Tips for internal communications at a PR agency

In the short time that I have been in the PR field, I've found that sometimes, unfortunately, PR people can be some of the worst when it comes to communications. We become so wrapped up in serving our clients that we lose track of how we conduct business internally.

One of the areas that is frequently overlooked is how we handle internal communications. It should be a safe assumption that those who specialize in communicating with external audiences would have no issues communicating with each other. But that would make both me and you an ass.

When there are changes or developments taking place within an agency, generally the first thought becomes what effects they will have on the clients. This is a reasonable thought process given that PR agencies depend on the clients they serve. This can become the spotlight, however, and push aside the issue of addressing your own workforce. But missing out on this critical step can reduce the trust between management and the rest of the company.

Many of the same rules for external communications apply when distributing news across internal teams:

Be as transparent as possible: there is no catch-all for how much information you should divulge to your teams, but I believe in erring on the side of as much detail as possible where possible. If you don't present enough facts, rumors will develop and spread faster than a wildfire. Identifying the key points that you can share with limited repercussions is a good place to start.

Roll out any communications by level accordingly: while transparency is extremely important, understanding that some discretion for who learns the news when will help with message control. Start with management and work your way down. This will also make sure that teams can find out directly from their managers, rather than other teams or executives that they do not personally know.

Move quickly: this one also has to do with message control. Just as with any type of communications, you want to be the one who sets the dialogue's course. Emphasize the most important points, but don't ignore or deflect the tough questions. If these are not answered at the start, it may appear that you're hiding facts.

Consider the medium: depending on the news and the size of the agency, it may make sense to simply send out an email. Other issues will call for an in-person meeting or video conference. Before executing on a plan, think carefully about what medium will be most likely to foster a healthy discussion and create trust between you and the workforce.

One of the most important things to remember when communicating internally is that there is no one-size-fits-all approach. We don't (or, at least, shouldn't) do a cookie cutter approach for our clients and we shouldn't use one for ourselves. Plans should be made in advance, when possible, to outline the objectives, strategies and tactics for your internal communications platform. As with most parts of this job, having a framework prepared ahead of time will help expedite this process. 

Don't get caught with your pants around your ankles. Or your first step will leave you flat on your face and your workforce wondering what the hell just happened. 

TTBG #7 - The service industry is not a punching bag

There are very few things in this world that irritate me as much as when I see an individual being rude to a waiter, bartender, server, cashier or any other of the almost 120k service industry employees in the United States today.

The sense of entitlement that I have seen from some individuals and groups is downright disrespectful. Yes, when you go out to eat or order something like ice cream, you are paying for the service in addition to the product that you receive (note: if you argue that you are just paying for the product and are therefore exempt from something like tipping at dinner, please, show yourself the door). And with this exchange of goods comes a certain level of congeniality from the service provider that we have come to expect.

Unfortunately, some people seem to think that they deserve greater amounts of respect than the average customer. Some don't see the value of reciprocating this respect. Many don't even bother attempting to hide their blatant disinterest in the service employee.

This is not what a gentleman does.

A good rule of thumb that I abide by is to treat any service employee with the same amount of respect that I would a friend of a friend. If I am out to a restaurant, I have either been there before or have an interest in it. The server/host/waiter then becomes an extension of the restaurant. Just as I am willing to give the restaurant a chance, I will give their employees one too.

This is the same of a friend of a friend. I have a direct relationship with my friend and I will extend that same level of respect to his friend as I would him. Odds are that you may never see your friend's friend again, but you certainly do not want to cause any problems or leave a negative image lasting in his mind. This should be the same mentality when speaking with individuals in the service industry.

I'm not saying that you need to become best friends with every cashier, waiter or teenage ice cream scooper you encounter. Nor am I saying that you don't have a right to be upset if an order is mistaken or you are treated rudely. This is strictly for your first interactions with the individuals. Treating these employees with respect from the onset will leave a lasting impression on that individual, as well as any others around you, and that's what a gentleman does.

TTBG #6: Matching Your Leathers
TTBG #5: Thankful All Through The Year
TTBG #4: Hats Are For Outside, Not The Restaurant

Damian Lillard cut from team USA and I'm okay with it

Team USA made its final cuts just ahead of the FIBA World Championships and the last of those who missed the cut were Gordon Hayward, Chandler Parsons, Kyle Korver and Damian Lillard.

