Communicators Anonymous

Consultants: Love 'em or Hate 'em

2009-07-13T12:13:07-05:00

At some point in your career you may have to work with consultants. You or the company is likely to pay them a good sum of money for their services. The last thing you want to do is place a consultant's recommendations on the shelf to gather dust. Yet, in my current position, this is what I have seen happen with the majority of reports. Why bother hiring consultants, if no strategic thinking or actionable items result? Why waste such an investment of time and money?

I am currently struggling with how to best work with consultants from the corporation side. Recently, my company hired consultants to evaluate our overall corporate branding and standards. A 30-day first impression report was issued last week. Prior to the report being released, the consultants spoke to my team Chief for a total of 20 minutes...that generated two pages of bullet points in the report.

I applaud my company for taking the necessary steps to build a consistent corporate image and voice; however, the limited information provided to the consultants for their preliminary review is disappointing and incomplete. We were excited about the constructive feedback we had hoped to receive form the consultants after they understood our social media strategy and place within the community. Many of the points in the preliminary report do not account for the restrictions we face within our space or any of our strategic plans, objectives and up-to-date analysis.

Needless to day, my team and I were frustrated with the results at first blush. So, I asked my peers on Twitter, what is the best way to work with consultants? Should consultants be integrated with the team? How do you get best results?

Of all the consultants, I have worked with, there are only a handful I would work with again or recommend. I am eager to learn how to work with consultants better from an in-house position. Also, I would like to know what are the best practices from the consultant perspective (next post topic). After all, I will be in that position soon...

So, here is the feedback I received via Twitter:

adamcohen @vargasl having been a cons my career, the best client relationships are where teams are integrated w/out regard for badge to focus on goals
adamcohen @vargasl also best results are achieved when the team gets real - no team is perfect. It's not whether issues exist its how team handles em
adamcohen @vargasl much is based on establishing right relationship up front, understanding culture, ptrship based on mutual goals. Not easy to start
adamcohen @vargasl often the consultant wld request, but need a willing partner. Helps if client has a cons background too, they've lived it.
KellyeCrane @vargasl Hi! Consultants get to choose who to work with. That said, once on with a client, adjusting to their work style is part of the job.
KellyeCrane @vargasl Being an integrated part of the team is highly beneficial, but often not possible due to budget constraints. Am I answering your Q?
DebInDenver @KellyeCrane @vargasl how do budget constraints keep you from bein an integrates part of team? And is there an advantage to that?
KellyeCrane @DebInDenver @vargasl A client's budget may limit them to give you 1 tactic of a campaign (for ex), and need you to handle autonomously.
KellyeCrane @DebInDenver @vargasl Consultants are not always involved in the strategy/planning. You can opt not to take these jobs, but they're there.
DebInDenver @KellyeCrane @vargasl I think that is a huge mistake on the cos part, they miss out on the pros expertise.

Now, currently I am not in the position where I have the authority to interview the consultants before hire, but am more interested in how to work with them after contract has been established. The consultants I would hire again or recommend all took the integrated approach and adjusted to the work style and culture of our team. Does this interfere with the practical disengagement needed for end-results?

I consider a healthy consultant-client relationship to include:

Active listening: Does the consultant pay attention to what you're saying and respond appropriately – or does the consultant only talk about his own accomplishments?
Disengagement: Does it seem that this candidate will be able to provide the objectivity you need in an outside expert?
Adaptation: Does the consultant have a grasp of mission and organizational style? Has the consultant bothered to learn anything about your group prior to the interview?
Honesty/Integrity: Throughout the relationship, you must be consistently forthcoming about the problems that face your team/organization and vice versa about relationship the consultant has with team/company or about obtaining needed information.
Follow-through: Over time, your team will probably agree to undertake a number of tasks related to the consultant's intervention, such as conducting research or writing reports, that may prove demanding and time-consuming. Do not make these commitments unless you can keep them. The consulting relationship is a collaboration. You must hold up your end.
Communication: Determine early on how much and what kinds of information needs to be shared with the consultant and vice versa.
Relevant experience: How can you incorporate the consultant's best insights and techniques into your own organizational practice, so you may be able to handle problems on your own next time around.
Evolution: The consultant's work will often conclude with a multitude of constructive criticism and recommendations. Do you and organization have the energy, flexibility, and courage to take the necessary next steps. Be honest and don't just be after a tick in the box.
Letting go: Do you have the ability to end an unproductive relationship? Whatever the reason, you have a responsibility to end the relationship as soon as you're convinced that it will fail.

