Those Great/Pesky B.S. Detectors

by David D. Menzies
The great thing about B.S. detectors is everyone's got 'em. Come on, you know what I'm talking about; when you're getting pitched on something that just doesn't feel right, or it conflicts with something you know as true, that little red light goes off in your head. These fantastic internal devices work across a myriad of communication platforms including emails, face-to-face interactions, phone calls and voicemails, social media, news articles, group presentations, you name it. They save us inordinate amounts of time, money, and unnecessary stress. On the flip side, they present obstacles for the entity sharing information; anywhere and anyhow people are trying to tell somebody something, they risk the chance of setting-off their audience's B.S. detectors, even if the information they are presenting is factual and true. How, then, do businesses avoid their audiences' devices from going off, sometimes by accident, and doing long-term -- often devastating -- damage to their brand?

Be truthful

It's a basic premise, but being truthful with the information you are providing is a sure fire way to get things off on the right foot. Think about it: if you don't include any false information or outright lies in your communication, it cannot come back to bite you at a later date. Staying on the up-and-up is a must in any internal or external conversations with target audiences.

Don't be coy

Half-truths can sometimes get by some people's B.S. detectors, but for the most part they serve as triggers for your audience to listen more closely with the intent on deciphering what you are saying as actually being true rather than absorbing what you are trying to pitch them on. For example, if you've got a signed contract with someone for X deliverables, and this individual or company tries to say yeah, but really you signed up for Y deliverables, you're no longer thinking about the benefit the provider can give you, but rather all you're thinking about is how they're trying to get one over on you. A signed contract is a signed contract, period, just like a fact is a fact. Present information within your communication in a similar fashion -- factually, without any twisting or spin.

Be transparent

Over my 22+ years as a professional communicator on both sides of the PR fence (news vs. PR), I've been involved in numerous instances where a business or organization in a crisis tries to hide facts or simply takes the ostrich approach of sticking their heads in the sand and hoping whatever mess they're involved in blows over. In the business world, this should not even be a consideration, since you have stakeholders, customers, staff, etc. affected by crisis, and you literally owe it to them to provide information and updates. It never, I repeat N-E-V-E-R works out well for a business or organization that shuts down information-wise during a crisis. That said, it doesn't take a crisis for a business to decide not to share important information; for example, if an apparel company is selling a product they know shrinks in the wash or happens to have an odd sizing to it, if they don't communicate this to customers up-front they run the risk of being overwhelmed with returns, angry customers, bad word-of-mouth advertising and eventually a severely damaged brand. By being up-front and giving customers a heads-up on the nuances of a product, all the negativity is avoided.

Whatever you are communicating as a business, before actually communicating, take off your blinders and think about how you as a customer would interpret the information. If your own B.S. detector goes off, you've saved yourself a lot of hassle. Trust these unique devices and use them wisely.

David D. Menzies is president of Innovative Public Relations, a PR and media relations consultancy. He is a 22+ year public relations professional with expertise in strategic messaging, publicity and branding. For more information visit www.innovativepublicrelations.com. Copyright © 2014 Innovative Public Relations, Inc.