Andy Warhol was right. Everyone will be famous for 15 seconds! You can also apply that idea to companies and organizations. So if you can count on having your business or organization in the spotlight, it's a good idea to be prepared. Having a qualified professional as the media spokesperson is a smart move if you want to engage the media on a regular basis, or you can see the possibility of dealing with media for a variety of reasons, planned or unplanned.

If media relations are an important part of your business strategy the person responsible for dealing with the press is usually the person in charge of communications or marketing. In a large corporation there is often a separate public relations or media relations department and the manager of that department is usually the spokesperson.

The designated spokesperson should have expert communication skills and have the ability to stay calm in any situation. That person must have a working knowledge of how various media work, its role is in our society, and what media needs in order to do its job. It also makes it easier if the spokesperson views the media as a means of external communications and not as the enemy.

Successful spokespeople understand how to play the media game. They have the confidence to handle any situation and they dont take things personally. It is also critical that your spokespeople have regular access to the decision makers in the organization. The biggest asset with media is credibility. If the spokesperson is nothing more than a token contact person, the media will see through it immediately and will not give their statements much weight.

And its not only the spokespeople who need training and experience in dealing with media. Its also important that everyone in the organization knows what to do and how to respond when a reporter calls. The goal of any response should be to assist the journalist in getting to the right person so they can get the information they need quickly. Make sure that everyone from the receptionist to the executives knows what to expect and how to handle those calls. Have a consistent policy in place and make sure it is reviewed periodically.

When a crisis or controversy hits your company, the spokesperson can change depending on the nature and severity of the issue. In any case its a good idea to have top executives ready to step in and fill the role. Create a crisis communications plan and develop a list of worst case scenarios. From that list figure out who would be the best public face of the organization. Conduct drills and role playing exercises to practice skills and procedures. In addition to keeping skills sharp, drills will help you find weaknesses in your plan.

The initial stages of a controversy or crisis are critical. Generally, the public expects to hear from a CEO or President of a company when things go wrong. However, it may be best for the CEO to be dealing directly with the crisis and for someone else to serve as the public face until the CEO is available. Its also possible that head of the company is not a good speaker. If thats the case, sometimes an outside expert can help you deliver that news and work to improve their skills. It also helps to have other executives available to be additional speakers during any press briefings.

How your organization responds sets the tone and communicates your core values. The public is looking to see if your organization is going to do the right thing or will you try to deflect the questions or any sense of responsibility. When things go wrong there always seems to be an epic struggle between the company communications team and the legal team. Figuring that out in the middle of a crisis is not the best time to come up with a long term solution. You are better off having settled those issues before anything negative happens.

Planning and preparation is the key to successful media communications in any situation. Media training for anyone who may interact with media is a must. Its an investment that pays off when it is needed most.