The Art of War: Applying the Principles of Sun Tzu to Public Relations
Mood:  sharp
Topic: Public Relations

By T.L. HEADLEY
Genesis Group Principal
ONA, W.Va. -- It has been more than 2000 years since Chinese general and philosopher Sun Tzu wrote “The Art of War,” a treatise on military tactics that has become a classic.
While the book was originally purely a collection of the author’s thoughts on proper military strategy and tactics, it can be applied to everything from politics to marketing and public relations.
In the book, Sun Tzu outlines 50 basic rules that a good commander must follow to be successful.
During the next few months we will look at how “The Art of War” can be applied to public relations. Each month we will look at three or four of the concepts and illustrate their application with everyday examples.
This month, we look at the first three precepts:
A. Thoroughly assess the battlefield
B. Compare the attributes of the competitors and yourself; and,
C. Look for strategic turns and advantages.
Several of Sun Tzu’s precepts are familiar to the public relations practitioner.
First, a public relations professional should thoroughly assess the current conditions on the battlefield — the client’s important communities.
Sun refers to the “five constant factors” —
A. Moral influence
B. Weather
C. Terrain
D. The opposing commander; and,
E. Doctrine
Moral influence is another way of saying whether the client or product is believed.
Is it “the best?”
Is your candidate really the “best person for the job?”
Has your company really done everything it could to prevent the spilling of black mine water into the area’s streams?
Do you, as the public relations professional really believe in your client?
The question of weather can be equated to external influences — changes in the way business is done, technological innovation, etc.
The “terrain” is exactly that — the battlefield on which the fight will take place. In terms of marketing it is the marketplace. In terms of public relations it is the “hearts and minds” of the public.
Another factor is the relative ability of the opposing leadership. Whose staff is best able to strategize? To adapt to changes?
The last of the five constant factors is “doctrine.” This is, in essence, the principles by which the battle will be fought. Is one side playing by the rules and the other not?
The second precept is to research yourself and your potential adversary. Sun Tzu said there are seven primary measures by which the parties should be compared:
A. Which leader is best able to rally the troops?
B. Which commander is a more able leader?
C. Which side determined the battlefield and conditions under which the battle is being fought?
D. Which side has the most loyal troops?
E. Which side is stronger in terms of resources?
F. Which side has better training?
G. Which side better maintains discipline in production and message?
The third precept is to always “look for strategic turns and advantage.”
According to Sun, the good commander will use the information he has gained to look for or create strategic advantage.
“All warfare is based on deception,” Sun wrote. “Therefore when able to attack we must pretend to be unable. When employing troops we must seem inactive and when we are near we must make our enemy believe we are far away.”
In essence, make your moves on your own timetable and do not allow yourself to be drawn into battle on a field not of your choosing.
A note of caution here:
“Deception” in this usage is not intended to condone lying, either about person or product. The meaning of deception in this usage is the strategic use of timing, of holding your cards to the chest until needed.
While it is never a good policy to lie, it is sometimes

Crisis Communications: A Best Practices Primer
Mood:  sharp
Topic: Public Relations

By T.L. HEADLEY
Genesis Group Principal
ONA, WV – Okay, it is 5:15 on a cold Friday afternoon. As you were leaving the office the phone rang. On the line is a reporter with the local newspaper. She wants to get a comment on the coal slurry spill from one of your company’s coal mines that is polluting a stream, threatening drinking water for several thousand homes and killing fish.
This was the first you had heard of the spill and there is no one in the office to ask.
If it were an isolated instance it would be bad enough, but if true it is the fourth major slurry spill into the river in the past year.
The media and the communities along the river are already screaming bloody murder and the issue has drawn national attention.
The reporter says she has an 8 p.m. deadline for the next morning’s edition. You also know you will be getting calls from other newspapers and television media outlets.
How should you handle this situation?
Hopefully, your organization is properly prepared with an established crisis communications plan. If not, now is the time to develop one.
What are the components of a crisis communications plan? How do you start to put one together?
Okay, to start, you have to understand exactly what is the definition of a crisis.
A crisis is “any situation that is threatening or could threaten to harm people or property, seriously interrupt business or negatively impact stock value.”
The first step in putting together a crisis communications plan is to remember that the focus is on being prepared for potential problems and not simply react to them as they occur.
Initially, you should identify you crisis communications team and your primary spokespersons.
Who should they be?
Your team should include your organization chief, whether that be the CEO, the senior partner or the owner.
The team should also include the organization’s chief financial officer, if one exists, and the chief public relations officer – whether it is an internal or consultant position.
The chief legal counsel should also be included – again, whether an in-house or consultant position.
In larger organizations, the team should also include key organizational division chiefs, such as the director of human resources, and the chief operating officer. If there is a science or environmental advisor that person should be included on the team.
Who should be the primary spokesperson?
Contrary to common practice in many companies, the CEO should not be the chief spokesperson.
The key should simply be communications ability – the ability to project trust, competence and knowledge.
An important factor to consider is that the team include people who would have an intimate knowledge of potential crises, such as the lead detective in a criminal case or the chief electrician of a mine.
Once you have identified your team and key spokespeople, they should be provided with quality training by a professional.
This training should be regular and in-depth. It should include role-playing, crisis response drills and rude interviews so members of the team have real world experience.
It should be stressed that if your organization does not have in-house public relations training, it should invest in the services of an expert. Also, while an attorney can advise on the law and the CEO can advise on financial requirements, they cannot take the place of a public relations expert.
The next step is to determine your organization’s communications protocols.
This should include development of a 24-hour “on-call” rotation so that someone is always available to talk to the media and the public if necessary.
Also, team members should be equipped with 24-hour contact capability, including cell phones, pagers and e-mail.
The crisis communications team list and contact information should be distributed throughout the organization and posted in all offices. Training should be provided to staff in how to utilize the list as well as the basics of media relations.
The next step is to identify and know you audiences.
A partial list should include customers and potential customers, investors, the media, government agencies, the general public and your creditors.
After you have identified your team and your audiences, you should perform a “crisis inventory” – essentially a brainstorming session for a team to identify potential crises.
As you identify potential crises, they should be rated by likelihood of occurrence – essentially a threat matrix.
Best and worst case scenarios for each situation should be developed and from that additional needed members of the crisis team can be identified.
Once potential crises are identified the team can develop possible responses for each crisis.
An example would be a large layoff – the response to which could be a message such as follows:

