Spokesperson Career Paper Example

Introduction

A spokesperson is an individual whose role is to communicates to the external environment through oral or written form of communication to other parties in the business community. A spokesperson of the company is usually responsible for creating as well as maintaining a very positive image of the company or organization to the public. The spokesperson communicates and interacts with the public and advise his or her organization in all the matters involving public relations. In addition to communicating with the public and also the media in the region, the spokesperson writes press releases and also advise the company on marketing matters through the preparation of presentations for potential clients and investors (Enroos, Helland, Poso, Skivenes & Tonheim, 2017).

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Educational Requirements

A company spokesperson is required to have some formal education as one is expected to learn about the various degree programs, job duties and responsibilities, and requirements for one to build a solid foundation for a successful career. A company spokesperson duties and responsibilities can be compared to that of a public relations specialist who is accountable for the public image of the organization or company that they work for. A spokesperson education background should enable him or her to be able to perform duties such as creating and maintaining a positive public image for the organization involved (Enroos et al. 2017). The public relation officials who have specialized in spokesperson job description normally communicates with the public and also gives advice to their companies in matters of public relations. Job duties for these professionals may include drafting different press releases, conducting major and minor interviews with the media so that to give them advice on advertising as well as marketing strategies. Most organization spokespersons have acquired a bachelor's degrees in journalism, public relations and have knowledge on other related fields and are expected to have completed internships o that to gain experience in the field of public relations and especially in the spokesperson roles and duties (Enroos et al. 2017).

Many company spokespersons usually hold a bachelor's degree in journalism, and public relations or even have a background on a related field. They are also required to have completed internships so as to gain adequate experience in the field. Apart from a degree in journalism and public relations, a spokesperson may also be required to have a background education in marketing, public affairs and communication. The relevant classes which a spokesperson need include; public speaking, media technology, cultural interactions and ethical practices in business. There are organizations that prefer a spokesperson with more experience and expertise in certain specific fields such as print journalism, health communication as well as image management. Classes in the field of sociology, creative writing, psychology and social studies prove to be very useful tools for certain firms.

In order to educate and prepare the future company spokespersons for their job and a successful career path, internship in public relations, public information and advertising have proved to be a success as it ensures that these young professionals are fully equipped for the task ahead. There are organizations worldwide that can further a spokesperson's education which includes; International Association of Business Communicators as well as American Student Society of Public Relations. These organizations help the young spokesperson to be able to gain more skills and expertise so as to be able to solve the various common problems and obstacles that they encounter in the early years of their career such as communication problems and interaction difficulties. The education background should be able to equip the spokesperson with strong oral and written communication skills in addition to the prominent and most valuable bachelor's degree in public relations as well as other related fields. Therefore, it is important to note that studies in marketing, journalism, sociology, psychology, public health and creative writing are great assets to individuals pursuing spokesperson career.

As stated above, while pursuing the public relations course that leads to a spokesperson career, one has to cover three main disciplines. These disciplines include; Communications and Media, Public Relations Theory and Application and Writing for Mass Communication. In Communication and Media, one studies the birth of the mass media through tracking its historical trends as well as learning how the numerous media institutions have greatly affected the society. While undertaking Public Relations Theory and Application, one learns the strategic concepts as well as the fundamental concepts that are involved in public relations and acquires knowledge on how to run public relations for an actual organization or business. Writing for Mass Communication discipline enables one to learn how to write speeches, pitch emails, and press releases. One also learns how to master the APA style of writing which is widely used in public relations documentation.

Salaries

The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not clearly provide the salary estimates that specifically are directed to the individuals in the spokesperson role. The salary varies in regard to the employees' industry, years of experience and the size of the company. However, it is estimated that the median annual wage for the public relations workers is about $ 58, 020. However, this estimate varies greatly based on the location as well as the organization since the duties of a spokesperson of a company or organization are extremely variable from those of a spokesperson working for the government. All the spokespersons who include press secretaries, hired actors and freelancers have a bachelor's degree in communication and marketing which should guarantee them an annual salary of not less than $81,000. It has been stated that the BLS expects employment for specialists in the field of public relations to grow to about nine per cent by the year 2026 which will provide a general direction and sense of employment growth for individuals undertaking the role of spokesperson hence being able to standardize and raise their salary range (Doorley & Garcia, 2015).

Public Relations Skills

Public relations professionals have two main responsibilities; promoting a certain brand and protecting it. Therefore, there are various skills that these individuals ought to have in order to carry out these two duties effectively. On the promotional duties of the public relations, these professionals help the organization develop a positive reputation with the external business environment through the exercise of various public relations skills such as communication skills, content creation skills, media relations, social media community, among others. On the protective side, the public relations worker helps the client or the organization to maintain the desired reputation as well as defend it in times of crisis through exercising of public relation skills such as crisis management and reputation management qualities.

Content Creation Skills

The content creation public relations team has the ability to craft very positive stories about the brand of the organization they are representing which the media relations team then pitches to the journalists. These stories are aimed at arousing the interests of the journalists as well as the general public and also helps in raising awareness through creative means of communication and information relaying. The content creation skills enable the spokesperson to write press materials, bylined print materials and articles for news outlets. The spokesperson through creativity skills can catch the attention of the intended audience through the making of brand awareness videos (Duhe, 2015).

Media Relations Qualities

Public relations professionals have the capabilities to develop and maintain healthy relationships with journalists. This ensures that they can pitch stories to them as well as seek out various interview opportunities for their executive team so as to promote their brand. These professionals also track their press, social and also blog placements through measuring and reporting their public relations campaign's effectiveness. The social media community team has the required capabilities to manage the company's image on social media such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, Instagram, among others. They use various social listening tools to gauge and measure the public reputation of the company and boost it in all ways possible (Doorley & Garcia, 2015). They interact with the social media fraternity by following and making company announcements on the various social media platforms. They are also tasked with the responsibility of finding social media influencers so s to help them promote their brand.

Community Relations Skills

Public relations skills in community relations enable the professionals to ensure that their client or company live up to their full potential and capacity as a corporation that is socially responsible for the immediate community. The public relations team finds opportunities in which the company can be involved in positive community events such as sponsoring events, donation or even working on a philanthropy event. These positive deeds of the brand on the community gives the journalists the positive desired stories to write on hence increasing their number of press placements as well as strengthening the company's public reputation (Enroos et al. 2017).

Financial Communications Skills

The public relations financial communications team should have the ability to forge working relationships with the analysts and also investors so that they can be able to improve the financial reputation of the organization. This is possible through the fielding of all analyst, investor and media inquiries at the stakeholder meetings, private meetings and press conferences. The financial team also has the capacity and the expertise to write earnings reports and also update reports on the investor section on their website.

Protective Skills

The protective side of the public relations professionals include skills to help manage a company crisis and managing a brand's reputation. The reputation management team gauges the company's reputation through monitoring the sentiments of the brand on their review sites, social media, news and all other online community platforms. The information gathered helps the company to identify any complaints that the consumers may have so that they can quickly address them via social media as well as other communication channels online (Doorley & Garcia, 2015). The crisis management party has the ability to help the clients or the company deal with any major catastrophes that may result due to human error, malicious intentions or intervention activities. The team mitigates the damage caused by releasing statements to take responsibility for the cause of the event and show how the company is responding through the plan to solve the problems that arise. An official spokesperson may be appointed by the public relations team to respond to any criticism that may be directed towards their brand at an interview or press conferences (Duhe, 2015).

Interview With Public Relations Professional

In my quest to know about the spokesperson career, I conducted an interview with a spokesperson, Brian Miller at the Perimeter college. This was to ge...