Veteran Communicators Look Back, and Ahead

What's Changed?

What Hasn't?

As we approach the new millennium, we pause to reflect on the last 20 years and how they've affected communicators and the profession. What's changed. What hasn't. We asked some IABC leaders who've been around for two decades to observe the changes. All except Judith Cushman have been past chairmen of IABC.

Jean Cormier, APR, president, Cormier Communicators, Vancouver, B.C.

Judith Cushman, president, Judith Cushman & Associates, Issaquah, Wash.

Sharon Paul, ABC, executive VP, Labatt Breweries of Canada, Toronto, Ont.

Al Wann, ABC, APR, executive recruiter, The Cantor Concern, Inc., Columbia, Md.

Brad Whitworth, ABC, strategic communication manager, Year 2000 Program, Hewlett-Packard Co., Cupertino, Calif.

Louis C. Williams, Jr., ABC, APR, president, L.C. Williams & Assoc., Chicago, Ill.

1. What's changed the most -- for the better -- in our field during the past 20 years? Why?

Cormier: First, things have gone virtual. Communicators can lead more flexible lives. Second, there's been a continual evolution of opinion leaders. They used to be only upscale, educated, socially prominent -- now they're anybody and everybody. Third, we've experienced an increasing degree of acceptance of the communication function, with a greater presence. Lawyers and other business leaders tend to think of the communicator as part of the team today.

Cushman: When you look at the way external communication is regarded today -- in our media-oriented world -- it's much different from 20 years ago. Comments may be negative, like "They have a real PR machine," but people still see its power. But don't delude yourself, don't think everyone in the world thinks PR is strategic. There are a lot of people who aren't doing anything different. The Internet offers a tremendous role for effective communication, but I don't think communicators are driving it -- we're chasing after it. No one has the model yet.

Whitworth: In today's business environment, one of our perceived liabilities has actually become a strength: Our ability to react and be on target and on message. We don't need weeks of preparation time for review. Lawyers, HR people and others aren't adapting to this fast-paced environment as well as communicators, perhaps because we're used to being deadline-driven.

Paul: Senior management really does understand the power of motivated and informed employees to accomplish company goals. I'm not talking just about publications here, but employee communication as it relates to understanding how it can help the organization achieve its goals.

Organizations downsized so radically that they lost the loyalty of many employees. Now they've realized that they went too far. Rehiring and retraining is not a good business decision.

Wann: We've seen tremendous growth of specialized media in the past 20 years. But even with all the new media, we re still bucking up against the same frustration we have always had -- are we getting through with our message? There are many more media, the process is much more refined than it was, now with research and measurement techniques, but we're still trying to motivate people to take action -- that's what communication is.

What follows -- through osmosis -- is a much greater understanding by leaders that communication is a strategic tool in managing, either an issue or a product. They know that to be successful, audiences have got to understand, and that communication is a tool for that to happen. I think a watershed marking that recognition of communication as a strategic tool came in the '80s when management consultants came onto the scene. They said, "We know how to make your company better." First they benchmarked, then emulated what the best companies were doing. And the best companies usually were communicating well to get their audiences to respond and react.

Williams: I'd say the best change is the quality of the people who get into the business -- better educated, better thinking. In 1985 I attended a meeting with David Maister, a Harvard consultant, and he said: "You employers had better get your acts together, because by the end of the century there won't be enough qualified people to go around." And you know, he was right. We are fighting for talent against management consulting companies, against HR consulting firms, and also against accounting and the law for people. Young people are putting communication and PR on a par with these other professions when deciding on a career.

2. What hasn't changed that most needed to? Why?

Cormier: Communicators still don't make enough money. Too many people have too low an opinion of their worth. I'd say this is about the same as 20 years ago. Our professional associations need to educate communicators about the value of their work relative to other professionals.

Pricing your services isn't necessarily easy. I had a client who told me: "We are in the business of collecting garbage. In Vancouver in the winter it rains a lot. People leave the lids of their bins open, so we wind up carrying water to the dump. Could you produce a newsletter to tell people to keep those lids closed?" Instead, I asked him if he had posted that request on the cans themselves? How much do you charge someone for solving that problem?

Cushman: As I've searched over the past 20 years for PR and communication people who can really help the CEO do the right thing, whether it's what to say on "20/20" or to develop a global strategy, I can't find them. I'd say perhaps 10 percent can really connect what they love to do with the business part of it. And I think the nature of the hiring process is at the root of it. For the top group, money is excellent, but at the point of entry it isn't, so we don't attract the really top talent. In law, for example, in a partnership situation, the people may have to really produce for relatively little money for a couple of years, but they know that will end.

Whitworth: Too many of us fail to operate with a balanced professional equation. We tend to overbalance in favor of content ignoring the context, or vice versa. We have the notion that attractive packaging will disguise thin content, or that great content doesn't need any packaging. We need professional balance.

Paul: The mind set of some of our communicators -- some are still mired in the specialist craft approach and don't see the profession as strategic, integral and critical to the organization.

Wann: Business leaders haven't found a way to work more cooperatively with constituents and to let them have the whole truth. We live in an increasingly litigious, politicized society. The balance of power has become chaotic. Leaders must manage communication in a way that enables them to survive, and that usually involves telling only the favorable part of the story. In many ways, leaders don't think audiences can stand the whole truth.

Williams: We're still too tactical. Counting clips and worrying about publications instead of being strategic in our thinking.

3. How are you different today as a professional from what you were when you started out?

Cormier: Well, of course I have more knowledge, and a lot less sensitivity about how idiots judge my work. I've gathered the confidence to know what's good.

