Speaking role

IT’S NOT ALWAYS EASY to determine who officially speaks for an organization. A topic may be too complicated to automatically hand over to the designated head of corporate communications. Can the same person handle public announcements on the status of CBA negotiations with the union as well as the details of the company’s upcoming IPO?

The face of any organization belongs to the CEO. When it’s good news, like a sterling quarterly performance or the announcement of an international award, it’s the CEO who officially sends out the statement.

Grim incidents attached to the company or what is called “Crisis PR” may be turned over to the official spokesperson, if there is one designated. (We are looking into it.)

There is growing demand for spokespersons, communicators, and speechwriters for assorted clients which include politicians and movie personalities, and even sports directors.

Communicators (or explainers) have yet to be replaced by artificial intelligence. (Ask me anything.) The providers of supporting narratives and attacks on the client’s opponents have grown with podcast and online commentators in social media. Anybody can just jump into the fray to spout invectives.

Spokespersons communicate the official position and policies of the organization. This entails explaining what another official said or failed to say in an interview. Spokespersons are not allowed to express their own thoughts and opinions, especially when these are contrary to the official line. They are disciplined to hew to the stated position, if there is one.

Another group of communicators do the reverse. Clients may post the words that some hired hands wrote. Speechwriters, also known as “ghosts,” because they do not appear in public, provide speaking lines for their clients. Ideally, these words fit into the speech pattern and background of the clients. For a former actor, there is no need to put Latin proverbs in his mouth — de gustibus non est disputandum.* (Sir, you can skip that one.)

The speaking role is a tricky act, whether as ventriloquist or dummy. There are too many other voices behind the curtain and on the side of the stage. Unsolicited advice proliferates in a crisis.

Still, the spokesperson has an awkward role. He proposes to speak for the whole organization until the big boss decides to make an appearance. But some principals, like politicians and movie personalities, intentionally walk into “ambush interviews.” The spokesman is left with providing damage control when needed. He may correct his boss later — he was misquoted. Unfortunately, statements are often caught on video and posted.

A spokesperson must understand his role. He serves as “red meat” to feed the predatory media. He also can get contradicted by his client when he reveals too much. If there is any throwing under the bus to be done, it is the spokesperson who volunteers for the role.

The job of crafting other people’s messages demands a mastery of words in their denotation and connotation. Brevity and ambiguity are called for. Vagueness does not aim to mislead. It only serves to provide wiggle room for more than one interpretation when the “sound bite” is played in some future guesting in a podcast.

Still, the cardinal rule for a dealer in words whether as speaker or writer, is to serve his client. It is less helpful when the explainer no longer articulates the message attributed to the client and starts to speak on his own. Then there is a danger that the spokesperson becomes the news.

Can any offense in corporate communications be greater than putting the client in a bad light? He can do that on his own without any help from his first line of defense — I did not call my rival a Cro-Magnon. (He wouldn’t understand what that meant anyway.)

In a crisis where there are some financial settlements involved, like the loss of human lives in a plane crash, it is admirable for the CEO himself to show up and answer questions, provide assurances of fairness, as well as face up to angry relatives with a calm demeanor.

“Damage control” even in the case of an unforeseen disaster is not always possible. After the dust settles in terms of acrimonious exchanges, the lawyers may take over… and speak on behalf of their clients.

* There is no accounting for taste.

Tony Samson is chairman and CEO of TOUCH xda.

ar.samson@yahoo.com