Sentiment is never inaccurate

Last Friday morning I received a series of sms or text messages from Presidential Spokesperson  Secretary Abigail Valte who for all intents and purposes is the last remaining “Live” or real contact I have in Malacañang Palace. I learned from Abigail that her fellow Presidential Spokesperson Atty. Edwin Lacierda had sent me a response regarding last Friday’s article about the perceived centralization of communications and PR in the PNoy administration.

The following is the SMS/text message forwarded by Secretary Valte on behalf of Atty. Edwin Lacierda:

“Dear Cito,

Your information is inaccurate.

Each agency has a designated spokesperson and their responsibility is to explain and inform the public on any issue or activity regarding their agency. Some departments have a more developed level of communication than others such as DFA, DND, DSWD, DILG, DBM, DOTC, OPAP to name a few.

However, media continues to direct questions to the palace and we normally direct them to the agency. In the absence of a timely response from their spokespersons or cabinet secretary in charge, the Comms group, specifically the office of the presidential Spokesperson or PCDSPO headed by secretary Carandang respond to the issue at hand.

By no means is there an attempt to monopolize or centralize the information.”

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I thank Secretary Lacierda for making the effort to react considering he was out of town or out of the country when I wrote the article. For the record, I pick no bones with Secretary Lacierda who in the rare times I’ve met him has always been polite and friendly. Neither do I have any grudge with their triumvirate or even Secretary Sonny Coloma.

After reading his reaction and discovering some minor details in the process, I hope Secretary Lacierda and associates won’t take it against me if I take advantage of the opportunity to give some pointers on communications. I swear that I do so in a friendly spirit and simply to make use of a “teaching” opportunity for others.

#1 Never start a message to a “friend” or a “critic” with a negative statement or something that can register as negative. Bullshit and niceties may not be popular but a negative opening statement slams the door on peoples’ faces or fingers and can make unexpected enemies or hurt feelings. (PS no hurt feelings on my side)

#2 Upon reaching a position of power or stature, there is a greater expectation of politeness, even niceness and nice always rise to the top. Regardless of how busy we are, nice is always a must especially for communicators who need the support of stakeholders.

So in the case of Secretary Edwin’s letter, he could have opened with:

“How are you? Sorry I failed to read or learn about your hospitalization, next time I’ll fire someone for not telling me. I’m so sorry I have to burden you with this response but I feel it’s so important to inform the people concerned about the facts.”

Begin with empathy or interest, and then approach with a tone that never points blame or finds fault, it simply corrects or replace the inaccurate with the accurate without pissing someone off.

#3 If something is important enough to merit a response, Call First, Email Second, and Text message last! Doing the reverse has often been the path to a crisis requiring management. While I adhere to the biblical teaching on humility and deferring honor to others, I always teach my “trainees” to communicate in a manner that respects the office, the organization or the position represented or held by the person you wish to address or communicate with, AS WELL as that of yours.

The sad reality of modern telecoms is that convenience has led us to abandon the value of official or social protocol and human interaction. Ironically whether in business or politics, those with great inter-personal skills always get to the top.

As Secretary Lacierda has categorically said, each department has its own communications team and some department or agency are simply better than others when it comes to speaking out or organizing their press conferences and press releases. He even cited some noteworthy departments.

#4 When generalizations suffice stick with it. By actually citing there are weak and there are strong agencies, you end up like a father playing favorites. Never a good move.

When I wrote the article, what I wrote about was from the collective sentiment of many government communicators during a period of two years more or less. These sentiments came out in various Q&A’s, pre-seminar analytics, and feedback of many participants & trainees I have had the honor to mentor on executive skills, communications and public relations or speak to.

What I wrote about was the “sentiment” of people and therefore it would be a mistake to categorize the article and its intent as “inaccurate information”, to do so would be equivalent to a doctor telling patients what they feel is inaccurate. Pain, discomfort or discontent may be subjective but they are never inaccurate information.

The next lesson would be best said in the words of President Noynoy himself:

#5 “In order to come up with the right solutions we must determine the right problems”.

Like any government official, Secretary Lacierda is duty bound to protect and correct whatever may cause injury to the state, PNoy or his administration. But both of us will not achieve anything by bickering over views or semantics. The real problem is Miscommunication within, which results in miscommunication outside. Part of that miscommunication is failing to expand participation as well as information given to the public.

I will confess both my frustration and my fear of how the PNoy administration is failing to appreciate, rationalize, organize and utilize the government’s human and institutional resources for communication. But my personal sentiments and professional assessment are a minor concern when compared to the actual frustration of government communications specialists who have reached a point where they are openly talking about it.

#6 Where there’s smoke there is fire. The only way to stop it is to go out and look for it.

If a really independent survey were conducted on the appearance and personal contact time done by Lacierda, Carandang and Valte were to be made among government and media communicators, would they have a passing grade. First person I asked gave them an F. perhaps it’s time for the Trio to socialize outside Malacañang a little more.

#7 Communications is not propaganda.

Contrary to the common notion that government communications is purely propaganda mouthed off by spokespersons, what we have in government are dozens if not hundreds of communications offices, thousands of government experts who could collectively under a good conductor show citizens that there are so many services, opportunities, and accomplishments made available or being achieved by the government.

Finally #8 Agreeing to disagree is agreeing to be divided. That never works. Let us agree on what we can work on and accomplish together.

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E-mail: utalk2ctalk@gmail.com