Should YOU Be The Mouthpiece For Your Own Business?

Posted on April 24, 2007
Filed Under Media Advice, Public Appearances & Conduct, Publicity |

alberto gonzales bad spokesman
Bad Spokesman		 trump spokesperson
Good Spokesman

As someone who has interviewed literally thousands of CEO’s and business owners, and who has helped train some in the ways of the media, I can tell you now that not every CEO or business owner ought to be the mouthpiece for his or hers business.

While it is never good to make glittering generalities, the fact is that many heads of companies have large egos. In fact, they probably could not have gotten where they are without a very healthy ego. The down side, though, is that same big ego often blinds them to the fact that they may not be the best spokesperson, especially if the company or business is facing some sort of crisis.

Some Solutions for Bad Spokesmen

Now, sure, they can be trained by media coaches such as myself, taught how to dress, speak, answer questions, etc. But, there are some who are , how should I put this diplomatically? There are some who are hopeless cases. Whenever they take the podium, they do their company or business more harm than good.

So, what is the answer?

The most self-serving answer is to get media training from someone who has lots of experience. But, often, the answer is surprisingly simple so long as that big ego doesn’t get in the way: Let someone else do the speaking for you.

This person can be a PR-trained employee, an outside agency, or someone else of authority in the company or business. Perhaps, the number two man or woman?

A CEO or business owner is a salesperson at the end of the day. Knowing when to have someone else close the deal is often the mark of a truly smart executive/owner and one whose ego is being kept well under control.

Comments

Leave a Reply




Recent Comments