Who Is The Best Spokesperson? And How Many Should You Have?

There are many shades of “spokesperson”. What many of them are not, they are not trained communicators; and this can be either a good or a bad thing, depending on what they say and the impact of their words.

Before social media and the blurry lines it caused between authority (power) and publics (you and I), the Office of the Spokesperson was a rather well respected and established function within any government or government department.

To some extent, there is still a remnant of respect today – however, the credibility of such a function has diminished significantly given its association with the political party in power or, crudely put, with its largely “mouthpiece” function.

When a government spokesperson also directly interacts with journalists, being allowed and able to answer a variety of topical questions with impartial (apolitical) views, that individual is a cross between a Spokesperson and a Press Secretary (pretty much, the model of most International Organisations).

Often, many government spokespersons are civil servants - this gives the perception of political impartiality, hence of credibility and unbiased views.

For businesses though, that prescriptiveness found in public office becomes moot.

No business can afford to have only one spokesperson only and, if they do, that person can only be the CEO/Founder/Chairman or MD (whoever holds the highest position in that organisation).

Many Public Relations (PR), Communication (Comms), Public Affairs or Corporate Affairs specialists act as spokespersons – for many, that role is the equivalent to that of a Press Secretary (limited to media interactions).

If we are to analyse what a spokesperson is and does, the widely formulated definition that they “speak on behalf of the organisation” is not as simple as it may seem.

A spokesperson, at all times and in any circumstances:

1. Can address, engage and commit the organisation before its shareholders
2. Can be called to give evidence before a Court/jury
3. Can state any position of the organisation on any matter, publicly or privately
4. Can justify, explain or defend the position of the organisation on any issue
5. Can make any comments to the media, and general public, about the organisation

Can one individual do all the above? Do they have the organisational authority to do all these and the credibility required not only to be heard, but to be listened to as well?

Most do not. The only one individual coming close to being able to cover all five points above is the one who is fully mandated by the organisation to do so (CEO/MD/Chairman).

Being a business spokesperson involves much more than reading off a teleprompter or a script - a spokesperson is not a newsreader.

And, particularly in times of crisis, the “spokesperson” function needs to be shared between the leadership, the communication team and the various subject-matter experts the organisation has.

There is one spokesperson for every occasion, just like there is one message for every situation any organisation is faced with.

Some business leaders use the spokespersons (generally communication staff) they put forward before the media (and public) as patsies – taking or dodging a bullet for the leadership; some use them to deflect attention from a festering internal or external issue; others use them as a pawn in a deniability game.

Most, however, use professional spokespersons (trained PR and Comms people) to ensure the message they put forward for mass/targeted information is clear, accurate, and with no room left for interpretation.

Whichever form of “spokesperson” your organisation uses, make sure that the individual(s) selected serve the goal of that engagement: build trust, gain advantage, win business, buy time, create goodwill, promote understanding, raise awareness, offer credibility etc.