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To enhance their company’s reputation in a complicated social landscape — and to ensure long-term profitability — elevated CMOs must design smart, authentic ways for executives to communicate about public responsibility.  

“Agua!” That one simple word sent Coca-Cola’s stock plummeting by $5 billion when elite soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo moved two bottles of Coke out of view and asked for water during a press conference. No matter that the soft drink giant was the UEFA European Championship’s sponsor. The meaning of Ronaldo’s gesture was clear: As a health-conscious athlete, I drink water, not Coke. 

And just like that, Coca-Cola experienced the economic impact of dragging their feet. How long have they known that their signature product increases the risk of insulin resistance, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and high blood pressure? And how long have they sidestepped using their power to positively influence health and wellness in a meaningful way?

It’s not an option for companies and their leaders to avoid entering into the fray of complex social challenges anymore. You might not be selling beverages that have the potential to damage people’s health. But your stakeholders still expect you to hold your professional services firm accountable for the ways in which you do impact your community. 

As the C-suite’s new utility players, forward-thinking CMOs will help executive leaders skillfully participate in challenging, important conversations across a spectrum of social concerns. Use the following questions as a starting point to help your CEO enter into — and influence — the dialogues that matter in our world today.

How Do We Communicate Effectively in an Era of Reform?

As the keeper of your company’s narrative and steward of its expressed written mission, you are the best-placed, most-equipped person to serve as the company’s sextant. In this capacity, you’re required to measure the angles between controversial social issues to help your brand navigate uncharted territory.

In The Square and the Tower, Niall Fergusson offers a warning to CEOs who seek to maintain control using outdated, top-down methods. He says, “Hierarchical institutions have been challenged by novel networks, their impact magnified by technology…We should probably expect continued network-driven disruption of hierarchies that cannot reform themselves.”

Reform is hard. So is dismantling age-old expectations and norms associated with positions of power. But we can’t afford to bury our heads in the sand as social issues increasingly become business issues. Nor can we rely on authoritative communication styles of yesteryear. Rather, we must communicate with vulnerability and demonstrate a willingness to listen. If we don’t reform ourselves, we will be left behind.

But in order to help your CEO traverse this new terrain, your organization needs to grapple with a foundational question. What do we stand for? 

What Issues Should Our Professional Services Firm Speak Out About?

The CMO-as-sextant role requires you to articulate how your company’s brand promise plays out in a charged social and political environment. To do it well, you must be truthful and authentic while simultaneously remaining accountable. This is necessary even if — or especially when — your best efforts to do better are met with criticism. 

For example, remember when Dove tried to make bottles that reflected body diversity or when Target introduced transgender lavatories? Some sang these companies’ praises. Others decried them. But despite backlash, both companies boldly sparked conversations that were necessary and valuable — and that were in line with their own stated values.

In the professional services landscape, many firms are making a concerted effort to include Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) reporting in their mantle of accountability. Lawyers, accountants, investors, and engineers measure ESG to answer to stakeholders and governments. But the thoughtful CMO should be thinking about how executives can communicate ESG-related issues to all audiences. 

Furthermore, CMOs can and should measure audience sentiment and response to these efforts. In this way, CMOs can connect the dots for executives and show how speaking out on societal issues can impact brand reputation.

ESG is just one example. You may be focused on going beyond the performative in how your firm responds to issues of racial injustice. Or you might want to combat misinformation and speak out against fake news. Whatever the issue, it all comes down to this. What are your firm’s values? What issues matter to you? And in what way do you hope to leave your corner of your industry better than you found it?

Is it Time to Communicate a Broader View of Profitability?

Part of charting a course toward a different, reformed future is opening an authentic conversation about what it means to be profitable. That’s because stakeholders now demand that the pursuit of profit be tempered by a concern for doing what’s right. It’s not enough to make money. Organizations also need to consider the planet, marginalized groups, future generations, and society as a whole. 

