Category: Strategic Communication

An FYI moment —

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By Catherine Conlan
Monster Contributing Writer

Buyer’s remorse is never fun, but it’s particularly painful when it comes with the time and cost of getting a college education.

To help you avoid this stinging regret, PayScale has ranked the majors college alumni recommend least. If you have your heart set on one of these, you don’t necessarily have to change course — just do your research on job prospects so your dreams aren’t dashed after graduation day.

1. Anthropology (average starting salary: $36,500)

According to PayScale’s data, 35 percent of anthropology majors wouldn’t recommend it to current students.

“People typically regret majoring in anthropology because they have a preconceived notion that there is a direct and specific job title perfectly correlating to it,” says training and development consultant Farrah Parker. “Instead of recognizing the broad spectrum of careers that they can pursue, they focus on their inability to find a career with an exact reference to their major.”

Anthropology majors could consider work in community organizations or government, for example, or combine the major with others to make themselves more marketable.

2. History (average starting salary: $39,700)

This major is recommended by only 33 percent of its graduates. Many history majors go on to work in academia, or may find jobs with government agencies, libraries or organizations dedicated to the period they studied.

Parker says it’s important for graduates to keep their options open after graduation. “People with narrow definitions of career paths find themselves regretting majors,” she says. “However, those who recognize that the workforce is full of positions that require expertise outside of what may be formally listed in a course catalog find themselves in a perfect position to brand their college major in whatever manner they see fit.”

3. Visual Communication (average starting salary: $37,300)

Only 29 percent of visual communication majors would recommend this to students. Majoring in visual communication may involve creating artwork, learning about ad design and public relations, and studying layout. Graduates may go on to work in media, advertising, public relations or other fields.

4. Social Science (average starting salary: $37,300)

PayScale found 28 percent of social science majors would recommend the major to students.

“I am a former social science major who has since advised against it,” says recruiting consultant Sarah Merrill at Atrium Staffing. “I won’t say that you don’t learn anything from a social science major, but you certainly don’t learn practical knowledge that can be applied to a wide range of jobs.”

“When I talk to students now I advise them to think about what they can actually use in the future — courses on personal finance, marketing, business,” she explains. “There was a course offered at my university on business writing that I have heard was the hands-down most useful course ever taken because of a whole section on email etiquette.”

5. Journalism (average starting salary $38,100)

Only 27 percent of journalism graduates would recommend the major. Difficulties facing print media and the time it takes to break out of entry-level positions can be downers for grads. People with journalism degrees can also end up in marketing, sales, academia or other jobs if they decide to leave the newsgathering business.

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From The Public Relations Practitioner’s Playbook for (all) Strategic Communicators: Bill Jones’ 10 Commandments of Crisis Communication* (J. William Jones – Corporate Public Affairs – PECO (now retired)

1. Perception is reality. If your audience thinks it is, it is.

2. Response is control. The community wants access to information, and
no crisis is unmanageable if you give clear, cool facts.

3. Information is power.

4. Credibility is survival.

5. Body language is crucial. If you behave like you have something to
hide, people will think that you do.

6. Calmness is essential. Unflappability is your best asset. Always act
knowledgeable and calm.

7. Give a confession. The public and the media want a confession; so
don’t be afraid to admit mistakes.

8. Tell the franchise what happened. It is in the best interest of the
community to keep them informed.

9. Preparation is 99% of success.

10. Out of every crisis comes the chance to “build a better mousetrap.”
From every crisis there are major lessons to be learned.

11. Pray like hell that you never have to handle numbers 1 through 10!

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Chapter 14 in the newest edition of The Public Relations Practitioner’s Playbook for (all) Strategic Communicators is devoted to crisis communication. Here is just a snippet of what you will find:

Hindsight is 20-20. But one thing has been proven time and again; the lesson
to be learned when dealing with a crisis is to adopt a philosophy similar to
that of Delahaye Medialink Worldwide headquartered in Portsmouth, New
Hampshire.
• Don’t duck the issue – Every time a company tries to “stonewall” or
deny the story, the media will gather information and print or air it.
Companies that take a forthright approach to their crises reduce
publicity almost immediately.
• Take responsibility – It is important to accept responsibility
immediately and offer to fix the problem. Take a page from Johnson &
Johnson. In the midst of tragedy, while it searched for a cause, J&J
yanked all Tylenol products from store shelves worldwide, instructed
consumers to flush any they had at home down the toilet and offered
replacement products with or without proof. That’s the kind of
decisive action that must be taken.
• Cover all bases – In the Tylenol tragedy, J&J removed its product
from store shelves and warehouses nationwide, absorbed the losses,
eventually developed an improved product with several safety devices
on the packages and offered consumers “gift certificates” for any
product they disposed of. Simultaneously, J&J, through its corporate
public relations office, cooperated fully with the news media (using a
single spokesperson).
• Offer to make good on broken promises – During alleged “profiling” of
minority drivers on the New Jersey Turnpike, Gov. Christine Todd
Whitman promised to correct it. When it became apparent that wasn’t
happening, she called for the resignation of the state police
superintendent. (He sued the state and governor for forcing him out of
office. The courts found in favor of the governor.)
• Measure results – Monitor the news media. Press clipping services are
more efficient than ever. This is also a wonderful opportunity to tap
your key communicators (feel their pulse) to help determine whether
your approach is on course. Kathryn Paine of Delahaye Medialink
Worldwide, reminds us, “In a crisis, the goal can never be to squelch
negative coverage completely. Rather, it must be to shorten the life
span of the bad news, to minimize those messages you don’t want to
see in print and get as many of your key messages out there as
possible.