“In the face of unfair international trade, our company is being forced to take drastic measures. In order to protect jobs, we are being forced to cut costs, reduce inventory, purchasing and non-essential staff. We regret these actions, but we will do whatever is necessary to defend our company and our community.”

One step in developing a proper crisis inventory is to hold regular information collection interviews with mid- to lower-level employees.
These interviews should be conducted as if the interviewer was a “beat reporter.” Depending on the size of the organization, a minimum of 10 to 20 interviews should be conducted from across the spectrum of the organization. The interviews must be confidential.
Interviewers should look for potentially harmful trends, inconsistencies among respondents or consensus that something is likely to be a problem.
During this process, it may be possible to identify “loose cannons” and communications “bottlenecks.”
From this information, you should be able to develop a quality crisis communications plan.

Media Relations: A Best Practices Primer
Mood:  sharp
Topic: Public Relations


By T.L. HEADLEY
Genesis Group Principal
ONA, W.Va. – The first rule of media relations is a simple one – tell the truth.
Yes, it is sometimes necessary to withhold information, but NEVER – repeat NEVER – lie to the media.
Another important rule is to not portray yourself as an expert in a subject you know little about.
If you don’t know the answer to a question, say so and provide a clear timeline for having answer for the question.
The bottom line?
Be dependable and always respond to a reporter’s questions.
For those who came to the profession of public relations from a business or marketing background – those who never worked as journalists – reporters are often seen as the enemy, people whose jobs it is to destroy the world – the very children of Satan.
But most journalists are driven by a simple goal – to inform the public about things that matter to them in their lives.
When you understand that, journalists don’t seem like the enemy at all.
But what are the essential dos and don’ts of media relations.
Knowing what you can and can’t do is vital when you are working with the media.
Beyond truth and dependability, there are a few other points to remember. They include:
? Always return a reporter’s call
? If you don’t have the information requested , say so and offer to get the information. Remember to get a clear deadline for the reporter and meet the deadline with either the information or let them know that you can’t provide it. The important thing is DON’T LEAVE THEM HANGING!
? Provide authoritative sources for answers.
Some of the things you can’t do include:
? Lie
? Fake an answer
? Assume ANYTHING is off the record
? Show favoritism
? Offer something of value to get your story placed in the media
First, it is imperative that you always return a reporter’s call.
Not to do so gives the impression that you do not view their queries as important, that you do not trust them to report fairly or – and this is key – that you have something to hide. Not returning a call is a HUGE red flag for a good reporter.
Yes, we have all heard the stories of reporters who twist your words, make up quotes or "have it in for (fill in the blank)."
As a former journalist, this writer can honestly say I have never seen an instance in which a reporter for a respected media outlet can get by with this kind of unethical behavior. The media values it credility above all else.
Once lost, it cannot get it back and without it the media has nothing to sell.
There is an important distinction to make at this point.
There is a major difference between a reporter and an analyst. A reporter simply relates the story – the simple facts of the situation. An analyst looks beyond those facts and injects opinion and conjecture to fill in the blanks of a story. Another type of media person is a "pundit" or "advocate."
If a media person is a reporter you can expect fair treatment. If, however, the person is an advocate or pundit, you can expect a feature with a clear "slant." It may be in your favor or against your position. It is important to educate yourself about the person or persons to whom you will be talking.
Second, it is important to remember to follow through. If you have promised to get information, do so in a timely manner, pay attention to the reporter’s deadline and if you can’t get the information, tell them so.
This is simply professionalism and indicates you respect the reporter’s work.
When possible, provide authoritative sources for the answers to the reporter’s queries. Doing so will be appreciated and will give key personnel experience in the proper way to work with the press. This is important when it comes to dealing with crises.
Last, there are several things you simply don’t do.
Never lie to a reporter. It is unethical and inevitably it will be discovered. When it is your credibility with the press and the public is damaged or destroyed.
You can withhold information if necessary, but do not lie.
Never assume anything is off the record or show favoritism for one reporter over another in a public manner. Assuming anything is off the record is a sure and quick path to trouble. You may think something you say is understood as "just a joke" or "some background," but you can rest assured you will probably see it in the newspaper or on the evening news.
And you can never offer anything of value to get your story placed. To do so is a clear violation of the public trust. It is unethical on its face.
Now, it is alright to have lunch with a reporter to discuss coverage or pitch a story. But is is important never to offer anything of significant value. You can send tokens such as pens or notepads with contact information or similar items.