What would you change or add to this list?

What is the best way you work with consultants? Should consultants be integrated with the team? How do you get best results?

Reminiscing

2009-07-01T10:17:48-05:00

Since last Thursday, you cannot flip on the TV, radio or Internet without stumbling across a reference of Michael Jackson. I have tried my best to avoid the gossip and scandal about the star I admired as a young child. (My parents still have home video of me wearing a white glove and hat break-dancing.)

All the talk of drug use and past court trials overshadow the talent of this man. Recent rumors of Michael Jackson's body in a glass coffin being open for viewing to the public are just another shock-and-awe media spectacle. It is sickening and makes me strive to tune out the noise even more.

So, why am I writing a post to further the effervescent chatter?

I will remember Michael Jackson through my life experiences with his music and videos. I have no personal ties or experiences with the rampant rumors about the star. The supposed glass coffin stunt (if true) is just that...another media event. If all you offer is flash, you will never be able to connect with your consumers or evangelize a fan base.

What creates experience? Wonder. Look through the eyes of a child or go back to your childhood and view this past week's media events. Does it make you cringe? It makes me squirm in embarrassment as a human. This is how I feel about a lot of brands pushing their products and services without knowing what makes their consumers tick.

(Image courtesy of PHOTOberryTV.)

APR Process: Calling for a mulligan

2009-06-29T08:56:58-05:00

Thank you for the support all of you showed me last week in anticipation of my APR exam Sunday, 28 June. The unofficial results were instantaneous...did not pass again...and by the same number of percentage points as times past. It was not any area in particular where I came up short, but a mixed bag of scores and a total mental block when it comes to standardized tests.

Yesterday, my disappointment took hold and I vowed I would not take the exam again. Well, I can't hold that vow. It is not who I am. I have never backed down from a challenge. I am extremely frustrated that I have been unable to pass the exam when I have always excelled in education, other certifications and challenging tasks. I have a tendency to over think the case/answers and don't necessarily agree that the test best response is the best response in the real world. Well, I will need to get over that line of thought to pass this exam.

Now that I have taken and failed the test three times, I must start the APR process from the beginning. I do not regret the process nor will I talk badly about the exam. It is what it is. I am a better communicator for going through the process and by reestablishing self with the founding principles of public relations. I am a better educator. I will move on...and I will succeed. Just not today.

UPDATE: (6/30) PRSA National just called my mobile to tell me they became aware of this post after a UAB member brought it to their attention. They called to tell me, I do not have to start process over completely (i.e. Readiness Review). Once in "advanced" status, I remain there. However, I do have to pay $385 fee again and reschedule test. Wicked cool they called me.

APR: Study Time!

2009-06-22T09:41:21-05:00

Have you been following the #accredchat Twitter discussions each Friday at 1pm EST? Unfortunately, I was unable to attend last week's chat about best study practices. I encourage you to go online and check out the fabulous tips offered by those who have been there and successfully passed the APR exam.

This Sunday, 28 June, I sit down to complete my APR exam. Here is to hoping that third time is the charm! What have I done differently to study this time around?

Enlisted the help of a Study Fairy (fancy phrase for Study Buddy). Thanks to Sherry Carr Smith (@prcarrs), who has quizzed me on elements of the Study Guide two-to-three times a week for the last two months.
Use flash cards! The black and white of the Study Guide blurs to gray after combing through the material for a long time. Your eyes skip the key points and you relax without digesting the study material because you feel you already know what is being highlighted. Stop the laziness and keep yourself on your toes! I used Cobocards because I could create my flash cards and share them with my Study Fairy. Subscribe to the RSS feed of my flash cards and use them to help you prepare. (I have some more decks to publish...getting around to that!)
Set a target. I set my test date, then working backwards from that date, created a Google Calendar of dedicated study days/times. I mapped out which sections I would study and when my Study Fairy would quiz me on competence of each topic.