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The following tips come from Chapter 14, which contains the latest effective crisis communication techniques.

• Put the public first
• Take responsibility
• Be honest
• Never say “No comment”
• Designate a single spokesperson
• Set up a central information center (staging area)
• Provide a constant flow of information
• Be familiar with media needs and deadlines
• Be accessible
• Monitor news coverage and telephone inquiries
• Communicate with key publics

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More on crisis communication from the newest edition of The PR Playbook available from www larry litwin dot com and elsewhere. We will try to include some of the latest in each week’s blog. This week’s topic is “crisis communication.”

Considerations Your Single Spokesperson Must Keep In Mind (During A Crisis)
• Do your homework
• Be accessible
• Be prompt and dependable
• Avoid being pushed into easy solutions
• Accept responsibility
• Be responsive, forthright and show compassion for victims and their families
• Bluffing an answer is not acceptable – wait until you have the correct information
• Speak and write your information clearly
• Be prepared to respond to incorrect information
Get Down to Basics
When a crisis breaks, first, before anything else, gather the facts. Once you have the facts, determine which changes must be made in the strategic plan to best manage this particular crisis. Communicate your plan, first internally, then externally.
Seek feedback.
Evaluate your plan.

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We are excited to continue carrying information from the newest edition of The PR Playbook  available from www larry litwin dot com and elsewhere. We will try to include some of the latest in each week’s blog. This week’s topic follows last week’s on “crisis communication.”

Successful Crisis PR Depends On Planning And The Practitioner’s Mindset. Needed Are:
• A strategic communication process in place.
• Support from senior management.
• Communication with the chief PR officer or someone with direct access to senior management.
• Good relations and credibility with the news media.
• Effective internal communication.
• Strong peer relations, especially with attorneys.
• Ability to “fly the plane” so to speak.
Source: C. Fernando Vivanco, Boeing Airline, and Kathleen L. Lewton, Fleishman-Hillard, Inc.

[To comment: larry at larrylitwin dot com]

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We are excited to announce the newest edition of The PR Playbook is available from www larry litwin dot com and elsewhere. We will try to include some of the latest in each week’s blog. This week’s topic is “crisis communication.”

These suggestions come from public relations guru, Anne Klein of Anne Klein Communication Group. Anne’s work is legendary.

“Important Don’ts in Dealing With the Media” during a crisis:
1. Do not speculate about anything.
2. Do not give out unconfirmed facts. Give only the facts you are sure of until further information can be obtained.
3. Do not speculate on the potential impact of the incident on employees, neighbors, the community-at-large, etc., unless you know, for sure.
4. Do not estimate on dollar figures for damage that occurred.
5. Do not release the names of anyone injured or killed until family members have been notified.
6. Do not give out any medical reports on condition(s) of the injured. This is the responsibility of the attending physician or hospital
spokesperson.
7. Do not assume liability for the incident or guess how the incident occurred.
8. Do not ever respond to a question with “No comment.” It is never an acceptable answer. Say you don’t know if you are unsure of the
answer or that you will put reporters in touch with someone who can answer their questions. If a question requires an answer that you feel
is proprietary to the organization or would violate confidentiality, just explain that fact.
9. Do not speak “off the record,” “not for attribution” or “on deep background.” This is an area of high risk, and it is best not to venture
there.
10. Do not get angry at a reporter or raise your voice.

Klein and others who have been successful in dealing with the media during crises agree on the importance of remaining calm. Take time to compose
yourself and craft your message as you formulate your answers. Remember, you are a professional doing your best to be helpful.
Practice the highest ethical standards. Succinctly, you want to be open, honest, thorough and valid in your responses and dissemination of
information. Above all, never lie to a reporter, but do not answer a question if you don’t have the answer and don’t offer unsolicited information unless it
is to your benefit. Klein recommends you notify the media before they contact you when the community is in danger; your organization’s operations
are affected; if having the media first learn about the situation from someone else would damage your organization’s image or credibility; a good number
of employees know or could possibly know about the situation; there are regulatory infractions that would embarrass your organization if the media
learned about them in some other way.

More next week.

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