Weigh what it might mean for your CEO and your firm to embrace a more holistic view of profitability. How would that allow you to communicate a meaningful brand promise to your stakeholders and audience? What stories can you tell about the ways your firm is integrating business needs with social needs? And how might this evolved approach to financial governance actually lead to greater loyalty and commitment from stakeholders, employees, and clients?   

Revenue is important. But if we want to create a more just, healthy, and sustainable world, it just might begin by expanding our definition of profitability.

CMOs Must Continue to Equip Executives to Communicate About Social Concerns

If your CEO doesn’t take a stand on an issue or concern that resonates with your market, somebody else will. And if that ‘somebody’ happens to have the power and influence of Cristiano Ronaldo in the Digital Age, watch out. 

Your stakeholders expect vulnerability, authenticity, accountability, and a willingness to listen. So in order to augment your organization’s reputation and remain profitable in this new era, you need to prepare your CEO to engage in challenging conversations. All of that starts by asking the right questions.

If you’d like some help directing conversations that matter at your firm, connect with us. We’d love to hear from you.

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If you’re a baseball fan – almost regardless of which team you root for – New York Mets infielder Javier Báez is among the players you enjoy watching most. That’s largely because, since 2014, Báez has done things that almost no one else does, like this absurd play in Pittsburgh in May.

But Báez recently saw how being the center of attention can backfire – and demonstrated the tricky path public figures and organizations on the whole must walk these days. On one side is an increased emphasis on authenticity. On the other is the very real possibility that in speaking publicly, and from the heart, feet will occasionally end up in mouths.

What happened with Báez and the Mets provides good lessons for leaders of professional services organizations. In addition to illustrating the challenges around authenticity – especially in the age of social media – it showed the danger of overreacting and why building up a reservoir of goodwill has never been more important.

The Foot in the Mouth

On July 30, the struggling Chicago Cubs traded Báez – a team legend who played a key role in its  historic 2016 championship – to the playoff-hopeful Mets. For a variety of reasons, the Mets played poorly in August and, for fans, Báez’s positives weren’t outweighing his negatives, prompting boos Báez rarely heard in Chicago. Mets fans hadn’t seen enough of Báez’s flair on defense or as a baserunner – or his bat’s ability to carry a team for weeks – to look past five strikeouts in a game against the Marlins.

After the boos started, Báez and other Mets began celebrating big hits by pointing their thumbs down. When asked after a game to explain the gesture, Báez put his foot in his mouth. It’s worth reading his comments in full, but Báez basically said that he and other Mets, after performing well, wanted to let fans know how it felt to be booed.

What happened next was anything but subdued – and was also fairly predictable. The Mets owner and team president came out against Báez’s comments. The New York tabloids did what New York tabloids do. And Báez apologized a couple days later, sounding somewhat convincing and saying that he wasn’t booing the fans — but that his gesture was almost a subdued “How do you like me, now?” after their previous criticism.

But the damage, at least at that moment, was done. Pundits speculated that Báez had cemented his future as an ex-Met and hurt his chances generally in free agency this offseason. “It’s impossible to think of another prospective free agent making a bigger public relations mistake,” longtime baseball writer Buster Olney said.

How to Try to Avoid Flubs – and Prepare for Them

For professional services organizations, the first lesson from Báez’s verbal misstep is that being authentic doesn’t mean throwing caution to the wind. Báez and most athletes likely go through media training, but they’re also constantly bombarded with questions. Individuals who work for professional services organizations have fewer opportunities to make these mistakes and therefore less of an excuse for making them.

Preparing for interactions with reporters is crucial because of how quickly the wrong thing said in today’s 24/7 media climate can wreck a reputation, or do damage to an institution. But preparation should go beyond one-off prep sessions. If organizations have their houses in order from a communications and public relations standpoint – and have invested in developing a solid reputation that builds up a reservoir of goodwill – that’s the best way to be authentic without taking on too much risk.

