Are you often wondering how we communicators are to “communicate” in these very uncertain times? Tom Hoog, chairman, Hill & Knowlton USA spoke to the St. Louis PRSA chapter about that very important topic. Tom first acknowledged that public relations professionals are living through a difficult time in the industry. The bankruptcy of corporate America has caused real problems that are impacting our daily activities in the world of communications. Unfortunately, the highly publicized corporate corruption cases have given much of the business world a bad name. Companies must begin communicating in order to be successful moving forward.

As the stewards of this effort, we, as professional communicators, have a responsibility to be ethical and have high integrity in the information we are dispersing. In the past, public relations professionals have served as “order takers” and must now be on the front lines of communications. Being more aggressive requires us to look at the mediums in which we communicate.

A recent survey of college level juniors and seniors revealed some interesting information about trust:

Do you have trust in the government telling you the truth?
45% said Yes

Do you have trust in corporate American telling you the truth?
24% said Yes

Do you have trust in the media telling you the truth?
18% said Yes

How does corporate America regain its respect? According to Hoog, companies need to do seven things to regain that trust:

• Return to the fundamentals and do them well

• Commit to a values-driven culture

• Commit to implement leadership

• Commit to social responsibility

• Commit to a holistic approach to management – more people in the decision making process

• Commit to communications planning

• Become the employer of choice when there is no choice

How does the public relations industry gain respect again as well? Public relations professionals need to be more strategic in hiring better people and training employees better. We need to subscribe to a higher set of standards and ethics.

In doing this we will build better leaders. According to Hoog, building leadership requires talent and character. Characteristics of a leader include a love of life, an ability to provide hope, and a willingness to give of yourself. He suggests that mentoring is a great way to build leadership.

Rebuilding trust and leadership are the best ways to communicate in these uncertain times!