Jack O'Dwyer's PR Daily
July 29, 2005
Mike Paul
Being forthright is the key to practicing corporate PR, according to New York counselor Mike Paul, who addressed PRSA's Nebraska chapter this month.
"There will be a situation in which you have to ask yourself, 'Do I choose the truth or do I choose lies and deceit?" Paul told the group.
The former Burson-Marsteller exec, who runs MGP and Associates PR, said PR pros have to look inward and ask themselves the tough questions before they can advise clients on what to do.
He said a recent meeting with a company CFO resulted in the confession of years accounting irregularities to Paul, who told the executive "there is a way out, and it's being truthful. You just started."
Paul described the "bricks" of a lasting reputation as transparency, accountability, humility and consistency.
He criticized legal advice taking priority over sound PR advice, noting that "too many times" lawyers want to control what is and isn't said to the public, and many times, they want to be spokespeople. Lawyers may be experts in the court of law, he said, but PR pros are experts in the court of public opinion.
"The court of law is only half of the picture and it is usually short term," Paul says. "The court of public opinion is long term and holds the key to your reputation."
