I’m a natural people pleaser so ‘Give the customer what they want’ has always been the internal mantra ringing in my ears.
by Cath Farrell
In the earlier stages of my career as a copywriter, this was fine and dandy. 150, 50 words, 30 words by 3pm today? Yes boss, no problem.
The need to please
When I made the move to agency PR I wanted to impress and my need to please went into overdrive. If the printer broke down, I’d be elbow deep in ink trying to fix it, if piles of consultation documents needed ring binding ahead of a community liaison meeting, I would be closeted away as part of the production line.
Not having learned to say no got me into some sticky situations. A commercial property client wants to run a story on a big old house with history? No problem, I’ll write that press release – it’s only when it hit the front page I realised its colourful tale wasn’t a fully positive one. My first experiences of firefighting soon followed and anyone who works in media will know it takes time and skill to put that lingering smoke out.
From owls to wizards
I learned. It wasn’t instant. I was supporting the marketing manager for a shopping centre in the north who had lots of amazing ideas to bring people into the centre. A huge Harry Potter fan, the latest book in the series was about to come out and an event at a well-known book store was going to draw in fans of the boy wizard in their droves.
What was going to make their day? I was tasked with finding a Hedwig-alike, a snowy owl. I dutifully rang up all the falconry centres in the region about the possibility of an appearance and soon became an expert in the somewhat grumpy nature of this particular breed. We had the chance of a barn owl or two and I started to prepare to tell my client about the prospect of a plan B.
An enlightening moment
That is when I had the light bulb moment that has guided my decisions-making ever since. I thought about the why. I stepped back and swiftly realised that all that was needed was something Harry Potter-themed that fans young and old would like to come and see. Why would you want to see a bad-tempered owl when you could see a jovial and talkative giant? I made a couple of phone calls about Hagrid impersonators and soon had a friendly and reasonably priced Robbie Coltrane lookalike on standby.
I rang my client and told them the good news. We had the wow factor we needed for our event and at a budget-friendly price. Great delight greeted the decision to change direction, even more jubilation followed when queues around the block formed to see Hagrid - I had learned a valuable lesson.
The salesman versus the critical friend
The penny had finally dropped – don’t give the customer what they want but advise them on what they actually need. It’s not rocket science, and in time they will thank you for it.
I’ve had many comms roles since then, from PR manager at the National Railway Museum to my current communications manager role supporting our NHS tech heroes. The recurring theme is using the right level of challenge to navigate a steady path through high-pressure situations.
Heart-racing times
The One Show suggested racing locomotives to mark the 75th anniversary of Mallard’s world record-breaking run. A flat no was no problem as they rapidly agreed they got enough excitement and movement from their very own night at the museum. Fast forward to Rod Stewart pulling a lever live in the studio as the expert rail operations team moved Mallard and sisters into position.
In the strategic programme marketing and communication team at NHS Digital the programmes we support are delivering complex national tech projects, from the NHS App to a new online GP registration service. It can be very hard to say no when there’s massive political pressure, tightly controlled governance and public scrutiny galore, so it’s even more important to retain laser focus on what we need to achieve and ensure our comms advice is brave and true.
There’s a lot at stake, but the rewards in terms of successful health outcomes for the public are huge. If we get our messaging right, we drive the adoption of new online services that empower the public and lighten the load of our amazing front line health professionals.
The art of saying no
In every role there will be requests for an owl. There may even be requests for a tapdancing unicorn. Saying no in the right way is powerful. It can change a bad situation into a good one. Be bold and be that trusted advisor. It’s not magic but it can transform a sticky situation into sailing through clear blue waters.
There will always be times when it’s best to just crack on and deliver. But there are far more often times when comms professionals can help stakeholders change direction so we are working towards a wizard rather than an owl.
Cath Farrell is communications manager at NHS Digital. You can say hello on Twitter at @catherinefarr18
Image by brgfx on Freepik
