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Watching the news - and media storm - unfold about Republican VP Nominee Sarah Palin's pregnant 17-year-old daughter brings to mind an underlying premise about effective public relations - no surprises, please.

A PR person's worst nightmare is finding out as the news breaks that a client has been less than forthcoming. You are then forced to play a game of catch-up and backtracking, which can destroy your credibility. This applies to both public figures and organizations.

In today's electronic world, anyone with access to the Internet can become an investigative reporter and widely distribute information within seconds. So, if you've got something you're not keen to release keep in mind that someone, somewhere is likely going to find out. If that happens you're boxed into a reactive fire-fighting mode instead of controlling the content.

The bottom line is you want to be the manager of your message. Give your PR people the ability to do so by following these basic PR tenets.

Tell PR used car donation the truth early and often.

This allows your team to strategize about what information should be released when. You have the advantage of controlling the message rather than accident at work compensation claim once the information has already leaked. student loan consolidation comparison more advantageous to be forthcoming and candid rather than respond to the "did you know about this?" line of questions.

Share corporate developments with your public relations counsel, even if it seems insignificant to you.

Lost funding for a project? Had to stop construction due to permit issues? Maybe it's all in a day's work to you, but if it affects employees, contractors, traffic flow or investors, it may be newsworthy after all. At the very least, key stakeholders should hear developments - good or bad - from you first, not read about it in the newspaper or on a blog.

Remember that most people are willing to forgive a mistake or error in judgment if you're honest about it.

You may think a personal misstep or corporate misdeed is unrecoverable, but people understand we're all human and make mistakes. Seek advice from your trusted advisors and be sure to include your PR pro. Get your message out and stick to the facts; apologize if appropriate. Remember that sometimes the news isn't about the mistake itself (extra-marital affair, illegitimate child, insider trading, etc.) but the fact that a person lied about it.

Many people refer to PR professionals as "spin doctors." Call it what you want, but our goal is to help clients put their best foot forward even in the worst of times.

Karen Preiss Miller is a partner in JKP Group, a marketing communications consulting company. For more tips, visit www.jkpgroup.comwww.jkpgroup.com

// posted by yemdgptoe @ 3:50 AM 0 comments