What the Timing of Obama's Secret Service Appointment Teaches Us About Public Relations

There is a photograph of me, long since lost, with former Kentucky Attorney General Chris Gorman in the moments right before a news conference. I wish I still had it, as it's really quite funny: I'm so focused on the event and the last minute preparations that I look positively angry. That's how intense I was (am?), and it's a good example of the pressures involved in presenting your message to the media and the public. We expect our political and business leaders to appear relaxed in such settings, and the fact they usually are is indeed a testament to their presence, poise and confidence.

In comparison to my rather strained countenance, Attorney General Gorman did appear positively relaxed. Of course, I'd like to think it was because of his faith that I had done my job, prepared him well and eliminated all the risks, pitfalls and curve balls we could possibly think of. But he was quite good in front of the cameras; he was the elected official, after all, and the risks were his (not that there wouldn't have been...repercussions...if things didn't go well). Still, it was my job to quite literally think of everything. We had a small communications shop for a statewide office and literally everything rested on my shoulders: advance, speech-writing, news releases and all the rest. And in regard to risk? Eliminating risk is job one for a public relations professional, and the only way to eliminate risk to the greatest possible extent is by precise, thorough and relentless preparation.

As with so many areas of professional communications (even web-based communication), the elements to a successful media event aren't exactly state secrets. From Roosevelt to Reagan, there's a precedent and road map for crafting a winning message and delivering it with artistry, sincerity, elegance and success. It's all about execution: the ones who execute best, win. It's really that simple.

Still, it always helps to keep in mind the most important principles, a sort of checklist for success. Here are a few of the best.

1. For a news conference, create a list of anticipated questions and answers. There's really nothing quite like the gratification of hearing journalists ask the obscure or tricky questions you anticipated. And this is exactly what we're talking about in regard to eliminating risk. Not much fun to be surprised during a news conference.
   
2. Practice. It really does make perfect, doesn't it?
   
3. Pick an appropriate setting. A picture is worth a thousand words and all that. Sure, there are times when you want and need the official look of the briefing room or a distinguished and familiar setting. But the most memorable images come from the field. Remember Dukakis riding in a tank (ick!), or Reagan standing on the cliffs of Normandy? Setting does make a difference.
   
4. Select the time and day of the event carefully. There's really no such thing as a news cycle anymore, but conventional wisdom says to select (or try to select) a day when there's not as much competition. However, President Obama and his staff recently turned conventional wisdom upside down by announcing the appointment of the first female Secret Service director on the day of the marriage equality argument before the Supreme Court. This basically turned the entire day into a civil rights day. Brilliant public relations.
   
5. If you're fighting an uphill battle for attention, follow up on your advisory announcing the event with calls to editors and reporters. Play it low key, of course. You're simply ensuring they have the information they need in deciding whether to cover the event. And you can subtly make your pitch, of course.
    

This isn't rocket science, of course. "Some were secrets," Hemingway wrote, "and some were known by everyone and everyone has written about them and will doubtless write more." Basically, we all play by the same rules, but as President Obama demonstrated, sometimes there's great advantage in breaking the rules. Rules are made to be broken, but there is never a substitute for flawless execution.