So let’s talk a bit about messaging and spokespeople and audience engagement.
A commercial radio news bulletin, here in the Emerald City, concerning the renewal of a corporate sponsorship of a leading entertainment venue.
An opportunity, with the right messages and delivery, to enhance the general perception of a company, and get people on board.
Include detail, avoid buzzwords
The spokesperson talked about transforming the sponsored building into a ‘smart venue’. This may well be a thing – but without any explanation, it’s a lost opportunity to connect with the audience.
Then there was ‘improving customer experience’. Without specifics, why should anyone care?
It is too easy to substitute a shorthand term for the real message.
‘Smart venue’, when we mean a building that can tell you where things are, tell you how long the queue for the ladies’ loo is and allow you to pre-order two hot dogs and four pints via an app on your smartphone.
‘Improving customer experience’ when we mean discounted gig tickets, a chance to meet the band and 4G in the mosh pit.
Messages are the detail that gets people interested, draws them in, makes them want to be involved. In this case, however, both key points sounded like buzzwords from an approved list.
Suitable spokespeople, not senior spokespeople
Agreeing a spokesperson is not easy – often simple seniority carries the day.
An approach is to establish a panel of ‘subject matter experts’ who take the spokesperson role when it’s their area.
Another is to spread the responsibility – get agreement that a handful of senior people should alternate as spokesperson, thus limiting the exposure of any one in particular.
And there’s selection of opportunity – the less able spokesperson gets the less pivotal gigs.
Training to tell stories
In the real world, of course, this doesn’t always work. The media want to speak with the CEO, and no-one else will cut it.
Or maybe the news story is about a ground-breaking use of technology and only the CTO will do.
Which is where, of course, the message and the spokesperson should be managed in tandem.
Messages are not buzzwords, and a spokesperson is not someone reading buzzwords off a script. Training and rehearsal – above and beyond a simple ‘briefing’ – help the spokesperson to build their own story around the messages.
Telling a story that they’re comfortable with not only brings the message to life, but allows the spokesperson to be genuine in their delivery.
It’s the combination of interesting detail and genuine delivery, by someone who’s comfortable with the material, that creates audience connection and propensity to engage.
If you would like to know more about messaging, identifying spokespeople and training them to do the best job they can, we’d be happy to talk to you – for free, with no obligations.