This may be a long-term process, but it can provide a sort of communications resiliency – broad shoulders that allow an organization to take a PR hit every now and then. The Mets didn’t have such a reservoir in the lead up to Báez’s comments. Their previous GM was fired after a sexting scandal, the team’s owner publicly calls out underperforming players and there was even the highly implausible explanation for a team dustup about whether an animal in Citi Field was a rat or a raccoon.

When Flubs Happen

Like sports teams, professional services organizations are comprised of individuals who might say the wrong thing to a reporter, post something they shouldn’t on social media or simply do something in life that draws the wrong kind of attention. But it’s important that organizations don’t overreact in the heat of these moments.

Whether the Mets did that here is debatable – some might say quick action was needed – but at least one well-known baseball blogger called out Mets executives for their comments. “I get that the fans are the meal ticket, but the fans don’t fan without the players,” the blogger, Brett Taylor, said. “Praising the fans for booing the team ain’t exactly the best way to get on the players’ good side when you need them most.”

Perhaps the Mets could have figured that into their thinking, along with the realization that the glare of the modern spotlight is bright but especially fleeting. It certainly was when it came to Báez’s comments.

The day he apologized, Báez would go on to be key in sparking a huge come-from-behind win, including a big hit and baserunning straight out of his best days in Chicago. In an amusing footnote, a top Mets executive joined the Mets ground crew following the come-from-behind win in searching for an earring Báez lost around home plate while he was celebrating the big win with his teammates to the cheers of thousands.

The Mets’ struggles resumed after the win, and they’re now all but out of postseason contention. But Báez certainly isn’t to blame, with a strong performance that quieted the boos. His apology before the Mets’ come-from-behind win came on September 1, and he has a .380 batting average this month and (for more statistically inclined fans) a 1.118 OPS. It’s hard to see Báez getting blamed for the team’s shortcomings, with even the New York tabloids coming around in recent days.

That same tabloid pointed its finger at someone else as far as blame goes – controversial team owner Steve Cohen. One wonders how a smarter PR strategy might have avoided many of the Mets’ problems this season.

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Count the headlines earned by Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway, and Merck when they announced their CEO succession plans – turnover at the most senior levels gets attention. It may be one of the few “all eyes on you” moments a firm can count on.

As such, these moments present valuable opportunities for a firm to articulate strategy and communicate a fresh vision for the future. However, recent research has found that most organizations are unprepared for the opportunities –and challenges –that a turnover will bring. 

In a new report we worked with History Factory to develop, 90% of the 160 c-suite respondents surveyed agreed with the statement, “in today’s unpredictable environment, succession planning is more important than ever.” Yet the report also showed that less than half of corporations have taken the time to develop a succession plan. This is particularly remarkable considering that CEO changeover reached 20-year highs in 2019 — and after a brief pandemic-induced pause, now continues to rise. 

Greentarget has helped many clients manage leadership transitions at the c-level. Given these experiences and the market research we conducted with History Factory, we recommend that leaders consider the following when facing turnover in the c-suite.

1.  Tell a Compelling Institutional Narrative

An executive transition is one of the few occasions where your firm will garner earned media attention and public interest, whether you’re actively seeking it out or not. What’s more, the passing of the baton gives you a rare strategic opportunity to refresh your firm’s market position, either by affirming your unique value proposition, previewing a strong new direction, or underscoring your commitment to serving clients and stakeholders.

Keep in mind, though, that most people view CEO transitions with some level of suspicion. For example, a company’s stock price almost always takes a hit when a new CEO is announced. This happens even when a company rolls out thoughtful transition communications. “What’s really going on over there?” is bound to cross the minds of more than a few stakeholders. 

Your audience will want to know the why behind a high-profile change. So seize this moment by telling them a compelling story you want them to remember. Share your outgoing leader’s accomplishments. Lay out the meaningful strides your company made during her tenure. Then paint a picture of what your firm is capable based on this strong foundation.

2. Capture the Intellectual Capital of Your Outgoing CEO

Recent research published by Harvard Business Review quantifies a startling truth: the amount of market value wiped out by badly managed CEO and C-suite transitions in the S&P 1500 is close to $1 trillion a year.  That’s trillion with a T. Among the primary reasons for this, the researchers argue, is the loss of the outgoing CEO’s intellectual capital. 

