Public relations is all about credibility and trustworthiness. If you don’t practice PR, then you are likely to be incredible.

Some of the elements of a PR program include research, media
relations, publicity, special events, employee relations,
client relationship management, crisis communication, trade
shows/conferences, community and government relations, and
corporate identity. PR helps you shape internal and external
opinion about your organization with an eye toward building
support among your key “publics.”

What can you expect from PR if it is done correctly?

- Boost Credibility. Media coverage or word-of-mouth from the
right people heightens your credibility much more than an ad
ever could.

- Build Trust. People trust what they are familiar with. A
proactive PR program that gets and keeps your name in front
of people can be the first step in building that trust.

- Generate Leads. Positive publicity for your products and
services can generate sales leads for you to follow up.

- Word-of-Mouth. By increasing awareness of your company,
people and products, media coverage provides fodder for the
word-of-mouth machine.

- Shape Attitudes. From employee communication to publicity,
PR tactics can be used to tell your story convincingly to key
publics.

- Refine Customer Service. Those who believe PR is about
one-way, top-down spin doctoring – I hope – are relics of the
past. Two-way PR, in which the company actually solicits and
listens to customer feedback, can provide the kind of edge
companies need today in this age of commoditization.

So, don’t be incredible. Make PR an integral part of your business strategy.

Harry Hoover is a partner in My Creative Team. He has 30 years of experience in crafting and delivering bottom line messages that ensure success for serious businesses.

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The key to a company’s credibility lies in its ability to communicate. Although media training generally focuses on speaking to the press, the same techniques can be used to increase effective communication between upper management and the rest of the company’s employees and between the company and its customers.

In times of crisis, this communication becomes more important than ever. To paraphrase a former General Electric slogan, in times of crisis, credibility is our most important product. Consistently, executive and crisis response teams that participate in media training exercises on a regular basis inform and reassure the public better than the untrained.

Maintaining Credibility

The following media training tips provide a guideline for planning for, dealing with, and coming away from a crisis with your reputation largely unscathed and perhaps even enhanced.

Plan ahead. Before a crisis occurs, know who will be in charge of what, and have a centralized headquarters established. Many organizations should have a second designated crisis headquarters location in the event the first is unusable. Update emergency contact lists frequently and make sure that whoever would need to be reached in a crisis can be reached quickly. A chaotic situation means that it will take far longer for you to gather the information you’ll need to communicate with the public.

Gather information. When crisis hits, gather as much information as possible, as quickly as possible. What happened? Where? Has anyone been injured or killed? These are the questions that you’ll be asked by reporters, family members and employees. Know what you’ll tell them.

Communicate early and often. Make a statement as soon as you can – but take the time to get organized first. Communicate frequently, even if it’s only to say “We don’t have anything further at the moment, but we will let you know as soon as we do.” Don’t treat questions as an annoyance. Convey concern and a desire to keep everyone in the loop. People are more apt to trust an “I don’t know” than they are to trust silence.

Communicate directly with those affected. While the public at large may have an interest in what’s going on, the people directly affected by the crisis need a more personalized approach. It’s not fair for employees to find out about their own lay-off on the evening news, or have to consult a web site to find out if a family member has been injured.

Remember that the show must go on. Even though you’re dealing with a huge problem now, your organization’s operations still need to be attended to. Bills need to be paid, clients need to be contacted, and employees need to be given guidance. It’s essential that you keep your day-to-day activities as close to normal as possible. The crisis will pass, but the everyday needs of your business will still be there.

Run practice drills often. Once you’ve established a plan and process for dealing with a crisis, you should put that plan into action as soon as possible. Conduct mock training drills to “shake down” the plan and see what needs to be improved. Too often crisis plans get put on a shelf and are forgotten. Keep your executives and crisis team sharp, so that if a crisis does happen, you’ll be prepared.

Lou Hampton is president of The Hampton Group, Inc., a Washington, DC firm specializing in media training, speech coaching, and message development. For tips, tricks, and techniques on how to communicate as a leader, go to Lou’s blog: site.

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Tags: credibility, success, media, training, public relations