Spokesperson Coaching Tip #15: Overcoming Spokesperson Arrogance

Maybe there should be a 12-step program for spokespeople, where, like with Alcoholics Anonymous, the first step is admitting you have a problem. The second step, turning to a higher power, would be listening to your spokesperson coach. The other steps would take care of themselves. But from the hundreds of conversations I’ve had with PR people, it’s clear to me that arrogance is the greatest weakness of most of the corporate spokespeople out there.

I’ve mentioned before that my research with spokespeople indicates that the average spokesperson has had only four hours of media training, more than 10 years ago, with no ongoing development since that initial training. So we gave them the basics, usually delivered by an outside former-journalist-turned-media-trainer, then set them off to do their real learning on the job. Without solid feedback, they came to judge their performance on a pass-fail scale. If they survived the interview, it was good. And after doing it for 10 years, they assume they’re good at it. Never mind that the interview often goes off track, that they are frequently “misquoted” or that the coverage is strategically off the mark.  In fact, their skill as a spokesperson has likely not progressed much at all over those 10 years, and they have possibly even picked up some bad habits along the way.  And now, they’re senior executives, very experienced and knowledgeable in their own roles, so it’s harder than ever to tell them they need further development.

Or is it?

Here’s a secret:  it’s all an act.  In every case I’ve encountered where the PR person said their spokesperson was arrogant and not open to coaching or training (including when this was my own perception of my own spokespeople), where I have asked the spokesperson to complete a short self-assessment across the same 12 skill areas that we measure in Spokesperson Assessment, the spokesperson has rated their abilities only about average.  Almost all also indicate they believe they would benefit from further coaching or development.   That alone is incredibly powerful.  They just flew through steps 1 and 2 of our program!    So the arrogance is a cover for their own insecurities.  Down deep, they know they could be better.   While their self-assessment may not be entirely accurate (they often don’t know their real weaknesses), it opens the door for a discussion of how you can help them reach their full potential as a spokesperson.  It opens the door for a formal Spokesperson Assessment, for you as spokesperson coach to provide meaningful feedback, targeted coaching or additional training.

I’ve developed a simple self-assessment survey that takes the spokesperson only a couple of minutes to complete.  You can easily adapt it to your needs as either a printed or online survey, and roll it out to all your spokespeople, to serve as a starting point for your spokesperson development efforts.  If you try it, let me know how it works for you.