L12: Leadership through Effective External Relations

 

             This chapter focuses on leading through effective external relations that include developing an external relations strategy, building and maintaining a positive corporate image, working with the news media, and handling crisis communication. Effective external relations require a sound communication strategy. You can use the communication strategy framework.

            With the framework in mind, you can take the following steps to create a strategy for external audiences:
            1. Clarify your purpose and strategic objectives.
            2. Identify your major audiences or stakeholders.
            3. Create, refine, and test your major messages.
            4. Select, limit, and coach your spokesperson(s).
            5. Establish the most effective media or forum.
            6. Determine the best timing.

            7. Monitor the results.

            Building and maintaining a positive corporate image require having an external relations strategy that is vigilant, vigorous, and comprehensive. It involves developing a strategy for managing the press and media, making meaningful and sincere philanthropic contributions, being actively involved in the community, obeying all of the legal and regulatory requirements of investor relations, and ensuring all external communication vehicles carry honest, clear, consistent, and meaningful message to all stakeholders.

            Working with the new media there are three major issues need to follow: understanding the media rule and importance, deciding when to talk to the media, and preparing for and delivering a media interview in here also mention three little things they are preparation, is the key to an affective interview. Performance during the interview, you better very well prepared and be ready for it. Step to take after the interview.

 

            This is chapter is a must read for every CEO especially here in Nigeria where CEOs care very little about their company’s image as long as the profits come in. the situation is further pronounced in our leaders in government where corruption has become the order of the day. We must be concerned about our image both locally and internationally. It is the poor image of our government and corporate bodies that has made foreign investments scarce.

 

Question

1. What Is a Corporate Image?

            A corporate image is the perception that the general public holds about a particular business. Many companies invest a great deal of time and other resources in an effort to influence the opinion that consumers hold about the products offered by the business, as well as the business itself. This process of cultivating positive public relations extends to not only interaction with consumers, but also ongoing interaction with the media, labor unions, industrial associations, and other entities that have a direct and indirect impact on public opinion.

 

2. What is the news media?

            The news media play an important role in shaping people's views of both the world and the local community. What they say can and does affect the public's attitude toward individuals with disabilities. Their words and pictures can present a positive image by showing individuals' capabilities and contributions or the images can reinforce prejudices, discrimination and negative stereotypes. Positive stories alone, however, are not enough. The stories need to show people with disabilities as typical individuals, and they need to help the public recognize disability issues as human issues that concern us all.

 

3. How to reach the news media?

            The best way to reach the news media is usually through a carefully constructed press release. But you do not have to rely on this alone. Different ways to reach the news media include:

            - Calling reporters in your target news organization(s) directly, and following up with an email press release.

            - Arranging a press briefing to which members of the press are invited. (This is usually reserved for big announcements and important discoveries).

            - Inviting members of the press to events which they can report upon.

            - Arranging photo opportunities.

            - Writing an article for a news organization.