Don’t let a veritable wealth of information walk out the door with your departing leader. You need to thoughtfully gather that institutional memory so it can be transferred to your incoming CEO.  

Your incoming leader needs to demonstrate an awareness of:

  • Company timelines and achievements
  • Market position and competitive analysis
  • Industry challenges and trends
  • Past and current strategic priorities
  • Organizational ethos and values
  • High-profile client accounts, past and present
  • Employee culture, including talent-related strengths and opportunities 

History Factory’s report offers thoughtful guidance and examples on how to draw institutional memory out of your departing CEO and use it to prepare the new leader. Reflect this transfer of institutional memory in your communications plan to convey stability and momentum. Your audience and stakeholders need to be confident your organization won’t take a step backward as a result of the transition. They need to know your incoming leader is sufficiently aware of the past to be ready for the challenges that lie ahead.

3. Communicate the Value Your Incoming CEO Brings (But Don’t Rush to Herald a New Vision)

Introducing your incoming CEO can be tricky. You want that person to lead, but you also want your employees and clients to confidently follow. While you may be eager to signal a new direction, vision, and momentum, resist the urge to move too quickly. After all, CEOs who introduce a bold new direction right away run the risk of alienating employees, clients, and stakeholders in the process. It’s more important for the new leader to affirm your firm’s organizational culture and demonstrate genuine excitement about becoming part of it.

Rather than introducing the specific priorities your CEO will tackle, focus on communicating the value your new executive brings to the table. (For example, are you one of the increasing number of companies appointing its first woman or person of color as CEO?) Share why they are best suited to lead the organization into the future, and give them adequate time to formulate their compelling new vision. 

Are you promoting a leader from within? Tell the story of that person’s journey at your firm. How has your outgoing CEO offered valuable mentorship and leadership along the way? In what ways will the new leader build on and enhance the strategic direction your firm has taken to this point?

Only after your new CEO has had a chance to get the lay of the land should you really hand over the microphone. It’s time to broadcast his vision for the future while continuing to value the good work you’ve already accomplished.

A Positive CEO Transition Requires Thoughtful Succession Planning

To navigate the challenging dynamics of an executive transition, you need a solid and thoughtful communication plan. This is your firm’s newsworthy moment. Make the most of it by telling a compelling institutional story, capturing and transferring your outgoing CEO’s intellectual capital, and introducing your incoming CEO’s vision thoughtfully. 

You don’t have to go it alone. We’ve been down this road before. We’re well-positioned to help your organization seize the strategic opportunity an executive transition offers.

Want to talk it through? Just reach out — we’d love to hear from you.

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Cries of “fake news” have become a favored weapon of bad actors looking to cast doubt on credible reporting. But news that is actually fake is a clear threat to our very democracy — and it’s found a prominent breeding ground on increasingly powerful social media platforms.

Last year, our Fake News 2020 report found that 80 percent of journalists strongly believe misinformation has negatively impacted journalism. Furthermore, 56 percent said social media is the single greatest fake news distribution threat. So when we release our second Fake News report later this fall, we’re going to zero in on social media’s role.

And what, if anything, journalists think should be done about it.

Social Media Both Supports and Undermines Credible Journalism

Journalists rely on social media to do their jobs. Many comb social media for story ideas or leads, use it to obtain and verify sources, and share their stories to boost engagement. 

But social media can be a double-edged sword, even if you look past the effects Facebook and other platforms have had on the advertising models of traditional news outlets. Journalists use social media to get reality-based news in front of a broader readership, but propagators of disinformation use it too. From there, audiences can indiscriminately share and disseminate stories (real or fake) quickly and easily. In turn, social media becomes an echo chamber, making it easy for audiences to attack and discredit those same stories.

