‘Spin Doctor’ layoffs a call for action, not just protest
From Robert Scoble’s rant against bad public relations practices to the targeting of ’spin doctors’ for layoffs by State Services in New Zealand, the perception of the professional communicator’s value seems to be dropping faster than the Dow Jones Index after a major bank failure. International Association of Business Communicators Chair Barb Gibson recently brought the New Zealand action to the attention of IABC members in her blog. Her call to action was to have each of us start “speaking up for our profession.”
I agree that the State Services action does not seem like a good idea. I have no idea how well their PR professionals performed, but the choice of language (”spin doctors”) that made its way to the media was not exactly complementary. (Without better knowledge of their situation who can say if the firings were justified or not?) What I disagree with is that communicators should just be “speaking up” for their profession. That’s not enough.
We should be stepping up.
We need to do what Barbara Gibson suggests and make our voices heard to raise awareness of our role and value. But I would argue that we also need to step up our collective game and demonstrate our value more clearly and effectively within our organizations. We haven’t marketed ourselves very well. Communicators are often collectively thought of by the uninformed as ’spin doctors,’ mentioned in the same breath as those who make the news with their pushiness, unprofessional conduct or outright lies. We’re often portrayed in popular media and even in our organizations by the uninformed as either slimy manipulators or oblivious, grammar-obsessed writers.
Communication’s Rodney Dangerfield position in companies today is largely, I believe, of our own making – and only we will be able to do what it takes to build respect for our professions. (More thoughts about exactly how we continue to take shots at our own collective feet explored in future posts).
So my challenge to all of us: Don’t just protest – act:
- Measure communication’s impact on your organization in terms your CEO will understand.
- Do something – anything – this month that has a bottom-line impact.
- Insist on professional and ethical standards within your team. Publicize them. Live them.
- Hire staff with strong credentials (MA, MS, MBA, ABC) who know and can speak the language of your employer’s industry.
- Insist on excellence in everything that you do.
And replace “I can’t” thinking with a “Here’s what I can do” attitude. Make that pitch. Your leaders just might run with it.
Come on, folks. You’re all canny, manipulative spin doctors, remember? Use those evil powers you allegedly have on your own behalf today. 