As a Portland Trail Blazers fan, my first instinct is to be upset about Lillard getting cut. I understand why he was since it was essentially between him and Kyrie for the final point guard spot. There was no chance that either Derrick Rose or Steph Curry got the axe. So between Irving and Lillard, one had to go. I think that you can make a strong argument for either point guard deserving the nod, but Irving certainly benefitted from Mike Kryzewski and his Duke connection. Regardless, team USA enters the tournament with a host of offensive options with Rose, Curry and Irving as the ball handlers.

Now, I am sure that many Blazer fans are upset about team USA's decision. But when I stop and think about it, I'm strangely okay with it. First, the World Championships are not the Olympics. While they certainly have a degree of prestige, at the end of the day, I care significantly more about team USA bringing home the gold at the Olympics than I do at the World Championships. Most countries do not field their A teams at the World Championships (case in point, team USA), so while winning is exciting, it certainly isn't an indication of the best basketball country in the world. Sure, it would be great to have seen Lillard don a USA jersey, but I have much less invested as a USA fan in the World Championships.

The other main reason that I'm okay with Lillard missing the team is tied to the above: I would rather see Lillard get the additional rest in the months of August and September before heading into the NBA season in October. The Blazers will have to battle through the Western Conference, which is deeper now than it has ever been, for 82 games before hitting the playoffs. Lillard is only entering his third year and last year was his first in the playoffs. It is tough to stay sharp for 90+ games of an NBA season, especially after playing competitively through the summer months, and I'd bet that he can attest to that after the Spurs series in May.

My interest level for team USA at the World Championships is definitely lower than that of my interest in seeing the Blazers make an extended run in the playoffs in 2015. Lillard already got some of the benefits of practicing and playing with team USA and I hope that he absorbed what it really looks like on the most elite level. He's made incredible strides as a player, but he can still achieve a great deal more, especially on the defensive end.

I'd like to see Lillard take his experience in this winning culture and bring it back to the Blazers. Aldridge is the unquestioned leader of this team, but there's no doubt that Lillard made his mark on this franchise. Use the cut as motivation because now the Blazers' expectations are higher. The competition is more fierce. And I want my point guard fully ready to go on day one, even if it means missing out on team USA.

Tired of ALS Ice Bucket Challenge? Let's Keep Some Perspective

By now, the only living things on Earth that haven't seen the ice bucket challenge are the penguins in the North and South Poles. It's a viral phenomenon that has been going on on the international scale for well over a month at this point. You can't open your Facebook, Twitter, Vine, any news website, turn on the TV or even open an email without being reminded that its momentum hasn't slowed.

Of course, as to be expected, this has led a large group of vocal detractors to express their irritation with the cause. Lots of people just do it for the attention. Many don't have any idea what ALS is. People do the challenge but don't donate any money. It's run its course. It is a one-time thing that people will forget about and likely never donate again.

Fine, we get it. Not everyone is a fan. I can even understand that many people look past the fact that it has raised more than $41 million for ALS research. You're tired of it and waiting for the fad to pass. Waiting for stories to stop appearing on the New York Times, USA Today, CNN, Buzzfeed, Mashable, so that your life can just go back to normal and not feel like it is being crammed down your throat.

While listening to NPR this morning on my walk to work, the first story reported on the horrific riots and protests in Ferguson. The next story was about the unspeakably evil acts of ISIL and James Foley. The story after that was on the Ebola outbreak in Liberia, which has gotten so bad that the government has quarantined off an entire village of 80,000 people for fear of the disease spreading further. Next story talked about how Hamas had shot more than 120 rockets at Israel and Israel responded with more than 100 air-strikes in the two days since the 72-hour cease fire broke. Then a story on Russia sending unauthorized trucks into Ukraine, another escalation in the already delicate area.

That's just what was covered in the twenty minutes it took me to get to my desk.

In case you haven't noticed, there's quite a bit of turmoil in the world right now. This summer, in particular, has been filled with enough negative stories to fill an entire calendar year. We're bombarded with stories of violence, political unrest, disease and murder that if you stop and try to digest all of the horror that takes place on a weekly basis, you'll end up like AJ at the end of the Sopranos.

So excuse me if I feel the need to tell all those who are sick of the Ice Bucket Challenge to simply shut up and let it ride itself out of the public's eye. It has been about the only incredibly positive story that we have had over the last few weeks. One month from now it'll be gone. But the crisis in the Middle East, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, partisan politics in the US and every act of rape, murder and general violence will still be around us.

The next time you groan about a story on the Ice Bucket Challenge, just consider the alternatives of what the news could cover. Or what your friends could be talking about. It should give you a change of heart.