Social media, obviously, isn’t going away. And because it is one of the main fronts in the fight against fake news, it’s time to sound a battle cry. Whether or not the government ultimately intervenes, we as PR professionals need to do our part to support journalists, amplify truthful news stories, call out fake news when we see it, and commit ourselves to high levels of transparency and ethical behavior. 

2021 Fake News Report: A Preview

In our report last year, journalists overwhelmingly felt it was their responsibility to fight fake news. But they were split on whether the government should get involved. They didn’t agree about whether the U.S. should impose anti-fake news laws to combat misleading information. More than a third (39 percent) supported or strongly supported anti-fake news laws, while nearly as many (35 percent) did not support such laws. About a quarter – 26 percent – said they were neutral toward the potential laws.

But that was before a contentious campaign season, disputed election results, and an unprecedented insurrection at the nation’s capitol — spurred in large part by groups using social media to get their message across. 

And as we face continued vaccination hesitancy and a resurgence of Delta variant-related positive COVID-19 cases, we can’t help but wonder: Have we finally reached a critical turning point in the fight against fake news? 

Evaluating the Communications Decency Act, Section 230

We wanted to know specifically what journalists think about calls to reform Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act — which grants internet platforms legal immunity for most content posted by their users. Do journalists feel this act currently grants social media platforms too much leniency? Especially when we factor in alternative, far-right platforms like Parlor, Gab, and MeWe?

The White House has initiated conversations to hold social media platforms more accountable for their content. Is this appropriate? Will this assure journalists more that their credible news stories might have a chance of breaking through the fake news maelstrom? Will such reforms go far enough?

Weighing Additional Governmental Interventions to Combat Fake News

Reforming Section 230 is just one commonly discussed approach aimed at limiting the flow of fake news on social media platforms. Do journalists think the Biden administration should generally prioritize combating fake news – and, if so, how should do they think it be done? Here are some other options:

  • Regulating and enforcing antitrust laws
  • Revising libel and slander laws
  • Revising the “fair use” doctrine 

We’ll also ask journalists for their thoughts on a variety of other issues related to fake news including how the term has evolved in the last year.

How PR Can Help Journalists Fight Fake News

While we may not be on the front lines, PR professionals can and need to support their colleagues in battling the dissemination of fake news. As part of our 2020 report, we vowed to take the following steps. And we encourage your organization to do the same.

  • Support the work of reporters and editors. We value the work that journalists do every day, and we appreciate the privilege of collaborating with them. We pledge to continue to support journalists and amplify reality-based news sources.
  • Stress ethics and transparency. We strongly discourage lying to journalists or putting forth non-credible sources, and we pledge to always fact-check our work. Because we embrace transparent relationships with journalists (and the public), we will always be responsive to journalists’ questions and endeavor to help them solve problems when we can.
  • Put the audience first. Many PR practitioners hone their craft by developing the perfect pitch to get a reporter’s attention. That is, of course, important. But we believe in only offering insights that a journalist’s audience cares about. 
  • Advocate against fake news. We believe it is our responsibility to help others understand the difference between real and fake news, thereby hindering the spread of fake news. Since we believe this starts with educating the next generation of active news consumers, we pledge to take a leadership role for future PR practitioners today, tomorrow, and always.

We’ve followed through on this pledge by devoting podcast episodes to the topic, participating in webinars, lending our voice to roundtables with future PR leaders such as PRSA Voices 4 Everyone, and raising awareness through articles like this one. And we’ll continue to advocate as a voice for truth and transparency in journalism especially while fake news remains a threat. 

We’re excited to share our findings in our 2021 Fake News report this fall. Connect with Greentarget to receive the report right to your inbox. 

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Toyota recently made headlines when social justice watchdogs called them out for making $55,000 in donations to 37 politicians who objected to certifying the 2020 election. The backlash was fast and fierce. Consumers called for boycotts and it wasn’t long before the hashtag #ToyotaHatesDemocracy began trending on Twitter. 

As it so often happens, Toyota’s official response only made things worse. Their statement was vague and included familiar corporate PR speak, saying, “Toyota supports candidates based on their position on issues that are important to the auto industry and the company.” This led many in the Twitterverse to retort that democracy must not have been one of the “issues” factored in. Though Toyota has since tried to walk back and amend its response, the general consensus is too little, too late.

