Communication plays a crucial role within a company. The front communicator, will be, therefore, the person who will represent the company values, as spokespersons are also the face and voice of the firm. These professionals will speak in the name of the company of the brand when promoting services or actions and also in a moment of crisis.
Traditionally, CEOs have been the official spokespersons in a company, but many times these executives do not suit the specific skills and attitudes required to be good representatives of the company. To be the visible part of a firm demands a lot of charisma and to be poised for many challenging situations.
A CEO may be a good spokesperson with the right training, but it could always be another choice among other company managers. Relying in more than one executive in this sense guarantees a better accessibility for the media and other interested parties. In fact, any communicative, savvy, and well-trained professional can function as such.
But beyond their inner and acquired abilities and skills, the good spokesperson must comply with a series of essential features:
Be well informed
A spokesperson must be capable of absorbing all important information about a specific situation and transmit it clearly and accurately. This person must keep updated of all the latest trends in the market and, in turn, inform the communication groups and deal with last-minute changes.
Show empathy and friendliness
Not only they must know how communicate, but also it is important they know how to show care and attention, displaying receptiveness especially at difficult times. For this, it is important to understand your audience’s position and evaluate how they may be experience a given situation to adjust an emotional response and truly connect with this audience. Spokesperson have to focus their energy on bringing solutions and communicating very clearly the exact corporate messages, inside and outside the company.
Trust the communication team
Spokesperson are the visible face, but behind this figure there is a whole communication team compiling information and developing problem-solving strategies. A good spokesperson should never work alone, but keep the path traced by his/her team.
Be available
This figure may be on duty anytime. Thus, it is essential for the person assuming this responsibility to bear in mind that he or she must be accessible when needed. Both crisis and opportunity must find this professional always handy.
