Students Measure the Spokesman's Success

One of the tricky aspects of the job of spokesman or press secretary is measuring that person's success. Their job, basically, is to speak on behalf of their client. In interview situations or press conferences, they are responsible for sharing or disseminating particular information. Right? If that is true, then when it comes to evaluation is your assessment based on whether they got the information correct?  Maybe. Or is it also based on whether they hit their head on the microphone, tripped over the podium, cursed out reporters, or were inarticulate in how they spoke? Those are possibilities, too. After all, no organization wants their primary press representative doing those things.

Recently, in the media spokesmanship class I currently teach, I posed the question of measuring a press secretary's success. If you were their boss, on what basis would you determine whther they are doing their job well? Not surprisingly, the class' answers touched on how well the spokesman articulated information and conducted themselves during those times of press interaction. In addition, students also identified other key points of measurement. These included the spokesman's overall relationship with the press; how well they worked with others within their organization; their level of kinowledge on pertinent issues of the day; feedback from the general public; and the quality of communication advice they gave to their organizational superiors.

I found and find these answers to be quite insightful. The spokesman's job goes beyond their level of articulateness. It is far more than their ability to turn a phrase or "look good." Their success or effectiveness is more than what they say. It is also found in how they say it. Additionally, it revolves around the depth of their perfomance when they are not giving interviews and making public comments. Granted, these criteria are largely subjective. That, I believe, is not a bad thing. After all, communication effectiveness itself goes beyond black-and-white data. My students are wise to recognize this reality.