CorpComms Magazine

Steve Earl, managing director, Speed Communications

In modernising media, content is king. Yet so is getting the right person to say it, or have it attributed to them. And while many in communications face routine challenges of getting senior management to better focus and enliven what they say, there are always those with the opposite problem - knowing when to shut up.

Gagging the gobbies is a delicate test of a media consultant's tact and expertise. Typically, a chief executive who simply talks too much or says the wrong things in media interviews has been doing that with colleagues for years. Having the pluck to tell them, show them the implications of what they're doing and try to convert them into more potent media assets can be daunting.

There are two broad brackets:

• Those who meander off-topic: the best way to address that is to teach them to answer in three or four short sentences. More airtime, more quotable comments and less wandering off-message.
• Those who love the sound of their own voice: trickier, but a good approach can be to show them how to make their wisdom have more impact and make sure the right parts get quoted, so that quality shines through over noise level. Applying some science to their 'art form' is the general idea.

That science is not at the Einstein level. Sketch out an example for perspective: a ten minute phone interview is really eight minutes of questions. The average question will be about 15 seconds. If your answers are longer than about 30 seconds, you will only get three or four questions rather than 10 or 12. That gives you less time to get each message across, perhaps two thirds less. So the concise and focused chief executive has a 200 per cent better chance of making the right impact than Mr Gobby.

David Wilson, chairman, Bell Pottinger

The priority of a chief executive or any leader is to design and direct strategic success. Today this embraces the role of spokesperson to help get the message across. Some get it consistently right, plenty don't. Some become the brand itself, bigger in fact, and this often spells danger. Can they retain hero status forever? Looking at different types of 'celebrity chief executive', some have arrived via the entrepreneurial route and their 'quotable personality' is part of a maverick style. Others are tried-and-tested corporate animals who hardly put a foot wrong but are still liable to slip. Some simply fail to make the top grade after years as an ever-willing deputy - never cut out for the top.

Gerald Ratner's future was simply 'crap' after a passing comment about his product. Sir Richard Branson's previously untouchable hero status has suffered its knocks in a rail industry that Britons just love to loathe.

The fame culture now affects everything, but anyone who's quotable in the public eye still has to possess a duty of care. In this information age we are more ready then ever to call people to account and that includes any chief executive with an ego. A collective company view on how badly their comments have gone down is a start. Firm PR minders and a muzzle can also help. Ultimately, they may still commit career suicide. The company must then separate itself from both sinner and sin, demonstrate action and ask for a clean break.

Sir John Tenniel's 1890 'Dropping the pilot' cartoon for Punch showed the German Kaiser Wilhelm II watching his Chancellor, Bismarck, leaving a ship. It serves as a reminder that no leader is indispensable. The media is, of course, a fickle friend, and will often turn. Even worse, is the online court of public opinion. Some bosses simply need reminding of their responsibilities; others, like General McChrystal, will find the media doing that for them. Then it's a case of voluntarily falling on their sword...or being impaled on it...with their superiors pressing firmly from behind.

Jo-ann Robertson, head of corporate and public affairs, Weber Shandwick

Stanley McChrystal was appointed in part because of his style of communication. He is direct, confident and not afraid to voice unpopular or controversial views. He was a straight-talker, something desperately needed from the individual leading the American forces in Afghanistan. This strength soon became a weakness when his negative comments about the vice president made it in to the public domain.

Businesses who have strong, charismatic, and straight-talking leaders are often the ones who thrive and succeed in the global economy. It is therefore a difficult judgment to make, from a communications perspective, about when to rein in the chief executive and manage their public comments.

Having a close relationship with the chief executive, understanding how they think, what motivates them, and ultimately knowing their strengths and weaknesses are essential for any communications adviser. This facilitates quick judgments about the external opportunities that are limited, in terms of risk, but present multiple opportunities.

Chief executives have limited time to comprehensively understand every situation. Briefings need to be concise, accurate, and contextualise the breadth and depth of the issues and questions that they may face.

Journalists love a celebrity chief executive as there is always the potential that they will say something that will make a great front page. Comments from Ryanair's Michael O'Leary are often controversial and provocative, but generate an exceptional amount of free publicity and don't appear to damage the longterm share price. Being clear with the chief executive about the potential risks not only to the reputation of the business, but also to their own credibility and reputation, can reinforce the dangers of loose talk.

Most organisations would love to enjoy the celebrity status and benefits of iconic chief executives, such as Marks & Spencer's Sir Stuart Rose, Tesco's Sir Terry Leahy or Virgin's Sir Richard Branson, none of whom have ever been shy and retiring.

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