Here are some great tips I selected from the #accredchat conversation 19 June:

@KrisTK: The more senses you use while studying helps get info into diff parts of brain -- read it, speak it aloud, write it down.
@ljstarnes: My prep: APR study guide, supplemented by Cutlip textbook. Made copious notes, which helped engrain info into my brain.
@ljstarnes: When studying, focus on the KSAs that will be most of test-theory, ethics, research, crisis comm etc.
@vanhoosier: Concur it is helpful to review theoretical concepts. Talking through communication models w/peer is crucial.
@ljstarnes: re study groups, ask your APR chair to help start one. Chair has access to supplemental study mat'l thru PRSA.
@Samjb: Finding a study buddy and an accredited mentor are absolutely essential. Then set deadlines & a schedule and stick to it!
@Samjb: Spend time with people who have become accredited recently--they can give you a fresh and accurate perspective on the exam.
@Samjb: as Dallas APR Chair, I hear good things about the PRSA online course. Not a boring online thing, meaningful interaction w/peers.

Should a community manager go native?

2009-06-16T11:33:11-05:00

I have been tossing this question around in my mind for some time because I am a community manager with a public relations background. I am constantly balancing my roles as an active listener and organization liaison with being a participant and engaging the community without being a pr megaphone. The question first took form with the anthropologist angle after watching The Nanny Diaries.

Please do not judge me for my movie taste...truly, I was bored and needed to chill in front of the TV without thinking and this movie was all that was on television.

In case you haven't seen the flick, it is about a girl (Annie) graduating from college as an anthropology major and freezes during the interview for an internship at a big corporation. To find herself, she takes a job as a nanny in Manhattan's Upper East Side, and moves in with the X family - a cheating husband, a control-freak wife, and Grayer, a lad of five. Annie puts her anthropology skills to use to save her sanity. She classifies all participants and documents their interactions while trying to maintain a level of separation because a good nanny cannot "go native" and fall in love with the family/child or begin to make excuses for their behavior.

Didn't I say I watched that movie so I wouldn't be thinking?

I know, but I couldn't help but think of the nanny role being similar to the role of a community manager. We keep a safe distance and do not become too emotionally attached as not to negatively alter our job performance. We allow our kids (community members) to foster their own thoughts and beliefs and we act only as guides and facilitators with their parents (organizations). Like a good nanny, should we as community managers reject the invitation to go native?

As the title of community manager becomes more mainstream in organizations, the question of what defines this role is a hot topic of conversation. Is it better for the community manager to be a member of the established community or take the role of an anthropologist? I am sure there is no black and white answer...we seem to live in shades of gray. However, when I ask this question, I am yearning for a b/w answer from a measurement approach.

While a community manager, unlike an anthropologist, is not meant to be an invisible insider, going native may lead to ethical problems involved in participating in some of the community/tribe customs. Undoubtedly, field work, in an attempt to develop relationships with community/tribe members, works best when the researcher becomes wholly accepted as members of the group. The community manager goes native. What happens to perspective? Objective? Any less or more objective than the role as organization liaison?

Another crucial problem is that describing what people believe and how they act may be neither valid or reliable. Data is not likely to be exact or replicable. Yes, trends may be identified and participation requested, but if the community manager is not native and remains an outsider, the community manager is denied the opportunity to truly understand the world view of those studied. Do you agree with this?

The discussion surrounding community management is awesome. More voices are discussing the role and future of consumer tribalism then ever before. It is fascinating to watch and learn. I encourage you to join in the weekly Twitter discussion, #CmtyChat, Fridays at 1pm EST and read the newest community initiative, The Community Roundtable. Also, check out the Blue Sky Factory TV Episode from IMS Dallas, where Amber Naslund discusses the role of community manager.

(Image courtesy law_keven.)