Whitworth: I realized I didn't know enough about the business of business, so I went back to school and got my MBA. After my stint as IABC chairman, I went back to my boss and said, "Essentially for the past year I've been doing two full time jobs. When I come back to work, give me some extra duties." Among other things, he let me do a little freelancing on the side; that helped me learn to help others solve problems outside my usual work environment. It was very helpful. IABC offers a bit of that opportunity.

Williams: Communication is an experiential business -- what you learn makes you a better person later in your career. And I've had to just keep on learning. I'm constantly getting batted about the head learning new things from my clients, from my staff. It never gets easy. I'm setting up an electronic press conference next week using the Internet. I have to use the experience I've had with press conferences over the years and apply it to this new medium. I never dreamed I'd ever be doing something like this.

4. What was the toughest part of changing as a communication professional, and how did you manage to do it?

Cormier: We live in the world of change. It's our stock in trade. If you find change difficult, you shouldn't be in the business.

The most difficult mental jump was going from having a product to show for my work at the end of the day -- to instead getting things done through other people -- to be as satisfied with that result as I was producing a tangible product.

5. If you had only enough time to tell beginning professionals three musts" they need to learn/do during their first couple of years on the job, what would they be?

Cormier: Learn to write well; be curious about everything; identify with the goals of the organization you work for.

Cushman: Get your bag of tricks early -- the skill sets you need -- go back to school if necessary, learn about the new media, writing, etc. Then learn all you can about the business Sharon Paul, ABC you're in. Third, pay close attention to whether this is the right field for you. Are you getting the rewards -- raises and praises -- that tell you you're succeeding? Do you like all the functional areas -- media relations, writing, technology? If you don't, you probably won't do well, and the time to get out is early.

Whitworth: First, learn what you stand for. You'll ultimately be respected for your thoughts. The quicker you can develop this judgment (through mentors and others), the better off you are. Second, working with mentors inside and outside the company is imperative. Network. And third, understand your career path. Usually it's best to make advancement by moving to another organization. Because in most organizations communication is a support function, you're apt to find yourself creeping forward while others are leaping forward. If you're comfortable with that, OK. But with flatter organizations today, you often must take a couple of steps sideways before moving up.

Wann: First, you must be a very, very good writer. You may know language very well, but being able to write interpretatively, creatively and analytically is critical. It's still the most important aspect of what we as communicators can bring to the game -- that ability to take lots of information and put it into a form that is meaningful, interesting and compelling.

Next, you need a strong sense of self-esteem; some call it emotional intelligence. You must be able to function on a team and be able to take criticism. Too many creative people take things personally. Businesses are dysfunctional and it's necessary to remember that.

Finally, you need to have subject matter expertise in at least two major sectors: health care, financial services, manufacturing and so on. You need to speak the lingo, know the objectives -- so they accept you.

Williams: I think a beginner in our field needs agency experience early on. Not the first job, because the pressure to bill your time can get in the way of learning the fundamentals, but early. Then you need corporate experience. You can understand this only if you've worked inside. Finally, you need nonprofit experience to learn there's more to business than just making money. I've often said the most valuable leadership experience I ever had was as chairman of IABC. I learned how to motivate people without having any real authority, and that's a valuable bit of experience.

6. What does the profession -- as individuals and as a whole -- most need to do to be prepared for the major challenges we will face in the next 20 years?

Cormier: Learn to determine which of the infinite constituencies out there are valid and need to be reached and responded to. We've gone from a 12-channel universe to an infinite-channel universe where everyone is both publisher and constituent. Public opinion research and good old-fashioned judgment will be required to make communication efforts succeed.

Cushman: Pay attention to the developing new media situation -- e-commerce, how consumers want their information, how they will communicate and purchase, etc. The Internet will be part of the mix. Society today has an expectation that people have the right to instant information access, without filters. They don't want to be PR'd. The Internet demands respect for the person seeking the information. It takes a great deal of time and effort to produce information this way. Expect to be in a constant learning mode.

Whitworth: Two things: maintain flexibility -- everything from job titles to organization structure will continue to change; and stay plugged into the issues facing the organization. Be a businessperson who has a strong set of communication skills.

Paul: As international partnerships increase, communicators need to be part of the action. Adding a language or two would help put any communicator ahead in this game. We used to be a Canadian corporation doing business for the most part in Canada. Now we're part of a worldwide organization headquartered in Belgium. We report our earnings in the annual report in Belgian Francs. We have breweries in Bulgaria, Macedonia, South Korea and on and on.

Williams: We need to be more business-oriented. As more management consulting firms and others get into our business, they will raise the stakes, raise the ambiance of the field, so we need to be up to that level. And, of course, the Internet is just in its infancy, but it will continue to drive our business, so we need to stay ahead of technology.

Wann: We're in the midst of the digital age. To paraphrase Andy Warhol: In the future, everyone's going to change jobs every 15 minutes. We have changing structures, changing boundaries, emerging global alliances. Multinational alliances -- we see them in banking and manufacturing -- give rise to global governmental cooperation. What that portends is a need for communicators to facilitate and build coalitions. Communicators will need to work effectively to separate fact from fantasy. In this digital age everyone is a communicator. You don't know what is fact -- or spin -- anymore. Communicators will need to ferret out fact and put it into context. In the end, communicators must be analyzers of the new situation, then, as always, make sure the message is being understood. As the Talking Heads say: "Same as it ever was."

Cliff McGoon is a business writer with offices in San Francisco and Palm Springs, Calif.

COPYRIGHT 1999 International Association of Business Communicators
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