If you think that because you’re not in a consumer-facing industry this kind of blowback can’t happen to you, think again. Professional services firms are increasingly expected to treat social issues as business issues. Whether it’s answering for how diverse your firm is (or isn’t) or explaining why you’ve chosen to do business with a controversial figure, there will come a time when you’re forced to respond to criticism.

What should you say if you have no idea what to say? Or if, like Toyota, the answer you do have isn’t good enough?

Our advice? Get real. Lead with vulnerability and humility. Listen and learn from the people around you in order to develop authentic communications that demonstrate a positive commitment to change. 

Throughout this piece, we’ll look at the benefits of vulnerable communication as it relates to an emerging, salient example. Many businesses have recently added Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) metrics to their RFPs in an effort to hire firms who align with their values. The challenge? Most professional services firms are not diverse. So you will need to do some hard work to demonstrate you are truly committed to meaningful change and improvement.

With Vulnerability, Communications Can Be A Tool –Not a Shield

Transparency was the leadership theme throughout the 2010s. But today’s expectation goes even further. Leadership now requires a new level of vulnerability, openness, and skilled participation. Hiding behind your marketing messages or simple lip service is easier than ever to recognize. Your stakeholders, employees, and the public will see right through it.

With vulnerability, your communications can be a tool – not a shield. Vulnerability strengthens your position, increases your likelihood of winning over your prospective clients, and engages your employees in living up to your organizational values.

That doesn’t mean it’s easy. Many organizations use corporate speak not because they think it’s the best way to go, but to mitigate legal risk. There’s a balance here, though. You can still admit your firm isn’t perfect or that you don’t have all the answers to sensitive social issues without making statements that could pose legal risk. In the meantime, doing so will reduce skepticism and buy goodwill while you develop the meaningful messages and actions you ultimately want to deliver.  

In the DE&I context, responding vulnerably and authentically to this kind of scrutiny might mean owning up to the fact that your firm has a long way to go. If your workforce is not diverse, don’t pretend it is. Instead, be sincere and admit you need to make improvements, and then, when you’re ready, lay out your plan to do just that. 

Vulnerability Opens the Door to Collaborative Communication

Let’s be honest about this — if your leadership team lacks diversity, you shouldn’t be working on solving your DE&I shortcomings in a vacuum. Ask for help from people who have insights you don’t. Invite employees, stakeholders, clients, and even community members to weigh in on how to make measurable changes that will move your firm forward. 

To go beyond the performative and gather strategic input that will help you make authentic improvements, you might need to take a hard look at your current state. Ask questions about what your workplace is like right now for members of underrepresented groups. Really listen to their experiences. For instance, question:

  • Is your firm’s culture accessible and inclusive for women, Black, Latinx, AAPI, indigenous, disabled, LGBTQ+ and other marginalized groups? 
  • Do underrepresented groups have access to high value projects, clients and other work that affords them advancement opportunities?
  • Are all members of underrepresented groups safe from harassment? Do they receive equal pay for equal work?
  • What will it take to fill more seats at your leadership tables with people who represent a broad spectrum of diversity?

Resist the urge to ignore these uncomfortable or sensitive issues. Explore, debate, research, question, and reflect on these important topics with the people around you. Then, work together to formulate communications that convey the tangible improvements you plan to make. 

Vulnerability Invites Greater Accountability to Your Values

Your organizational values should act as your guardrails and guiding principles in all the areas you strive for change. So when you’ve developed the communications about how your organization is working toward improving your DE&I metrics, you also need to be vulnerable enough to invite your employees and stakeholders to call you out if you don’t follow through on your good intentions. 

Your employees, clients, and stakeholders may have better insight into your firm’s shortcomings than you do. Accountability gives them the freedom to speak up and tell you if they feel you aren’t making the positive changes you committed to. The best way to ensure they feel comfortable holding you accountable is to give them direct access to you and other leaders who have authority and power. Vulnerability and accessibility lead to accountability.