Do As You Say And As You Do: Protecting A PR Agency's Reputation

In "An Ideal Husband," Oscar Wilde wrote: The only good thing to do with good advice is pass it on; it is never of any use to oneself.

Sometimes in the world of PR, this would seem to be the mentality we adhere to the most. We spend all day talking with clients about what we believe is the best route for them to take, giving justification after justification for that choice. We look at the situation from every angle possible before making a recommendation. Pros and cons are weighed. Audiences are examined. Every plan is crafted carefully, strategically shaped and efficiently executed.

A penny for our thoughts? Well, a little more than a penny, but we're always happy to share with you what we believe the best course of action is for your business.

Sometimes it appears that we listen too closely to Wilde's words and do not seem to examine issues that face our agency each day in the same manner we do our clients. We are so intent on providing the best possible course of action for them that we will miss out on our own good advice when it comes to how we shape the public's perception of the agency.

Edelman, the world's largest public relations agency in the world (disclosure: Edelman is a big competitor with my own agency, Burson-Marsteller), found itself in a bit of hot water this past week when it circulated a blog on how clients could capitalize on media coverage around Robin Williams' death. As a PR practitioner, I understand what their thought process was, but the quick posting, the sensitivity of the topic and the clearly universal respect the public had for Williams should have been red flags at every turn. Edelman ultimately apologized for the blog post, but the damage was already done. Media outlets and the public soundly condemned the post and Edelman took a beating in the press for a few days.

Couple that with a recent gaffe on the agency's refusal to pledge that it would not work with climate change deniers and Edelman needed a little bit of crisis communications work for itself. Its executives did not adhere to the same advice they provide clients on a daily basis. The internal processes that we urge clients to put in place fell by the wayside and Edelman ultimately took two black eyes in as many weeks.

And while any PR expert wants to catch these issues before they get out of hand, Edelman took the appropriate response and has formed a team to examine reputation management for the agency itself. Executives recognized the missteps they made and are working to correct the issues. Swallowing pride like this and admitting mistakes is a critical step when it comes to crisis management and likely one of the first that Edelman recommends to its own clients. 

I can attest that as an individual who works in an agency, we can easily to lose sight of what is best for it. Following the advice that you give to clients can seem like a no-brainer, but when work is moving a million miles an hour, it can be the first mentality to disappear. Most people probably would think of a PR agency as the last company that would need to work on its external communications strategy, but we are human, too, and make mistakes. 

At the end of the day, agencies must remember that just like we handle for our clients, our reputation management must be considered at all times too. We must employ the same process of of decision-making that we're paid to give to our clients. Otherwise, we lose the credibility we work so hard to develop in their eyes.

Florida State Joins The Ranks Of Twitter Failures

Social media screw-ups happen. So frequently, in fact, that it takes some pretty spectacularly bad ones to even generate news around them. And the one social platform that seemingly causes the most problems for communicators is Twitter. In particular, the dangerous concept of a tweet chat.

So it should come as no surprise that today's lesson in what not to do comes from Florida State who decided that when you have a high-profile athlete who was the center of a questionable police investigation of a potential rape and was recently caught stealing crab legs from a local restaurant, the best thing to do is hold a tweet chat for all to have the opportunity to ask what's on their mind. And while these types of social media activities are likely never actually conducted by athlete, but rather a communications team member filtering the responses, a high-profile athlete like Jameis Winston isn't exactly the sharp-minded athlete you want taking on a horde of trolls.

Sure enough, the entire stream of tweets sarcastically asked about the aforementioned run-ins with the law. It certainly wasn't as big of a failure as some of the other social media debacles I've blogged about in the past (Robin Thicke, NCAA, McDonalds, Walgreens, JP Morgan), but I just fail to see how you decide to relinquish so much control of the conversation when it involves such a polarizing subject.

One easy alternative to a Twitter chat that still gives the audience the impression that it is engaging with the athlete is to simply have them send questions to an email address and do a virtual Q&A for an article to be pushed out across owned channels. This prevents trolls from taking over the hashtag and derailing the conversation. The event can still be promoted the week before across all social channels, but by making the questions private, you have control over what is posted and what isn't for all the public to see.

I get that an email Q&A with the fans may not be quite as sexy as a tweet chat. I also think that there is some argument to be made about giving up control of the narrative sometimes to help your audience shape it. But if I am managing communications at Florida State, I'm going to be significantly more careful with how I use Jameis Winston. Because it shouldn't take a rocket scientist to know that Winston has had his fair share of very negative press to match his positive.