Ever get that sense that your organization is sick of hearing from you?
Pay attention to this feeling. Your leaders’ publicaffairsometer might be getting full.
I love talking about news and communication. It’s my chosen profession – so I think about these topics often. Hell, I even write about public affairs for this blog.
My fellow staff leaders, on the other hand, have their own chosen professions and concerns; their bandwidth for news and communication does not match mine.
Whether it’s a command-wide media brief, a chat with the SJA about what you can say publicly, a series of emails about an upcoming article, or a one-on-one with the commander about her command information program – look for the moment their eyes glaze over. Their meter is at 100 percent, but you’re still talking. Friend, that’s the smell of your access and credibility burning away.
Five unsurprising tips to help you preserve your colleagues’ publicaffairsometers for what’s important:
- Focus on mission. People will tolerate a 33 percent* longer conversation if it’s directly connected to the command’s main effort. In my younger days, I’d drag people down with my personal initiatives and Public Affairs-specific tasks. Now, I find ways to execute that stuff on my own and engage others only when they’ve got a stake in the result.
- Say it in fewer words. Take the time to get your message short so others won’t need to spend their time wishing you’d shut up.
- Only talk about things that lead to action. Know that email you wrote with “FYSA” in the first line? What’s the action you’re driving? Maybe your commander needs to update their commander about a recent article. Or unit commanders need to prepare for changes because of last night’s coverage. Are resources, authorities, approvals, or operational support at risk? Give your audience a next step to put on their task tracker. Or don’t, if it doesn’t help the mission.
- Tell stories and engage. If it’s boring, it’s useless. Everyone’s publicaffairsometer will immediately fill up if we read from scripts. Even I lose interest and start checking email when PAOs read from scripts … and I am a PAO. If your update is worth sharing, it’s worth being real about it.
- Get off the X. Wrap it up and stop talking.
*All statistics are made up.
(Photo by Sgt. Daniel Schroeder, DVIDS)