Need Help Harnessing the Power of Vulnerable Communications?

Responding to a DE&I metric on an RFP is just one example of how professional services firms are wrestling with how to communicate when they don’t know what to say. It can be challenging to drop the protective cloak of marketing language in favor of vulnerable communications — especially in conversations that make us uncomfortable or when legal risk is involved. But doing so will enable you to build stronger relationships with the employees, stakeholders, and clients whose buy-in and trust are essential in allowing you to reach your business objectives.

Whatever you do, don’t rely on tone-deaf marketing statements like Toyota did. Using communication as a tool instead of a shield — whether it’s responding to an RFP or releasing a public statement about a hot-button issue — shows empathy and will help you attract new clients and talented employees who are just as committed to social concerns as you are. 

If you realize you need help harnessing the power of vulnerability in your communications strategies, just reach out. We’d love to hear from you.

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We’ve all seen unprepared leaders lose control of difficult media conversations. Reporters delight in putting interviewees on the spot, tripping them up, and delving into topics respondents would rather avoid. But if as a leader you can’t skillfully and adeptly navigate these interactions, you risk undermining your own authority and harming your organization’s reputation.

Reporters aren’t the only people who will ask you pointed questions. In today’s world, control is disseminated more and more. And that means employees, stakeholders, and community members are free to challenge, test, and iterate on your ideas at any time. That’s a good thing. Because every media interview, town hall meeting, and hallway chat is another opportunity for you to strengthen your position, increase your influence, and solidify your message.

However, to effectively navigate these uncontrolled situations, you need to master the principles of positive, productive engagement within the original, uncontrolled environment executives have worked for decades to master – the news media.

The key is skilled participation, which can be accomplished by applying these tried and true techniques to every area of your professional life as your pathway to authentic, true authority.

Complete the Prerequisites of Skilled Participation

Skilled participation affords you an element of control in an uncontrolled environment. And the more uncontrolled the environment, the more credibility you earn by participating. But before you can master the techniques involved, start by doing some foundational thought work.

Shift Your Leadership Mindset

What it means to be an effective leader has changed dramatically. In the ’80’s, ’90’s and early aughts, leaders (especially CEOs) were high-powered executives who projected a carefully crafted image based on command and control. Confident, assured, possessing all the answers — but also unapproachable, inaccessible, and often inauthentic.

By contrast, the defining traits of effective leaders today are vulnerability and authenticity. You aren’t shielded by handlers and tucked away in your corner office on the top floor. Instead, you’re expected to be out on the playing field. Weighing in. Actively engaging. Opening yourself up to scrutiny. 

To do this well, you need to demonstrate a personal commitment to growth and continuous learning. This might involve moving forward with incomplete information, allowing yourself to be questioned, welcoming honest feedback, and admitting when you’re wrong.

Vulnerability and authenticity can be humbling, but these are the characteristics that invite others to connect with you, respect you, relate to you, and ultimately follow you. There’s no leadership authority without vulnerability. And if this sounds uncomfortable, it’s because it is. But more often than not, the credibility it fosters is worth the effort.

(Much like sitting down with a reporter.)

Refine Your Point of View

Skilled participation requires you to have a well-thought-out point of view on a variety of salient topics. That doesn’t mean you have answers for everything, but it does mean you’ve taken the time to carefully consider the issues that matter most to your stakeholders.

Polite society doesn’t exist anymore, which means you never know what topic might be thrown at you. At any moment, your employees and stakeholders can ask you hard questions about your business decisions, strategic vision, financial outlook, operational plan, and organizational values.

Furthermore, social issues are now business issues, too. From critical race theory to voting rights, you’ll need to be prepared to enter into authentic conversation about the ideas that matter — and not just to your business specifically, but to society at large. Because, what’s good for society is good for business. And there are new expectations for leaders as a result.  

