WOMMA guidelines cover word-of-mouth campaigns and the blogosphere along with providing an assessment kit.

After a summer brouhaha over an intern’s disparaging blog response to Jeff Jarvis' Dell Hell, Dell Computers was the first company that issued a statement in which they pledge to abide by the association’s guidelines, stating that they are, well, committed to online transparency and that their employees and vendors better be, too.

Not only was Dell’s situation a public relations snafu, but Wal-Mart underwent a similar flogging. I suspect McDonald’s tripped up, too, but that hasn’t been as widely discussed. I think if WOMMA is going to jump in and put Edelman’s on probation, they may as well address other companies who have skirted the fringe.

According to WOMMA, if a company is employing a fictional character, then disclosure is unnecessary. The problem is, if you’re paying someone to act like a customer—and they’re really not one—then the person and the company can always claim that the exercise was the opinion of a “fictional customer.” I don’t like this loophole. Online, it’s just too hard to tell who’s real and who’s not. Don’t forget YouTube’s Lonely Girl (aka paid actress).

One thing I do think WOMMA is correct in promoting is the requirement for corporations to encourage their vendors to adopt an ethics program. That type of peer B2B policy may just actually work to the point that it has an effect. The policy states:

You can do your part to end stealth marketing practices by educating your vendors, and by requiring them to honor the WOMMA Ethics Code in their own operations.

I’d actually like to see the PRSA explore avenues in which PR practitioners could encourage those within their sphere of influence to adhere to—or at least inquire about--an ethics philosophy. And that’s not fiction!

Question of the Week: Who is within your sphere of influence that you could encourage to act ethically?

PS Check out Mohawk Paper’s CSR policies—they’re great!

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