Strategic Communications Consultants

It's not just what they say

Public relations professionals put a lot of resources into ensuring that company spokespeople are competent communicators. While this is important, it needs to be seen in a broader communications context.

Why? Because even the best-trained spokesperson may not be seen as very credible by their audience.

A Public Relations Society of America survey of American adults aged 18-plus, reported late last year, makes this point very well. The following are credibility rankings adapted from the survey results, of "people who can provide financial information on a company" (from highest to lowest, based on mean score):

• Consumer protection advocate
• Professional financial planner or advisor
• Business or industry expert
• Stock broker you know
• Friend involved in a business or industry
• Family member
• University business school professor
• Stock holder in a particular business or industry
• Worker in a company or business
• Business reporter for a newspaper
• Business reporter on television
• Government official who regulates a business or industry
• Company's chief financial officer (CFO)
• Union leader
• President of a large corporation
• Company's chief executive officer (CEO)
• Spokesperson for a company

For corporates, the message to be drawn from this is to give priority to ‘influencing the influencers'.