Boomerang

I’m presently in a window seat some 37,000 feet above Denver. I love to fly so I actually enjoy business travel. However, I don’t think I’d enjoy having a seat on this airplane.  There’s a time and place for everything, and the time and place for doffing one’s clothes is not at cruising altitude. Traveling naked, which includes bending over to pick up luggage, strapping a seatbelt across a bare lap, and sitting on seats of unknown cleanliness is unsettling. It’s also too much information at the least appropriate time. I would disembark that aircraft with three letters in my head: TMI. 

Thinking about that flight and those three meaningful letters – TMI – reminded me that even the most seasoned PR person or company executive can occasionally forget one of the most basic tenets of great communications: know when to stop talking.   

Brevity is beautiful. It also helps to assure positive results.   

The only way a person can say something they’d later regret later is to talk. While it’s true that silence sends a signal, few people have ever had to retract silence.  Conversely, we’ve all heard this during a press briefing: “Oh, I really didn’t want to reveal that just yet, can we keep that off the record?” Safety lies in the assumption that a spokesperson is never completely off the record. Consider that Samantha Power’s offhand remarks in the Scotsman newspaper cost her her job, and cost her boss some embarrassment. People in Ms. Power’s position are under a unique microscope, but every spokesperson needs to be aware that anything they say can appear just about anywhere.   

Another valuable benefit to practicing brevity is that when someone has the opportunity to do live radio or TV, they will be more than ready to really shine. The spokesperson who is cognizant of the time they take expounding upon a subject is also honing their interview skills. Being brief is broadcast-friendly. Don’t let fantastic sound bytes become watered down (or irrevocably lost) in the clutter of a rambling answer. 

Admittedly, some complex topics require a lengthy explanation, but most things don’t merit a monologue. It’s often best to stop, breathe, and let the reporters absorb what’s been said.   

Most spokespeople are effusive and enthusiastic about their company, their accomplishments, and their vision. But at times we must diplomatically rein them in. This is one of the more sensitive responsibilities that we, as PR practitioners, must face, but it’s immensely valuable counsel. 

I’m signing off now; because I may have said too much.