My word!

The spokesperson’s role is to present themselves as the ‘face’ and ‘voice’ of the organisation, or structure that they may represent.

The role of a Government spokesperson is typically to convey the political position of government leaders to the public as well as to discuss the government’s involvement with or reactions to happenings. The spokesperson is advised to provide the ‘official position’ of the Government, affording the office holders the opportunity and time to further develop upon the stated positions. In essence, the spokesperson provides the office holder the space for the final word.

Though this structure is common in many territories, it certainly does differ in others.

In Trinidad and Tobago, we are yet to afford persons with such titles to operate effectively in their particular roles. We have seen the role of ‘Press Secretary’ being developed, however the actual function of such a position is yet to be fully grasped. If we were to look at comparative roles, the White House Press Secretary is a highly visible role to conduct press briefings at the White House, elaborating on the Government’s policy positions, many times sharing the President’s thoughts and positions on issues of National significance. Of course if the White House Press Secretary were to err in a stated position, he will be afforded the opportunity to gracefully apologise by default, still leaving room for the information gap to be filled by a United States Secretary, or the President himself.

By comparison, if we were to look at our circumstances, our Head of State, is directly challenged, with questions that should ideally be responded to by either a Comptroller of Household to deal with issues of accounting, an Aide de Camp for matters relating to security, administration and logistics, particularly outside of President’s house, and finally, a communications based spokesperson that is suitably trained to respond to general matters pertaining to the officeholder. The President of the Republic should be afforded the final word, without having to respond to singular matters, the same applies to Prime Ministers, and other senior office holders.

This being stated, it is an obligation of office holders to find methods of ensuring that matters pertaining to public record, particularly matters of public funds, must be acknowledged and regarded – but within the framework of a structure. The OFFICE must not be brought into disrepute. Hence the rationale for the development of a robust communications structure that provides the officeholder, regardless of affiliation or independence, with a solid underpinning to support the daily functions of the office.

In similar vein, within the corporate world, the corporate spokesperson should ideally present themselves with what I term the five C’s of solid spokesman ship. The ideal spokesperson should be able to deliver the message in a clear manner. They should bring clarity to the message that leaves the target with a clear understanding and appreciation of the message and the intent. Just think back, how many times have you looked at a media conference or statement and at the end of same, asked yourself, “what did he/she just say?” The ideal spokesperson should be concise. The messenger’s role is to express the message utilising effective speech that does not overload the listener. It is important to understand that our linguistics has to include character bites that can fit into a 120-word tweet and still consist of message efficacy.

The spokesperson should be clever. The messenger must be au courant with his/her message and the rationale for the delivery of the message, with a keen idea of the various angles that may emanate from the message being shared. It is very important to ensure that the messenger is captivating. This does not solely refer to aesthetics, but also includes pitch and tone of voice, professional outlook, and general affect. The spokesperson must have the ability to draw you in, and not tune you out. And very important, the spokesperson should be able to present a conciliatory approach when required. This means that all efforts should be made to ensure goodwill if and when necessary, as the messenger is speaking on behalf of the principal, who is ultimately afforded the final word.

Griffith can be contacted at 221-0199 or ndgccmarketing@outlook.com.