Finding the Right Voice for Your Organization
(August 12, 2005)

Selecting a good spokesperson within your organization is key to getting your message out.

Is the person articulate, knowledgeable and able to tell the story in layman's terms? Does the person need media training?

Choose the best candidate, not the political choice.

Several years ago, I was working for a client - a large association. We were able to get on a morning news show to talk about new products and services on the market. My client said we would use the president as spokesperson. He hadn't done much media work, but should be fine. Well, he wasn't. Right after the show, the producer called and left a phone message that the leader had done a poor job. And he did.

Lesson learned: I didn't do my job in qualifying the spokesperson. It impacted my client's credibility and mine.

That was the first - and last time - that happened.

Here are some suggestions for finding a good spokesperson for your organization:

• Identify candidates in advance - individuals who are media-savvy, articulate and can tell the story in short sound bites.
• Qualify the spokesperson - is he or she friendly, helpful, appropriate, knowledgeable - as opposed to "political" choices who may be a disaster
• Prepare each individual with key talking points/core messages before doing the interview and rehearse.
• Insist upon media training, if the expert is inexperienced or needs to brush up on skills.
• Go with your gut instincts. If the spokesperson doesn't seem the best choice, speak up.
• Critique the individual following a radio or TV appearance - learn from the experience, how can you improve next time?

--Vicky Lekovish