Media Communication Savvy

Media Communication Savvy

Provide only your
information.
Know what is yours to share. That doesn’t mean you’re withholding information. You’re just telling the story you own. If you’re asked a question and your only source of information to provide an answer would be from what you heard previously provided by an outside agency (law enforcement, union, etc.), respectfully decline to answer the question.

Avoid conjecture.
When you’re unsure, say so. Don’t guess.

Appoint one
spokesperson.
Have a written policy and communicate it clearly to all employees that they are not to communicate with the news media about business issues.

Resist the urge
to correct misinformation.
Some things just don’t matter.
If you’re quick to correct a false statement made by the media, you may just be assigning value to the incorrect comment and thereby giving it more public attention than it would otherwise have had.

Tell everything you know when you know it.
Don’t assume that if you don’t tell, it won’t be uncovered. It’s far better for all of the unpleasant details to come from you initially than to be exposed by the media later. That event will cost you in trust points and will cast doubt on all of the information you have shared. Ron Sachs, CEO of Ron Sachs Communications, says, “Any organization that finds itself in a crisis must make it an urgent priority to communicate early and often with smart, strong and strategic messages. Whether it’s a corporation, a nonprofit entity, a politician or a government agency, the flawed instinct to remain silent or to merely hunker down and ‘circle the wagons’ can be dangerous and even deadly to reputation and survival in the marketplace.”