Coxswain

I have no idea how many people, if asked, would be able to correctly answer what a "coxswain" is. My guess is far less than 50 percent. Basically, this is the person who sets the course for a crew of rowers in competition. This person, as described by author Daniel James Brown in his fine book "The Boys in the Boat," is the captain of the team who strives to get the most effort out of each rower and is the one who makes all the strategic decisions during the course of a race to ensure the crew does all they can to defeat their opponents. And, in case you are wondering, the coxswain is the one who stands at the front of the boat during the race barking out orders and urging the team onward.


It is a vital position. If the coxswain were not there serving as the eyes for the crew, then the chances of their even finishing a race would be almost non-existent. This person, then, is the team's leader as well as its navigator, head cheerleader, heart, and primary link between the rowers and their coach. The roles the coxswain plays are not unlike those a top communicator fills during the course of any sustained outreach effort or campaign. Every campaign needs a person who is able to view its progress from a long-distance perspective as well as maintain a hands-on level of involvement with each aspect of the overall effort.


The top communicator, ideally, needs those skills for the sake of their client, standing of their boss, and integrity of the product, service or message they strive to serve. No question such a job is a challenge. As is the case in the sport of competitive rowing, circumstances during a race often change, thus requiring sudden adjustments. The same is true in any major public relations effort. For example, an advertisement fails to generate the reaction that was projected, a spokesman misspeaks, or a negative story about the client appears unexpectedly in the press. Who decides how to address these bumps in the road to help keep the campaign on-track? That's right. It is the top communicator: the coxswain of communication.