Master These Proven Media Interview Techniques to Prepare for Skilled Participation

After you’ve completed the soft-skill prerequisites, it’s time to practice the media interview techniques that allow you to communicate your messaging effectively, no matter the arena you’re in. 

Deliver a Crisp, Compelling Message

Skilled participants excel at getting to the heart of a message quickly and distilling their agenda into digestible viewpoints. 

To craft an authoritative message, use these tactics:

  • Concreteness. Your audience should be able to visualize exactly what you’re saying. If you can’t draw it, it’s not concrete. Abstract, squishy language flatlines empathy and gives listeners permission to check out.
  • Emotion. Behavioral science tells us that humans are “feeling machines that think.” Reason and emotion are inseparable, and emotion is always more effective than cold, hard facts. If you want to propel people toward a decision or influence an outcome, strategic use of emotion is key.
  • Narrative. Stories are the transporters of persuasion. The more immersed we become in a compelling story, the more open we become to changing or challenging our beliefs. Peppering your messaging with “micro-narratives” is an excellent way to use the power of story while maintaining crisp message delivery.

Need an example of how to employ these techniques? Steve Jobs used these three elements perfectly when he introduced the iPhone during a transformative CNBC interview. He used concreteness to describe the iPhone as a computer you can fit in your pocket. Drawing on the emotion of frustration, he then talked about how easy the iPhone is to use compared to other technologies that were harder for users to learn. And finally, he told stories about how his team conceived the iPhone and how they approached the design and development process. 

Jobs’ discomfort with media interviews is well known, but he took himself out of his comfort zone and mastered the art of skilled participation. To become a true authority, you’ll need to do the same.

Build Your Argument Backwards

When building your argument, start at the end. Our natural tendency is to start at the beginning and build a strong argument systematically. But in a media setting — and in other uncontrolled settings — the longer you talk, the more you risk being interrupted before you can make your point. Don’t give your audience the opportunity to flip your script before you deliver the key takeaway.

Start with your headline. Then make your supporting points. Conclude with a summary to reemphasize the message and solidify it in your audience’s mind. Use repetition liberally. As organizational health consultant Patrick Lencioni says, your ultimate role is to be the “chief reminding officer.”

Expertly Maneuver Back to Your Agenda

In uncontrolled settings, you can’t follow a script word for word. But you can and should become proficient at maneuvering the conversation back to the ultimate message you want to convey. 

Blocking and bridging is the most common approach. This two-pronged strategy involves acknowledging the question and bridging the conversation back to a related topic that aligns with the message you want to share. 

For example, say an employee asks what you think about critical race theory. Perhaps you haven’t delved into this subject and aren’t familiar enough with the theory to provide a thoughtful point of view. You might respond by saying, “I don’t know much about critical race theory and I’ll need to do some research to make sure I understand it fully before I weigh in. But what I have thought about at great length is how our organization can do a better job of recruiting and retaining people of color. May I tell you about some of our recent diversity and inclusion efforts and ask for your feedback?”

This response shows you care about the overarching racial injustice issues that critical race theory seeks to address, signals that you are open to learning more about it, and invites honest conversation about the related issues your firm is actively working on. In short, responding this way demonstrates your authority. 

Preparation + Improv = Skilled Participation

Your final requirement for perfecting the art of skilled participation is to embrace and develop your improvisational mindset. Improvisation is the ability to think on your feet, adjust your messaging based on how it’s landing, and successfully navigate uncharted terrain. This comes back to relinquishing control. We live in a rapidly changing world and, as a leader, you’ll need to make decisions with incomplete information and answer questions you don’t necessarily see coming. 

But hear this. We aren’t advising you to fake it. Rather, we’re saying that — once you’ve prepared your messaging and mastered the art of engaging in media interviews — improvising comes down to trusting yourself. You are equipped to navigate the hard conversations that will come your way. You possess a reservoir of experience to help you improvise well.

At the end of the day, every conversation is improvisational because no authentic interaction is scripted. So suit up. You’ve refined your position and sharpened your skills. It’s time to skillfully participate to prove your authority.

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