I would be among the first to tell you that the highest-ranking official of your organization (called here the CEO) is its most visible spokesperson. There are countless opportunities where the CEO is called upon to speak for the organization:

• speaking at the local Rotary Club
• private conversations at dinner parties
• or in front of hundreds of people gathered to hear your company's side of the story about an incident that disrupted the neighborhood.

What is said reflects, positively or negatively, on that organization in ways that may be remembered for a long time.

This is particularly true whenever the media is involved. Words said by a CEO to a reporter are captured and repeated for the whole world to see. This is true regardless of whether things were said that should not have been said or important points were forgotten, whether the statements were well-phrased or clumsy, well spoken or mumbled. It is therefore vital that the CEO receive professional training in how to be a good spokesperson.

However, I would like you to consider these three good reasons why the CEO should NOT be the company's initial spokesperson. True, if it all hits the fan in a big crisis, it will assuredly be the CEO who must step up to the microphone and make the definitive company statement. But it is usually wise to identify someone else within the organization to act as the initial media spokesperson.

(Note: For convenience, I will refer here to the CEO as "he" and the reporter as "she." Of course there are many instances when these genders would be reversed.)

Why Not Initially the CEO?

(1) It Saves the CEO Time and Aggravation.

You really want to establish someone besides the CEO as the individual who initially takes questions from the press. If yours is one of the larger organizations in the area, you could be seen as a major news source and asked about all kinds of things ranging from how good your last quarter was for business to what you are doing for your employees over the holidays.. The CEO is a busy individual with important things to do. He does not have time to answer all of these questions. You want to be cooperative with the press in order to establish a good relationship with them, but these issues do need not a comment from the CEO.

Publicize the direct dial phone number of the person in the organization whom the local media should contact. Get the media people accustomed to calling this individual whenever they want a statement. (This may also help prevent the press from going to an unauthorized person for a comment when something has happened.) If you have not clearly spelled out in company policy who the authorized spokespersons are, you run the risk of having any employee figure they can speak to the press. This could be a loyal and very capable employee, or it could be an angry, embittered person who was recently disciplined. Make sure all employees know who the authorized spokespersons are so they can refer the reporter appropriately. You don't want them saying, "I'm not allowed to talk to the media." They should just be instructed to be sure to refer the press to the appropriate person.

(2) It Automatically Signals "This is Important" When the CEO Speaks.

If the CEO has been talking about what the company is doing for its employees over the holidays and he's been announcing it whenever they hire a new employee, it will detract from the emphasis desired when the CEO comments about a serious incident. In other words, save the CEO's comments for the more important matters. Then when he steps in front of the microphones, the public will pay more attention. They will recognize that this is considered a matter of importance to the organization.

(3) It Provides the CEO with a Needed Buffer.

This is critical, especially if the organization has become embroiled in a crisis. If the media has the CEO's direct dial phone number as its initial contact, he has no time to think about how to answer some tough questions. What he says "off the top of his head" may easily be the cause later for embarrassment and regret. It is vastly preferable to have the initial spokesperson take the call, ascertain the general nature of the questions (or to get the specific questions, if possible), and promise to have the right person respond before the reporter's deadline.

Armed with this information, the CEO then calls in his advisors and begins to develop a crisis communications strategy. Regardless of whether this group has five hours or fifteen minutes, it is much better to have a chance to plan together how this should be handled.

You Have to Plan for Back-Ups

You probably think you are doing very well if you have identified your routine spokesperson and realize that your top-ranking official needs to prepared to take on this role as well. If you have arranged for them to have professional media training, you are likely very proud of yourself.

But go one further step. Identify - and let it be clearly understood within the organization - who has been designated as the back-up for each of those individuals. I know from experience that, when something goes really wrong, the CEO is apt to be on a business trip, maybe even out of the country. This is no time for there to be a huge question as to who's in charge when the boss is away. Many organizations make it a practice, especially if the CEO is going to be out of the office for an extended time period, that there be a formal memo: "While I am away, ______________ is in charge." Or an organization can simply designate ahead of time the Vice President who seems to function best under pressure to be the designee as the Crisis Management Team Leader in the absence of the CEO.

Don't forget to identify someone to be the alternate for the routine spokesperson. If you have an assistant to the Public Relations Manager, it may be her. Or it might be another senior manager. Whomever it is, make sure that information is widely known. Security guards and receptionists (or anyone who may answer the phone when the media is calling) need to know to whom these calls should be directed. Having the reporters get a royal run-around makes them good and mad before they even start to write the story and does not give them the impression of a competent organization.

"Identify a spokesperson" sounds easy at first glance. But there are a lot of things to be considered. Neglect to think about them at your peril.

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